Has anyone started an exercise program after starting CPAP

[dorourke]

HI All
I would like to know if any members have started an exercise program after getting their CPAP therapy straightened out ( eliminate leaks, correct pressures, etc.).
Did the exercise in their opinion help advance their therapy?

I have heard and also felt myself that people don't feel all great right away after starting therapy. Part of this could be from being out of shape due to the effects of OSA.

Any and all feedback would be appreciated.

Best regards

[DreamStalker]

My PAP treatment and health have improved remarkably since becoming a member of this forum.

Besides the beneficial effects of making my PAP treatment a great success (through forum member tips and tricks) … I have learned to do frequent saline nasal irrigations; I have caught up to Snoredog’s science of taking a daily dose of Ecotrin aspirin (highly endorsed by both my PCP and cardiologist); and I have recently begun to take B12 supplements (which do appear to give me yet more energy).

As for exercise advancing my therapy … I think for me it has been the other way around … the therapy has advanced my ability to exercise.

[AuntieNae]

I definitely think the OSA has led to being out of shape and over weight. Since starting APAP, I also started going to a Chiropractor. I was never a Chiropractic person before in my life but the benefits combined with the APAP, have been incredible for me. I am regaining mobility and no longer hurt just from every day living. I definitely see this as a journey ..

I am doing spinal stretching exercises at this point to compliment my Chiro therapy which definitely has complimented the APAP therapy.

[roster]

.....
As for exercise advancing my therapy … I think for me it has been the other way around … the therapy has advanced my ability to exercise.

Ditto for me.

I was always very active but tired quickly and took a long time to recover. Now I can hike, paddle, pedal and walk further and faster and lift more weight.

I remember years ago hearing Arnold Swarzenegger say, "Weight lifting does not build muscle. Weight lifting damages muscle. Nutrition and sleep build muscle." Without good sleep, I was missing 50% of the formula.

[cpapjack]

HI All
I would like to know if any members have started an exercise program after getting their CPAP therapy straightened out ( eliminate leaks, correct pressures, etc.).
Did the exercise in their opinion help advance their therapy?

I have heard and also felt myself that people don't feel all great right away after starting therapy. Part of this could be from being out of shape due to the effects of OSA.

Any and all feedback would be appreciated.

Best regards

I started an exercise program after taking 10 months to get my therapy straightened out, and once I did, I've been eating almost 100% better and I exercise/workout at least 4 times a week. When I started, I weighed about 225-230 lbs. I now weigh about 220lbs, but that's because I got rid of a good portion of my bodyfat and built quite a bit of muscle. I've never felt better in my life than I have these past 22 months. (that's when I started eating better and exercising)

[dorourke]

I started an exercise program after taking 10 months to get my therapy straightened out

I don't feel too bad that it has taken me 2 months to get my therapy straightened out (actually about a little over a week after finding cpaptalk.com and getting my card reader)

I really only started this post because I've read so many post that said people weren't feed better with their CPAP therapy that the must be missing part of the equation. Also it is good to hear about other people's experience.

I am just starting to feel better and plan on starting an exercise plan next week.

Best regards
as always thank you everybody for the feedback.

[cpapjack]

I don't feel too bad that it has taken me 2 months to get my therapy straightened out (actually about a little over a week after finding cpaptalk.com and getting my card reader)

I really only started this post because I've read so many post that said people weren't feed better with their CPAP therapy that the must be missing part of the equation. Also it is good to hear about other people's experience.

I am just starting to feel better and plan on starting an exercise plan next week.

Best regards
as always thank you everybody for the feedback.

Definitely hang in there. It can take a while to get it figured out, but once you do, wow. What a life changing experience !!!

Good luck !!!

[Lineman]

Most people have many stress issues in their lives with OSA being only one of them. It's an important factor to be sure because without proper sleep you're not going to be solving any problems period. When I started getting a good nights sleep I did feel better and I picked up the exercise program I had neglected for a year or more. I lost weight and that did lower my AHI, but it wasn't until I resovled some of my other life issues that I really began to see substantial sleep benefits. Now I'm on a exercise/big weight loss kick that hopefully will some day allow me to sleep without using the CPAP. Go for it, it is worth the effort.

[carbonman]

As for exercise advancing my therapy … I think for me it has been the other way around … the therapy has advanced my ability to exercise.

I was always very active but tired quickly and took a long time to recover.
I remember years ago hearing Arnold Swarzenegger say, "Weight lifting does not build muscle. Weight lifting damages muscle. Nutrition and sleep build muscle." Without good sleep, I was missing 50% of the formula.

......what DS and rooster said.....
I rode my bike through the pain and fatigue for years.
Now, almost 6mths on the hose, cycling and exercise have a whole new feel.

I rode an incredible TripleByPass, after only 12 days on the hose.
Everyday since has seen small, consistant improvement in strentgh and
especially in endurance and recovery.

Just started my 12wk offseason program on 12/1, which is gradually
increasing bike trainer/floor exercises and yoga. I am experiencing
the nightly recovery that Arnold mentions for the first time.
It is an absolutely amazing feeling.

Tear it down, hose it down, feel the build the next day. WOW.

....talk about addiction....exercise....cpap....recovery...repeat...
I like it.

[GuyK]

Not exactly "started an exercise program", but resumed.

I've spent the last 5 years in a cardio program (kickboxing at the local YMCA), going 2 to 3 times a week. I suspended the program over the summer due to scheduling difficulties, and at the same time started therapy for OSA. I've since resumed, which is more or less just like starting over.

Things are going okay -- I need to get back into some weight training, and try and squeeze more incidents of a 3rd class per week. I'd like to occasionally squeeze in some cross-training, such as spinning, but I find the spinning classes at this Y to be rather annoying. Most of the instructors have a volume level that is way too intense for me (and ear plugs annoy me too). I'd like to also squeeze in some yoga, or some kind of other flexibility training, because: as my kickboxing instructor has said, "don't worry, flexibility comes with time...and age takes it away."

Sometimes I think I surprise people at the Y -- I'm a fat guy. There aren't many fat guys around keeping up with kickboxing.

Anyway, the *PAP therapy seems to be going well. With resuming the cardio work, I mostly notice that I sleep a little more soundly on nights that I have a class.

Guy

[elader]

Yes,

40 minutes on a treadmill, dieting as best I can for now. One thing for sure, for me, I cannot excercise in the evening. It really screws up my sleeping.

[JeffH]

About five years ago (after being on cpap for about five years) I started walking. I now do about an hour and fifteen minutes six days a week, come hell or high water. My weight hasn't gone down, but it hasn't gone up either. I also eat better than I used to.

JeffH

[roster]

Yes,

One thing for sure, for me, I cannot excercise in the evening. It really screws up my sleeping.

Same here. I need to finish by 4:00 p.m. latest.

[Julie]

Yoga - it's great to be doing it again after decades of having not done much. And Lineman- really don't want to rain on your parade, but who told you that losing weight will automatically be a ticket to quitting Cpap? While it's a great idea and certainly should be carried out if you can do it, I wouldn't count on necessarily being able to go off the mask. A few people have apparently done it, though whether they've actually 'cured' themselves (and proven it with PSG's), or not - never mind having kept the weight off - has yet to be confirmed. So keep up with your plans, of course, because they're good for you no matter what, but I hope you won't be disappointed if it isn't the complete answer to OSA.

[StevenJ]

Actually, my exercise program has gone in the tank since going on CPAP. Before CPAP, I was driven. I had to be doing something, all the time. Always moving, couldn't relax. Started the day very early with about an hour on the treadmill mostly walking, then ending with about 10-minutes of running at 5 mph. Then, something happened. My job changed in a major way and I was really feeling the stress. Had a hard time going to sleep and staying asleep. Was diagnosed with OSA and for the last 3-1/2 months every day has been a challenge, just to get through it. Zero energy. Mentally sluggish. I feel like I've lost about 30 IQ points. I hit the treadmill about once or twice a week now, at most and I have to absolutely force myself to do it. Still waiting for things to level out and for the energy to come back . . .