How long to pay back sleep deficit?

Hello. I've been at this CPAP thing since July. Very low leaks, low events, etc. I'm normally in bed for at least 8 hours a night, last night it was 10. I'm fairly decent at keeping it on, some nights it's just 4 hours, most nights it's 5-6, last night it was 8 hours.

I am still completely exhausted. All the time.

I had another sleep study while using the mask, I see the doctor to get those results next week.

But seriously, when am I going to start feeling better? The doctor says it could take up to a year, and I have to aim for at least six hours a night on the CPAP. A year???!

Did you guys see the stories on hypersomnia?
http://articles.latimes.com/2012/nov/21 ... e-20121121
From the article: When the woman showed up at the sleep center, researchers did a range of tests and finally took samples of her cerebrospinal fluid. They discovered it had some unusual properties. Namely, something in it caused GABA, the main neurotransmitter molecule responsible for reducing the activity of brain cells, to have an outsized effect. In essence, a mystery molecule appeared to be working with GABA to tamp down brain activity, acting as a sort of constant sleeping pill.

I wonder if I have this. When I was five, I opted for afternoon kindergarten so I could sleep in. When I went to visit my grandparents as a kid, they took me to the doctor to be tested for "sleeping sickness" because I slept so much. My older brother and sister used to get so frustrated because I would sleep until 11 on Christmas morning, and they'd have to wake me up. It's never been unusual for me to sleep 10-13 hours if given the chance. I feel no more rested if I sleep 6, 8, 10 or 12 hours a night. Always foggy, always tired, always able to fall asleep within minutes.

My alarm goes off at 6:20, I usually snooze until 7, and get up under great duress. By 8 p.m. at night, I'm wondering if it's too soon to go to bed.

My iron is fine, I don't have chronic sinusitis, I take anti-depressants, I've had my thyroid tested several times and it's always "normal."

However, when I brought up this hypersomnia thing to my doctor, she said we have to rule out the apnea causing my exhaustion first. So I guess it'll be another year. Boo!

Here's a link to the hypersomnia story at Emory University:
http://news.emory.edu/stories/2012/11/a ... ampus.html

My first thought was that it's the ADs. They tend to make people tired all the time. Read up on them, particularly the one(s) you are taking.

SleepyMarlo wrote:I take anti-depressants

Which ones? Dosage and how often?

Any other meds? Especially ones that might mess with sleep architecture?

Also...FWIW...I need at least 7 preferably 8 hours of sleep (and that is good uninterrupted sleep) or I tend to want to nod off by early afternoon. This is after nearly 4 years of being on cpap therapy and no meds known to promote sleepiness.

SleepyMarlo wrote:I'm fairly decent at keeping it on, some nights it's just 4 hours, most nights it's 5-6, last night it was 8 hours.

How is the quality of those hours? Wake up often or anything like that?

.

I`ve been using CPAP for 4 months, and its been a slow but positive improvement. Agree that diet, alcohol, and exercise are important factors too...maybe more important

cosmo wrote: If the cpap machine was injecting sleeping pills in the evenings and then pain killers in the morning, we would all be super happy with the treatment. We would all fall asleep fast and wake up with super energy

I want one of those machines.

Can I get one with appetite supressants, instead?

chunkyfrog wrote:Can I get one with appetite supressants, instead?

As long as it has the same HCPCS code!

Sign me up for the one with sleeping pills, pain killers and appetite suppressants!! I promise to comply.

My AD: 300 XL Wellbutrin. Taken in the evening bc of I was having some dizziness, she recommended evening instead of morning. I don't notice a difference. The only thing I've found so far is that it "should" tend to wake one up rather than make them sleepy. Only other med is Flonase for my nose, which is constantly stuffy even though I don't have sinusitis or allergies.

Are my sleep hours good? It seems like I'm waking up to fiddle with the mask, itch my nose, etc. However, first sleep study showed I was waking up 22 times an hour because of the apneas. So... I don't know.

I've been on and off active most of my life. I just got done doing a musical with quite a lot of dancing. I do need to get back to the Y, although I'm pouting because they canceled my hip hop class. I could stand to lose 30 pounds. And I could certainly eat better.

You need to use your CPAP all night, every night, and every nap. Wearing the CPAP for 4 hours a night is like going from a pack of cigarettes every day to half a pack of cigarettes. Insurance wants 4 hours a night to prove you're actually using the machine, but your body needs it full time. Some foolish doctors think that 4 hours a night is enough, but that's flat out wrong. Even a few hours of untreated apnea each night is harmful. It may not be quite as harmful as a full night of untreated apnea, but it's still very harmful.

Every hour you sleep without CPAP is like someone who "quit" smoking having "just one cigarette."

Fewer nails.
Still hold the lid down.

Welbutrin.... it messes with Sleep Architecture in multiple ways...from insomnia to sleepiness to messing with sleep stages.
Anything that messes with sleep cycles can adversely affect the way we feel during the day because the body needs the normal cycles of sleep for the restorative powers of sleep to work their magic.
If you find yourself waking frequently for whatever reason...your sleep cycles are being messed with and it is just harder for the restorative powers of sleep to do their job.
Not only do you need sufficient hours of sleep...you also need those hours to be minimally fragmented.
Half life is about 10 hours.

From here...http://www.drugs.com/sfx/wellbutrin-side-effects.html
I copies this

Nervous system

Nervous system side effects have frequently included headache (27%), insomnia (16% to 33%), dizziness (12%), tremor, somnolence, thinking abnormality, abnormal dreams (6%), sleep abnormalities, disturbed concentration, dysphoria, decreased memory,

Nearly all selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, mixed serotonin/norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors, and tricyclic antidepressants cause sleep abnormalities to some extent. These antidepressants have marked dose-dependent effects on rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, causing reductions in the overall amount of REM sleep over the night and delays the first entry into REM sleep (increased REM sleep onset latency (ROL), both in healthy subjects and depressed patients.

Insomnia may also be dose-dependent. In a dose response clinical study for smoking cessation, 29% of patients receiving bupropion 150 mg/day versus 35% of those receiving 300 mg/day reported insomnia. Insomnia may be minimized by reducing the dosage or avoiding administration at bedtime

I would like to post images of my SleepyHead data - which I just installed tonight, and used the awesome patch found on here to make work. Thank you so much for that! So dumb question, but how do I post images without having them posted somewhere online with an associated URL? Or is that required?

SleepyMarlo wrote:how do I post images without having them posted somewhere online with an associated URL? Or is that required?

The images have to be hosted somewhere online first. No way around it.