Newbie feeling tired

[jthomp]

I have been on a Bi-pap Machine for about three weeks now. I am using nasal pillows and find that they are the most comfortable for me. I am a mouth breather and I am experiencing some difficulties in that area. I am experimenting with the taping of my mouth. I do have a dieviated septum so I am wondering if I should be using nasal pillows with this condition. I have tried to use a FFM and it just doesn't work for me. My biggest concern is I am waking in the mornings feeling worse than I ever did before I went on Bi-pap. I discussed this with my Doctor earlier this week when I went for my first checkup. He said my readings were nearly perfect and seemed to brush off the fact of my severe daily fatigue. Has anyone else experienced the tiredness and is it something that goes away with time. Also my sleep study tech and others have told me that I should be dreaming now, as I didn't before the machine. I am not dreaming.....am I suppose to be? Any thoughts or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
JThomp

[Julie]

Hi, I wish you had said what kind of FFM you'd tried in the past and why it didn't work. There are a lot out there, in different sizes and shapes, and it sounds like you really need one. If the original didn't work, you owe it to yourself to try another. No it's not normal to continue to be tired, the whole point is not to be (anymore). Can you be more specific about your taping experiments?

[birdshell]

Sometimes it does take a while to really notice being less tired. I think that some of us go through a period when our body sort of says, "HEY! Why didn't you give me what I needed before? I'd better take advantage and sleep a lot in case you take it away again!!!" I believe this would be called repaying the accumulated sleep debt.

Now, please note that is my totally non-scientific observation; that said, if you are not sleeping less, feeling better, or noticing that other things are showing improvement (i.e., but not limited to, blood pressure, memory, and MAYBE dreaming)--

I would be your doctor's best friend for a while, or at LEAST his receptionist's!

Sometimes making another appointment (if this is an option for you) convinces the doctor that you really are serious about not feeling better. I've had this experience with several of mine. I guess it is a classic example of "the squeaky wheel getting the grease".

That said, many of us do not remember dreams even after other indications of better sleep are firmly established. You MAY very well be dreaming; but just not remembering it!

Best wishes,

Karen

[mikee]

I'm into CPAP 6 months and have seen some relief of daytime sleepiness and I am dreaming again My AHI's are 1.5, and leak rates are ok. I did read a post on another forum about "residual sleepiness of treated sleep apnea" google it and see what has been written. Some of us may not be as lucky as those that get immediate relief.

[m1k2s3]

I've been on CPAP therapy for over 2 years now and I did experience the same tired feeling at just about the same time. After about 3 or 4 weeks of some pretty restful nights, I started to wake up feeling really tired again. My thoughts were "oh no, it's not working and I'm back to where I started!"

I posted a very similiar question here and the response I received was that a lot of people experience this tiredness. Your body needs a certain amount of sleep each night and if your like most people with sleep apnea, you're body hasn't been getting the proper amount of sleep. Think of all the sleep you've missed, how your body has adjusted to that and now you've changed the way you sleep. Your body needs time to adjust.The important thing is to get the right machine and mask and your body will eventually adjust.

As far as the dreaming thing, you just might not be aware of your dreams. Most dreams develop in the REM stage of sleep and you should experience 3 or 4 REM stages during your sleep. If you're not getting the proper amount of REM sleep then you may not be dreaming and it would also explain why your feeling tired.

[Muse-Inc]

..sleep study tech and others have told me that I should be dreaming now...

I didn't start remembering dreams for several months.