One Year on CPAP

[christo]

Hi,

I am writing this to give an insight of my personal experience. It's important to state that I am not a doctor nor an expert and that every experience is different.

I have now been a year on CPAP and here's how it has worked out for me. I was diagnosed with Upper Airway Resistance Syndrome. It's not exactly sleep apnea, it's a mild form of sleep disordered breathing where breathing events contribute to sleep fragmentation but not hypoxemia. Before CPAP, I was excessively tired and unable to concentrate. Naps after work were necessary.

The clinic noticed a sleep disorder rate of 27.2/h RDI (0.3/h AHI). You may be wondering the difference between an RDI and AHI (please see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Respirator ... ance_Index). The CPAP machine does pick up these arousals and reads them as Apnea or Hypopnea.

So when I started a year ago, on the first night, my CPAP Resmed Elite II machine gave me these numbers

AHI 7.0/h.
AI 0.2

For this week, according to my RESMED Elite II , the numbers, are
AHI 3.5
AI 0.2

Although not completely awake as I would like to, I do feel much more refreshed and am more able to concentrate.
Productivity at work has really increased, and I am back at solving complicated problems. As I am working in a stressful environment, I am now working on managing the stresses in my life. Essentially I try to take it easy. I also don't worry about the mask not being very attractive for intimacy. I tell people I date, when the time comes, that I wear a mask at night, and some don't seem to mind. I am too grateful to this mask that I will not give it up for a possible relationship.

Here are the things that worked for me. This may not work for you, everybody is different. Your doctor knows what's best.

1. Melatonin. I take 3 before going to bed. I think this what makes me remember that I dreamed at night.
2. Gym after work, even if it's late. I am fortunate to have a gym that closes at midnight. When I have time and some energy, even if it's 9:00 pm, I go and work out until I am really tired. I can without hesitation say that when I go, I sleep like a baby afterwards. Those are the nights where I sleep the best.
3. Not worrying about the AHI and HI, not looking at the clock. I have stopped worrying about the number of hours I sleep and the AHI and HI that the machine gives me. I scan them occasionally. Interestingly enough, when I do, I noticed that the numbers have dropped. For me, it was important to treat my sleep disorder as a problem not to be stressed over.
4. Listened to my university educated doctor rather than anonymous people on the Internet. Advice from this board to get an oxymeter and that my sleep study could be wrong got me worried. Upon advice from my sleep doctor, my family doctor, a Resmed representative, and a person who sells oxymeters (who all thought that buying an oxymeter was not appropriate for me), I did not buy an oxymeter. This does not mean that you don't need an oxymeter, everybody is different, talk to your doctor.

I am now working on dealing with the stresses in my life. For the first time in a long time, I am very optimistic about the future.

Christo

[Patrick A]

Congarts. Keep it up.

[harry33]

melatonin helps some get to sleep but didnt help me, daytime naps using CPAP are helpful

[MoneyGal]

Way to go! I'm coming up on my one-year anniversary too. I love your optimistic message!

[rested gal]

I am now working on dealing with the stresses in my life. For the first time in a long time, I am very optimistic about the future.

Christo

That is great, Christo! Hope everything in the New Year goes extremely well for you, including your CPAP therapy. You're doing a wonderful job.

[TXKajun]

Keep up the good work and keep us informed, please.

Congrats!

Kajun