Newbie

[Laura353]

Hi and Merry Christmas / Happy Holidays!! I got my CPAP machine a week ago Wednesday and I am adjusting to it surprisingly well. I am 44 years old and am looking forward to some of those great benefits I keep hearing about! I have been using it all night then actually waking up pretty early and unable to fall back to sleep. This morning I woke up at 6:30 and even after taking the mask off I couldn't go back to sleep. Anyone else have this going on? Am I just getting the sound sleep that I wasn't getting before and no need to sleep longer? I used to be able to sleep till 9 or even 10 in the morning when I didn't get up early for work. I am looking forward to learning so much from this community!

[jnk...]

Hi and Merry Christmas / Happy Holidays!! I got my CPAP machine a week ago Wednesday and I am adjusting to it surprisingly well. I am 44 years old and am looking forward to some of those great benefits I keep hearing about! I have been using it all night then actually waking up pretty early and unable to fall back to sleep. This morning I woke up at 6:30 and even after taking the mask off I couldn't go back to sleep. Anyone else have this going on? Am I just getting the sound sleep that I wasn't getting before and no need to sleep longer? I used to be able to sleep till 9 or even 10 in the morning when I didn't get up early for work. I am looking forward to learning so much from this community!

On the one hand, better sleep can lower the need for amounts of sleep. On the other hand, it takes the body/brain a while to settle in to the benefits of PAP therapy and to learn it can start another sleep cycle, if it hasn't been experiencing full, uninterrupted sleep cycles in the past. Usual sleep-hygiene recommendations are that awakening at the same time every morning allows the body to give you the best sleep possible.

[Okie bipap]

Welcome to the forum. You didn't say how long you slept prior to waking at 6:30. As JNK said, perhaps you are sleeping better and your body does not need quite as much sleep as before. Depending on what your AHI was prior to treatment, you probably had very fragmented sleep and you are now sleeping longer periods of time which lessens the amount of sleep you need. The best indication of how you are doing is how you feel. Don't get disappointed if you do not get the benefits you are seeking right away. Some people feel better immediately, while others improve gradually over a period of time. I was one of those people who changed gradually. At first I didn't notice any improvement in how I felt. After about three months, it dawned on me that I could sit and read and not fall asleep and I could actually sit and watch a movie on TV without missing half of it. It sounds like you off to a good start. If you encounter problems as you go along, ask questions. Even if you aren't having problems but are simply curious, feel free to ask what ever questions you may have.

[Laura353]

Thanks so much for the replies! I am excited to get things going!!

[palerider]

Welcome, Merry Christmas to you too.

Most people often need less sleep once they're actually able to sleep... instead of basically being passed out from exhaustion and not sleeping at all well all night long.

[Sheriff Buford]

You didn't say how many hours of sleep you were actually getting. As was previously stated, you may need less sleep if you are getting quality sleep. Most folks are satisfied with anywhere between 6 to 7 hours of sleep. I can function on 5, but not long term.

Sheriff

[ShiftWorker]

Merry Christmas, a day late!
In the early part of my CPAP journey I would get 4-1/2 hours of sleep, once I learned how to sleep with the plastic alien octopus attached to my face! I found that that was all i needed at first, woke up feeling great, but sure would be tired at the end of the day. As time has passed my body/brain has accepted the new normal and am getting almost 7 hours of sleep. This took some time and patience but every thing new takes time. I think that in the begging four hours was at least equal to almost ten hours of what was sleep before I became compliant with therapy, now I am adjusting and may someday sleep for 8 hours! Although I feel good all day.
Give yourself time to adjust to a new normal.