Even if your CPAP doesn't cause you to feel less tired, do you still keep on using it anyway?

[Robb]

Have tried 9 CPAP masks in the past 6 wks now, and the one I was able to use the longest through the night was the Bleep Dreamport which was the last two nights. My mouth remained taped all night, and my AHI was 6.5. My at-home sleep study AHI was 34. I realize that out of all the masks available out there, it may be generally considered the most comfortable and least cumbersome CPAP mask,but I still had a very tough time having something foreign attached to my face. I woke up about 10 times due to the awkward feeling of it on my nose and was only able to sleep 5 hrs vs the usual 8.

I realize it has just been two nights, and everybody is different, but does it sometimes take a while for you to get used to it to the point that your subconscious "chills out," and consequently you stop waking up so many times and notice that during the day you are less tired and much more well-rested? At what point does one throw in the towel if one keeps on waking up in the night? A week, two weeks, a month? If I don't notice that I am less tired in the daytime by using it, I admit that I can't see myself using a CPAP for the other touted benefits such as lower risk of heart disease and stroke, etc. So it occurred to me that maybe there is the strong possibility that feeling much more refreshed after using a CPAP is the icing on the cake, and that there may be many cases where people use them not to feel better, but to lower heart disease, etc. Thanks in advance!

[ChicagoGranny]

my AHI was 6.5

If this is accurate, it's like been jabbed awake with a stick about every ten minutes. Most people will report not sleeping well and not feeling well the next day. Your therapy needs to be optimized. Start by reading the first post on the index page. Then read the post about OSCAR.

At what point does one throw in the towel

Never!

[Pugsy]

I don't use cpap for the primary reason of feeling less tired.
I use cpap so that my oxygen levels don't tank and I don't wake up with massive headaches and I don't have to get up and pee every hour on the hour.

Yes, it does take a while for the brain to "chill out" and become accustomed to this new way of sleeping and not wake us up several times during the night just to say "hey dude, do you know that there is an alien stuck on your face blowing air up your nose?"
For me it was about 3 months and I had no issues with the mask I was using at all but my brain just didn't know that this new alien on my face was its new best friend and there to help me.

Did cpap make me into a morning person where I wake up rearing to go and tackle the world with bundles of energy???
No...it did not and I was initially a bit disappointed then I realized that I have never ever been a morning person. Even when young and no OSA....it's simply not in my DNA. I was wanting cpap to make me into something that I never was in the first place and that was an unrealistic expectation.

So while I don't wake up with the desire to go run a marathon...at least I now don't wake up feeling like I just ran a marathon and got run over by a bus at the end of it. I will gladly take whatever improvement I can get but I don't expect cpap to make me into something I never was. There are lots of reasons why we might not have the energy we desire and sleep apnea is but one item on that list.
There are lots of reasons why we might not be sleeping so great that have absolutely nothing to do with sleep apnea and we can't expect cpap to fix a problem that is unrelated to sleep apnea no matter how much we might want it to.

Finally...while you might not think that helping avoid a heart attack or stroke is important to you...think about avoiding that heart attack or stroke that comes up short and doesn't kill you but instead comes up short and you end up a vegetable. Comes up short and you end up wearing a diaper and someone has to feed you and change your diaper.

If the Bleep is annoying because you feel it tugging on your nose...use some sort of hose management system to get the hose up and away from your face so it doesn't tug on your face.
I have been on cpap come 11 plus years now. Only slept without it one night and that was because I went on a trip and forgot the long hose. I have tried somewhere between 40 and 50 masks over the years. Not so much because I hated my primary mask but I wanted to just try things to find out about the masks and my own personal needs in terms of masks. No mask is ever totally 100% perfect for everyone or even one person. Seems like there is always some little something that we might wish was a little different.
We pick the one that fulfills the bulk of our preferences and needs.

Your AHI of 6.5 on cpap...no where near optimized therapy and you shouldn't even remotely expect to see a change in energy levels with that AHI.

[Robb]

my AHI was 6.5

If this is accurate, it's like been jabbed awake with a stick about every ten minutes. Most people will report not sleeping well and not feeling well the next day. Your therapy needs to be optimized. Start by reading the first post on the index page. Then read the post about OSCAR.

At what point does one throw in the towel

Never!

Good point about being jabbed with a stick every 10 minutes. Since my AHI was above 30 in the sleep study, I thought that an 80% reduction would make a world of difference. But you make a good point about being jabbed by a stick every 10 minutes. I suppose the body does not sleep well whether one is jabbed every 2 minutes like I was before or 10 minutes.

I am not sure what thread you might be referring to which you called the Index page. Could you please let me know what the title is? Thanks for your post.

[Robb]

I don't use cpap for the primary reason of feeling less tired.
I use cpap so that my oxygen levels don't tank and I don't wake up with massive headaches and I don't have to get up and pee every hour on the hour.

Yes, it does take a while for the brain to "chill out" and become accustomed to this new way of sleeping and not wake us up several times during the night just to say "hey dude, do you know that there is an alien stuck on your face blowing air up your nose?"
For me it was about 3 months and I had no issues with the mask I was using at all but my brain just didn't know that this new alien on my face was its new best friend and there to help me.

Did cpap make me into a morning person where I wake up rearing to go and tackle the world with bundles of energy???
No...it did not and I was initially a bit disappointed then I realized that I have never ever been a morning person. Even when young and no OSA....it's simply not in my DNA. I was wanting cpap to make me into something that I never was in the first place and that was an unrealistic expectation.

So while I don't wake up with the desire to go run a marathon...at least I now don't wake up feeling like I just ran a marathon and got run over by a bus at the end of it. I will gladly take whatever improvement I can get but I don't expect cpap to make me into something I never was. There are lots of reasons why we might not have the energy we desire and sleep apnea is but one item on that list.
There are lots of reasons why we might not be sleeping so great that have absolutely nothing to do with sleep apnea and we can't expect cpap to fix a problem that is unrelated to sleep apnea no matter how much we might want it to.

Finally...while you might not think that helping avoid a heart attack or stroke is important to you...think about avoiding that heart attack or stroke that comes up short and doesn't kill you but instead comes up short and you end up a vegetable. Comes up short and you end up wearing a diaper and someone has to feed you and change your diaper.

If the Bleep is annoying because you feel it tugging on your nose...use some sort of hose management system to get the hose up and away from your face so it doesn't tug on your face.
I have been on cpap come 11 plus years now. Only slept without it one night and that was because I went on a trip and forgot the long hose. I have tried somewhere between 40 and 50 masks over the years. Not so much because I hated my primary mask but I wanted to just try things to find out about the masks and my own personal needs in terms of masks. No mask is ever totally 100% perfect for everyone or even one person. Seems like there is always some little something that we might wish was a little different.
We pick the one that fulfills the bulk of our preferences and needs.

Your AHI of 6.5 on cpap...no where near optimized therapy and you shouldn't even remotely expect to see a change in energy levels with that AHI.

I appreciate the time you took to help me. I read your post a few times so it could sink in.

Good point about sleep apnea not necessarily being the magic bullet. My expectations were sky high after speaking to a few folks who said after the first night, they felt like a completely different person. I am 6' 2" and weigh 235 lbs, so I would imagine if I lost 35 lbs, it would make a difference in my sleep quality. So weight loss seems to be the simple solution but definitely not the easiest.

I took your suggestion and found a hose holder on Amazon and it is on its way.

Chicago Granny had a good analogy with being jabbed with a stick every 10 minutes. I have been thinking it over some more and still wonder why I don't feel better if the "stick jabbing" reduced 80%.

Thanks again to you both.

[Goofproof]

I don't use cpap for the primary reason of feeling less tired.
I use cpap so that my oxygen levels don't tank and I don't wake up with massive headaches and I don't have to get up and pee every hour on the hour.

Yes, it does take a while for the brain to "chill out" and become accustomed to this new way of sleeping and not wake us up several times during the night just to say "hey dude, do you know that there is an alien stuck on your face blowing air up your nose?"
For me it was about 3 months and I had no issues with the mask I was using at all but my brain just didn't know that this new alien on my face was its new best friend and there to help me.

Did cpap make me into a morning person where I wake up rearing to go and tackle the world with bundles of energy???
No...it did not and I was initially a bit disappointed then I realized that I have never ever been a morning person. Even when young and no OSA....it's simply not in my DNA. I was wanting cpap to make me into something that I never was in the first place and that was an unrealistic expectation.

So while I don't wake up with the desire to go run a marathon...at least I now don't wake up feeling like I just ran a marathon and got run over by a bus at the end of it. I will gladly take whatever improvement I can get but I don't expect cpap to make me into something I never was. There are lots of reasons why we might not have the energy we desire and sleep apnea is but one item on that list.
There are lots of reasons why we might not be sleeping so great that have absolutely nothing to do with sleep apnea and we can't expect cpap to fix a problem that is unrelated to sleep apnea no matter how much we might want it to.

Finally...while you might not think that helping avoid a heart attack or stroke is important to you...think about avoiding that heart attack or stroke that comes up short and doesn't kill you but instead comes up short and you end up a vegetable. Comes up short and you end up wearing a diaper and someone has to feed you and change your diaper.

If the Bleep is annoying because you feel it tugging on your nose...use some sort of hose management system to get the hose up and away from your face so it doesn't tug on your face.
I have been on cpap come 11 plus years now. Only slept without it one night and that was because I went on a trip and forgot the long hose. I have tried somewhere between 40 and 50 masks over the years. Not so much because I hated my primary mask but I wanted to just try things to find out about the masks and my own personal needs in terms of masks. No mask is ever totally 100% perfect for everyone or even one person. Seems like there is always some little something that we might wish was a little different.
We pick the one that fulfills the bulk of our preferences and needs.

Your AHI of 6.5 on cpap...no where near optimized therapy and you shouldn't even remotely expect to see a change in energy levels with that AHI.

Well said, Ditto for me. Health has beat me down, but I owe my the last 15 years to CPAP use. Jim

[ChicagoGranny]

I am not sure what thread you might be referring to which you called the Index page. Could you please let me know what the title is? Thanks for your post.

First two threads under Announcements - CPAP-Sleep-Apnea-Forum.html

[Robb]

I am not sure what thread you might be referring to which you called the Index page. Could you please let me know what the title is? Thanks for your post.

First two threads under Announcements - CPAP-Sleep-Apnea-Forum.html

Got it. I overlooked it despite the bold print. Just bookmarked and will start reading shortly. Thanks.

[Robb]

I just checked my CPAP for AHI when I used the Vitera mask, and I was surprised that it was .5 instead of the 5 that I originally thought. A bit puzzling, since I was not any less tired the next day. But I can't let myself get discouraged this early in the process. In a few weeks, I have an appt to see my sleep doctor to discuss the study results and go over my experience with the CPAP, but it would really be appreciated if anyone could post their impressions on the severity of my case according to the sleep study I posted below. Thanks a lot.

file:///C:/Users/Goodt/Desktop/Sleep%20study%20report.pdf

[Pugsy]

You have to use the attachment feature and actually upload your document so we can see it.
Just linking to your desktop won't work.

So you go down to the attachment section here and then browse for your document and then upload it.

[Robb]

You have to use the attachment feature and actually upload your document so we can see it.
Just linking to your desktop won't work.

So you go down to the attachment section here and then browse for your document and then upload it.

Tried that but got this:

Error
Invalid file extension: Sleep study report.pdf

[Pugsy]

Send your pdf to my email address and I will post it for you.
It might be the file format and I can fix that or it might be you are missing a step.

It also might be file size limit issue as there is a file size limitation to attachments.

[babydinosnoreless]

I appreciate the time you took to help me. I read your post a few times so it could sink in.

Good point about sleep apnea not necessarily being the magic bullet. My expectations were sky high after speaking to a few folks who said after the first night, they felt like a completely different person. I am 6' 2" and weigh 235 lbs, so I would imagine if I lost 35 lbs, it would make a difference in my sleep quality. So weight loss seems to be the simple solution but definitely not the easiest.

I took your suggestion and found a hose holder on Amazon and it is on its way.

I tried to lose weight for years with no luck. After getting my settings optimized and sleeping better the pounds started melting off. I lost 60 lbs the first year.

We wont talk about 2020 and the pandemic pounds

[Pugsy]

Okay...so it was the file size that was the problem. It exceeded the attachment limitation.
So I took screen shots.
Home study...type 3...no sleep stage recording so we don't know about sleep at all.
Definitely some serious OSA going on and I would suggest working hard and having a lot of patience so you can get used to the therapy AND use OSCAR and lets see some reports to see what we might be able to do to optimize your results as they certainly need optimizing.
Will optimizing fix the energy problem...don't know but right now there's no chance of feeling much better with the AHI of 6.5 now.
I know that's still a significant drop in apnea events but that doesn't guarantee that you feel or notice any change.

4 screen shots...
I didn't take a screen shot of the last page because it was all graphs and too hard to read anyway...it just didn't show up well enough to tell us much anyway.

pdfpage1.JPG

pdfpage2.JPG

pdfpage3.JPG

pdfpage4.JPG

[Pugsy]

Some of the usual questions need to be asked even if we had the OSCAR reports for review...
So could you please take the time to answer each question? There's so much more to feeling better than just AHI so we have to look at the big picture and not just a small section of the picture.

How many hours of sleep are you getting? Real sleep and not just laying in bed?
Are those hours of sleep fragmented with very many wake ups? If so, approx how many and why?
Do you take any medications of any kind (even OTC) and if so, what?
Do you have any other physical or mental health issues going on that might impact how you feel during the day or your sleep quality?
Do you drink alcohol within 4 hours of bedtime?