One night without CPAP and I felt better.

I just finished my first month of CPAP. Needless to say it was the worst month of my life. I felt horrible which I'm sure was due to the fact I couldn't sleep through the night even though my AHI was in check. Last week my AHI was all over the place. Anywhere from .95 to 4.6 and I was a train wreck. My OA were always less than one if any at all. The score came from hypopneas and CA events.

Since I already obtained compliance for BCBS to pay I decided to ditch the CPAP for a night and today I woke up feeling better. No fog and no feeling like my head was going to explode and no feeling like I need a nap. Sure it was just one night but I'm curious if anyone else has done this?

nycdug wrote:I just finished my first month of CPAP. Needless to say it was the worst month of my life. I felt horrible which I'm sure was due to the fact I couldn't sleep through the night even though my AHI was in check. Last week my AHI was all over the place. Anywhere from .95 to 4.6 and I was a train wreck. Since I already obtained compliance for BCBS to pay I decided to ditch the CPAP for a night and today I woke up feeling better. No fog and no feeling like my head was going to explode and no feeling like I need a nap. Sure it was just one night but I'm curious if anyone else has done this?

That is not a "terrible" AHI. Many of us fluctuate from night to night. On nights when I am restless, my AHI will run 2.5--3.5. On good nights I will be at 1.0-1.5. Attitude is a big factor. You need to be in the state of mind where you accept the fact that you need this therapy to live a healthy live.

What was your sleep lab AHI, and why did you seek help in the first place? What were your symptoms?

I might suggest you get yourself pulse oximeter to use when you are not using your cpap to sleep. If your oxygen level drops below 90 then you know you are in danger of stroking.

I personally don't think it is worth the risk.. That might help your brain understand you need the cpap so you don't have a stroke.


If you AHI is under 5 then you are good. Most people have do have fluctuation in AHI.


I wish you well

Bill44133 wrote: If your oxygen level drops below 90 then you know you are in danger of stroking.

You just invented that medical fact didn't you?

Welcome to the Got Off To A Bad Start Club. Now it's time to do some digging as to what could be improved so that the next month isn't like the past month. If you don't already have it, get a copy of your detailed sleep report. Was there any mention of centrals, either on the diagnostic or titration report? My first concern is if there is any significance to the centrals you are seeing. Since you say you aren't sleeping much I'd be suspect of them being true centrals, but you don't want to overlook that possibility. Look for evidence either way. This is where detailed data from your machine could be of value.

Another concern is if your settings are the best for you. Doesn't mean much to have only a few events if those events are of long duration or accompanied by significant desats. Also, how do your leaks look? And, if you are using a ramp feature, is it too low and making it difficult to fall asleep due to a state of alert feeling because of being on the verge of smothering? Also, if you are using it in auto mode, a little increase on the lower end of your pressure range could stop some of those hypopneas, which may be causing arousals. If a more narrow range doesn't help, maybe you'd do better with a fixed pressure.

I do hope you'll persevere and not give up without first knowing beyond a shadow of doubt you've done everything possible to make this work for you. Be a shame to give up when the answer may be within easy reach (even not so easy). Good luck.

My sleep lab AHI was 20. During my titration study I slept for two hours total. The first 2. Once they made me lie on my back I was awake the rest of the night. Why would you make someone lie on their back if they don't sleep on their back anyway...to get a higher number? Seems pretty stupid. I sleep on my side/stomach and always have. It makes no sense that I would feel worse after starting therapy other than all the additional wakenings I have. When the pressure goes up, I wake up. Very effective.

nycdug wrote:Why would you make someone lie on their back if they don't sleep on their back anyway...to get a higher number? Seems pretty stupid.

It is so they can find the "worst case" pressure you might need.

One night without CPAP and I felt better.

This certainly could be expected because,

by nycdug on Sun Aug 24, 2014 6:38 am


I remember waking up several times especially when I rolled over to my right side (my preferred side) because my mask would leak and the air blowing in my face would wake me. I also noticed leaking through my mouth a few times later in the night so I tightened the chin strap. For me, the chin strap is worse than the mask in terms of comfort and I have the Respironics Premium which is relatively comfortable but not if I have to wear it that tight
viewtopic.php?f=1&t=99938&p=932521#p932521

... it seems you never experienced a well running CPAP process.

Do you want help developing a good CPAP process? Or do you want to give up and risk deadly health problems a bit down the road?

ChicagoGramps

They have you sleep on your back during the study because something might happen to you that will mean you have to sleep on your back and your machine will be able to handle it.

I have severe Rheumatoid arthritis and sleeping in my back is the only pain free position for me.

My first month was hell, too. What did the equipment feel like - what kept you awake exactly? It can be a million things, we just need to help you find the things to adjust. It can be done and it's great when you crack the code...

nycdug wrote: Last week my AHI was all over the place. Anywhere from .95 to 4.6 and I was a train wreck. My OA were always less than one if any at all. The score came from hypopneas and CA events.

Good grief, those are great AHI numbers - whatever the reason is for your feeling terrible, it isn't a few hypopneas. Just for reference (woe is me) my sleep study came back in the 70's and I consider less than 10 a good night with therapy... because I feel good. Less than 5 is a rare treat for me.

They may be good numbers but I'll take feeling good over feeling like shit any day.

So - what happens at night? Leaks, pain, what do you FEEL when you're trying to sleep? Tell us more then we can compare notes and potential fixes...

dug, I'm assuming you were prescribed a sleep study because you had some symptoms (e.g., daytime drowsiness, high blood pressure, depression, weight gain, frequent trips to the bathroom at night, loud snoring, waking up gasping for breath, or any of several other symptoms). Those symptoms are not being treated when you don't use your CPAP. They will be back.

I found it very difficult to adapt to using CPAP - it seemed as though I went weeks - even months - without getting a good night's sleep. Then, everything clicked. I no longer seemed to spend all night fighting leaks. I began to notice that those nights I "forgot" to put on the mask, I had trouble falling asleep. Now it seems like second nature and it works well for me.

I know it is hard. I've been there. It sucks (well, actually, it blows ). I know you are trying. I know you are frustrated. I encourage you to give it a bit more effort.