Still so tired

[SleepyRose]

Ive mastered the art of the CPAP. I sleep 7-8 hrs a night straight, my numbers are great, and it just seems that every day I get more tired.

I have to drag myself out of bed in the morning and I drag all day. Yawn, yawn, yawn.
Its much worse than before CPAP.
I have slept 10 hours straight on CPAP and could sleep even more.

Ive done some googling and have found others who have the same complaint. The general consensus is that our sleep debt isnt paid off and some call it REM debt but how long does it take?

Ive been on CPAP since Dec 18, have moderate to severe Apnea, my pressure right now is 9.5. I asked my sleep doc about it and he said he'd never come across anyone who was more tired after CPAP. Very helpful.

Ive tried to get on a schedule. Bed at 11 and up at 7. Its torture. I even changed 2 Dr appts because they were in the morning and I knew I wouldnt be awake enough to get there.

I fall asleep easily and stay asleep all night. I just want to sleep the rest of my life away.


Venting.
I have an appt with my PCP next week but honestly, what can anyone do?

[WearyOne]

Ive mastered the art of the CPAP. I sleep 7-8 hrs a night straight, my numbers are great, and it just seems that every day I get more tired.

I have to drag myself out of bed in the morning and I drag all day. Yawn, yawn, yawn.
Its much worse than before CPAP.
I have slept 10 hours straight on CPAP and could sleep even more.

Ive done some googling and have found others who have the same complaint. The general consensus is that our sleep debt isnt paid off and some call it REM debt but how long does it take?

Ive been on CPAP since Dec 18, have moderate to severe Apnea, my pressure right now is 9.5. I asked my sleep doc about it and he said he'd never come across anyone who was more tired after CPAP. Very helpful.

Ive tried to get on a schedule. Bed at 11 and up at 7. Its torture. I even changed 2 Dr appts because they were in the morning and I knew I wouldnt be awake enough to get there.

I fall asleep easily and stay asleep all night. I just want to sleep the rest of my life away.


Venting.
I have an appt with my PCP next week but honestly, what can anyone do?

I hear you and I feel your misery and pain.

I've been on cpap for two years and and am still sleepy and tired most of the time. Don't have trouble driving or when engaged with other people, never did. But other times, like sitting in front of a computer, are just plain agony sometimes trying to stay awake. Getting up in the morning, sometimes I just want to cry I feel so miserable.

After seeing my family physician today, he did everything I was hoping he would. He suggested an overnight pulse/ox to be done at home. To go through my sleep doc for that, but if I have trouble getting it from the sleep doc for some reason, he would be glad to order it. This would determine if maybe my heart rate or oxygen is still a problem even though my AHI is consistently under 2, most of time under 1. Family doc also ordered a bunch of blood work, and changed one of my prescriptions. He mentioned trying Provigil as a last resort if everything else comes back normal. Who knows, maybe the sleep doc will want another sleep study, depending on how this other stuff comes out.

And although I still don't feel much better regarding daytime sleepiness and energy, I don't wake up with my heart pounding or out of breath. And I don't wake up what used to seem like every hour. I don't wake myself up snoring, either! Just last night, I fell asleep on the couch without the machine. Had a dream that my heart was pounding so hard and fast in my chest, that I asked my husband to take me to the ER. I woke up and my heart was pounding. So, I know the cpap is working for that anyway.

I work from home and can adjust my schedule around when I feel the worst, but I'm still tired of feeling miserable most of the time. This is probably why I've waited so long after starting cpap to try to get to the bottom of the problem.

Hang in there and keep trying to find the answer. I know I am.

Pam

[ChipsXJ]

I have heard it can take months if not years....................depending on the amount of debt we have accumulated. But that is just what I have read....I am no expert. I have only been on CPAP for a little over a month..............I too am still tired and working to pay off that sleep debt.

Good luck to you in your endeavor.

[elader]

Ive mastered the art of the CPAP. I sleep 7-8 hrs a night straight, my numbers are great, and it just seems that every day I get more tired.

I have to drag myself out of bed in the morning and I drag all day. Yawn, yawn, yawn.
Its much worse than before CPAP.
I have slept 10 hours straight on CPAP and could sleep even more.

Ive done some googling and have found others who have the same complaint. The general consensus is that our sleep debt isnt paid off and some call it REM debt but how long does it take?

Ive been on CPAP since Dec 18, have moderate to severe Apnea, my pressure right now is 9.5. I asked my sleep doc about it and he said he'd never come across anyone who was more tired after CPAP. Very helpful.

Ive tried to get on a schedule. Bed at 11 and up at 7. Its torture. I even changed 2 Dr appts because they were in the morning and I knew I wouldnt be awake enough to get there.

I fall asleep easily and stay asleep all night. I just want to sleep the rest of my life away.


Venting.
I have an appt with my PCP next week but honestly, what can anyone do?

Rose you have a pro machine, do you ever look at your sleep data on the smartcard? If not, you really should just to verify you are working OK on cpap.
People do have bad sleep for other reasons too. My 23 year old daughter has alpha wave intrusion and her sleep architecture is way screwed up.

[Wulfman]

Rose you have a pro machine, do you ever look at your sleep data on the smartcard? If not, you really should just to verify you are working OK on cpap.

Yep. You can see some summary information in the LCD screen and/or you can get the software and download the card to REALLY see what's going on. In any case, you need to find out something about why your therapy doesn't seem to be working, The data may give some clues.


Den

[ozij]

Rose did say, in the first line of here orignal post, that her numbers were great.

Going to your PCP is a good idea, Rose, since we should never forget that our bodies may have other things going on in them, unrelated to OSA. Have you considered a Vitamin B12 deficiency?

Sleep related:
What about a repeat PSG, with your machine? Sometimes, when cpap solves the breathing problem that keeps us from deep sleep, other probmlems surface: Periodic Limb Movements, or Restless Legs - either of which can be a sleep disruptor. You need a bed parnter, a movie camera, or a PSG to discover that.

Looking at it from an OSA / CPAP aspect, I can think of two things:

1. Your pressure is just shy of being right, and you're being aroused by breathing events that the machine can't register - but your brain can. Maybe a 0.5 cms raise in pressure would help?
2. Is your hose mangement comfortable? Are you sure you're not being slighty waked up by the need to move the hose?

Good luck - and make sure not to focus on OSA when you meet your PCP - other things have to be checked and eliminated.

O.

[sagesteve]

It took me me almost exactly a year. I went from 17 AHI to 1.4 and was, like you, feeling tired (sometimes) during that time. I'm 61 years old. I feel great today! The other thing I worked on was a questionable thyroid. My thyroid numbers were good but I was still suspect...turns out I was right! Here's what me and my wife take every day for super energy and well being: http://www.wellnessresources.com/produc ... iodine.php (this just isn't ANY iodine!! Read the info at the site). My wife, 70, was always "cold" in her hands and feet, this works. Women have even more trouble with thyroid problems. Another problem I addressed was my winter asthma...starting drinking goats milk!! It has worked wonders, to the point that we were going to move this year if my asthma didn't get better...it's fixed, we're staying! NO MORE cow juice. I actually prefer goats milk now. I guess what I'm trying to say, is that not all of your "tired" feeling is just related to cpap. As you fix one thing, you'll be fixing something else. I'm very balanced now. I also have my Diabetes II under control, again, another problem "fixed". I've lost a ton of weight mainly because of cpap, which helped the Diabetes, which keeps me staying thinner, which helps my well being, which helped...you get the idea. Hope this "helps"!

[SleepyRose]

Its a comfort that Im not alone but I feel bad for everyone else too.

I had Thyroid and other blood tests before CPAP and also the o2 study at home. I think the oxygen test with CPAP is a good idea and Ill mention it to my Doc. I was also considering asking her for another sleep study.

I do use the software and like I said, everything is excellent.

WearyOne, I forget sometimes the benefits of this CPAP thing. I too am so grateful for not waking up gasping, terrified and heart pounding. It still astounds me when I think about it, I went so many years wondering what was wrong with me. I HATED to go to bed. I can remember describing my symptoms to a cardiologist YEARS ago and he had no clue. "Chest wall pain" he said.

Ill make some notes to take to my PCP next week and take it from there I guess.

Thasnks everyone.