CPAPtalk.com

Like Jersey Girl, I noticed a difference the morning after my titration. I've been on CPAP for two weeks and I feel as though I am awakening from a coma. I guess I didn't realize just how bad things were. I knew they were bad but now I feel as though I have been reborn.
Nancy

The morning after my first night w/my CPAP was miraculous. I was amazed at how good I felt, and I couldn't remember back to a time when I woke up feeling good, rested, and just so wonderfully alive. I remember running out of the bedroom to find my spouse and tell him how amazingly great I felt. In the first 3-4 months Iost over 20 lbs; that was over 18 months ago, and with some other medical treatment I've lost close to 100 lbs. And - I still need my machine every night. I had a few nights w/o a machine a few few weeks ago, and every morning woke up with the worst headache I could remember in... more than 18 months.

I think it depends on when you go. Did you wait (like me) until you are incredibly desperate for sleep? If yes, then the results are almost right away. But if you are a little more proactive, then and are not as desperate for sleep, then the results might take a while.

My recovery has been slow and gradual. For a very long time I did not notice any difference. Eventually I was noticing different things happening. Allergies cleared up. The arthritis that I felt in the extreme cold and the humidity has cleared up. I had moved from NH to Florida so there is no extened extreme cold here. The humidity season is a lot longer and my first 2 summers here I suffered with arthritis. The last 2 summers have been virtually pain free. Eventualy I began to notice that I felt better in the morning and the hangover like headache was gone. I was not feeling groggy all the time. I remember having problems staying awake during the day. That has cleared up too. No to say that I have no sleepiness during the day. I do sometimes feel tired. I no longer have to struggle to stay awake.The first morning that I realised I had a dream I was elated. Before I began treatment my dreams were of me suffocating and sttruggling to breathe. Of course that was not a dream but the reality of my life. I still have some room for improvement but I know I am on the right path. Life is good!! A little patience and you too will be feeling better.

Laura

Discussions like these really frustrate me. Not only has CPAP not made me feel better (even though It's now been 4 months of using it on my current go-round), it makes me feel much worse -- more foggy, more sleepy, etc. But the numbers from my machine look great according to the sleep doc (AHI < 5, and < 3 most nights), so therefore "it must be working". I don't believe it!

I like polls too...Learn something from most of them. Like where I fall in the normal scheme of things as a CPAP'er. Makes wearing this stuff to sleep less of a hardship because I know I'm in very good, lively company. Also, I feel I'm not a nut case for choosing to sleep like this

It took three months to really notice the difference. In the first month there were three days of mental clarity. The contrast shocked me. The process of brain fog closing in had been so gradual I hadn't noticed this insidious thing stealing my mind, making me dumb. I feel I'm still recovering mental function after 10 months of 100% compliance. And I will be compliant the rest of my life. I have to be to stay healthy and mentally awake.
Cindy

I just had my fifth nite on my cpap and I woke up feeling better than I've felt in YEARS ! It took some getting used to using it But it's so worth the trouble. Today I awoke feeling rested. Mentally clear, breathing better and deeper, not grumpy, I've actually caught myself smiling several times because I feel good. I don't need my usual daily nap. It's absolutely amazing what quality sleep can do for you. So if your struggling with cpap hang in there and keep trying. It's so worth it. The benefits of using it is great. It has to keep getting better from here. Good luck too all. .....

TmjTerri,
Can you explain your difficulty? Is it annoying to wear the mask? Is it fear of breathing with pressure? Give some more detail and maybe we can help?

For me I guess I am lucky. The mask does not bother me and the 1st night I woke up feeling much better. I am still very tired and hit a wall about 3-4pm, but I think that has to do more with months of sleep deprivation. I guess it will take time to feel alot better, but I noticed a change night 1.

I will say I made a mistake one night. I took my mask off at 5am thinking ok I got 5 good hours this thing is a little anooying let sleep 2 hours without it. All I can say is WOW.
What a dumb ass I was. I woke up 2 hours later and felt like I just ran a marathon. Felt horrible. I will never do that again.

I saw good results in the first week but lasting progress took 3 months , forgive yourself if you stumble .
I wonder if age is a big factor in this question , we all want to feel young again .Your memory is programmed not to remember pain . A 20 year old might come back fast but at 60 its going to be slow. I just have to remember I don't sleep fitfully on the couch anymore with the tv going. I'm feeling better each week and the bathroom trips have halted. I don't expect too much but it has been good after some months. Still learning at 67 , this forum is really worth while.
Ah1 coming down , control of myself is getting better, mask on by 10 pm . Good luck and be patient .

2 or 3 days and i felt stellar for about 3 months. after that i felt a ton better than i did without cpap but not as perky as i did initially. my sleep doctor said this is a very common pattern. in the first three months people feel amazing because they are literally catching up on a ton of lost sleep. after that you still reap the benefits of cpap but might not feel quite as energetic. i'm in my 6th month of cpap now.

After months of what seemed like hardly any sleep at all (pre cpap), I slept soundly,
waking up the very first morning not feeling like I'd been running a marathon
with my head spending the night knocking down bowling pins.
Within the first month, I noticed a cessation of my afternoon nap urges.
I suppose my greatest symptom of OSA was all the sleep I never had;
and this is why my cpap journey has been so sweet. and short.

It took about a month for me to notice improvements in my life. The BIGGEST improvement is that I no longer fall asleep driving down the road. I'm not so sure about anything else yet, since I had a heart attack 3 weeks ago and I don't know what exactly I'm feeling. I don't fall asleep during the day but that's because I'm not at my (boring) job while on sick leave...

And I'm still waiting to wake up to those stacks of $100 bills on my pillow and Helen Mirrin and Kirstie Alley snuggled up to me like they promised...

I checked instantly since it went well the first night. I slept 9.5 hours, no BR breaks, and had an AHI of 2.0 versus 131 in my sleep study. Felt marvelous that first morning! It is a process though, 6 months later is much better than early on even though AHI's were consistently good throughout.

I just picked up my CPAP machine today. My 2nd sleep study left me feeling better than I've felt in over 20 years! I can hardly wait to use it tonight! My case is severe, over 80 events per hour, so it may be more noticeable for me than some less severe cases. Here's to a good night's sleep (finally)!!