New Guy w/ Questions

General Discussion on any topic relating to CPAP and/or Sleep Apnea.
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JohnBFisher
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Joined: Wed Oct 14, 2009 6:33 am

Re: New Guy w/ Questions

Post by JohnBFisher » Mon Feb 20, 2012 8:57 am

DJSTEVEZ wrote:... Last night was my first night at home with the CPAP and the mask. ... My question: I feel remarkably better today, but still have some sleepiness. Once compliance is achieved, how long till the sleepiness is gone? ... please feel free to share your experience ...
I'll let others share their recommendations for new members / users of xPAP therapy. I can share my own experience. I've used CPAP/ BiPAP and now ASV for more than 20 years. With each new machine I had reached the point where I was STARVED for sleep. And in each instance, I would take about one week to bounce back from the extreme sleepiness. At the start of the week (with the new therapy), I would sleep most of the day. By the end of the week, I could sleep 6 to 8 hours and no more. I was ready to tackle the world.

That's just one persons experience. I think you'll see from others posting to your thread that it can take weeks and sometimes months to clear the sleepiness. We all have unique needs. Hopefully you will find that in just a few days you will awaken fully rested and ready for the world.

Best wishes as your journey continues.

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brock5ga
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Joined: Thu Feb 09, 2012 5:53 am

Re: New Guy w/ Questions

Post by brock5ga » Tue Feb 21, 2012 5:52 am

Pugsy wrote:
brock5ga wrote:Why must you never take naps without CPAP? I am 4 weeks in now and I haven't dozed off until this past Saturday, after a hike in the woods with the dogs and family. Granted, I dozed on the couch watching TV, and awoke covered in sweat, which I haven't done during the night since the treatment. I wouldn't think a doze during the day would hurt, as long as you are compliant at night and getting the benefits of the treatment? Just wonder what the theory is behind this with me being new. Thanks.
Because when you nap...your sleep apnea is still a problem and you still stop breathing and all the bad stuff that happens to your body at night will still happen during the day with a nap and still cause your body to stress. You don't get leftover gold stars from nighttime use that will prevent events from happening during the day with a nap without the machine.

If you sleep whether at night or during the day you should use the machine.
Not looking for any gold stars (ha-ha!) or atta-boys. I guess I seldom intend to take a nap during the day, it is something that just happens. If I laid down with the intention of a nap, I would use the machine. Typically I just find myself on the couch nodding off. Hard to plan for that type of situation. Thinking about it i guess you are right. It makes sense that the oxygen deprivation would happen when you stop breathing, not an increase in oxygen on the machine. Sometimes I need to map things out in my head to understand them. I guess I didn't see the difference in being awake and taking a nap without the machine until thinking it through. Thanks

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Pugsy
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Re: New Guy w/ Questions

Post by Pugsy » Tue Feb 21, 2012 8:09 am

brock5ga wrote:Typically I just find myself on the couch nodding off. Hard to plan for that type of situation. Thinking about it i guess you are right. It makes sense that the oxygen deprivation would happen when you stop breathing, not an increase in oxygen on the machine.
I have been there (on the couch) and done that (fell asleep not really intentionally) and I have paid for it if the nap is more than a few minutes. Wake myself up snoring and give myself a headache from lack of O2.
It would be kinda nice if a good 8 hours on the machine at night would give us some "freebie" minutes for a nap on the couch but it doesn't work that way.

What I do is make sure that I don't get into the reclining position on the couch. I stay sitting up. That way should I get really drowsy and nod off...I am more or less upright and hopefully minimize the collapse of the airway. Also...this position makes it nearly impossible to have any lengthy nap but I do sometimes get a 15 minute power nap this way.

Some people do nap without their machine. Some will take a nap in the recliner more or less upright. They may or may not do it intentionally. Some people are really good and never ever nap without their machine. I admit that I sometimes have "cheated" but it really wasn't on purpose. Like you I just sometimes nod off and don't really plan to. My OSA happens to be much worse in REM sleep and barely diagnostic in non REM sleep so in non REM sleep my events are minimal. In theory...if I can stay out of REM sleep the chance of damage is minimal. A 15 to 30 minute nap does seem to rejuvenate me a bit but if I get close to an hour nap....I feel the bad effects and I really try to avoid that.

While I don't think it is the end of the world if someone grabs a 30 minute nap without the machine...I just can't in good conscious advocate napping without the machine as something that is "okay" to do.
I know that when we are given an inch we will take a foot and it is real easy to get into the mind set that it is "okay'" to go without the machine for a brief nap...then it turns into a longer nap....then longer and then into "I don't want to mask up tonight" "just this once"...and so on.
Bad habits are easy to make and very hard to break so I really try to limit the times that I am tempted to "cheat" because I don't even want to go down that road even just for a little ways.

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