No longer needing cpap

[dsm]

The more I talk about my sleep apnea to folks I socialize with, the more I discover all these people who are CPAP users -- but who never spoke of it. That doesn't surprise me. Many people don't want to talk about what might be perceived as a "weakness" or "limitation".

But what I am surprised with are the stories of friends who were using CPAP machines for many years, and then seemed to reach a point where they no longer needed to use the machine. I don't know if they somehow learned to sleep in a different position. Or tone up their muscles. Or perhaps loss of weight. Or perhaps a combination of several factors.

I was surprised to hear these stories, from friends who were using cpap each nite. And then at some point decided to test the waters and see what is was like to sleep without CPAP.

And it seems like it's not been a topic discussed here -- at least for the few months I've been hanging around this forum.

It is interesting to talk to people who were on Cpap & then decided they could go off it. I have a very good friend who went on cpap before I did & he was overweight & he had the classic short thick neck & he really needed the machine.

After 3 years on it, he managed to loose some weight & then said how he no longer needed cpap. He was fine for about 2 more years but from what I am hearing, is snoring again as he has regained some of the lost weight. I am in little doubt he is very much in need of the therapy for his longer term health and will either return to using it of will suffer consequences he will regret.

In my case I have lost 17 KG in the past 8 months & whilst I can go for a few nights without the machine, I am in NO doubt that to maintain the good state of health I now have, I need the machine. My AHI scores over past months are typically 0.4 or less per night & often the AI count is 0.0.

I am in no illusions that pattern could reverse if I didn't use my machine (I have nick named it my 'Dream Machine').

DSM

[carbonman]

(I have nick named it my 'Dream Machine'). DSM

Very nice!

[freepostg]

I sometimes nap at around 5 in the afternoon on the recliner without cpap. Big mistake. I wake up with the same pounding headache that used to hit me every morning before I was treated. I'd love to get off of this thing but I can't see it happening in my lifetime.
Perhaps they'll perfect some sort of laser treatment that really works on opening one's throat to the extent that one can give up the hose.

[mthomtech]

I hate it when I think I can take a nap without my machine ... big mistake when I wake up.

When I get my new S8 AutoSet II, I'm thinking about letting the wife try it for a night to see what her data looks like. After knowing the difference it made for me, I think a sleep study should be part of the normal physical.