new to cpap - waking up and central apneas

[Dormeo]

You do need to have some patience -- you've been using the machine for just a couple of weeks so far. You also need to start using the machine all night, even if that feels worse at first. Do you stop partway through the night because of specific discomfort?

[RayBee]

..... I'm still waking up a lot and tired during the day.  On 2/27: I used the cpap the whole night (most nights I only use it half the night) and was much more tired the next day.  Although I think that may have been partly since I had to wake up an hour earlier than normal.

Any ideas on what to try next to help with flow limits, centrals, arousals, tiredness during the day? .....

Like Dormeo said, you have to be patient.

I didn't really notice much of a change in how I felt on PAP until 9 months had passed. I don't mean to be a Debbie Downer, but it can take some time. Once that corner was turned, I really started to notice a big difference.

The way I look at it, is my body took on a lot of damage being untreated for decades. That damage has to undergo repair for some time before you really reap the rewards of PAP therapy. I went from wanting to just nap in front of the TV all day, sleeping very poorly at night, and feeling crappy all day to regularly exercising almost every day and rebuilding basically everything on my house. The house project is now fun for me to do, I get to spend money on new tools instead of contractors doing shoddy work, and I think of it as my new gym membership.

My first couple months averaged 3 to 4 hours of therapy per night. Little change in frequent urination trips (yes, one of the symptoms of untreated sleep apnea) and ample discouragement with nothing much to report in the positive gains column. It takes time to get used to PAP therapy, knowledge and testing to get your mask and machine settings just right, and time for your body to heal.

I suppose what I am saying is that there is no miracle pill or Easy button in PAP therapy. It takes time. Once you are there you will know it. Absolutely don't give up. Don't get discouraged. You will turn the corner and feel amazingly great all day when your body says so. This is a journey. You might be a bit disillusioned right now. Rest assured there is a huge payoff in your future with determination and perseverance on your part, and amazing support here on ApneaBoard.

[chavill02]

You do need to have some patience -- you've been using the machine for just a couple of weeks so far.  You also need to start using the machine all night, even if that feels worse at first.  Do you stop partway through the night because of specific discomfort?

I’ve been on cpap for 6 weeks so far, not just 2 weeks. The reason I take it off halfway through the night is since I sometimes can’t fall back asleep. Also, I feel much more tired the next day if I use it the whole night. My theory is that I should try to find the right settings that help me the best for half the night, then I’ll use those settings for the whole night. Otherwise I’ll be extremely tired and can’t function if I use it the whole night on these wrong settings so far. 

I don’t think I’ve found the right settings yet since I sleep worse on cpap than without it.  It’s really frustrating, especially when I hear stories of how other people get relief from it soon after using it.

[Dormeo]

I'd say the people who get early and dramatic relief are in the minority. I hate to say it, but it can take several months before you feel benefits, as RayBee has noted. I'm not convinced your way of going about this is the one that will move you forward fastest, but I do understand what you're saying.

Especially given the wealth of information we can view via Oscar, it becomes tempting to think there's an elusive setting that, if only we could find it, will yield a good night's sleep. Heaven knows I've flailed around with that myself.

Post another chart with your current settings in case there are some tweaks someone can suggest. Please also let us know the extent to which you are able to follow the advice for good sleep I summarized in an earlier post. And it occurs to me to ask what medications you're on and whether you've checked side effects for sleep/tiredness-type issues.

You might also want to zoom in fairly closely and scroll through the whole night from time to time, to see how many mini-arousals you are having. It could be helpful to know whether you're trending up, down, or steadily with those (per hour).

[chavill02]

I'd say the people who get early and dramatic relief are in the minority.  I hate to say it, but it can take several months before you feel benefits, as RayBee has noted.  I'm not convinced your way of going about this is the one that will move you forward fastest, but I do understand what you're saying.

Especially given the wealth of information we can view via Oscar, it becomes tempting to think there's an elusive setting that, if only we could find it, will yield a good night's sleep.  Heaven knows I've flailed around with that myself.

Post another chart with your current settings in case there are some tweaks someone can suggest.  Please also let us know the extent to which you are able to follow the advice for good sleep I summarized in an earlier post.  And it occurs to me to ask what medications you're on and whether you've checked side effects for sleep/tiredness-type issues.

You might also want to zoom in fairly closely and scroll through the whole night from time to time, to see how many mini-arousals you are having.  It could be helpful to know whether you're trending up, down, or steadily with those (per hour).

Gotcha, I was under the impression that most people get relief soon after using cpap (within weeks).  The people I know (family and friends) that use it, say they are sleeping through the night and don't need naps anymore during the day.  They said it was soon after using cpap.  

As far as your post on sleep hygiene, I follow basically all of that to a T and have been for a long time.  It's all very useful info to know.  I think the main issue is the sleep apnea for me now since all the other things are under control for the most part (following a sleep schedule, getting out of bed if not tired, sunlight during day, very dark bedroom and cool room at night, no alcohol, etc.).

Do you know how I can identify the mini-arousals on Oscar?   I'm going to try a fixed pressure now as an experiment for several days to see if that changes anything.  Someone had mentioned doing that to help reduce their constant arousals throughout the night.

I don't take any meds, just vitamins.  At night, I take magnesium/zinc/rosemary to help sleep.

Something else I've noticed from my charts is somewhat clustered flow limits.  It seems like they happen every 1.5 hours approx (about the same length of a sleep cycle).  This makes me think it coincides with REM sleep.  I'm wondering if I sleep more heavily during REM sleep and get obstructions then, and that's causing me to wake up sometimes.