Am I making any progress?

[tbinbny]

I was diagnosed with OSA about 6 years ago, kind of tried CPAP for maybe a week or so and gave up. I didn't buy in to it. Now I do. I had another sleep study done and got a brick last week and used it the last 5 nights, religiously, between 6-8 hours a night. I tried 3 different masks already and I really like the FFM Quatro FX. I mainly breathe through my nose but I do find that in deep sleep I am opening my mouth, so that is why I decided to go with the FFM.

So, now that past 2 nights I had the FFM and I feel like I am getting great sleep with no leaks. I am not moving around as much when I sleep. I do wake up once per night with a dry mouth and need to drink some water.

Now I know it has only been 5 nights, but I feel like I should feel more well rested than I am. Last night I slept for 8 full hours and I still felt tired during the day. On the drive home from work I felt very tired. Is this thing not working or does it just take longer to get back to normal?

I know one thing that would help would be to analyze the data and to have a machine that recorded better data, etc. I did get the DME to agree to swap out this low end brick for a PR 560 Auto with heated tube (at no additional cost to me!) but the machine won't be in until Thursday. Then I will know more about AHI and all of that.

In the meantime though, can anyone tell me if I feel like I am getting a good sleep, why am I still so tired?!!! I am hoping it will just take a couple of weeks.

[Nooblakahn]

Same thing happened to me. Just think, you know its been 6 years at least that you have had sleep apnea due to your prior diagnosis. You know how you feel like crap if you don't get enough sleep one night? You've had 6+ years of not getting good sleep. Its gonna take time for you to catch up.

Yes, your right, it would be nice to analyze the data... but we don't have that option. Best we have is to go with what we do have. Stick with the therapy. It might take a while to feel better, but it will be worth it in the end.

[LinkC]

Search this forum for "sleep debt".

And try to be patient. Recovery happens AT night; but it doesn’t happen overnight.

[Pugsy]

can anyone tell me if I feel like I am getting a good sleep, why am I still so tired?!!! I am hoping it will just take a couple of weeks.

Can I have a dollar for every time I see this question? We could fund the cpap slush fund from now till the end of time.

tbinbny...we want the "miracle" that a few lucky people get to experience where they go to bed, slap on the mask, turn on the machine and wake up the next morning feeling like running a marathon.
If you broke your arm tonight and they put your arm in a cast would it hurt tomorrow? Would it be healed tomorrow?...next week?
Your body has been abused by at least 6 years of OSA since your first diagnosis and no telling how long before then.
Even if your therapy was dead on perfect and you had zero awakenings and you slept 8 hours every night it would still very likely take your body some time to recoup and heal.

I won't even go into the "other things that affect sleep and how we might feel the next day" speech yet. Let's see what your data shows just in case there is something there that screams "fix me". Then we might have that "other things" discussion.

There is just so much more to restorative sleep than slapping the mask on and going to bed and getting 8 hours of sleep.
I wish it were that simple because we wouldn't have so many cpap machines gathering dust in the closet if it were that easy to feel like running that marathon.

The people that do have the "miracle" right away....those people are very, very lucky and I turn pea green with envy every time I read about it. They are in the minority for sure. Most people it takes some time and there is no set time for everyone. Some people it takes a few weeks, some a few months and some have yet to feel that elusive "miracle".
Rest assured though...even if you don't feel the miracle yet the body is beginning to slowly heal and recoup from the abuse and stress that it has gone through for years. This OSA thing didn't suddenly appear over night and it can take a while before the worn out and stressed out body gets back to feeling like it should.

[Nooblakahn]

can anyone tell me if I feel like I am getting a good sleep, why am I still so tired?!!! I am hoping it will just take a couple of weeks.

Can I have a dollar for every time I see this question? We could fund the cpap slush fund from now till the end of time.

tbinbny...we want the "miracle" that a few lucky people get to experience where they go to bed, slap on the mask, turn on the machine and wake up the next morning feeling like running a marathon.
If you broke your arm tonight and they put your arm in a cast would it hurt tomorrow? Would it be healed tomorrow?...next week?
Your body has been abused by at least 6 years of OSA since your first diagnosis and no telling how long before then.
Even if your therapy was dead on perfect and you had zero awakenings and you slept 8 hours every night it would still very likely take your body some time to recoup and heal.

I won't even go into the "other things that affect sleep and how we might feel the next day" speech yet. Let's see what your data shows just in case there is something there that screams "fix me". Then we might have that "other things" discussion.

There is just so much more to restorative sleep than slapping the mask on and going to bed and getting 8 hours of sleep.
I wish it were that simple because we wouldn't have so many cpap machines gathering dust in the closet if it were that easy to feel like running that marathon.

The people that do have the "miracle" right away....those people are very, very lucky and I turn pea green with envy every time I read about it. They are in the minority for sure. Most people it takes some time and there is no set time for everyone. Some people it takes a few weeks, some a few months and some have yet to feel that elusive "miracle".
Rest assured though...even if you don't feel the miracle yet the body is beginning to slowly heal and recoup from the abuse and stress that it has gone through for years. This OSA thing didn't suddenly appear over night and it can take a while before the worn out and stressed out body gets back to feeling like it should.

I was one of those lucky people. I felt great the first 3 nights... Then my body realized it wanted more of the good sleep it was missing... and I didn't feel as good. Another thing to note.. the change seems it could be very gradual (at least for me). The proof for me that it is working... the one night I slept about 2 hours without my mask... I felt like complete crap the next morning.

[tbinbny]

Thank you, this all makes me feel better. I'm definitely sticking with this, so just hope it gets better. Can't wait to get some good data!

[Pugsy]

I was one of those lucky people. I felt great the first 3 nights... Then my body realized it wanted more of the good sleep it was missing... and I didn't feel as good. Another thing to note.. the change seems it could be very gradual (at least for me). The proof for me that it is working... the one night I slept about 2 hours without my mask... I felt like complete crap the next morning.

And I was one of those people who were slow in feeling any huge difference in how they felt in general.
I had 2 main OSA symptoms that disappeared once I had my pressures tweaked a little (so I had 2 weeks of crappy therapy until I got the card reader I needed for my old M series machine and software) and those were nocturia and the killer morning headaches. Feeling better during the day and daytime sleepiness and more energy....those were harder to see those results and even now it isn't always as good as I "wish" but I have other things going on unrelated to OSA that the machine can't fix.

Though I did get a chance to get a rude reminder last July....3 years of never missing a night using the machine and I made a little trip out to Las Vegas to see my daughter and grandson and I forgot to pack the long hose. Didn't realize it until bedtime so nothing I could do about it till the next day. Horrible night's sleep...gazillion awakenings...had to pee 4 times in 5 hours....and had a nice killer headache and felt like total crap all the next day.
So while I may not feel as good as I would really like to....I got a rude reminder just how bad I used to feel every single day and I am happy at least no longer feeling like I just ran that marathon.

[Stormynights]

I was one of those lucky people. I felt great the first 3 nights... Then my body realized it wanted more of the good sleep it was missing... and I didn't feel as good. Another thing to note.. the change seems it could be very gradual (at least for me). The proof for me that it is working... the one night I slept about 2 hours without my mask... I felt like complete crap the next morning.

And I was one of those people who were slow in feeling any huge difference in how they felt in general.
I had 2 main OSA symptoms that disappeared once I had my pressures tweaked a little (so I had 2 weeks of crappy therapy until I got the card reader I needed for my old M series machine and software) and those were nocturia and the killer morning headaches. Feeling better during the day and daytime sleepiness and more energy....those were harder to see those results and even now it isn't always as good as I "wish" but I have other things going on unrelated to OSA that the machine can't fix.

Though I did get a chance to get a rude reminder last July....3 years of never missing a night using the machine and I made a little trip out to Las Vegas to see my daughter and grandson and I forgot to pack the long hose. Didn't realize it until bedtime so nothing I could do about it till the next day. Horrible night's sleep...gazillion awakenings...had to pee 4 times in 5 hours....and had a nice killer headache and felt like total crap all the next day.
So while I may not feel as good as I would really like to....I got a rude reminder just how bad I used to feel every single day and I am happy at least no longer feeling like I just ran that marathon.

Thanks for that reply. I have been depressed whiney and feeling crappy lately. I needed to be reminded about the last time I slept without my cpap. I feel better now.

[NotLazyJustTired]

I am 13 nights into my treatment. This whole thing reminds me of when I started to learn to play golf. Those of you who play golf can relate to how frustrating it can be to hit that little white ball and have it land even close to where you intend. But every once in a while, you have that golden swing and the ball sails picture perfect and lands right in the middle of the fairway. You can have a thousand lousy swings, but that one nice one keeps you coming back. You are hooked.

It seems every 3 or 4 nights I am having one of those "good nights" and I feel like a billion bucks for the next day. Then a few more so-so nights. But I keep going because I have had a small taste of what is to come. I am also guessing that the best is yet to come.

Hang in there; it will get better. If you haven't done so, read some of the success stories which is a sticky thread at the top of the home page. It has been a tremendous inspiration for me.

[Nooblakahn]

I was one of those lucky people. I felt great the first 3 nights... Then my body realized it wanted more of the good sleep it was missing... and I didn't feel as good. Another thing to note.. the change seems it could be very gradual (at least for me). The proof for me that it is working... the one night I slept about 2 hours without my mask... I felt like complete crap the next morning.

And I was one of those people who were slow in feeling any huge difference in how they felt in general.
I had 2 main OSA symptoms that disappeared once I had my pressures tweaked a little (so I had 2 weeks of crappy therapy until I got the card reader I needed for my old M series machine and software) and those were nocturia and the killer morning headaches. Feeling better during the day and daytime sleepiness and more energy....those were harder to see those results and even now it isn't always as good as I "wish" but I have other things going on unrelated to OSA that the machine can't fix.

Though I did get a chance to get a rude reminder last July....3 years of never missing a night using the machine and I made a little trip out to Las Vegas to see my daughter and grandson and I forgot to pack the long hose. Didn't realize it until bedtime so nothing I could do about it till the next day. Horrible night's sleep...gazillion awakenings...had to pee 4 times in 5 hours....and had a nice killer headache and felt like total crap all the next day.
So while I may not feel as good as I would really like to....I got a rude reminder just how bad I used to feel every single day and I am happy at least no longer feeling like I just ran that marathon.

Good point. The lack of oxygen desaturation headaches was and still is instant gratification. Those are some of the worst headaches I've ever had. That's why we all love you. You never miss a step

I am 13 nights into my treatment. This whole thing reminds me of when I started to learn to play golf. Those of you who play golf can relate to how frustrating it can be to hit that little white ball and have it land even close to where you intend. But every once in a while, you have that golden swing and the ball sails picture perfect and lands right in the middle of the fairway. You can have a thousand lousy swings, but that one nice one keeps you coming back. You are hooked.

It seems every 3 or 4 nights I am having one of those "good nights" and I feel like a billion bucks for the next day. Then a few more so-so nights. But I keep going because I have had a small taste of what is to come. I am also guessing that the best is yet to come.

Hang in there; it will get better. If you haven't done so, read some of the success stories which is a sticky thread at the top of the home page. It has been a tremendous inspiration for me.

I play disc golf. While not the same as golf... it has the same rules. Its a shorter game but you throw discs instead of whacking a tiny ball. Doesn't always go right, but its easy to remember those picturesque shots. Including the few aces I've had while playing

[tbinbny]

I am 13 nights into my treatment. This whole thing reminds me of when I started to learn to play golf. Those of you who play golf can relate to how frustrating it can be to hit that little white ball and have it land even close to where you intend. But every once in a while, you have that golden swing and the ball sails picture perfect and lands right in the middle of the fairway. You can have a thousand lousy swings, but that one nice one keeps you coming back. You are hooked.

It seems every 3 or 4 nights I am having one of those "good nights" and I feel like a billion bucks for the next day. Then a few more so-so nights. But I keep going because I have had a small taste of what is to come. I am also guessing that the best is yet to come.

Hang in there; it will get better. If you haven't done so, read some of the success stories which is a sticky thread at the top of the home page. It has been a tremendous inspiration for me.

OK, so I do play golf and totally understand that one! The "golf gods" always keep me coming back with a few spectacular shots. And I definitely get my money's worth with all of the strokes I take!

Last night started out bad. I kept waking up and I didn't really know why. Finally I got up for about 45 minutes. When I went back to sleep, I tightened the straps more as I think my mask was too loose. Then I went back to sleep for the final hour-and-a-half before I had to wake up for work. That last portion was great and now I really do feel refreshed. I guess it was like a good putt! Now hopefully tonight I can put a good game together!

Thanks and good luck to you too.

[Pugsy]

Something to think about later on down the road.
You say you mainly breathe through your nose during the day but at night the mouth wants to drop open sometimes and that is why the full face mask. Full face masks just have a lot of real estate to have to fiddle with to get a good seal and maintain it.
I thought I was going to be one of those nighttime mouth breathers but I found out that most of the mouth breathing was habit from gasping for breath during the apnea events. I had a bit of retraining the brain issues the first couple of months of therapy using nasal pillow mask (by far the easiest to get and keep a good seal because less real estate to mess with) but it was worth it.
You might surprise yourself and not do nearly as much mouth opening as you think you would do. So don't totally discount your ability to maybe use a nasal pillow mask or over the nose mask if you are wanting less mask to have to fiddle with.

I still find that I sometimes will find my mouth drop open when I sleep on my back but according to the reports the time spent that way is brief and minimal mouth breathing is taking place and not enough to seriously impact therapy and more importantly I sleep right through it. Waking up often with mask issues will just make us feel awful no matter how optimal the therapy is and how many hours of sleep we get. Fragmented sleep is just going to kill the chance of having that "miracle".

So if you feel the yearn to try the other smaller real estate presence mask like the nasal pillows....go for it.

See what Perrybucsdad says in this thread. It too me months of pleading with him to get him to try the nasal pillow mask.
viewtopic/p663440/Mouth-Breathers.html#p663440

[NotLazyJustTired]

Thanks. I should also like to point out that unlike those who seem to get that "sudden burst of energy" I am noticing more gradual changes. I don't exactly feel like superman, but I am starting to notice little subtle things. I sometimes worry that it may be placebo effect because I really want to get better. But I am noticing little things like not needing so much caffeine to get going, or not being so nearly exhausted in the early afternoon. My wife and I have started cleaning out that heap of junk I call a garage and we are making awesome progress....it's not something I would have even attempted a few weeks ago. I am teaching my self to be patient and not look so hard for instant gratification. It is why I started the thread, "I know it is a good night when...". I find it therapeutic to discuss these things and hear how others are getting along. Good sleep to you!

[Ladybuilder]

Thanks, Tbinby, for asking the same question I've had on my mind for about a week now. I am a newbie here, and have only been on CPAP for 14 days.... with mixed results, thus far. After the first two nights, I was ecstatic... for I finally felt rested, and had unbelievable energy. I felt like I could leap tall buildings in a single bound. But, that did not last beyond the first few days. My AHI numbers the first week were in the low 3's, but they've begun creeping up into the low 4's, and I find myself struggling to get a good fit on my mask. I have a cervical pillow, but not one designed for CPAP use, so I'm thinking that perhaps a new pillow might help.

Although I'm presently struggling some, I KNOW that the therapy is helping me, albeit slower than I like, and I am committed to sticking with it. This forum has been very helpful to me (I've been lurking since going on CPAP, and this is my first post) and I would like to THANK all those CPAP veterans for their sage advice.

[oregongal]

I'm a little over 2 years with successful treatment after a rough start, and many years of undiagnosed severe OSA, no REM sleep. My energy is still gradually improving~I'm now 72. Three months ago added room darkening drapes, started sleeping 1 1/2 hour additional most nights, often over 8 hours, some nights without any bathroom trips, something I never thought would be possible. Am committed to continuing treatment!