Breathing the next morning

[BostonZZZZ]

Hi All,

Last night was my first night using the CPAP machine. All in all I suppose it went well. 6.5 hours sleeping although I woke up several times during the night probably just getting used to the mask. I used the ramp up when I first went to sleep (starting at 4 and getting to my prescribed 12) but I wasn't all that thrilled with it and may go right to the pressure tonight as I felt like I just wasn't getting enough inflow initially. I'm assuming the the waking up several times during the night is not all that uncommon and will hopefully get better as time goes on. I definitely feel more awake this morning although not as rested as I'd hoped to feel.

Here's my question and I don't know if anyone else has run into this issue. I feel like my breathing was off this morning and still is a little today. Not really short of breath but more like I have to think about more, if that makes any sense. Its almost as it whatever cadence I got into with the machine is making me have to work more to breath in awake time now. I know my description here isn't the best but its hard to describe the feeling. Anyone else experience anything like this and if so, did it eventually go away? Did you have to do anything about it?

Any and all thoughts would be appreciated.

[nomoore]

I experienced the effect you are describing. I believe it was because my lungs had to get accustomed to breathing out against the pressure. Kinda like when you work a muscle enough that it's stiff the next day. Then you don't really want to move it but you can if you make the extra effort. The feeling does go away. I seem to remember it taking about a week for me.

[MoneyGal]

I'm not any kind of medical professional, but I have a different thought. I had the same experience as you, but I attributed it to an entirely different cause than the effort required to breathe out against the machine's pressure - in my case, I thought that it was my unused breathing muscles (mostly diaphragm) reacting to having been actually used at night.

That is, I had the experience of *finally* being able to breathe in fully, and breathe out fully, and I thought, "wow - my muscles really reacted to being *used* to breathe! That is cool!"

So, I don't think about it as interfering with my breathing, but just the impact of being able to breathe fully again.

[boston]

you can adjust the pressure on the ramp to smoething more tolerable, maybe 8 or 10. but after about 1 week, i quit using ramp all together.

[SleepyRose]

I had the same thing and still do on occasion. Its funny that my sleep doc blew it off when I asked him about it, like it was in my mind. If all of you are having the same symptoms you'd think some brilliant doc would pick up on it.

Its very uncomfortable. I noticed one day that I was so out of breath after climbing the stairs it scared me a bit. (not a smoker)

Like I said, mine comes and goes.

[zdislaw]

I definitely also felt what you describe. It felt good to me, like I was breathing fully. I think the suggestion that, after breathing against the pressure all night, my lungs were over-adjusting to being able to breathe out more easily sounds about right. But that's just me having no idea what I'm talking about agreeing with another persons total guess

[LinkC]

Ditto! I, too, found it easier to breathe. Don't remember how long until it went away...probably just a few days.

While I woke up a few times the first night, I slept better than I anticipated...and felt more rested than I had in years. (I also dreamed that night for the first time in longer than I can remember.)

[Anxious]

I had the same thing - actually felt a little out of breath doing something that normally wouldn't have caused that. It has got a little better.
"Anxious"

[Portageegal]

My first night was the night my Dad died. so I don't count my reactions. After that I felt a little of what you describe. Sometimes, I still feel it when I first wake up. It's like I have to work a little harder to inhale without the pressure to help me.