What symptoms went away with your cpap use?

[deerslayer]

no more TIA's and strokes (so far anyway)

ditto !

• 1. MUCH IMPROVED SINUSES !
  • 2. more energy(motivation) albeit limited
  3. better thought processing
  • 4. (mellowed)more go with the flow
  5.found a great support group here
  • downside
  (i guess unrelated to cpap)
  • rheumatoid flare ups
  sold atv,boat,lost interest in hunting,feel beat up with very little exertion ,minor depression,(c.o.p.d.) get out of breath SOoo easy, heart rate goes up very quickly without doing that much

[Colonel_CPAP]

1. I use to wake up at 2pm on weekends and feel like I couldn't move because i was so tired. Now I wake up at 7 or 8am everyday including weekends and feel energized.
2. People would talk about their dreams and I would tell them I haven't dreamed in years. They would state that I dream but probably don't remember them. Anyway, now I dream about 3 times a night and remember every bit of it . It is cool to dream again.
3. I use to think that I needed Viagra at 32. I would get erect but loose it almost as soon as me and the girlfriend start copulation. I seen a study on 60mins about LoveBugs that were sleep deprived. And sure enough after I went on CPAP that issue has went away.
4. I use to cough all night long basically gag, and my mouth would be so dry it felt like sand paper. I would have a really thick white like film inside my mouth. Now I hardly ever cough my mouth is hardly ever dry.
5. I was having trouble with my eyes having a lot of sleep in them. It was so bad I could hardly see and constantly rubbing my eyes. This is what prompted me to go to the doctor and as a result was referred to sleep doctor to get tested for apnea. The doctor was giving me nasanX and other medication cause he thought it was my sinuses. Well as soon as I went on cpap all of that went away and my eyes are fine now. THANK GODDD!!!!
6. During the course of the day and early morning I was very very hateful. I didn't mean to be but I just wanted to be left alone. Now I'm fine still moody at times but not like I use to be.
7. Use to not get sexually aroused easily. Now I'm like a teenage boy in heat..

If you think you have apnea or any of the above listed problems and your not on cpap do yourself a favor and get on it asap. It will honestly change the way you feel and the life you live.

[sleeplessinseattle]

I didn't really have many apnea symptoms. I could be that my body had adjusted to it.
I have pretty severe apnea too, 100+ episodes/hour.

I've been on the machine for 100 days now and I haven't noticed any difference, except that I don't move around as much in my sleep and my snoring is gone (which alone is worth it for my wife).

[chewtoyyy]

I just got my cpap today. I'm 40 and have been told for years that I snore and stopped breathing during sleep. Finally did something about it a couple of months back after getting gout for the 2nd time in my life and reading that some people were pointing toward apnea as a cause.

SOOO many of the various symptoms listed on here have affected me at various times. Lately (last 3 months) i've really been feeling tired during the day. I'll post as things progress with this being my first night.

I did the titration study 1 week ago and woke up at 4:45am. That was my first on-CPAP experience. I didn't really realize it at the time but by late in the day I didn't feel nearly as tired as I usually do and my overall mood was much better. Could have been coincidence. Then again maybe not.

The study was done with nasual prongs but I was fitted with a nasal pillow mask today and I like it better than the prongs. I'm hoping for more comfort and better results tonight and going foward. If nothing else I'm hoping that my wife and I can sleep in the same bed on a full time basis instead of switching off between bed/couch so she can get some sleep away from my snoring.

Nice to see a group of people discussing this whole topic. Wish I'd seen this sooner!

-Chewtoyyy

[SleepGuy]

I can drive for hours on end without dozing.

I am not exhausted.

I wake feeling truly relaxed and rested.

I'm no longer feel like I'm experiencing a nervous breakdown.

I no longer need power naps.

I could go on but after getting over the shock of CPAP and learning how to tolerate the thing, this is a pretty good gig.

[5Dees]

Wow -- after reading alot of the messages here, I just wanted to share my experiences.

After I had gone through the sleep clinic and got a chance to wear a mask for about 4 hours, I knew finally that my life was going to improve. I have had my CPAP now for a little over a week and I can't stop talking about it to all of my friends and co-workers. Don't ever underestimate the value of air. It is nature's best DRUG.

Like so many of you:

No more night sweats
No more drooling -- would have to buy a new pillow often
No more forcing myself to stay awake driving (in the morning and evening)
No more falling asleep watching a movie at the theater or at home (my partner used to nudge me all the time when I appeared to be sleeping)
No more napping at lunch time (my coworkers don't have to hear my loug
snoring)
No more snoring at night
No more falling asleep at my computer terminal
No more getting out of bed 4 times in the night (only once now)
I seem to have more energy at the gym

Also, I need to thank my sister for pushing me to have my doctor prescribe the sleep clinic and for anyone who has Sleep Apnea who shares it with friends and coworkers because it is so important that people know that all of the above symptoms could be the eliminated with the CPAP machine.

[wlenz]

I hit 64 this year and have been in need of bipap all my life. My machine arrived April 26th 2008, and it required getting used to the nasal mask before I could get a full nights sleep. The improvements so far are lower BP, stay awake during meetings at work, don't scare fellow passengers during my bus ride each day. I was probably gasping for air and snoring. I noticed that passengers often did not occupy the seat next to me. A co-worker takes the train and noticed the same thing. He is on c-pap and not doing as well as me. Never used to remember dreams, and if I did, they were bad. My dreams seem to be more pleasant now. Some of you have stated weight loss, lower cholesterol, improvement with ED, etc. I would like all these also and if I give it some time, maybe I will improve in those areas also. One quick note, I am a widower, sleep alone. I had a girlfriend stay over for a few days and she noticed I was gasping for air a few times. My machine does not record data and the doc wants additional overnight sleep studies. In your experiences, will a sleep study catch all the problems or is it a crap shoot?
Bill

[ozij]

A sleep study in not a crap shoot, but it is a snap shot - the single night - or half night on which they decided your pressure may have got it wrong.

A whole night is which they try to set you up for a bi-pap is a good idea - you may be sleeping deeper now (and in need of more pressure) than you did on that other night in the lab.

So I'd say to yes to an additional study.

I would also make sure I had a data tracking machine - full data - which you're is not. That is, if what you have is indeed the Plus.

O.

[JayC]

8 nights so far....APAP

Decreased puff and dark under eyes. Always thought this was more sinus related/mold allergy; however, we've had days of rain and mushrooms are growing just outside window of my basement apartment. So, improvement IS from masking up every night.

Smidgen more mental clarity.

Decreased fatigue (mental or physical) through the day.

Focus and momentum to tackle basic chores I've been doing just BARE minimum for ages. Who knows, maybe in a month or two I'll be able to have you all over without being mortified, and without calling on my considerable powers of camoflague!

I am thrilled that this is after only 8 nights. I'd still be jumping up and down with only one of the above

J

[Billmanweh]

Wow, night sweats, drooling, snoring, getting to pee all night. I had almost forgotten about all that stuff.

[goose]

BP down to almost getting off meds
No more sleeping during the day
No more getting up 5-6 times a night to pee
Sleep more soundly
dreaming (sometimes good, sometimes not so good)
Blood Glucose under better control (Fasting BG to 103!!!!!!!!)
More energy

that's a good start
cheers
goose

[crossfit]

Well, I haven't been on CPAP long - not even a week. But I noticed today that I have been taking about half as many pain meds as I was taking before (prescribed for various aches and pains - low back, neck, carpel tunnel). I told the doc. He says pain and generalized inflammation can be made much worse or caused by sleep apnea.

[Filament]

I've been suspecting I had sleep apnea for years, and you folks can't imagine how exciting this thread seems to me, how many of those symptoms fit me. I could not be surly in the mornings? I could drive and not fight to stay awake? I could remember my dreams? All seem so appealing.

I went for a sleep study a couple of years back, and after what seemed like a miserable night to me, they said I was fine. I gave up at that point, but am thinking about going back to try again, and seeing all your testimonies really helps. Thanks!

[Wrenna]

My blood pressure has dropped from high to normal.
I dream now, which is nice.
My psoriasis has faded enough that I don't need to cover it with makeup
I wake up feeling ready to face the day
The sunken black circles under my eyes have faded

[mellabella]

What went away: That feeling of anxiety in the morning; that sense that "nothing happened" (in terms of recovering any energy and starting a new day) while in bed "sleeping" (I felt like days and nights just ran together...even though I was falling asleep by 9am and getting up, still exhausted, 10 or 11 hours later).

What was new:
--ability to jog for much longer distances
--ability to do 5-6 things a day after work, instead of just 0-2

...and I still have a partial response, am tired all the time, etc. But it just goes to show you why I am 100% compliant even though it's only been about 30% effective, in terms of my symptoms....even that little bit has had such an effect on my quality of life.

Note: I didn't see ANY benefits until my pressure was increased from 7 to 13, after a long-overdue retitration. So if you're not seeing any benefits and your doc won't increase your pressure, GET ANOTHER DOC.