Weird feeling during the day - headache/naussia using CPAP

[ifrimmel]

HI folks,

I was just wondering .. in general I am feeling ALOT better after being on CPAP for a few weeks.

But I have this weird " yukkie " feeling the whole day especially after I wake up. It seems to be related to how much I use the CPAP - in the beginning I was only using it 4-5 hours a night and I did NOT have this feeling. Now that I am using it more and more as I get used it - the weird nausea is getting worse. It also takes me AGES to wake up in the morning / dopey / sleepy for 1-2 hours after I wake up - and since I feel nauseous I don't want to eat or drink anything. Could it be dehydration - I do have a humidifier ?

tx
Ivan.

[SleepingUgly]

Are your symptoms all day? I have been having headaches and associated queasiness, but have assumed it's unrelated to the CPAP as it tends to happen in late afternoon/evening.

[Brenpbb11150]

Hello,
I am a new user of Cpap about 2 weks now and I have the headaches and nausea also. Mine are worse in the afternoons. My nausea is just enough to make me feel like yuk. I can still function with headache and nausea but very weird feeling. I am sure it has something to do with my machine. I drink tons of water before bed and all day. Don't know what it is.
Thanks
Bren

[ifrimmel]

It gets worse as the day goes on .. I started taking Aspirin at around 6pm - but it would make me very sleepy and I would end up going to bed very early 8PM or so - usually I can't get to sleep without a tablet before 11pm. I would then end up sleeping longer - and the next day my headache would be much worse and almost impossible to get out of bed - feeling almost like a bad HANG OVER .. ( I do drink a bit of wine in the evenings - and THIS might have something to do with it )

I tried napping at like 2pm - no help - I am not a "napper" .

I stopped taking the Aspirin and just "tough" it out - my sleep time is starting to move back to around 10-11 and I feel less BAD .. but its still not great.

[sleepycarol]

I don't know where you live but I was at the doctor's last Monday. She said she is seeing lots of "crud" and "stuff" going around. She contributes part of it to the changing weather patterns we are having. Last summer was unusually cool and rainy here, now it is snow and wet conditions. That means we are inside more and the wet conditions are driving the mold counts up. The more people are inside, the more likely to spread the germs around. It seems like it is taking longer to get over the "crud" as well. I have had a chronic cough since Christmas. It will clear for a few days and then hit back with a vengence and keeping the cycle going.

I don't really think it has anything to do with pap therapy.

[Lee Lee]

Hi I'm sorry you're feeling sick.
In my very humble opinion, I don't think the therapy is causing your problem. It could be something else, and I really believe you should go have a check up with your Doctor. I've heard about headaches when starting therapy, ususally related to sleeping in a new position, which stresses the neck or back muscles. I really have not heard anything about nausea.
I will tell you, however, that aspirin is notorious for upsetting the stomach. You might want to change to Tylenol, if you are able to take it.(people with liver problems should not take it, for instance.
I'm very glad to hear you're sleeping better, and I hope you feel better soon. Please keep us updated!
Lee Ann

[BlackSpinner]

Too much sleep can cause a headache. One of the people I work with gets migraines if he sleeps in(migraine= headache & nausea).
I also get a stuffed feeling headache if I try to sleep in more then an extra hour.

[sassy9]

I've been feeling strange after using my machine as well. Just started therapy this week. I've been feeling more awake during the day, but slight headache and nausea. I felt terrible after my mask study, I know they had the pressure higher there than what I have my machine now. Maybe pressure can cause these feelings. Unfortunately after just beginning therapy, I got some kind of cold and now the stomach flu has been going through my family. I've attributed my queasiness and headaches to this instead of the machine. Hope things work out for you!

[jnk]

HI folks,

I was just wondering .. in general I am feeling ALOT better after being on CPAP for a few weeks.

But I have this weird " yukkie " feeling the whole day especially after I wake up. It seems to be related to how much I use the CPAP - in the beginning I was only using it 4-5 hours a night and I did NOT have this feeling. Now that I am using it more and more as I get used it - the weird nausea is getting worse. It also takes me AGES to wake up in the morning / dopey / sleepy for 1-2 hours after I wake up - and since I feel nauseous I don't want to eat or drink anything. Could it be dehydration - I do have a humidifier ?

tx
Ivan.

What was your specific diagnosis from the sleep study, and what was your AHI?

Is your leak under control?

What other medical conditions do you have?

What medications are you on?

Those are questions that may relate to the answer, whether you choose to answer them publicly or not. (I respect either choice.)

IF your obstructive apneas were severe, and IF your obstructive sleep apnea is doing much better, then it MAY be normal to feel a little weird in some ways, though only you and your doctor are in a position together to know for sure.

If your body was having to manufacture truck-loads of panic juice to keep you alive at night, but no longer has a constructive use for that stuff in such abundance, I think you can feel a certain icky-fatigue from that until your body adjusts. I know I did.

If your body is not used to having all that oxygen in your system at night, it takes it a while to figure out what to do with its newfound riches. Let it figure it out. Sometimes a healing organ can make you feel yucky in its attempt to make sure you have the energy it needs to heal. (Major oversimplification, but that's how I look at it as a patient.)

If your blood pressure is equalizing, that can make your head feel weird or a while. At least, it did mine.

If your humidity is not right for you, your sinuses can react to that for a while in a way that makes you feel sick. Your immune system assumes it has something it should be fighting. If it can't find any bugs to fight, it tries to fight everything, just in case.

If you are on any medications, your dose may need to change, since a healthier body may react differently to the chemicals. Especially is that so for blood-pressure or mood-related medications. Only your doctor can make that call, of course, and suggest specific adjustments, but he can't make that call if you aren't asking about it.

Or, as has been mentioned, something could actually be wrong that is unrelated to PAP, or in very rare cases, directly related to PAP. Again, only you and your doc can know for sure on that.

All that I know is that, for the great majority of the time, simply giving up on PAP therapy is not a viable option, if the goal is to feel better big-time, long-term.

Remember too, that feeling better has its own kind of stress related to it, since it is a change to be adjusted to--a wonderful change, yeah, but a change nevertheless.

Feeling weird is no fun. Being weird is more fun. Making other people feel weird can be fun too. But I sincerely hope your feeling of weirdness is a good sign. Only you can decide whether it is the sort of thing one of your medical professionals needs to know about, since you know your body better than anyone, whether you are used to listening to it that closely or not.

I am not a medical professional, myself. But I am odd and have been my whole life, so that should count for something as far as being an authority on weirdness, right?

jeff

[ifrimmel]

Thanks Jeff - thanks all!

I am very skeptical of doctors .. or any that don't SHARE common knowledge - they assume we are all idiots and treat us that way. I HATE being treated like an idiot because someone has "proprietary" knowledge about something that affects me directly and has any sort of control over me. Some are cool and awesome - other just see my suffering as a means to a paycheck.

I have NO ISSUE sharing/clarifying - I'm 37 this year :
During the sleep study I had somewhere around 150 sleep events and hour.
I now have 0 apnea events but my AHI is still around 5.

Always outside the BMI - I was happy with myself and life - but most recently - last 4-5 years - food/sleep/lethargy increasing - love of life decreasing.
I have had Hypertension since I was 25 - uncontrolled around 190/110 - controlled on Hyzaar and Norvasc -120/80
High heart rate at something around 100-110bpm resting.
Some sort of asthma / COPD - still being diagnosed
Fortunately no major issues with Cholesterol, Heart Disease or Diabetes.

The internet is a wonderful place.

I have 4 theories.. about feeling bad.. even though I should be feeling better:

1) CSA or mixed .. either way Hypoxia .. so I have ordered a logging Oximeter.. should have it on Tuesday - empirical evidence will hopefully help rule this out ..
2) Adrenal fatigue - not sure what I can do about this? I suppose its something to consider?
3) Too much sleep! ? Having had an hour or two a night cumulative the last 5 years now 8 hours ?
4) Leaks !? ( I have another post going .. all the suggestions are pushing me to take care of the leaks first )

[Hawthorne]

What pressure or pressure range is your machine set at?

You also said, I believe, that you have a bit of wine in the evening. If it's close to bedtime, that could have something to do with it. How much is a bit? Not having wine for a few evening might tell you if this has anything to do with how you feel the next day.

[ifrimmel]

What pressure or pressure range is your machine set at?

You also said, I believe, that you have a bit of wine in the evening. If it's close to bedtime, that could have something to do with it. How much is a bit? Not having wine for a few evening might tell you if this has anything to do with how you feel the next day.

Yes. But .. .. <insert highly defensive statement here>

Point well taken.

[jnk]

Take your blood pressure every morning just before you get out of bed. Let your doc know the results. Some on blood-pressure meds have had to have the doc lower the dose if they happen to be the kind of patients whose blood pressure happens to respond to PAP therapy.

Your reactions to caffeine and alcohol may have changed too.

You may need to get outdoors for some exercise first thing in the morning for a while, too, just to burn off some of the hormones and start the day with a bright invigorating bang to show your brain/body who's boss.

Once you start feeling life more vividly, you feel more of the bad and more of the good, both. Your perceptions are less dulled. You notice things. That's good. It let's you change things. Change the right things, and it can pay off big time. Change nothing in your choices and lifestyle, and you don't benefit from PAP therapy like you are supposed to.

Sounds to me like you are, and will be, someone who really benefits.

jeff

[Julie]

Is there a chance that the CO2 vent (patch of tiny holes) is being inadvertently covered overnight by bedding? That would definitely make you feel sick, dizzy and maybe headachey - rebreathing CO2 will do that! Make sure it's not covered up and see if it makes a difference.

[Muse-Inc]

Ditto what SleepyCarol said, my cardio said all his patients are complaining about feeling yucky, for the past several months...mold is the culprit; the allergy docs and ENTs are really busy these days! We were in a drought for about a decade and now we've been deluged with rain this past yr (even snow, rarity here). Meds for anything might need adjusting after CPAP therapy and getting some restful sleep. Alcohol is a central nervous system (CNS)depressant; the CNS controls breathing...not a good mix when you sleep.