Very New User Question

[LARGRA]

Hey all,
Just started Using a CPAP this week on a trial basis. I have a week before I have to pay for it. Out of the three nights I have used it one I woke up dead tired, the other two tired but not as sleepy. Anyone have an i idea how long before most people feel the full effect? I was in bed from 6:30 last night to 5:30 this morning-I was that tired. I really don't want to dole out a bunch of cash if this is the best I'm going to feel-comments please?

[Slinky]

"Recovery" time varies across the spectrum. Some VERY few take to CPAP therapy the very first night, some have to work out minor problems before really feeling the positive effects of CPAP therapy, some really have a challenge acclimating to CPAP therapy and feeling positive results and some very few just can't get relief w/CPAP therapy.

It all depends on the individual; mask fit and leaks, possibly on the cause of their OSA, what other co-morbidities might be involved, their attitude toward CPAP therapy, how much assistance they require and receive w/acclimating .....

Are you paying totally out of pocket or do you have health insurance coverage and just a copay? How much copay? It may or may not be cheaper for you to buy your CPAP online than thru a local DME provider. And you may well get a BETTER CPAP cheaper via an online DME provider than a local DME provider.

You will have to pay cash via an online provider that may or most likely may not be partially reimbursable by your insurance.

[JointPain]

Hello and welcome to the forum. I'm sorry that you need to be on CPAP, but I'm glad that you've found this forum. There's a lot of information and really helpful people here than can help with any issues that arise (and most likely at least some will).

I don't know how long before most people feel the full effect, and by its very nature nature this forum probably contains a higher proportion of people with problems and difficulties than the population of CPAP users as a whole. (On the other hand, it probably also has a higher proportion of really compliant, motivated users as well.)

I am pretty sure though that it's going to take longer than a week to feel the full effect. Your body has had years to acclimate to not breathing for extended periods hundreds of times per night, and that has caused lots of damage over the years. It's totally unrealistic to expect all that damage to reversed in just one week.

I know that CPAP works wonders for me (family and friends comment on the difference). I don't have a lot of the issues other people here have, but in the first week after I started using CPAP again I was all over the place. Some days I felt great, but on others I was really, really exhausted. I think that even if everything goes well your body goes through a tremendous adjustment when it can finally get some decent sleep again.

So I would like to strongly encourage you to stick with the program for at least 3-6 months and to keep a journal of how you feel. The latter will let you objectively look back and evaluate the changes in your energy. Otherwise, your body has a great ability to forget how terribly rotten you felt. (Some people claim that's what allows women to get pregnant a second time.)

This week you have a wonderful opportunity to evaluate your specific machine and mask and how well it's working for you and get some action from your DME if there are any issues.

Many people just get handed a very basic, inadequate machine (aka brick) and sent on their way. You really don't want a brick. Please list your current machine and mask on the equipment profile so that we can offer specific advice. Be very particular about the exact model name. The companies produce machines very similar sounding names that are miles apart in usefulness. Sort of like a "BMW 5 Series Escape", which differs from the normal "BMW 5 Series" in that it's got a one liter two cylinder engine, because that's all drivers like you need!

[ameriken]

What was your diagnosis? How severe is your sleep apnea? CPAP therapy is not just about getting a good nights sleep, it's about being able to breathe again at night. While you may still feel sleepy, it is likely you are breathing with the machine. As long as you are breathing again, you have stopped doing damage to your body because of O2 deprivation and you've reduced your risk of future heart problems, stroke, etc.

As for how long, it can be overnight or it could be days, weeks, and for some maybe even months. Search the forum for 'sleep debt'. Your body may just need time to catch up on lost sleep and now that you are breathing again, your body may be desiring the good sleep that the machine is giving you and it may just take some time.

I've been on a machine for about 6 weeks and my results have been slow as well. It's just taking time but I can tell I am recovering and getting better. So if you have been diagnosed with sleep apnea and other breathing issues, then CPAP is not a convenience, it is a necessity.

Keep the machine, stick with the therapy, and do some research on the forum. The results will follow.

[robysue]

Anyone have an i idea how long before most people feel the full effect?

Like so many other things related to OSA and CPAP, how long it takes to start feeling better and how much better feeling better is vary tremendously from person to person.

But judging from the sample set here at cpaptalk: Most people take a few weeks to several months to start noticing that they are feeling better in some kind of measurable way. And for many people the first signs of feeling better can be very, very subtle. It takes time and a few unlucky ones (such as myself) go through a pretty long period of several months of feeling substantially WORSE on CPAP for some reason before they start to feel BETTER with CPAP. It takes time, effort, and patience to make this therapy work for many of us.

[Pugsy]

Anyone have an i idea how long before most people feel the full effect?

It varies from person to person and can be impacted by any number of other factors. Some people are lucky and see huge improvement almost immediately. Most don't. We can't compare how we feel to someone else because we are all different and probably also have other things going on.

It took me many months to see any improvement except the cessation of the hourly pee breaks. This was after I spent about a month tweaking the pressure because the software showed that I was still having too many events.

So this is what I suggest to those people who don't see the marked improvement that they read about.
Get the software to evaluate at least on paper that the treatment is optimal (this means having a machine that offers full data and not just hours of use).
Evaluate number of hours slept. Was there a lot of wake ups for any reason?
Are there any other factors that impact sleep quality? Pain, mattress comfort, other health issues, insomnia, mask discomfort, etc.... there is long list.

It takes more than just slapping the mask on and going to bed. Those overnight miracles are rather rare.
It takes as long as it takes..there is no magic number of days but for sure 3 nights is way to soon to expect to see much change no matter how much we wish it otherwise.

Welcome to the forum. Please register and add your equipment to your profile so we can offer more item specific advice when you have other questions.

[Guest]

What was your diagnosis? How severe is your sleep apnea? CPAP therapy is not just about getting a good nights sleep, it's about being able to breathe again at night. While you may still feel sleepy, it is likely you are breathing with the machine. As long as you are breathing again, you have stopped doing damage to your body because of O2 deprivation and you've reduced your risk of future heart problems, stroke, etc.

As for how long, it can be overnight or it could be days, weeks, and for some maybe even months. Search the forum for 'sleep debt'. Your body may just need time to catch up on lost sleep and now that you are breathing again, your body may be desiring the good sleep that the machine is giving you and it may just take some time.

I've been on a machine for about 6 weeks and my results have been slow as well. It's just taking time but I can tell I am recovering and getting better. So if you have been diagnosed with sleep apnea and other breathing issues, then CPAP is not a convenience, it is a necessity.

Keep the machine, stick with the therapy, and do some research on the forum. The results will follow.

Hello,
They said moderate to severe apnea waking 32 times an hour O2 at 84% Having been tired forever-just wondering if this will eventually get better .Might get 2 weeks trial if I,m lucky after that $1400.00 for the machine plus more for mask etc. or $150.00 mth rent.

[LARGRA]

"Recovery" time varies across the spectrum. Some VERY few take to CPAP therapy the very first night, some have to work out minor problems before really feeling the positive effects of CPAP therapy, some really have a challenge acclimating to CPAP therapy and feeling positive results and some very few just can't get relief w/CPAP therapy.

It all depends on the individual; mask fit and leaks, possibly on the cause of their OSA, what other co-morbidities might be involved, their attitude toward CPAP therapy, how much assistance they require and receive w/acclimating .....

Are you paying totally out of pocket or do you have health insurance coverage and just a copay? How much copay? It may or may not be cheaper for you to buy your CPAP online than thru a local DME provider. And you may well get a BETTER CPAP cheaper via an online DME provider than a local DME provider.

You will have to pay cash via an online provider that may or most likely may not be partially reimbursable by your insurance.

Hello,
Supposedly my insurance will pay about half of the $1400.00. The machine I have also has the humidifier but don't remember the name. It has the nose buds not a mask, possible as I have a mustache that is older than the hills.

[Pugsy]

My machine can be purchased (including humidifier) for just a little over $600.
Cpapauction often has it for $250 to $300.

What is the make and model of the machine you are trying?

[Guest]

Anyone have an i idea how long before most people feel the full effect?

Like so many other things related to OSA and CPAP, how long it takes to start feeling better and how much better feeling better is vary tremendously from person to person.

But judging from the sample set here at cpaptalk: Most people take a few weeks to several months to start noticing that they are feeling better in some kind of measurable way. And for many people the first signs of feeling better can be very, very subtle. It takes time and a few unlucky ones (such as myself) go through a pretty long period of several months of feeling substantially WORSE on CPAP for some reason before they start to feel BETTER with CPAP. It takes time, effort, and patience to make this therapy work for many of us.

Thank You

[LARGRA]

My machine can be purchased (including humidifier) for just a little over $600.
Cpapauction often has it for $250 to $300.

What is the make and model of the machine you are trying?

If I can remember I'll post that Monday.

[chunkyfrog]

In my case, I did not feel very rested right away, but the daytime grogginess, morning headaches, and bizarre nightmares went away immediately.
Months later, I realized I had more energy than I ever imagined!
It totally sneaked up on me.

[ameriken]

Hello,
They said moderate to severe apnea waking 32 times an hour O2 at 84% Having been tired forever-just wondering if this will eventually get better .Might get 2 weeks trial if I,m lucky after that $1400.00 for the machine plus more for mask etc. or $150.00 mth rent.

They said moderate to severe apnea waking 32 times an hour O2 at 84% Having been tired forever-just wondering if this will eventually get better .Might get 2 weeks trial if I,m lucky after that $1400.00 for the machine plus more for mask etc. or $150.00 mth rent.[/quote]
If you've got moderate to severe, then for sure continue on xPAP therapy, assuming you have the right machine for your situation. It can and does take a while, but you will feel better. There are other things that can affect your therapy (leaks, mouth breathing, pressures, etc) however if you get software for your machine, you can monitor your progress as well as get help here in the forum if you're not sure what to do. A lot of good people here have helped me do the same, I've tweaked my therapy so that my results have improved on a daily basis, not just how I breathe at night, but how I feel during the day.

So with moderate to severe sleep apnea, by all means plan on continuing therapy. Without it, sleep apnea and that low O2 will eventually damage your body and worst case scenario is it will kill you. Period.

[Goofproof]

Sleep Apnea, wears us down by inches, most of the time limited recovery is slow. Another thing to consider is damage has been done, we are getting older most of us will never be as well off as if we never had Sleep Apnea. Is it worth the bother and money to treat? Depends on what you want from life, do you want your health to fail sooner than later, hopefully you found out early enough that major damage will be prevented, I wasn't as lucky, major heart failure came first, I just thought it was normal to fall asleep driving at work and after, part of getting older, it doesn't have to be that way, you have a choice, but it's one only you can make.

You need a XPAP that records full data, and the software to monitor it. Even more you need to care about your own treatment, your doctor isn't going to have the time to monitor you. There are many things that determine wether you succeed or fail, but the most important thing is your WILL to take CAN"T out of your thinking. "CAN"T KILLs", we had a saying where I worked "CAN'T DO IT, CAN'T STAY". In other words results count no results out the door. Jim

[archangle]

Welcome to our community, LARGRA.

You might not feel better for a while with CPAP. Maybe not ever. Most people DO feel better after a while.

However, if you don't do the CPAP, the apnea will be slowly killing you. Maybe painlessly, maybe painfully. It will cause damage to your heart, your brain and other organs. You could die quickly of a heart attack or a stroke. You could survive a heart attack or stroke and suffer the effects of that. You could simply just go downhill in general for the rest of your life.

If you do the CPAP and don't feel better, you may be able to adjust your therapy to get some better benefits. Sometimes you have to manage your own treatment to get it done right.

The really important thing about this trial period is to figure out "can you stand CPAP?" It sounds like you CAN sleep while CPAPing. You should do CPAP.

However, it's very important to get the right CPAP unit. If you just let them choose which unit you get, you'll probably get ripped off for a unit that won't give you the best therapy. We can help you not get ripped off. Tell us the exact model you have and we'll tell you how not to get ripped off by the DME.

By the way, sign up for an ID on this board and log in, instead of posting as a guest.