Anyone Else Feel Worse With Lower AHI's?

[lazyace]

I swear that every time my AHI gets better, I feel worse. This morning I was 5 (AI<1) and I am absolutely wiped out. In contrast, the before my AHI was 12, and while I didn't feel anywhere near normal I could at least function.

I am really curious if there are others here that experience the same thing, and if so, whether they have figured out why?

[millich]

Ace - how much did you sleep last night? How much did you sleep the night before?

[lazyace]

Ace - how much did you sleep last night? How much did you sleep the night before?

About 8.5 last night and 9+ the night before. Why??????

[millich]

Because there are so many other factors that influence how we feel besides our AHIs.

Are you sleeping with your mask on all night long?

[lazyace]

Yeah, I do sleep with the mask on all night. Fortunately, after switching masks, I have taken to it pretty well. Rarely do I have leaks beyond 0.2, and if I do it is probably because I am opening my mouth. I am just stumped. I have done everything they have told me to do, but have felt worse since starting APAP. I am beginning to wonder whether my pressure range of 8-15 is correct, or if I should even be on an APAP. I know that I need the exhalation assistance, because otherwise my mouth fills with air like a chipmunk storing nuts.

I don't have a lot of apneas, but seem to have mainly hypo's and RERA's, along with some RLS. I have been reading about the significance of UARS, but I know that many experts feel that is controversial.

[BleepingBeauty]

Some of us (like me) really don't respond well to auto-titration. It disturbs our sleep more.

I'm not familiar with your machine (and I haven't followed all of your threads), but have you tried running in CPAP mode, with a set pressure (instead of a range)? If so, what were your results? And if not, why not?

[lazyace]

Some of us (like me) really don't respond well to auto-titration. It disturbs our sleep more.

I'm not familiar with your machine (and I haven't followed all of your threads), but have you tried running in CPAP mode, with a set pressure (instead of a range)? If so, what were your results? And if not, why not?

I haven't tried CPAP mode mainly cuz I'm not sure what pressure to try. In my study I had centrals at pressures in the 5-6 range, which seem to resolve in the 8 range. However, I have read that increasing the pressure can sometimes cause centrals. Of course, I have also seen postings where folks like you switch to CPAP mode and that makes all the difference. Don't know what is best???

[BleepingBeauty]

Some of us (like me) really don't respond well to auto-titration. It disturbs our sleep more.

I'm not familiar with your machine (and I haven't followed all of your threads), but have you tried running in CPAP mode, with a set pressure (instead of a range)? If so, what were your results? And if not, why not?

I haven't tried CPAP mode mainly cuz I'm not sure what pressure to try. In my study I had centrals at pressures in the 5-6 range, which seem to resolve in the 8 range. However, I have read that increasing the pressure can sometimes cause centrals. Of course, I have also seen postings where folks like you switch to CPAP mode and that makes all the difference. Don't know what is best???

None of us knows what's best for us until we experiment (methodically and slowly) with different options to see what works and what doesn't. Since you're not feeling anywhere near rested, and since your current settings are apparently not working very well for you, try something else. Make a change, let it settle in for a week, watch the data, and take it from there.

Any number of people here can give you their advice, but when push comes to shove with this therapy, it's a matter of trial-and-error for each of us to find out what works best. That goes for a mask, a humidifier setting, pressure settings, algorithm, everything. Each of us has to experiment to discover what works for us.

Nobody said the process to finding good therapy would be easy, so find some patience. I've been on CPAP since December of '07, and I'm just now getting good therapy and feeling like a normal person again. But you have a HUGE advantage over me, in that you found this forum so early in your treatment. I wasted a lot of time relying on a bad sleep doctor.

Hang in there, ace.

[Spirit]

I am really curious if there are others here that experience the same thing, and if so, whether they have figured out why?

Hi Lazyace,
Hope you feel better soon. I can relate, exactly to what your sharing, I had posted simliar question. Alway's felt worse with improved data, 8-9 hours of solid sleep. I do not have the magical solution, but this is what I discovered concerning me. I fought sleep. Rather then, going along with the way my body felt, I fought it. I am taking evening naps, and feel a zillion times better, my sleep behavior is very poor at the moment, but this is what my body is requiring. I was trying to live a normal life, go to bed every night same time, stay up all day and live like a normal person, but it was making me more exhausted (stress) then I realized my body needs rest.

Such as today, I was up 7am till 6pm, zonked out till 1am and here I am up on the forum.

Rather then just going to sleep when I felt tired, I would fight it, stay on the computer, watch tv, drank soda's etc..... And tried to go to sleep at 10pm-11pm every night. That wasn't working for me. So, when my body tells me, your tired I put my gear on and go to sleep, no matter what time of day or night.

Naps seems to be helping me quite a bit, seems my body requires more then 8-9 hours of sleep to feel refreshed, getting 12 hours of sleep is the key for me to feel awake, not tired !!!

I've realized alot has changed in my life, now that I'm on cpap, one thing that changed was my sleeping position, I used to sleep on my stomach, with my head buried in the pillow, now I sleep on my side, and that has been an adjustment over the past month. I wasn't sleep well, regardless what data shared, treatment was working, but in actuality, I was sleeping horrible, not sleeing in the position, I have been for years !!!! It was very difficult for me to relax in this position, but now I sleep in comfort, on my side.

I think what alot of us forget to realize is, if we are feeling more tired, with treatment, that's great news ! Cause that means, our bodies are recovering, making lots of adjustments & need more rest. Such as a person coming down with the flu, they will feel tired/miserable, while thier systems try to recover, body needs more rest. I think that's the reason, alot of us feel more worse, when first beginning treatment. Our systems are recovering, and one day will bounce back to stability, it's going to take some time & lots of patience.

Data is not the key here, rest is, feeling refreshed, so now I try to work on improving other areas in my life. So now, I no longer track data, cause it was stressing me out, honest truth. It never made any sense to me, Lol !!!! Wow, I feel great today, let me check my data. What ?? Leak .7, AHI 9.6, then I feel horrible, leak 0.00, AHI 1.2,.

I have another sleep study scheduled, Jan 2010, so there will be a comparison to the past sleep study. Till then, no more data tracking for me.

So your not alone, many of us can relate to what your sharing. Good luck & sleep well.

[lazyace]

Rather then just going to sleep when I felt tired, I would fight it, stay on the computer, watch tv, drank soda's etc..... And tried to go to sleep at 10pm-11pm every night. That wasn't working for me. So, when my body tells me, your tired I put my gear on and go to sleep, no matter what time of day or night.

Naps seems to be helping me quite a bit, seems my body requires more then 8-9 hours of sleep to feel refreshed, getting 12 hours of sleep is the key for me to feel awake, not tired !!!

Spirit,

I haven't had the luxury of getting 12 hours of sleep, but I agree that the more sleep I get the better I feel. BTW, how in the world do you take naps during the day while working?

[Spirit]

I haven't had the luxury of getting 12 hours of sleep, but I agree that the more sleep I get the better I feel. BTW, how in the world do you take naps during the day while working?

Hi,
I am a retired Engineer, leasing out my auto shop at the moment, till my health recovers. So I have the luxury to take naps during the day. Seems this past week, recovery is falling into place. I'm sleeping fantastic !! And feeling lots better each day. It was a struggle though.

But I have learned, the more sleep I get the better I feel. Good luck with your sleep journey.

[sifr]

I'm currently battling headaches that seem to set in around noon and just won't go away until I go to sleep.

Very annoying.