Sleep Debt Question

[tbhit]

Hello!

I am new to this forum, and I am loving reading the plethora of information here. I hope you are all doing well, and I look forward to us all growing in our journeys for better sleep. I have been on CPAP therapy for about a week now, and it has been going excellent! Here's my background (and this is leading up to my question):

My sleeping problems began around September of 2010. I was a healthy 19-year old male with an average build, so naturally, sleep apnea was the last thing my parents or I ever suspected. It all started one night at my friend's house. I woke up around 5 a.m. and could not open my eyes at first. This had happened before in my life and so I wasn't too shocked. Once I got my eyes open, I felt dizzy. I had slept in my contacts that night and I thought that they were the reason for my dizziness and difficulty in opening my eyes. When I got out of bed, I almost fell over. Every subsequent night from then on, I slept terrible. My sleep would go in cycles of terrible-bad-terrible, and I tried everything. I tried only using my room for sleep, making things pitch black, not watching tv or playing on my phone before bed, not reading, etc. You name it, I tried it. I begged my parents for a sleep study but they blamed it on things such as too much caffeine or anxiety. After 2 years of pleading, in December of 2012 they finally took the plunge and got me set up at sleep center. A month later, I found out I had severe sleep apnea. The pressure on my CPAP machine is an 11, and my AHI was 35.

After a week of CPAP therapy, I am feeling sharper and more rested than ever before. I have sleep an average of 6-7 hours each night with it (with help going to sleep from my Ambien, which unfortunately I am almost out of), and my AHI has averaged around 3.8 since starting treatment. My mask has only been in the 11-16 range of leaking. This brings me to my question. I know of sleep debt, and how hard it is to make up. I am doing so well on my CPAP therapy, and am much better than I was without it, but I am still not 100% alert. I have read articles that suggested it could take up to a month just to repay a day's worth of sleep debt, and that scares me. How long (if ever) will it take for me to repay 2 years worth of sleep debt? Thank you all for your time, and I hope to be an active member of this forum and provide insight as I grow and mature in my own sleep journey.

God bless,
tbhit

[DreamStalker]

Welcome!

It varies for different people. I had OSA for probably 25 years before I began my treatment ... so I had 25 years of sleep debt to pay off.

I guess I filed for bankruptcy cuz I felt like superman after the first couple of days.

Hang in there it all comes together, your lucky to have started your treatment early.

[BlackSpinner]

It is not so much the lack of sleep but the lack of oxygen before.
Often you have lots of repairs that were not made for years. Now you are sleeping properly with adequate O2 your body is working over time to do the repairs. Every body is different, everybody has different damage.

Eat properly, exercise and be patient, you have a lot of good years ahead of you, losing a month to heal is not bad. Use it to read some good books.

[tbhit]

Welcome!

It varies for different people. I had OSA for probably 25 years before I began my treatment ... so I had 25 years of sleep debt to pay off.

I guess I filed for bankruptcy cuz I felt like superman after the first couple of days.

Hang in there it all comes together, your lucky to have started your treatment early.

Thank you, that is very encouraging to me!

[archangle]

There's a lot of debate about "sleep debt." Whatever you call it, a lot of new CPAPers have problems that act a bit like sleep debt. Most people tend to get over it in various degrees over varying periods of time. I would expect a youngster to recover more quickly.

I think maybe it's just that your body adjusted to sleep apnea and it takes a while to get back into balance without all the hypoxia, stress, lost sleep, etc. It's a bit like what happens when you stop smoking, drinking, or many drugs.

[growing]

Welcome!

It varies for different people. I had OSA for probably 25 years before I began my treatment ... so I had 25 years of sleep debt to pay off.

I guess I filed for bankruptcy cuz I felt like superman after the first couple of days.

Hang in there it all comes together, your lucky to have started your treatment early.

For tbhit and every one concerned:

Then, I have been carrying sleep debt+damage caused by hypoxia since the last 53 years. However, now, I am on my way not only to pay back sleep debt but also repair the damages inflicted with support from great people of this Forum. People here are more conversant on the issue than the specialist doctors I have consulted, so far. Beside the PEP machine, we have here association of helpful people with positive mental attitude.

It has been only a few months since I have started hooking the hose, though.

[SleepingUgly]

I read somewhere that the maximum sleep debt is 20 hours or something. Don't know if that's reliable information. I am not sure I buy the notion that it can take long periods of time to repay sleep debt. If it takes that long, it doesn't seem likely it's "sleep debt", but the sleep techs around here may know more about this.

[Slartybartfast]

I think someone ought to call in Sleep Debt to Mythbusters and see if they're interested. Personally, I think it's a myth that you are storing up lack of sleep on Mr. Sandman's balance sheet somewhere. However, nearly everyone notices that they are more alert and not in need of naps in the afternoon, etc. after getting on the hose for a while. Some folks notice it immediately, others keep waiting for something to happen. So it depends on how your body responds to lack of sleep. In my case, I was getting episodes of bronchitis every 6 weeks like clockwork, though I felt fine otherwise. After I went to the pulmonologist and he immediately recognized the symptom and got me on a machine, I immediately felt better and the bronchitis never returned.

So while I think the notion of "sleep-debt" is a bunch of hooey (a technical term), I'm convinced that one's body greatly benefits from having the level of oxygen during sleep that it was designed to have.

[BlackSpinner]

I think someone ought to call in Sleep Debt to Mythbusters and see if they're interested. Personally, I think it's a myth that you are storing up lack of sleep on Mr. Sandman's balance sheet somewhere. .

I have read studies on sleep and how long it takes for a healthy adult to recover their hormonal balance. It is not long. But we are talking here people who are damaged due to years of bad sleep and low O2. What people refer to as Sleep debt on this site is not the same thing that that a 20 something guy experiences after a couple of wild nights in Vegas. I slept for about a month 10 hours a night without moving. It took a couple of months before I was completely mentally the way I was 10 years before.

[growing]

I think someone ought to call in Sleep Debt to Mythbusters and see if they're interested. Personally, I think it's a myth that you are storing up lack of sleep on Mr. Sandman's balance sheet somewhere. However, nearly everyone notices that they are more alert and not in need of naps in the afternoon, etc. after getting on the hose for a while. Some folks notice it immediately, others keep waiting for something to happen. So it depends on how your body responds to lack of sleep. In my case, I was getting episodes of bronchitis every 6 weeks like clockwork, though I felt fine otherwise. After I went to the pulmonologist and he immediately recognized the symptom and got me on a machine, I immediately felt better and the bronchitis never returned.

So while I think the notion of "sleep-debt" is a bunch of hooey (a technical term), I'm convinced that one's body greatly benefits from having the level of oxygen during sleep that it was designed to have.

Researchers have found that sleep debt, per se, ceases to exist after certain time elapse and gets adjusted in the form of changes in the organism. Mostly noticed such first change seemed to be the death of brain cells which, we once used to believe, could not be replaced. However, these days, more and more scientists are finding that neurons in the brain are also restored once favorable conditions are provided.
Is not it the reason to become more optimistic?!

[ems]

I don't believe in sleep debt and think it's a myth. I think the oxygen you are now receiving is helping you feel better. Keep using your machine and things will continue to improve. Don't even think about how you felt in the past. Think about how much better you feel now and that you will continue to feel even better in the future.

[tbhit]

Thank you all for the responses. I am to hear that I will be able to recover and feel how I used to. Do any of you have any advice for me to help further improve my sleep apnea experience (in other words, do any of you see anything in my story that I could change to improve my sleep)?

[cosmo]

.

[Sheriff Buford]

I think sleep debt does occur. We just had some workshops on sleep disorders and sleep debt was mentioned. It appears that it's something new and the jury is still out on it. I said here before... you are young, and the best news for you is that you are attacking this disease at a young age. You'll probably live 10 years longer if you stay compliant. What are you leak rates? They can interfere with the therapy.

I wonder what the equipment will be like in 20-30 years?

Sheriff

[cosmo]

I don't know if it exist or not but its not going to change anything for me. I'll still use it each night and try to get 7+ hours of sleep each night.