When will I start to feel better?

[Lisha]

I am new to all this. I had my sleep study last month. I am borderline moderate with an AHI of 14.5. I received my Remstar auto last week (Wednesday). I am feeling a bit better during the day. Not as tired before bed. I used to just pray for bedtime having 2 young kids it never came soon enough.

Using the cpap my AHI seems to be much better at 2-3 range my pressure is fluctuating but around 12-13. I don't have the software but look every morning to see how it was overnight.

My question is when will I feel rested when I wake up. I just slept 8 hours and sleep felt tired when my kids woke me up. Is it too soon to expect this?


Elisha

[LSAT]

If you are sleeping 8 hours with with only a month on the machine and mask...you are doing great.
You will feel better over time...be thankful that you are doing this well...this soon.

[dtsm]

Be patient and keep at it. It would help if you could monitor leaks, AHI, pressure, etc. I didn't feel a difference for about 2-3 months and it different for everyone. Good luck and stay in touch.....

[Mary Z]

Elisha, hang in there it can take a little while, even months to start feeling the full effects of treatment. Having kids can be exausting in itself. Hopefully you'll get to feeling better soon. There is also something called a sleep deficit you might have to make up- you weren't getting good sleep for a while so it can take a while to pay back that deficit.
Good luck.

[Lisha]

Thank you everyone. I feel I might have years to make up for. Even in my teens I never felt I got enough sleep. Good news is that I am feeling a bit better during the day. I am looking forward to waking up feeling rested. I have no memory of ever feeling rested.


Elisha

[Gerald]

Elisha....

The smartest move you can make right now...is to get software so that you can monitor your progress with precision. Also, concentrate on conquering your leaks....so that your "leak line" is as level as possible.

Work toward a goal of keeping your AHI at or under 2.5. I realize that the medical industry....along with the insurance industry.....says that an AHI of 5.0 or lower is OK....but, I think you'll find through experimentation that you need to stay under 2.5 for good health.

You're starting out with a great attitude......and I predict you'll do well.

There are many nice people on this forum who'll gladly help you achieve success. We "pay forward" for the help we received when we were starting out.

G

[Sheriff Buford]

Feeling better may be slow, but once you do start feeling better (and as other folks have said, it may take a while), you'll be so grateful and actually looking forward to going to bed!

God Bless!

Sheriff

[Slartybartfast]

[snip] . . . having 2 young kids it never came soon enough.

[snip]
My question is when will I feel rested when I wake up. I just slept 8 hours and sleep felt tired when my kids woke me up. Is it too soon to expect this?


Elisha

Simple answer: Subtract the age of your youngest child from the number 18 and that's when you'll finally get enough rest.

Ok, all kidding aside, it depends on the individual. I noticed the change immediately. Most folks do not. You have to undo the damage to your body that years of not getting quality sleep have caused. And young kids make that even harder on you. Give yourself some time. It takes a month or two to get used to breathing on the hose while you sleep. Once you get over that, you'll notice the fog begin to lift.

Most of all, be persistent. A friend, and my CPAP mentor, told me that when the doc prescribed a CPAP machine for him, he said to himself, "It's either this or a

(choose one:)

A. Stroke
B. Heart attack
C. Diabetes
D. Something else unpleasant

So that was the attitude I adopted. Just do it.

"Do. Or do not. There is no 'try.'"
-- Yoda

[SleepyT]

Elisha....

The smartest move you can make right now...is to get software so that you can monitor your progress with precision. Also, concentrate on conquering your leaks....so that your "leak line" is as level as possible.

Work toward a goal of keeping your AHI at or under 2.5. I realize that the medical industry....along with the insurance industry.....says that an AHI of 5.0 or lower is OK....but, I think you'll find through experimentation that you need to stay under 2.5 for good health.

You're starting out with a great attitude......and I predict you'll do well.

There are many nice people on this forum who'll gladly help you achieve success. We "pay forward" for the help we received when we were starting out.

G

Elisha,

Gerald has it right. I was going to mention the software to you....but he has said it nicely. Good luck with everything....give it time! (Gerald....are you my twin in an alternate universe? I agree with you most ALL of the time! Love ya, Bro!)

[napstress]

Simple answer: Subtract the age of your youngest child from the number 18 and that's when you'll finally get enough rest.

Thank you for this, Slartybartfast: I will pass it along to my friend, mother of a 4-year-old.

And for this, which will help me get through this night:

"Do. Or do not. There is no 'try.'"
-- Yoda

[cotech50]

Elisha.
By all means next obtain software and educate yourself on what it all means for your treatment. You will probably have to ask for pressure changes to get the optimum treatment as the industry just seems to have a 5 or less AHI bogie and that is it. You need to be able to see possible events that caused you a not so good nights sleep and correct the situation because the hard facts are they have done the tests and you have a machine now it is up to you to fine tune your treatment. My improvement was immediate many are not. You have to take one night at a time and trust me with adequate treatment you will start to feel better. I still may doze after lunch but my energy levels have dramatically improved in the last 18 mos on treatment. Hang in there and take control of your treatment, the key is how you feel and believe me you will know when the treatment is working when you notice it is easier to keep up with your children and not feel so tired.

Good luck and Best Wishes