How Long?

How long should someone be on CPAP before they notice a difference. I know everyone is different but what is the average.

Same question here.

As long as it takes to repair years of damage to your organs. In other words a week or a month or a year or more.

That of course assumes your therapy is tuned in. If you have problems then post your graphs and detailed questions.

phx1hab wrote:How long should someone be on CPAP before they notice a difference. I know everyone is different but what is the average.

Depends what you mean by "a difference".
There can be subtle improvements and then there can be major improvements. For some it is like night and day and for others it's very slow incremental changes.

For me, it was some of both.......but not enough of the "major improvements". I think that the older you are and the longer you've had OSA, the longer it will take.

Are you not seeing an improvement in how you feel?

And, +1 to what BlackSpinner said.

Den

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phx1hab wrote:How long should someone be on CPAP before they notice a difference.

Hi,

The problem is that there is no average. Some people see a remarkable difference from day one. In my case, I felt so awful that anything would have made me feel better. I got a real boost day one, and then it took about 9 months to feel fully human again. Other folks take a long time. One factor is how much damage you already had, and how much of it is repairable.

Can you describe how you feel? Also, how did you feel before CPAP, and what lead you to getting treatment?

The lingering question is whether or not your CPAP treatment is actually working. There are a large number of sleep disorders, and every person reacts differently. Some folks and some conditions are well treated with CPAP, but some people don't react well, and some diseases don't respond well. It is hard to get treatment dialed in for some people, and people change over time, so it can be hard to stay dialed in. Finally, as happened to me, once my OSA was well treated, a 2nd disorder popped up that needed a different treatment. It is possible that you have a 2nd sleep disorder hiding behind your primary issue.

If you are computer savvy, you will want to learn how to download and read the data from your machine. If you are not savvy in this manner, then you probably want to make a follow-up appointment with your sleep doctor. It is no fun at all to feel bad.

-john-

For me, there were some noticeable improvements right away, and other things that took longer.

For example, right away - no more morning headaches, no more gasping fits in the middle of the night, and fewer trips to the bathroom.

During the first few weeks, I realized I felt more cheerful, and I was rarely drinking energy drinks. I also found that my blood pressure was in the normal range if I had several good nights in a row, but it would go back up if I had a not so great night.

Over more time, I realized I felt better overall, and I fall asleep faster than I used to and sleep in longer sessions than I used to.

I've only been using cpap for 9 months now, and I am still learning to master this. So, I expect more improvement over time. Plus, with more time, my damaged organs will have time to heal. Remember that sleep apnea is not just sleep deprivation. It's oxygen deprivation.

My ah-ha day was day 18, and I have made slow but steady improvement ever since. As stated, some folks don't experience an ah-ha day, but see a gradual improvement. There really is no correct answer because we are all different. Be sensitive to how you feel and sensitive to the other improvements in your health.

Sheriff