Day 4 - Tiredest Day Yet

[Scobar]

Started on CPAP on Friday, the weekend was OK, got about 6-7 hours each night and my AHI dropped from 19.8 (untreated) to under 1. Wasn't tired those days. Monday went fine, little tired when reading, but was able to stay awake for the most part.

Until last night. In bed at 10, asleep by 10:15. Got 8.5-9 hours on the machine, AHI of .9 and I am so tired today I can't keep my eyes open. Hopefully it's just a sign that things will get better and this is just a part of the process, but, wow, am I tired today.

P.S. Is "tiredest" a word?

[Maxie]

It took my body a while to adjust to getting good sleep and I felt almost hungover/drugged for a few days. I also had to look at meds I take to see if there were conflicts and I found one so with a meds adjustment I'm finally feeling like myself again. Good luck to you. Keep working at it and don't give up!

[gertrude]

I'm new to this too (about 2 months), but also had a VERY hard time at the beginning. For weeks I felt much worse than before I started with CPAP -- groggy, distracted, cognitively impaired, and incredibly irritable. My numbers looked good and I couldn't understand why I felt so bad. I've read some suggestions that getting REM sleep after a deprivation over years of apnea can make one groggy. But others talk about REM rebound as a restorative process that makes them want to jump with energy. It was only pure determination to make this work that carried me through this period.

What I learned from this forum is that there are many types of reactions to the therapy. Some people start off positively and everything stays good. Others, like you, have a promising start and then face challenges. Some, like me, have a big struggle from the get go. My primary care doctor told me that 6 months is a fair trial to see positive results. And I can say that, for me, the 2 month mark finds me better adjusted than at the 1 month mark.

The smiling, "I felt so great immediately," people just made me discouraged, so maybe it will help you to know that for many this is a journey with ups and downs. My advice is to look for little improvements (for me, fewer trips to the bathroom at night is a concrete change) and try to isolate the problems and attack them one at a time. (Still working on finding a mask that likes me.)

Stick with it. And check in for help from the generous, knowledgeable people you'll find here.

[DiverCTHunter]

Started on CPAP on Friday, the weekend was OK, got about 6-7 hours each night and my AHI dropped from 19.8 (untreated) to under 1. Wasn't tired those days. Monday went fine, little tired when reading, but was able to stay awake for the most part.

Until last night. In bed at 10, asleep by 10:15. Got 8.5-9 hours on the machine, AHI of .9 and I am so tired today I can't keep my eyes open. Hopefully it's just a sign that things will get better and this is just a part of the process, but, wow, am I tired today.

P.S. Is "tiredest" a word?

Welcome to the forums, Scobar.

You've just discovered the infamous "REM Rebound" effect. The good news is that it does go away eventually. The bad news is it can take anywhere from a few days to a few months for your body to adjust to getting REM again.

[Scobar]

Thanks all! Hopefully this goes away soon, but I'm in it for the long haul. A few weeks (months) of feeling tired and groggy has to be better than years of always being tired.

[BlackSpinner]

Thanks all! Hopefully this goes away soon, but I'm in it for the long haul. A few weeks (months) of feeling tired and groggy has to be better than years of always being tired.

Good attitude!
The first week I was like "WOW, the world has colour!" then I slept like a log for about 2 or 3 weeks..... Now I do 6 or 7 hours and I am awake