Is waking up TORTURE? Looking to commiserate... :)

[MeghanRF]

Hi all,

I'm new to the cpap and all this awareness of sleep apnea business. I just found out I have moderate-severe sleep apnea in October, and started using the Cpap 10 days ago and have been adjusting to it. I even slept with it for 5 hours one night! While I'm having issues with my mask and managing leaks, more than anything, I would like to commiserate with other sleep apnea sufferers.

Getting up in the morning has always been what I have described for years as TORTURE. Just pure torture, an act of sheer will each and every day to wake up. It is painful, and other (non-sleep apnea) friends I have described my pain to usually quickly respond, "oh yeah, i know, it is IMPOSSIBLE to wake up in the morning." However, these same people get up at 6:30am (oh so painfully), drink a cup of coffee and go about their days wide awake and bopping around.

I, however, have spent my life waking up 15 minutes before I have to arrive somewhere 10 minutes away and getting ready in 5 minutes. I am almost always late to about anything that is my first appointment of the day, and certainly have slept through them more times than I care to admit.

I don't know anyone else with sleep apnea, and I'm just wanting someone to confirm that my dear friends, really have no idea how ridiculously painful/awful/impossible it is to wake up. I just don't believe that someone who gets up at 6:30am on their own volition, drinks a cup of coffee and bikes for 45 minutes is really having the same tortured experience. It just doesn't feel like anyone in my life understands how hard it is!

My question is this: Is it universal for sleep apnea folks to feel torture beyond torture when they have to wake up? I would guess so... and hopefully cpap will ease this some in the near future!

LOVE,
Meghan

[bap40]

Hopefully as more time goes by you will have an easier time waking up. A lot depends on how long you have had the apnea before being treated. It takes time to recoup all that was lost as apnea effects the whole body and the more time you have had this problem without being treated, the longer it will probably take to regain what has been lost. Keep at it and things will improve as time marches on.

[wolewyck]

I have not suffered that extent of difficulty getting up, but even so, I do find that it is easier to wake up/get going than it was pre-CPAP. I'm at just over 4 months now. Another sign- I'm craving caffeine less. I think I'm continuing to see signs of improvement even here at the 4 month mark, so I would be not at all surprised if your symptoms decrease considerably in coming weeks or months.

[MeghanRF]

Thanks for the encouragement. The nights I've gotten in some hours with the cpap hasn't made it easier to wake up, BUT I feel better and more awake during the day which is the most amazing thing ever. I'm 28, and probably have had sleep apnea since I was a child, it just went undiagnosed and untreated. So yes, I have had a couple decades at least of sleep deprivation. The major dark circles under my eyes have been a permanent fixture.

Hopefully I can get used to the cpap and not have to take it off after a few hours. I hope it's possible. I'd LOVE to know what it feels like to be awake and refreshed in the morning.

[MeghanRF]

Thanks Wolewyck! I was hoping to find some hope that people truly can get used the cpap machine and feel better. It's good to hear that it has been helping you.

[amelia76]

I was first diagnosed with sleep apneoa and snoring 10 years ago (though I had probably had sleep apnoea for ten years already) but was unable to tolerate CPAP, so I did nothing. Then a friend mentioned hypnotherapy which I have used regularly for a long while. It does not 'cure' the apnoea or snoring but it certainly helps me to get a much better night's sleep.

However, the sleep apnoea has got worse, with an additional bizarre twist - a year ago I started to kick out and and punch in my sleep or even leap right out of bed in an effort to get away from my attackers. So back to the sleep lab a few weeks ago for diagnosis and last night for a CPAP study. Within a few days I will get my own CPAP machine...so I expect to be on this forum with questions.

My question is this: Is it universal for sleep apnea folks to feel torture beyond torture when they have to wake up? I would guess so... and hopefully cpap will ease this some in the near future!

Some nights, yes, especially if I have not used hypnotherapy for a while! I am seriously impressed with how hypnotherapy has helped me to a) get to sleep and b) sleep more soundly.

[Julie]

Amella - have you considered that your (original) problem may just have been a badly fitted mask and/or the wrong pressure setting on your machine? A huge number of people prior to 5-10 yrs ago were all considered noncompliant, but since then, especially with help from places like Cpaptalk, and better educated doctors and techs, not to mention newer masks, things have changed very quickly, and you should have less trouble this time around. Try different masks in different sizes, and come here when you have problems because the people here are experienced and love to help. Sometimes it can a small thing, like adjusting the settings for the ramp feature (often a problem for newbies), or considering what you eat before bed because so many of us have GERD. Anyhow, be interested to know what you end up with. Good luck.

[MeghanRF]

Perhaps a combination of Cpap and hypnotherapy could be helpful for waking up feeling great.

[acc0mpl1ce]

Meghan, I feel your pain. I am much the same way. I have never been a morning person myself.
I started CPAP a week ago and it wasn't until last night that I could sleep through the night.
I can't say I jumped out of bed this morning, but I felt more alive. I have hope for tomorrow.

[carbonman]

It just doesn't feel like anyone in my life understands how hard it is!
LOVE,
Meghan

I used to hate the thought of going to bed....
and getting up. Both were torture.

Now, some 2+yrs on cpap, I enjoy going to bed....
and getting up is no problem.
...in fact, ....because of cpap,
I can't sleep as long as I would like....
because now my body/brain says,
"you've had enough sleep, time to get up."

Life is so different now.
It will be for you, too.

[MeghanRF]

Wow, you can't sleep as long as you would like! A world I can't even imagine. I was inspired last night to use the cpap for as many hours as I possibly could. I made it from probably 2:30-8:30am, took it off and then woke up at 10:00am. While, I still wouldn't describe myself as feeling wide awake and refreshed... I do not feel like I'm in hell. I love hearing that cpap can really help in the long term and that people can get used to it. thanks everybody!

[OutaSync]

I struggle every morning to wake up and being on CPAP for over three years has not changed that at all. Most people see a tremendous change either immediately or after getting used to CPAP. I realize that I'm in the minority, but you should be aware that some of us get worse before we get better and some of us don't get any better, but at least we know that we are breathing.

[FamilyNature]

I'm pretty new to all of this as well (I've been on a CPAP since December 1st).

For me, the biggest changes happened over the first month or so, although, I did notice an increase in my energy levels almost immediately. I've struggled with leak issues too and as frustrating as it has been, I have to say that all things considered my quality of life is SO much better now that I am on CPAP.

Like you, I used to dread getting up in the morning. I slept whenever I had the chance. I just thought I was getting old (I'm only 37!). I also have four young kids so I thought that the kids were making me tired. Now I know that it was the apnea. I just wish I'd discovered it sooner.

In any case, several mornings a week, I get up (EASILY!), tiptoe out of the bedroom and enjoy a coffee all by myself and it is heavenly! I would never have sacrificed sleep for anything before but I'm starting to get it now -- how people get up early to work out, or go to work super-early.

I hope things look up for you. You're in the right place for some great support.

FN

[secret agent girl]

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[Blackjackcat]

I feel your pain, I hate going to bed and I hate getting up. Hopfully cpap will help both of us get over the "hate", and get rid of some of the tiredness sleep apnea people suffer through.