Long sleep times

[JimmyTheGeek]

I'm sure this has been covered in the past, but I haven't been able to find anything.

I'm sleeping much longer hours with my bipap than I did without it. I've had my bipap for about a month now and have had no problems adjusting to it.

I'm a bit of a nightowl, usually in bed around midnight, read for an hour, then don my mask and quickly fall asleep. I sleep soundly with very few apneas. My wife says I don't snore at all.

Being blissfully retired, I don't set an alarm any more. But I can easily sleep 10-12 hours a night and I've never done that before. I'm wondering if my body is making up for lost time from my pre-bipap days, or if I'm just lazy and like to sleep!

I write this with a bit of tongue-in-cheek; it's not a bad 'problem' at all. But just the same, it's a change in my behavior and I wonder if it should be a concern.

[BadThad]

Your body will only let you sleep as long as you need to. Be happy you're able to sleep that soundly for that many hours! I assume you wake feeling well rested and ready to go?

[msradar65]

I was the same way for the first 6 weeks. I remember reading a post about sleep debt. I apparently has a large debt to pay.

I am now sleeping normal hours now. I believe in going with the flow. It my body tells me sleep I sleep!

[monica4patience]

I'm on day 10 and I just love to sleep!! I crave sleeping. I just want to skip dinner and curl up in bed with my cpap. I am sleeping a good 11-12 hours per day. I'm hoping that I'll be over this by the end of Christmas vacation as I think DH would like me to get back to driving DS10 to school in the morning.

[DoriC]

My husband seems to go through periods when he sleeps 10+hrs some nights and then will go back to sleeping 8-9hrs as usual. I can't relate the pattern to anything amiss, #s good and he feels OK so I don't question it.

[brazospearl]

Jimmy, enjoy all that sleep! Isn't it glorious?

[JimmyTheGeek]

Thank you all for your responses! You've made me feel more normal! Its not a big problem, but it is a change in behavior.

I do wake up refreshed and feel rested. No overwhelming urges to nap during the day... although I do still love the occasional dozing off on the couch while reading; one of life's little pleasures.

Thanks again!
~James

[avi123]

My story is a bit different. I started using a CPAP (S8 Escape II, under Medicare) a month ago. Being a retiree I would have no problems with long sleep. However, if I go to sleep at or before 10 pm and get up at 8 am, when my wife gets up, it would be too much sleep for me b/c then I wake at 4 am and can't go back to sleep. So, I started to do the following:

1) Fall a sleep at 10:30 to 11pm with no CPAP and wake up at 12 am to 1 am (I don't know what wakes me. Could be the apnea)

2) Take 5 mg of Zolpidem (Ambien) and put on the CPAP. This first dose of Zolpidem lasts till 4 to 4:30 am

{I took one 10 mg Zolpidem before going to sleep, per my doctor Rx, for few years before}

3) At 4 am take another dose of 5 mg and sleep with the CPAP till 7 am

4) One more hour to go till 8 am with no CPAP

I get up with a slight hang- over (and a headache) from the Rx which lasts till 10 am

How do I improve on the situation? I know it that I should NOT take sedatives while on CPAP.

[cflame1]

first things first... your machine will give you no data in order to tell you what's wrong. All that machine will tell you is how many hours you've used it. Plus it's an old machine... that maker's up to an S9 by now.

You should have gotten at minimum an S9 Elite, if not an S9 Autoset.

What you need to be able to find out is whether or not you're leaking.

[DoriC]

I'm pretty sure I've read that Ambien should not be taken later than Midnight as it will have side effects like hangover and headache the next day. They do make an extended release tab called AmbienCR which might help your situation if you contacted your Dr.

[KellyR]

Oh gosh, I'm a wee bit...okay, a huge bit jealous! I've only been on my CPAP 2 nights, and am not used to it yet, so the sleep debt I carry combined w/the lack of sleep for the past 2 nites is seriously messing me up. I'm so tired right now, I am shaking. The thought of sleeping for 12 hours straight? Santa, are you listening to this?!

Feeling wildly hopeful, though. Yippee!

[avi123]

I'm pretty sure I've read that Ambien should not be taken later than Midnight as it will have side effects like hangover and headache the next day. They do make an extended release tab called AmbienCR which might help your situation if you contacted your Dr.

Thanks. I looked at Ambien CR but it costs much more than the generic Zolpidem which does not come in CR. Besides, my insurer would not pay for sleep Rx. Also, I want to quit taking sedatives while on CPAP.

[Diplomacy]

You'll find long sleep times at CPAP.com

[freshair]

I sleep for about 10 hrs and love every precious moment, I can manage any bombshells that are thrown at me the following day because i'm rested and alert---if you want to stay off sleep meds just do it, me I take sleep meds and it don't bother me one bit, at 66 yrs old I could care less about harm from the meds because I feel I'll live to be 96, besides that I took stronger stuff than that during the 1960's--peace out----FA