Is CPAP a useful tool for sleep apnea?

I don't mean to create controversy. But why is it that I see a lot of people write that the CPAP doesn't make them feel better? Isn't it supposed to help assist you in feeling better?

You're seeing the people who have a) not yet been helped (here), b) have some other stuff going on not OSA/Cpap related, c) have been sent down the garden path with wrong settings (if any), wrong mask, dumb stories, etc. etc. ... or they wouldn't be here looking for help. You don't see the ones who are doing fine (except for a few of us who hang out from habit ) because they're off living life. And there are always going to be a few who, no matter what they do or how we help, just don't feel it... for reasons not yet diagnosed or maybe just depression.

But a positive attitude really does make a difference, and starting out with one can make all the difference... so hang in until you've given it all a chance, and given yourself a chance with an open mind. You're just not 'there' yet, to the point where you can say it's great or you're not ever going to feel better. Don't second guess anything... because I really get the feeling you're quite pessimistic, but with no real reason (yet) to be, or maybe you're looking for excuses to not even try?

There is no controversy here -- the reasons some people don't improve vary. Most often there is some other health issue that contributes to the way someone feels and so the person may not feel signficantly better just because they've started on cpap. Other reasons include not getting the cpap therapy correctly dialed in, or being older (and by older I don't mean your late 20's!) and perhaps having had untreated apnea for many, many years and not being able to undo all those years of damage... This is the short list but I don't think going on about this will help you one bit. I think what would help you right now is if you can give yourself a break from the spinning worry loop you're in. The sleep test will either identify some problems with your sleep or it will rule out sleep-based problems. In either case you will have more information about what is or isn't going on. Then you decide where to look next. Until then, you would do yourself a huge favor by trying to relax and engage in something that is pleasurable or soothing in some way.

Enchanter wrote:I don't mean to create controversy. But why is it that I see a lot of people write that the CPAP doesn't make them feel better? Isn't it supposed to help assist you in feeling better?

It does make most people feel better if they use it. Sometimes it takes a while. Sometimes the patient needs to take control of their own therapy and get the machine adjusted right and fix their problems.

Even if CPAP doesn't make you feel better, untreated sleep apnea will slowly grind you down, ruining your health in general and increasing your risk of heart attack, stroke, and other fun things.

kaiasgram wrote:There is no controversy here -- the reasons some people don't improve vary. Most often there is some other health issue that contributes to the way someone feels and so the person may not feel signficantly better just because they've started on cpap. Other reasons include not getting the cpap therapy correctly dialed in, or being older (and by older I don't mean your late 20's!) and perhaps having had untreated apnea for many, many years and not being able to undo all those years of damage... This is the short list but I don't think going on about this will help you one bit. I think what would help you right now is if you can give yourself a break from the spinning worry loop you're in. The sleep test will either identify some problems with your sleep or it will rule out sleep-based problems. In either case you will have more information about what is or isn't going on. Then you decide where to look next. Until then, you would do yourself a huge favor by trying to relax and engage in something that is pleasurable or soothing in some way.

Yea, true. I will have to hope for the best then and see my doctor on Wednesday. Hope he's very nice when I tell him my symptoms. Like I said, I had a cardiologist several years ago that was really mean and called me lazy.

I can't say that I feel better, at least not yet, but I'm sure that having an AHI of less than 1 (at least according to my machine; we'll see what Sleep Study No. 4 has to say), as opposed to at least 27, has got to be better for my body. So I'll take it. Maybe the rest will come.

Oh, and my cardiologist calls me names too, because I won't take a statin .

You know this is a help forum and the people that do well with cpap therapy and feel better...hey they probably don't even know we exist and don't make it here.
If you want to read some good stories instead of trouble stories...try this thread if you want to do some reading.
It's long and old but still active.
viewtopic.php?f=1&t=14494&st=0&sk=t&sd=a&start=525
I linked to the last page and the most recent comments. Work yourself backwards as you have time to just read.

CPAP took care of my sleep apnea related issues quite well and I had some immediate success in some areas and in other areas it took a little bit of time. I have health issues (that impact how I feel during the day and also affect my sleep quality) that aren't related to sleep apnea though and the cpap machine can't fix stuff that is unrelated to sleep apnea...no matter how much we wish it will fix all our problems...it simply can't. Some people have unrealistic expectations as to just how much of a miracle cpap therapy will perform and they blame the therapy when maybe it isn't the therapy...maybe it is something else.

You gotta start somewhere with something though...not much chance of success if we don't at least try.
Sometimes people get those miracles easily and I turn pea green with envy when I read about them. Most people have to do some work to get even a little miracle and until we at least try we don't know what the future holds for each of us.

Also, therapy works best when you are keeping an eye on the data. This is why FULLY data capable machines are so important, especially when starting out. Don't be fooled into thinking that pressure prescribed at a sleep study is THE BEST pressure for you. It's a starting point.

"Always with the negative waves, Moriarty."

(If you don't get the reference google it or watch 'Kelleys Heroes')

Relax man!

ETA... Of course it is a useful tool, millions of us use it successfully every day.

Enchanter wrote:I don't mean to create controversy. But why is it that I see a lot of people write that the CPAP doesn't make them feel better? Isn't it supposed to help assist you in feeling better?

It did make me feel better overall, but I still have more bad days than good. At least the house is clean. Er.

Actually, this is a good question.

So many folks hereabouts post their "issues", and we hear much too little about success stories. It is entirely possible for someone new to the club to think that xpap might not be worth the bother or expense. Add to this, nonsensical commercials that talk about the "torture" of cpap. What's a newby to think?

(There is a permanent link on success stories, but in all practicality, some folks don't go there. It's human nature to skip such lengthy topics. No worries.)

Yes, xpap is more than useful. Many have posted about how mood issues (including depression and bipolar), boudoir issues (keeping this G-rated), neuro-issues, blood chemistry issues, blood pressure issues, physical stamina/physical conditioning issues, appearance issues (skin, nails, hair, eyes, etc) issues, sticktoitiveness issues, public speaking issues, and many, many. many more have improved or resolved with the conscientious and unfailing use of xpap. Especially when the xpap settings are for optimum therapy.

When new patients don't see results, they write in (and the good folks here respond with always well-meaning and usually good advice.)

The best advice is to determine the efficiency of the therapy. Sometimes the overnight titrations miss the correct therapeutic pressures. Sometimes, leaks, dirty filters and other solvable problems are fairly quick answers. Nightly data reporting capability is an absolute must for prudent therapy management; as is a good software program to assist in the reporting and analysis of the data.

Sometimes, it just takes a while. (Approaching the following very, very carefully)... If obesity is a contributing cause of OSA, perhaps (and I'm not being judgmental here, whatever your dietary choices might be are just fine with me.) one might consider modifying one's habits and lose weight and make it easier for the xpap to do a good job.

There is much more, but I do want to conclude with the positive statement that YES, xpap IS a useful tool. Sometimes patients must assist in the process of improving their own therapy, but it's all worth it.

Oh, my case? At the tender young age of 66, my memory is pretty darned sharp, I feel great about each and every day, I love speaking in front of large audiences, and I run over 300 miles per year. I could go on, but you can see from the length of my reply that it's time to post this.


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CPAP gave me my life back.

• I get up maybe twice rather than five to seven times every night.
• I don't wake up with headaches.
• I don't nod off in meetings anymore.
• I don't start to nod off at the wheel of my car anymore (!).
• I don't fall asleep in a chair right after dinner anymore.
• The pressure helps keeps my sinuses open and has converted me to a nose breather rather than a mouth breather at night.
• I have more energy for the things I love and the people I love

For me it has been an EXTREMELY useful tool!

I second the positive comments from poster ClarkK. He describes my own response to XPAP quite well,( except that I virtually never need to get up at night.). I have used XPAP machines for about 28 years, and had almost immediate good results back to when I was first fitted with a rather primitive Healthdyne CPAP all those years ago. So far as my own experiences are concerned, I am not as entranced by the modern gadgetry as some people appear to be. The biggest improvement so far as I am concerned is the far better masks now. I have used the Respironics Mirage Activa for several years now and find it far superior to the masks that I began with.

Enchanter wrote:I don't mean to create controversy. But why is it that I see a lot of people write that the CPAP doesn't make them feel better? Isn't it supposed to help assist you in feeling better?

what you don't see is a WHOLE LOT MORE people that aren't complaining about it, because they're not complaining, they're just quietly enjoying feeling better.

if it was as common as it seems, then the board would be overrun with people complaining, dozens, hundreds, thousands of threads a day.

ClarkK hit the nail on the head. It has done everything on his list for me - except I hardly ever get up in the night now - used to be 4 or 5 times a night.