CPAP Usage Dependency?

[CPAPSteve]

Okay so I'm currently travelling on vacay and was in a hotel room last night where I ate a late and very heavy dinner and then masked up and went to bed. Was exhausted and fell asleep almost immediately. Partway through the night I had to use the bathroom but it was close to sunrise and I thought why bother masking back up and I just fell asleep on the bed. Turns out that by not masking up that I was snoring up a storm (in the past I hardly ever snored even before CPAP therapy). Just wondering if using CPAP (even though I've been using officially for just 33 days) creates any dependencies or worsens apnea over time? I suspect no but my wife and kids had a chuckle and said "daddy's snoring so loud!" Not surprisingly that today I feel like junk and I'm actually tired.

My machine (Ariel) has got me hooked on her now... can't survive without her!

[Goofproof]

The problem is your body gets used to not dying many times a night, it seems to like it, but some brains don't seem to think breathing is worthwhile. That's why non use makes it seem like that. Jim

[Stom]

Huh, first web search answer claiming a clear "yes" to CPAPs causing dependency was from a doctor hyperbolicly pimping his laser surgery business :-/ I think I might just take that one with a grain of salt.

[D.H.]

You wouldn't question blood pressure pills or Diabetes medicine in this manner! For the same reason, you should not question the use of CPAP.

[CPAPSteve]

You wouldn't question blood pressure pills or Diabetes medicine in this manner! For the same reason, you should not question the use of CPAP.

I am not questioning about using CPAP as I actually like using it. Only thing that is a bit awkward is the huge mask on my face with all the cushion straps, anti-leak straps + sleeping mask. Looks like a crazy torture scene when I sleep! Much to my surprise I tolerate treatment very well and I just told my family doctor yesterday that despite having a very low borderline apnea value that I feel a LOT better using CPAP.

It was more of a curiosity question since I haven’t actually slept without my CPAP since I started treatment.

[chunkyfrog]

It's a lot like glasses.
Without my glasses, I can't see worth crap.
Without my cpap, I am unable to sleep and breathe at the same time.
Just plain miserable without my "crutches".

[CPAPSteve]

It's a lot like glasses.
Without my glasses, I can't see worth crap.
Without my cpap, I am unable to sleep and breathe at the same time.
Just plain miserable without my "crutches".

Glasses - Yes I 100% agree

[palerider]

Just wondering if using CPAP (even though I've been using officially for just 33 days) creates any dependencies or worsens apnea over time? I suspect no but my wife and kids had a chuckle and said "daddy's snoring so loud!" Not surprisingly that today I feel like junk and I'm actually tired.

No, it doesn't. Cpap is like glasses... wearing your glasses doesn't make your eyes bad... and taking them off just makes you not be able to see. -- I see Chunky already said that... well, it bears repeating.

First lesson, *ALWAYS* use your cpap.

[Wulfman...]

Okay so I'm currently travelling on vacay and was in a hotel room last night where I ate a late and very heavy dinner and then masked up and went to bed. Was exhausted and fell asleep almost immediately. Partway through the night I had to use the bathroom but it was close to sunrise and I thought why bother masking back up and I just fell asleep on the bed. Turns out that by not masking up that I was snoring up a storm (in the past I hardly ever snored even before CPAP therapy). Just wondering if using CPAP (even though I've been using officially for just 33 days) creates any dependencies or worsens apnea over time? I suspect no but my wife and kids had a chuckle and said "daddy's snoring so loud!" Not surprisingly that today I feel like junk and I'm actually tired.

My machine (Ariel) has got me hooked on her now... can't survive without her!

From my point of view........ What difference does it make?
I never plan to sleep without one. I can do a short amount of time in a recliner without one (if I accidentally fall asleep there), but not in bed. I even have one machine set up next to my recliner for when I deliberately plan to take longer naps there. When we travel (only by vehicle), I take two of everything. In the beginning, it didn't take me long to enjoy this new way of sleeping, so I never plan to try to sleep without one.......especially for an extended period......in bed.
I have personal knowledge of a person who skipped using his machine one night and it was his last night on earth.
I really have questions about some of these people who claim they can skip nights of using their equipment. It doesn't make sense to me. Why would anyone deliberately tempt fate that way?


Den

.

[CPAPSteve]

Okay so I'm currently travelling on vacay and was in a hotel room last night where I ate a late and very heavy dinner and then masked up and went to bed. Was exhausted and fell asleep almost immediately. Partway through the night I had to use the bathroom but it was close to sunrise and I thought why bother masking back up and I just fell asleep on the bed. Turns out that by not masking up that I was snoring up a storm (in the past I hardly ever snored even before CPAP therapy). Just wondering if using CPAP (even though I've been using officially for just 33 days) creates any dependencies or worsens apnea over time? I suspect no but my wife and kids had a chuckle and said "daddy's snoring so loud!" Not surprisingly that today I feel like junk and I'm actually tired.

My machine (Ariel) has got me hooked on her now... can't survive without her!

From my point of view........ What difference does it make?
I never plan to sleep without one. I can do a short amount of time in a recliner without one (if I accidentally fall asleep there), but not in bed. I even have one machine set up next to my recliner for when I deliberately plan to take longer naps there. When we travel (only by vehicle), I take two of everything. In the beginning, it didn't take me long to enjoy this new way of sleeping, so I never plan to try to sleep without one.......especially for an extended period......in bed.
I have personal knowledge of a person who skipped using his machine one night and it was his last night on earth.
I really have questions about some of these people who claim they can skip nights of using their equipment. It doesn't make sense to me. Why would anyone deliberately tempt fate that way?


Den

.

That's crazy that someone can die in their sleep. Was the cause of death a direct result of apnea or were there other underlying causes to the condition that was worsened by apnea? I guess it technically doesn't matter as the individual should've been using their machine that may have let them live a little longer. Interestingly my sister just confessed to me that her and her spouse both have moderate to severe apnea and I said to them that they'd better get their priorities straight and get treated asap or else they could suffer far worse in other ways.

[Wulfman...]

Okay so I'm currently travelling on vacay and was in a hotel room last night where I ate a late and very heavy dinner and then masked up and went to bed. Was exhausted and fell asleep almost immediately. Partway through the night I had to use the bathroom but it was close to sunrise and I thought why bother masking back up and I just fell asleep on the bed. Turns out that by not masking up that I was snoring up a storm (in the past I hardly ever snored even before CPAP therapy). Just wondering if using CPAP (even though I've been using officially for just 33 days) creates any dependencies or worsens apnea over time? I suspect no but my wife and kids had a chuckle and said "daddy's snoring so loud!" Not surprisingly that today I feel like junk and I'm actually tired.

My machine (Ariel) has got me hooked on her now... can't survive without her!

From my point of view........ What difference does it make?
I never plan to sleep without one. I can do a short amount of time in a recliner without one (if I accidentally fall asleep there), but not in bed. I even have one machine set up next to my recliner for when I deliberately plan to take longer naps there. When we travel (only by vehicle), I take two of everything. In the beginning, it didn't take me long to enjoy this new way of sleeping, so I never plan to try to sleep without one.......especially for an extended period......in bed.
I have personal knowledge of a person who skipped using his machine one night and it was his last night on earth.
I really have questions about some of these people who claim they can skip nights of using their equipment. It doesn't make sense to me. Why would anyone deliberately tempt fate that way?


Den

.

That's crazy that someone can die in their sleep. Was the cause of death a direct result of apnea or were there other underlying causes to the condition that was worsened by apnea? I guess it technically doesn't matter as the individual should've been using their machine that may have let them live a little longer. Interestingly my sister just confessed to me that her and her spouse both have moderate to severe apnea and I said to them that they'd better get their priorities straight and get treated asap or else they could suffer far worse in other ways.

It's like asking......... When he jumped off the building, was it the fall that killed him or the sudden stop when he hit the ground?
He was a CPAP user. He got a late night call-out for his job. When he got back in the morning he went to bed and didn't use his equipment. He died in his sleep. End of story! This was back in September of 2007 in the Seattle area.
Apneas can put a serious strain on the heart and other organs on top of the lack of oxygen. Heart attacks and strokes are frequently some of the results. When I browse the obituaries, I often see "died in his/her sleep". Here's one I just clipped out of a local obit today....... "passed away peacefully......" (age 61). Unfortunately, we don't really know whether it was "the fall or the sudden stop" that did it. But, in the end, it was sudden. How "peaceful"? We don't know that either.


Den

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[CPAPSteve]

Wow thank goodness I have nowhere close to having bad apnea. Borderline mild but I will graciously mask up to prolong my life as best I can. That stuff scares the crap outta me knowing that any apnea is just slowly killing people.

[Goofproof]

If you play Russian with one bullet or five, in the end, you will lose. Same with NOT using your XPAP all the time, mild or heavy Sleep Apnea kills, the result is the same, it's the luck of the spin, damage is being done, you never know when your time comes up. Jim

The only way to win, is not to play!

[zoocrewphoto]

I think there are a few things at play here:

1 - Most of us tend to get worse over time. I was severe by the time I got tested, but I didn't snore as a kid, teenager, even in college. So, somewhere along the line, I started with sleep apnea, and it has gotten worse, and will continue to get worse. If I were to do a sleep study now, it would probably be more severe than it was in 2012. But as long as I keep using cpap, then I am fine. The cpap won't stop untreated sleep apnea from getting worse as we age. But it will keep the sleep apnea from hurting us.

2 - Now that we know what good sleep feels like, crappy sleep feels worse than it used to. For many of us, sleep apnea crept up on us. We blamed feeling tired on getting older, and really didn't notice how bad it was getting. I finally got tested because I saw a news story about high blood pressure being caused by sleep apnea and leading to stroke and heart attacks.My doctor had been warning me about my high blood pressure, but never mentioned sleep apnea. I knew I had it, but I understood that it was waking up a lot, and I didn't think I woke up that much. My sleep during the titration was so good that the next night at home, I was dreaming about wanting my cpap NOW. Even my asleep brain realized how helpful that cpap machine was. The next night, I realized that I had slept like crap even though it was a normal night for me. In other words, I sleep like crap. So, once you know how different cpap and non-cpap sleep really is, it makes you realize how bad it is when you skip it.

3. During those years of sleeping with untreated sleep apnea, we develop safeguards to stay alive. For example, we may not get much deep sleep as our brain tries to stay in light sleep and wake us up before the event gets too bad. My sleep had lots of very short events and NO deep sleep during the diagnosis phase. My oxygen didn't drop much, but that was because my brain wasn't letting me get into deep sleep. Once I started using cpap, I was able to trust the machine after awhile and actually get into deep sleep. My brain stopped doing its protection duty because it doesn't need to do it anymore. But that also means that if I were to skip cpap, even for a night, my brain won't do it anymore, and I could have a worse night than before cpap. My sleep apnea is not worse because of cpap, but it may feel that way because I have stopped compensating.

[Pualani]

In my case, my doc told me that the CPAP improved my breathing. I asked him if I could then go off CPAP therapy but he said it would return in a few days. Actually helps tissues from swelling. Before my next sleep study, he instructed me to go off therapy for at least 3 days prior to test.

If I’m having allergies, gotta have that CPAP. My allergist says that the CPAP filters pollen and dust out of the air helping me to breathe keeping my nose tissues from being swollen. Change those filters people! So I guess you could say I am dependent on my CPAP.

A son of a friend has severe central apnea. Neither CPAP or BIPAP work for him. He is now 40,non smoker, suffering with diabetes, and heart failure due to his sleep apnea. Very very sad. Wear your machines people.