Positive health effects from treatment?

[MaxINTJ]

About 3 months after starting, the dog pulled his leash out of my hand,
so I ran after him 2 blocks before catching him. Then I realized I was not winded!
Prior to cpap, I could barely run 200 FEET without nearly passing out.
Around the same time, my BOSS remarked that my mental ability had improved remarkably.

LOL, if my dog got away from me, there is no way I would run after him.

He can run about 30 miles an hour for miles and miles - ain't no human on the planet that could catch him if he didn't want to be caught. I would have to wait for him to come back and hope he didn't kill anything while he was loose.

[loggerhead12]

Awoke feeling like Superman after first night of CPAP therapy!

Yup.

Recovered my morning wood within first week ... I'm back to just like when I was in my 20's

Check. No more stomach sleeping.

Eliminated all my allergies/ upper respiratory issues ... have not had the flu since starting CPAP therapy -- and the very mild but very rare cold symptoms I've had go away within a couple of days.

Check. Inflating those cavities seems to free everything up.

Over all, I feel like I did when I was in my 30's even though I'm approaching 60.

Definitely.

[Soothest Sleep]

Positive changes have been gradual for me: fingernails are stronger than they have ever been (huge reduction in splits/cracks, and I have to trim them more frequently); BP has reduced a few points; pain in hips that I thought was arthritis virtually disappeared; other random leg pain/weakness has vastly improved; overall mood has improved; it's easier to deal calmly with life's irritations in the daily round; nocturia has reduced.

Still dealing with apnea symptoms by concentrating on upping my hours of sleep each night and tweaking my apap settings. I'm sure now that I had apnea for at least 10 years before diagnosis last year, and my body still has a lot of healing to do. The first 6 months of therapy I didn't notice many/any changes, although my sleep definitely began to improve. My RT said at the beginning of treatment that I should look for subtle change; most people do not experience "overnight" success. [Dreamstalker, I'm a bit jealous of your rapid turnaround!] I make a note in my sleep journal when I recognize a new positive outcome, which helps me track progress.

The key is to just keep putting one foot in front of the other, and the milestones will reveal themselves as one travels on. And there's good company to meet on the road, here!

Jean

[DreamStalker]

Positive changes have been gradual for me: fingernails are stronger than they have ever been (huge reduction in splits/cracks, and I have to trim them more frequently); BP has reduced a few points; pain in hips that I thought was arthritis virtually disappeared; other random leg pain/weakness has vastly improved; overall mood has improved; it's easier to deal calmly with life's irritations in the daily round; nocturia has reduced.

Still dealing with apnea symptoms by concentrating on upping my hours of sleep each night and tweaking my apap settings. I'm sure now that I had apnea for at least 10 years before diagnosis last year, and my body still has a lot of healing to do. The first 6 months of therapy I didn't notice many/any changes, although my sleep definitely began to improve. My RT said at the beginning of treatment that I should look for subtle change; most people do not experience "overnight" success. [Dreamstalker, I'm a bit jealous of your rapid turnaround!] I make a note in my sleep journal when I recognize a new positive outcome, which helps me track progress.

The key is to just keep putting one foot in front of the other, and the milestones will reveal themselves as one travels on. And there's good company to meet on the road, here!

Jean

Well I suppose it’s all relative. I had a very severe sleep apnea condition when I was first diagnosed (AHI of 102 with blood oxygen levels down to 60%). And I suspect that I had undiagnosed OSA for over 25 years -- and I never knew what OSA was until I got diagnosed.

So for me, treated vs untreated was/is like night and day. CPAP therapy gave me the energy and mental clarity to further pursue the knowledge and lifestyle to recover more of my health and to rejuvenate my mind and body to what it was like in my 20’s and 30’s ... basically picking up about where I left off when OSA first started turning my life into the zombie status I had ended up with just prior to being diagnosed.

With CPAP therapy, I was able to research optimal nutrition and fitness from an evolutionary and epigenetic perspective ... then I experimented on myself, and continue to do so as I learn more.

So yes, everyone is different but the common key is to keep at it and not give up because that is the definition of life IMO.

[zonker]

i've never been one to spring out of bed in the morning and cpap therapy hasn't changed that . however, i DO have more energy.

no more trips to the bathroom 4-5 times a night. mostly, none at all but occasionally
once per night. and it used to be once i got back to bed from those multiple trips, i'd lay in bed wide awake and wondering when i'd get back to sleep. not anymore. i can do that trip, get back in bed, fiddle with my mask and then it's off to sleep.

morning headaches gone. and good riddance to them!

mind you, none of this happened straight away. i never had an A-HA moment. it happened most gradually over about a six month period.

your mileage may vary.

[SabrinaFaire]

I haven't checked my BP lately, but on the mornings after I use my CPAP all night my blood sugar is lower compared to mornings I don't.

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[ChicagoGranny]

So I'm curious what possible positive health effects i might experience?
Currently i have hypertension that is not ideally controlled. I gained 40 pounds in a couple months while in service, elevated liver enzymes since i got out of service, just found our I'm pre- diabetic.

Don't get caught up in extreme diets or extreme exercise. Go for regular moderate exercise - something you enjoy. Get outside often, even if it is just a walk to the coffee shop (no sugary coffee drinks). Eat like mama told you - moderate amounts of meat, eggs, plenty of vegetables, small amounts of fruit; limit sugar intake from all sources including fruits; no fruit juices or sweetened drinks; watch the amount of milk due to sugar content; limited alcohol due to sugar content.

Set a target weight (Lose 40 lbs.?). Buy a decent digital scale. Weigh everyday at the same time of day. Record it. Eat meals that are small enough that you start losing weight. If you don't start losing after a week or two, reduce caloric intake.

On the days that you don't exercise, keep active - walk to coffee shop, casual walk in grocery store or mall.

You are not diabetic. You don't have to do the things people who have gotten into bad shape do. You just need to get a good CPAP therapy going, get good sleep, eat less, eat right, stay active, lose weight.

Finally, don't read articles on nutrition, diet and exercise. You already have enough life experience and knowledge to know what to do.

[Okie bipap]

My wife was diagnosed as a type diabetic about six years ago. She changed her diet, went low carb and cut back on amount of food she was eating. She is no longer diabetic. We now eat a Mediterranean diet (low carb, mostly fish and chicken, lots of vegetables).

[AMESS]

Unbelievable DreamStalker. Been going now three months--and must say on most days I feel worse. To what do you attribute your fast turnaround?

[Goofproof]

Unbelievable DreamStalker. Been going now three months--and must say on most days I feel worse. To what do you attribute your fast turnaround?

He uses his all night every night! He uses one mask and makes it work. He tells the truth. Jim

[Bertha deBlues]

Once i actually have energy again i do want to start exercising more again.

With better quality sleep my energy level has gone up and I feel like doing more. When I wasn't getting enough sleep, I tended to eat too much. Now I'm able to stick to a moderate-fat, low-carb diet, lots of veggies, etc. I have dropped 60 pounds in the last 10 months by using the USDA's Food Tracker: https://www.supertracker.usda.gov/foodtracker.aspx

I haven't had a really bad cold since starting therapy, just occasional sniffles. It took a few weeks for me to get used to therapy, but once I embraced it the benefits started adding up.

[DreamStalker]

Unbelievable DreamStalker. Been going now three months--and must say on most days I feel worse. To what do you attribute your fast turnaround?

Well, my dad used to tell me that I had ancestral blood from the rebel Basque flowing through me ... meaning that nobody tells me what I can and cannot do, what to eat or what not to eat, how to exercise or how not to exercise, what to read or what not to read.

So basically, when I decide to do something, I do it ... unless, I decide not to.

For example, when I entered into high school, the career advisor advized me I was best suited to occupational shop classes and that I should steer clear of math and science. But the rebel in me said "no way you old granny! .... I'm going to take the courses that I want to take!!" So I not only took advanced math (trig and pre-calculas), chemistry, and physics in high school, but I also took the honors classes with all the geeks ... then I went onto undergraduate and graduate university studies to become a professional scientist.

Anyway, I think my fast turnaround was due in part to my rebel blood, my science background, but most importantly, the determination to do what I set out to do and never never never give up .... did I mention never give up? So now I'm like the Energizer Bunny and I can keep on going and going and going ....

[Goofproof]

Unbelievable DreamStalker. Been going now three months--and must say on most days I feel worse. To what do you attribute your fast turnaround?

Well, my dad used to tell me that I had ancestral blood from the rebel Basque flowing through me ... meaning that nobody tells me what I can and cannot do, what to eat or what not to eat, how to exercise or how not to exercise, what to read or what not to read.

So basically, when I decide to do something, I do it ... unless, I decide not to.

For example, when I entered into high school, the career advisor advized me I was best suited to occupational shop classes and that I should steer clear of math and science. But the rebel in me said "no way you old granny! .... I'm going to take the courses that I want to take!!" So I not only took advanced math (trig and pre-calculas), chemistry, and physics in high school, but I also took the honors classes with all the geeks ... then I went onto undergraduate and graduate university studies to become a professional scientist.

Anyway, I think my fast turnaround was due in part to my rebel blood, my science background, but most importantly, the determination to do what I set out to do and never never never give up .... did I mention never give up? So now I'm like the Energizer Bunny and I can keep on going and going and going ....

DreamStalker, doesn't have the CAN'T Gene. He missed out! Jim

[SewTired]

So I'm curious what possible positive health effects i might experience?
Currently i have hypertension that is not ideally controlled. I gained 40 pounds in a couple months while in service, elevated liver enzymes since i got out of service, just found our I'm pre- diabetic.
Assuming these things are related to my OSA how long before i might start seeing improvements?

Consider a low carb high fat diet for awhile. This will help you to lower your blood sugar and perhaps get your pre-diabetes under control. Increasing exercise to 10 minutes 3x a day at a minimum may very well help your liver, weight, blood sugar and even the hypertension. About 1/3 of people are salt sensitive - this means high amounts of salt in foods cause them to have hypertension. There is no way to know if this affects you without trying a very low salt diet (less than 2000 mg/day) for about a month. If you already hover around 2000 mg/day, then likely it isn't going to make much difference.

As far as CPAP, the health benefits vary. I saw zero change in most things. However, I rarely need a nap and I don't have to make bathroom trips all night long. I don't belittle these - I had reached a point where I couldn't safely drive any longer, I was that tired. I think a lot of people suffer from depression due to apnea. They don't really realize it until they have been treated. I know I was pretty snarly that 6 months before I started getting treated.

[coconur]

So I'm curious what possible positive health effects i might experience?
Currently i have hypertension that is not ideally controlled. I gained 40 pounds in a couple months while in service, elevated liver enzymes since i got out of service, just found our I'm pre- diabetic.
Assuming these things are related to my OSA how long before i might start seeing improvements?

For me, once we got the correct pressure on my cpap, my hypertension was gone by the next visit with the sleep Dr, don't remember anymore if that was 2 weeks or 4 weeks, but my BP was back down to my normal levels, which most would consider slightly low. It took several months to get the correct pressure, though.

I hope you see results soon.