Cpap Trial - How long till I should notice a change?

[x1v16]

I was diagnosed with sleep apnea 6 months ago, I tried to lose weight to fix it but ended up gaining what I lost back. I started my trial a little over 1 week ago. The first week was variable pressure between 8-20 to find a sweet spot. They said the best for me as 10.7 so it is now set at 12. The machine has a humidifier which I have on max temperature because that is what feels the best for my throat.

I thought I would have noticed a large improvement in how I felt since I started wearing the mask but I feel I'm taking about the same amount of naps because I felt tired as I did before. I have only had it on a pressure of 12 for the last 2 days though. I almost always wake up with the mask off. I'm one of those people who wakes up and does stuff he wouldn't do otherwise so I rarely remember taking the mask off in the night. I was told I had it on for 5 out of the 7 nights for more than 4 hours.

So...should I have noticed an improvement yet? If I get to the end of the cpap trial and still have not noticed any improvement does that mean the cpap machine isn't fixing my issues and I need surgery or something?

[letsride]

I used to take off my mask for the lack of air.
Maybe a fixed number doesn't fit you or machine type.
One thing for sure is this therapy does help if you have Apnea.
It usually takes time to find success ~ more than you currently have invested.
Good luck and stick with it

[Badnvsleep]

Others with more experience will reply as well....

There is not set rule on how long it will take to feel better. The big problem that needs to be fixed is taking your mask off, if your not wearing it all night you will not benefit from the treatment as much... I found wearing my nasal pillows with the machine running for a little while before going to sleep helped me adjust to wearing it all night. I also starting feeling a little better after the third of fourth night, I felt tired but noticed I was not exhausted as I was before.

Everyone responds a little differently, but we all need to give it time. Get use to wearing your mask, we need to train our bodies to having it on... Also please include your equipment you are using that way others may be able to give you specific pointers on the type of mask as well as the machine you're using.

Stick with it.......

[Pugsy]

So how many hours of sleep are you getting with the mask and machine on?.....on average before you remove the mask?

Your chances of seeing improvement are going to be sorely limited if you don't keep the mask on all night.
Hours of sleep using the mask and machine are extremely important as well as are those hours fragmented?

[HerbM]

As others have written and just using simple logic, if you only wear the mask a small percentage of your sleep time then it isn't likely to change how you feel.

Also, there was an (unclear, unstated) implication in the OP that you might be taking naps WITHOUT the machine?

Are you using it for ALL sleep sessions? (At least putting it on to start?)

If you sleep X hours without the machine, and those are characterized by apnea then it stands to reason your health and how you feel would suffer even if you managed to get other restful sleep WITH the machine.

(You might not feel so tired if you got good sleep too, but you would still be experiencing the detrimental effects of the apnea.)

Maybe an experienced member could suggest or discuss the possibility of (strategically) taping or wrapping the mask or straps a bit to require taking it off more CONSCIOUS (not impossible to remove, just harder to do without effort.)

[x1v160]

I am using a quattro air full mask with a Respironics System One Auto CPAP and Humidifier.

When I take a nap it is for roughly 1-1.5 hours and I don't use the machine because it is outside the home, though I could bring the machine with me I suppose.

[chunkyfrog]

The best way to get used to the machine is not to get into a habit of ever sleeping without it.
(no "holidays" or "vacations" from the "ball and chain")
This is the new "normal", and it can be wonderful, and it will save your life.

[Wulfman...]

I was diagnosed with sleep apnea 6 months ago, I tried to lose weight to fix it but ended up gaining what I lost back. I started my trial a little over 1 week ago. The first week was variable pressure between 8-20 to find a sweet spot. They said the best for me as 10.7 so it is now set at 12. The machine has a humidifier which I have on max temperature because that is what feels the best for my throat.

I thought I would have noticed a large improvement in how I felt since I started wearing the mask but I feel I'm taking about the same amount of naps because I felt tired as I did before. I have only had it on a pressure of 12 for the last 2 days though. I almost always wake up with the mask off. I'm one of those people who wakes up and does stuff he wouldn't do otherwise so I rarely remember taking the mask off in the night. I was told I had it on for 5 out of the 7 nights for more than 4 hours.

So...should I have noticed an improvement yet? If I get to the end of the cpap trial and still have not noticed any improvement does that mean the cpap machine isn't fixing my issues and I need surgery or something?

You didn't tell us what mask you're using.
It sounds like you're mouth-breathing, so I'm going to guess you're using a nasal mask (as opposed to a full face mask).

Bottom line is that you're NOT going to notice an improvement in how you feel until you get all your problems straightened out and your therapy optimized. From what you've told us, you've got a long way to go to get that accomplished. In fact, it sounds like you're hardly getting any meaningful therapy at all.
Surgery?........don't even THINK about that. Depending on which "surgery" you're talking about, the results aren't good or long-lasting and you'll still be using an XPAP to sleep with at some point.


Den

.

[Bill44133]

You have to be able to sleep and breath at the same time. Please take a few minutes to view this video:
http://www.resmed.com/us/multimedia/und ... 40x380.swf

This put the whole thing in perspective for me and I hope it helps you understand what is happening to you.
There alot of helpful people here that will give you guidance to optimize your therapy. If not for this website and the people here I would have never felt better.

I wish you good luck!

[robysue]

x1v16,

You need realistic expectations: Very few new CPAPers notice a significant difference after using the machine for only a week or so even if they are using it 100% of the time they're asleep.

For most new PAPers, it takes a while to learn to sleep with the mask on. Some have to learn to keep the mask on all night, and it is not always an easy thing to train your unconscious mind to NOT take the mask off. Others have problems with learning to sleep well with the mask on---some of us spend a lot of time at the beginning not sleeping or not sleeping well because of the alien planted on our face. It takes time to train the mind and body that the alien is doing us significant good in spite of all the seeming inconvenience and discomfort. Others have a real battle finding a mask that works for them in terms of both comfort and leaks.

And even after starting to sleep reasonably well with the mask on, it still takes most of us some time to notice a real change in how we feel during the daytime. Some people are lucky enough to feel better right away, but they are a small minority. Most people seem to take somewhere between a few weeks and two or three months to start feeling a positive difference. Some are unlucky enough to take longer---for me it took six months to notice anything positive at all and it really wasn't until I'd been using the hose for almost a year before I could really say for sure that I was finally feeling somewhat better with CPAP than without.

[sleepy711]

Your question is a very loaded one indeed. First, you need to make a list of your symptoms and how they need to improve (ex. headaches, fatigue when getting out of bed in the morning, high blood pressure, etc) then monitor the changes in that list. Secondly, do you have the right pressure? Is your machine an auto where the apneas are measured on your machine? A set pressure machine (straight pressure) oftentimes does not provide the pressure you need for a variety of reasons, too many to discuss here. Third, do you have the right mask. Fourth, do you regularly go to bed within the same 1 hour time period every night? Do you allow your body the quantity of sleep it actually needs? (My magic number is 7 1/2 when healthy, 10 when getting sick)

There is a book called "My Little CPAP Book" which actually walks you through all of this. It is available now on iTunes but should be out on Kindle and Nook in about 3 days. Your solution isn't down to just one answer; it's a collage of answers that must all work together in a very specific way for your own very unique individual self. Good luck and I hope this was helpful.