Getting tired again, am I rebounding?

[Fletch]

Man this is spooky! I headed in late to work today after my first bad night on CPAP thinking I'd ask you folks for advice.

I started at the end of July/beginning of August and recently bought an auto when my insurance cover started to lapse. I had been having problems because I was taking the mask off that I fixed using a Breeze.

Now before CPAP I didnt dream much and if I did it frequently involved choking. I often woke up flushed after what I believe was a bad apnea attack. Since I started CPAP I have slept reasonably well when I could keep the mask on. The Auto shows AHI's in the 1-3 range with AI's at 0.1 or lower everything says that the therapy is working.

But last night I didn't sleep well at all, I tossed and turned so much my wife sneaked out to the couch, I woke up slightly flushed after a dream where I thought I had fluid in the lungs. However the machine reports 2.6 AHI and a 0.1 AI, not all that unusual.

[gardenrodent]

Hi again, I am the guest by a proper name!

Thanks all, this is all getting very interesting.

Will :-

One thing that I did not see mentioned in the thread is the effect Acid Reflux and GERD can have on cpap therapy.

You really gave me something to think about there, I now get awful indigestion in the mornings after CPAP. Not only that but I often used to have acid reflux at night, and one awful never to be forgotten moment under pressure with the mask.

I'm really glad that others have had the same thing. Were this a one off I wouldn't worry, but I feel like I have been going backwards progressively over the last two to three weeks. The official word, I rang the hospital today, is that I am doing more! OK, yes, in the sense that for the first 4 weeks I was on holiday.

But, I was also told that alcohol relaxes the muscles more and therefore requires a little more pressure. I wonder how many other things relax those muscles as well, I was also asked if I had perhaps put on more weight (Oh Bugger!), well, nearly four weeks in France what do you think! Upshot, I'll add another CM tonight.

The other interesting statement was that all REM sleep is caught up after three weeks of proper sleep. Well, I thought it was interesting!

Bob

[WillCunningham]

I would definately look into getting your acid reflux treated. The way it was explained to me is that cpap therapy uses air pressure to splint open the soft tissue in our throats. Apparently when that soft tissue is irritated by acid reflux (even very mild acid reflux) it can cause that soft tissue to swell and stiffen. After the soft tissue isn't so soft it can no longer be splinted open by cpap and we end up effectively unrested. My doctor recomended agressively using treatements like over the counter pepsid ac and if that wasn't getting the job done to let him know. I have definately noticed a difference in how I feel.

[fog.apnea]

Hi

No one yet in this thread seems to have posted an answer, I wonder how the people posting these problems are getting on a year later?

I started CPAP at the beginning of August this year, just at the point I started a long holiday. Two weeks later I am feeling better, nothing I could really put a finger on. The third week I went on business to Prague, and boy did I party! I don't remember having that energy to party since I was 20!! There followed another week and a half of holiday before a return to work at the beginning of September.

That first week, and the second week, I was burning! Concentration was way up, no sleepiness, facts at my finger tips. The brain dead way I had dragged myself through the last two years was gone. It was great, life was great...

And now, a further three weeks on, I feel like I am back where I started. At first I thought it was a different tiredness, just feeling tired but not on the edge of actually going to sleep. Now, this weekend, I just want to sleep again. I feel as bad as I did before.

I adhere religiously to the treatment, 4 hours a night minimum. Usually I looking at 6 to 8 hours of sleep. And now maybe I wake up once for a toilet stop. Before CPAP I awoke several times a night. I generally feel that my sleep is deeper, it takes me much longer to wake up to the alarm in the morning, very different to before.

So, anybody got any feed back?

Thanks

Bob

Resurrecting pretty old thread as am hoping if anyone experienced this type of relapse and how they eventually overcame. I started therapy end of June this year and after 1st week of some adjusting I have been pretty comfortable with the hose and been 100% compliant till date (2.5 months). Overcame leak issues etc in the 1st week. My AHI averages roughly 1 over the past 75 days and never crossed 2. Slept pretty comfortably 7-8 hrs almost everyday after 1st week of therapy. Leaks have rarely been greater that 3.6. I sleep straight through and don't get up for bathroom breaks. My personal experience has been after the 1st week I started feeling progress and felt great in another week or two. There have been some lingering tiredness/grogginess here and there but otherwise felt great especially compared to how i had been prior to the start of the therapy. That makes it almost 2 months of feel good. Now since 2 weeks I felt relapsing to almost pre-cpap stage. There has been no change as I keep a log of my activities from few months before cpap therapy till date (diet, sleep etc..). The only thing that I could think of (even if by chance) is the pressure setting - my prescribed setting is 10-13 (where it had been mostly) but I have had the setting on 9-13 few days and I can tell from the data the latter feels better. I would like to know from others if the difference of 1cmH2O makes that much of a difference.

I met my sleep doc yesterday to raise my concern and he says based on my AHI numbers, number of hours (averaged 7-8 hrs of sleep) everything looks great and to give it more time. I agree with him but was not totally convinced why there would be a change in the feel especially it being consistent for last 2 weeks which I have not experienced in the 1st two months where at most I felt a day or 2 groggy in a row. He stated that my feeling is not related to CPAP therapy which am not sure is the case. Also he thinks the change of low pressure setting from 9 to 10 shouldn't have much difference especially considering I have an APAP. He also prescribed Adderall and to take AS NEEDED only to help keep my alert during day. I haven't used it to report the difference but am curious to hear any input from others as to their experiences.

[SnoringInOregon]

In my personal experience a 1 unit change in pressure can make a big difference.

You will get much better advice here if you post a SleepyHead chart.

[fog.apnea]

In my personal experience a 1 unit change in pressure can make a big difference.

You will get much better advice here if you post a SleepyHead chart.

Thank you for the response. Good to know that 1 unit can make difference. Being a newbie I didn't really have much of an opinion myself so will keep that in mind.

Regard the SH charts, I am really looking to hear others experiences than analyze my data however am open to any feedback relating to the topic. Not exactly sure what to share but will start here .. https://imgur.com/a/p5eZS

[Pugsy]

Regard the SH charts, I am really looking to hear others experiences than analyze my data however am open to any feedback relating to the topic. Not exactly sure what to share but will start here .

This thread has examples of what I like to see and usually everything can be seen in one image and then if we want something else we ask for it.
viewtopic/t103468/Need-help-with-screen-shots.html
There is no need to redo your images though. I just mention this in case you share them again. Saves you and us some work.

You might be better off starting a new thread of your own and repeating what you have said here.
A lot of people don't read these old threads and your problem gets lost here.

Sounds like the honeymoon is over but I don't see anything on the software reports that would explain it.
Has anything changed in terms of medications or how many wake ups you have? Anything that might point to something changing from back when things were going great and now?
Your reports look good.

Now the 1 cm change in minimum. On paper there probably isn't going to be that much difference in the results but it wouldn't be impossible for someone to feel noticeably better at one pressure minimum than at a different pressure.
Stranger things have happened.

The honeymoon being over...you aren't the first to complain of not feeling so great after an initial period where you felt much better. It happens...and we don't know why.

If you can directly correlate feeling worse with the drop to 9 cm minimum....I would put it back to 10 and see what happens.
It won't hurt anything to try it.
For some people the changing pressures in apap (auto adjusting) mode can disturb their sleep.
Maybe with the minimum at 10 there is less up and down and less chance of the variations disturbing sleep...
It's a big maybe I know but it can happen.

[fog.apnea]

Regard the SH charts, I am really looking to hear others experiences than analyze my data however am open to any feedback relating to the topic. Not exactly sure what to share but will start here .

This thread has examples of what I like to see and usually everything can be seen in one image and then if we want something else we ask for it.
viewtopic/t103468/Need-help-with-screen-shots.html
There is no need to redo your images though. I just mention this in case you share them again. Saves you and us some work.

You might be better off starting a new thread of your own and repeating what you have said here.
A lot of people don't read these old threads and your problem gets lost here.

Sounds like the honeymoon is over but I don't see anything on the software reports that would explain it.
Has anything changed in terms of medications or how many wake ups you have? Anything that might point to something changing from back when things were going great and now?
Your reports look good.

Now the 1 cm change in minimum. On paper there probably isn't going to be that much difference in the results but it wouldn't be impossible for someone to feel noticeably better at one pressure minimum than at a different pressure.
Stranger things have happened.

The honeymoon being over...you aren't the first to complain of not feeling so great after an initial period where you felt much better. It happens...and we don't know why.

If you can directly correlate feeling worse with the drop to 9 cm minimum....I would put it back to 10 and see what happens.
It won't hurt anything to try it.
For some people the changing pressures in apap (auto adjusting) mode can disturb their sleep.
Maybe with the minimum at 10 there is less up and down and less chance of the variations disturbing sleep...
It's a big maybe I know but it can happen.

Pugsy,

First of all thank you for advice and guidance on the site. I have read few topics before I became a member (had to wait because of the recent activation issues) that have your feedback and found your insight very helpful

Point noted regarding the graph collection suggestion!!. I have answered some of your questions in the other thread regarding wake ups and other changes etc.. Also good to know it isn't uncommon what i have been experiencing. If it is the stage after honeymoon period am ok to accept that and put this behind. It is one of the possibilities am leaning on before I hear more from others and rule anything else that I may not be aware of.

I did open another thread as suggested viewtopic/t156504/Relapsing-symptoms-ex ... oping.html