One year CPAP use, still no effect

[Camus]

Hi guys,

I've posted a few times on this forum and tried several suggestions (from here and elsewhere on the internet). In my year of using the CPAP I have only missed two days, and that was more than half a year ago. I sleep on average between 7 to 9 hours a day, though I will have much shorter nights (5 to 6 hours) a few times a month. I still wake up multiple times during the night and it sometimes takes 15 to 30 min to fall asleep again. I am a 30 year old male. I weigh 87kg (192lbs) and measure 180cm (5.11). I have a large build with everything spread out evenly over my body, people suspect I work out a lot. But I want to go to 78kg (172lbs) mark as it is healthier.

I've seen a few doctors for my sleep apnea and also visited others to see if they can find another reason for my fatigue; nothing can be found. The last doctor I went to was a neurologist. I did a sleep exam in the hospital with my CPAP, this is the result (I am sorry for the bad quality, it stayed folded in my bag for two months):

https://ibb.co/3ML6t5K

The neurologist said my fatigue does not come from sleep apnea. He supported his claim with this study, saying my sleep quality was around 95% if I remember it correctly. I asked him why I only had two events of deep sleep, as I always thought we needed four/five, and he answered that the amount of times is less relevant than the sleep quality. So, I'm back to square one.

Blood (vitamins etc) is fine, heart is fine, lungs are fine, not much to be found there. The only culprit left is my mental health. I have been dealing with a lot of anxiety and mild depression for the past five years (in a way, I have been dealing with it since my teens, but in much lesser form). I have also refrained from doing physical exercise (though I walk on average 10.000 steps a day) and I don't have a fixed hour to go to bed. Sometimes is 11pm, sometimes it's 1 or 2am. I'm sure it is quite logical that all of this has a negative impact on your well being, but the amount of fatigue that I experience simply feels like far too much to be caused by this.

[bombayone]

I am sorry that you are feeling poorly. Suggest that you:
1. Standardize your bed time.
2. Get a psych work up for your depression/anxiety.
3. Engage in daily moderate exercise of 30 to 45 minutes.

Wish you well.

[Camus]

I am sorry that you are feeling poorly. Suggest that you:
1. Standardize your bed time.
2. Get a psych work up for your depression/anxiety.
3. Engage in daily moderate exercise of 30 to 45 minutes.

Wish you well.

Thank you for your suggestions. I did therapy not too long ago, but it was stopped due to me being 'cured'. I will start a new one tomorrow with a therapist that involved physical exercise, meditation and mindfulness into his therapy. Really looking forward to that.
I will really do my best to standardize my bed time and engage in moderate exercise.

[Miss Emerita]

I’m sorry to hear about your unremitting fatigue. A couple of sleep-related questions: what is your AHI? Have you used Sleepyhead or Oscar to look at your sleep data? And do you know what wakes you up at night?

On other fronts: have you had bloodwork to screen for anemia or autoimmune disease? Diagnosis when fatigue is the only presenting symptom can be difficult, but those are two possible culprits.

I hope that you’ll be feeling better soon.

[Camus]

I’m sorry to hear about your unremitting fatigue. A couple of sleep-related questions: what is your AHI? Have you used Sleepyhead or Oscar to look at your sleep data? And do you know what wakes you up at night?

On other fronts: have you had bloodwork to screen for anemia or autoimmune disease? Diagnosis when fatigue is the only presenting symptom can be difficult, but those are two possible culprits.

I hope that you’ll be feeling better soon.

I haven't connected to Sleepyhead in a while, but I can transfer the data later today and see what it says. My AHI is 24 without CPAP and less than 5 with.

I believe I have checked for anemia a few months ago, but I can't remember checking for autoimmune diseases. I will ask my GP about it this week. Thanks for the suggestions!

[babydinosnoreless]

I’m sorry to hear about your unremitting fatigue. A couple of sleep-related questions: what is your AHI? Have you used Sleepyhead or Oscar to look at your sleep data? And do you know what wakes you up at night?

On other fronts: have you had bloodwork to screen for anemia or autoimmune disease? Diagnosis when fatigue is the only presenting symptom can be difficult, but those are two possible culprits.

I hope that you’ll be feeling better soon.

I haven't connected to Sleepyhead in a while, but I can transfer the data later today and see what it says. My AHI is 24 without CPAP and less than 5 with.

I believe I have checked for anemia a few months ago, but I can't remember checking for autoimmune diseases. I will ask my GP about it this week. Thanks for the suggestions!

Many of us here still feel icky at less than 5. I really didn't start to feel better, until I got it down to less than 1. Once
You post your charts, people here can probably point you in a direction to lower your AHI

[Camus]

I’m sorry to hear about your unremitting fatigue. A couple of sleep-related questions: what is your AHI? Have you used Sleepyhead or Oscar to look at your sleep data? And do you know what wakes you up at night?

On other fronts: have you had bloodwork to screen for anemia or autoimmune disease? Diagnosis when fatigue is the only presenting symptom can be difficult, but those are two possible culprits.

I hope that you’ll be feeling better soon.

I haven't connected to Sleepyhead in a while, but I can transfer the data later today and see what it says. My AHI is 24 without CPAP and less than 5 with.

I believe I have checked for anemia a few months ago, but I can't remember checking for autoimmune diseases. I will ask my GP about it this week. Thanks for the suggestions!

Many of us here still feel icky at less than 5. I really didn't start to feel better, until I got it down to less than 1. Once
You post your charts, people here can probably point you in a direction to lower your AHI

Alright! I imported the data into Sleepyhead. My AHI is on average probably around 1.5, sometimes going much higher, but also going below 1.

Do you guys need any other prints?

1.JPG (102.75 KiB) Viewed 867 times

2.JPG (358.55 KiB) Viewed 867 times

3.JPG (360.05 KiB) Viewed 867 times

[babydinosnoreless]

Please read the sticky at the top of the page as to how the experts want the charts formatted. . I am no expert, as I have only had my machine since last October. I suspect they will suggest bumping your minimum pressure a bit since you are feeling poorly still. That will allow the machine to respond quicker when you do have events starting.

Hopefully Pugsy or one of the others will be along soon to give you suggestions.

[Miss Emerita]

Your data for session times underline the importance of developing a more regular sleep schedule. You might also review the standard recommendations for better sleep:

Keep a consistent sleep schedule. Get up at the same time every day, even on weekends or during vacations.
Set a bedtime that is early enough for you to get at least 7 hours of sleep.
Don’t go to bed unless you are sleepy.
If you don’t fall asleep after 20 minutes, get out of bed.
Establish a relaxing bedtime routine.
Use your bed only for sleep and sex.
Make your bedroom quiet and relaxing. Keep the room at a comfortable, cool temperature.
Limit exposure to bright light in the evenings.
Turn off electronic devices at least 30 minutes before bedtime.
Don’t eat a large meal before bedtime. If you are hungry at night, eat a light, healthy snack.
Exercise regularly and maintain a healthy diet.
Avoid consuming caffeine in the late afternoon or evening.
Avoid consuming alcohol before bedtime.
Reduce your fluid intake before bedtime.

I used to feel pretty dismissive of these recommendations, but I’ve found these ideas actually do help me. Hope they will help you too.

[Camus]

Please read the sticky at the top of the page as to how the experts want the charts formatted. . I am no expert, as I have only had my machine since last October. I suspect they will suggest bumping your minimum pressure a bit since you are feeling poorly still. That will allow the machine to respond quicker when you do have events starting.

Hopefully Pugsy or one of the others will be along soon to give you suggestions.

I followed the same format as what I used to post last year, which I got from the sticky. But perhaps I missed something or didn’t do it right the first time.. I’ll take a loot at it.

Yeah, it might be an idea to bump it up a bit. Thanks!

[Camus]

Your data for session times underline the importance of developing a more regular sleep schedule. You might also review the standard recommendations for better sleep:

Keep a consistent sleep schedule. Get up at the same time every day, even on weekends or during vacations.
Set a bedtime that is early enough for you to get at least 7 hours of sleep.
Don’t go to bed unless you are sleepy.
If you don’t fall asleep after 20 minutes, get out of bed.
Establish a relaxing bedtime routine.
Use your bed only for sleep and sex.
Make your bedroom quiet and relaxing. Keep the room at a comfortable, cool temperature.
Limit exposure to bright light in the evenings.
Turn off electronic devices at least 30 minutes before bedtime.
Don’t eat a large meal before bedtime. If you are hungry at night, eat a light, healthy snack.
Exercise regularly and maintain a healthy diet.
Avoid consuming caffeine in the late afternoon or evening.
Avoid consuming alcohol before bedtime.
Reduce your fluid intake before bedtime.

I used to feel pretty dismissive of these recommendations, but I’ve found these ideas actually do help me. Hope they will help you too.

Thank you for all the suggestions! Some of them are really difficult, especially the one with electronic devices. I have a long distance relationship and my girlfriend and I always talk in bed, regularly sleeping with the while calling.
The rest is far “easier” to achieve. Will slowly incorporate them all, as it already was on my list.

[lamar2217]

Why aren't our experts offering help on this post?

[palerider]

Why aren't our experts offering help on this post?

I'd guess it's because there isn't much to add yet, perhaps with more, properly formatted screenshots.

[Jay Aitchsee]

The only culprit left is my mental health. I have been dealing with a lot of anxiety and mild depression for the past five years (in a way, I have been dealing with it since my teens, but in much lesser form). I have also refrained from doing physical exercise (though I walk on average 10.000 steps a day) and I don't have a fixed hour to go to bed. Sometimes is 11pm, sometimes it's 1 or 2am. I'm sure it is quite logical that all of this has a negative impact on your well being, but the amount of fatigue that I experience simply feels like far too much to be caused by this.

I am sorry that you are feeling poorly. Suggest that you:
1. Standardize your bed time.
2. Get a psych work up for your depression/anxiety.
3. Engage in daily moderate exercise of 30 to 45 minutes.

Wish you well.

Thank you for your suggestions. I did therapy not too long ago, but it was stopped due to me being 'cured'. I will start a new one tomorrow with a therapist that involved physical exercise, meditation and mindfulness into his therapy. Really looking forward to that.
I will really do my best to standardize my bed time and engage in moderate exercise.

Your data for session times underline the importance of developing a more regular sleep schedule. You might also review the standard recommendations for better sleep:

Keep a consistent sleep schedule. Get up at the same time every day, even on weekends or during vacations.
Set a bedtime that is early enough for you to get at least 7 hours of sleep.
Don’t go to bed unless you are sleepy.
If you don’t fall asleep after 20 minutes, get out of bed.
Establish a relaxing bedtime routine.
Use your bed only for sleep and sex.
Make your bedroom quiet and relaxing. Keep the room at a comfortable, cool temperature.
Limit exposure to bright light in the evenings.
Turn off electronic devices at least 30 minutes before bedtime.
Don’t eat a large meal before bedtime. If you are hungry at night, eat a light, healthy snack.
Exercise regularly and maintain a healthy diet.
Avoid consuming caffeine in the late afternoon or evening.
Avoid consuming alcohol before bedtime.
Reduce your fluid intake before bedtime.

I used to feel pretty dismissive of these recommendations, but I’ve found these ideas actually do help me. Hope they will help you too.

Thank you for all the suggestions! Some of them are really difficult, especially the one with electronic devices. I have a long distance relationship and my girlfriend and I always talk in bed, regularly sleeping with the while calling.
The rest is far “easier” to achieve. Will slowly incorporate them all, as it already was on my list.

I think if you follow through on the above suggestions with your planned actions you will begin to feel much better. Most of these suggestions come under the heading of sleep hygiene, but I think if you searched for remedies for depression you would find very similar suggestions. Depression is often associated with fatigue and poor sleep is often associated with depression. Kind of a viscous circle. As you said, some of the suggestions are a little difficult to implement. Poor habits have to be broken and new ones put into place. It takes work. But if you put forth the effort, I think you'll find it worth it. Lay out a plan and get to it.

[gv280z]

Have you tried a full face mask? You may not be getting the benefit of cpap if you're a mouth breather using a nasal mask. I'm a mouth breather and of course I think everyone else is too. I've never experienced a nasal mask. I just don't see how it's possible that most people in general don't at some point start breathing through their mouth instead during the night. I recommend an Airfit F30. I'm not an expert, I don't know what 99 percent of the Sleepy Head numbers and stats mean. All I can tell you is that I want you to be successful as I have been being a 3rd year user.