Can CPAP eliminate fatigue completely?

[Kokopod]

Hi everyone,

I am new to using CPAP (APAP specifically) and have a question. Can CPAP (or APAP or any of its relatives) ever get rid of the fatigue caused by sleep apnea/UARS? Or can it only reduce fatigue up to a point?

Thank you
Kokopod

[Julie]

Hi - for some people, it can change their life completely and they become 'new' people, or at least revert to who they were prior to OSA, tho' others have had it for most of their lives, so don't realize what 'awake' means!

Most of us feel much better after early adjustments are dealt with (and some don't even have many of those... mask trial and error, etc.), and a few don't seem to improve a lot, though even they usually get some relief, but the majority certainly, sometimes immediately, more often over a little time, feel good enough to do many things they haven't in years and get on with their lives to a much better extent.

One thing important to remember is that we all get older, and that often brings other conditions to deal with (cardiac issues, diabetes, thyroid and arthritis problems, etc.) so it's important to keep a little perspective and not blame every glitch on OSA or Cpap!

[OhHelpMe]

Hi everyone,

I am new to using CPAP (APAP specifically) and have a question. Can CPAP (or APAP or any of its relatives) ever get rid of the fatigue caused by sleep apnea/UARS? Or can it only reduce fatigue up to a point?

Thank you
Kokopod

Are you studying your data to see if the CPAP therapy is highly effective from a statistical point of view?

[Snufflewrinkle]

Hello,

About CPAP curing fatigue is a big ask.......as we get older our body stamina reduces, but with the right physical conditioning both strength and cardio you might be able the effects of fatigue due to aging. I work out cardio twice a week and strength train once a week and if you on medication for anything go to the doctor regularly for check up.

I had have some my dosage reduced because I was having fatigue issues during the day due some sedating effect of my medications. That may happen to any medication side effect. Now I am awake most the day and if I have nap no more an a hour!

Good luck in getting your fatigue issues dealt with

[avi123]

No way that CPAPs eliminate fatigue "completely" for all users. Just Google: Excessive Residual Sleepiness. The word "Residual" refers to the person being "adequately treated".

Check:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19407048

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23409736

[Loreena]

I'm not going to lie to you: I'm still tired in the morning (even though the sleep report is good), but with 4 cups of matcha green tea in the morning, I usually feel better by noon. I believe this is because I've had severe sleep apnea my whole life, and only sought medical help when I was 47. I think a lot of damage has been done to my brain, but at least I don't suffer from bad oxygen deprivation anymore. I'm just going to have to bear this cross, but it's a lot less heavy having gone on the cpap machine.

[chunkyfrog]

Cpap made a huge difference with me, almost as much as losing weight.
Together; Is this how good 66 can feel? Really? ----Yessss!

[BlackSpinner]

Yes - as long as you actually use it for 8 hours at night, give your self a chance to heal and don't try to pretend you are 16 and invincible anymore. If you were never a morning person don't expect to be one now. If you were always a couch potato don't expect to be leaping tall buildings any time soon, start working out slowly instead. If you have other health issues you will still have to deal with them.

[Kokopod]

Hi everybody! Wow, thank you for all your replies, I wasn't expecting so many so quickly!

So the consensus seems to be that CPAP can and does help a lot, which is great to hear - I feel a lot more optimistic after reading your replies. I've only been on CPAP for a couple of weeks, so I have yet to check my sleep data, but have a sleep clinic appointment for that soon.

It's interesting that you all mention age as a limiting factor of sorts for CPAP's affectiveness - I hope that as a teenager (who isn't quite invincible!) that I'll respond well to the treatment as it progresses. I'll look into getting more active as well; I hadn't realised that it made a difference to sleep apnea symptoms but it makes sense. In the meantime I'll just have to contend with being frustrated by my fatigue - at least there are these forums for support.

[Julie]

If you're having trouble, maybe we can help - e.g. if you're mouth breathing and losing therapy air that way, you could think about trying a full face mask. Or if GERD is interfering with results, there are fixes for that (besides medication), etc. etc.

[SleepyToo2]

kokopod, the UARS you mention may take a little longer to resolve, and may require some "tweaking" of your therapy.

[ChicagoGranny]

so I have yet to check my sleep data, but have a sleep clinic appointment for that soon.

Don't wait around! Fill out your equipment profile and ask someone how to download and use the software to do your own checking on your therapy. All of the regulars here keep up with their own data and that is the only way to do it.

Don't wait around for some professional who, at the best, will glance over your data for ten seconds and then call in the next patient.

[ironhands]

after a month, I honestly haven't seen a big change. I'm finding it much easier to get outta bed in the morning, as in, I don't feel like death or so tired I want to cry, but I still hit the snooze button once or twice, instead of 5. Things seem very surreal when I awaken now, and I feel I'm dreaming far more.

Still fatigued, still ready to go to sleep at 8-9pm. Not feeling the need to nap, no sleep attacks either, but I'm also taking in a lot of nicotine (not smoking) and caffeine, so maybe that's the explanation. eager to see the results of my sleep architecture from the titration study next week, because on my last 2, it was highly abnormal.

[andy88488]

Hi everyone,

I am new to using CPAP (APAP specifically) and have a question. Can CPAP (or APAP or any of its relatives) ever get rid of the fatigue caused by sleep apnea/UARS? Or can it only reduce fatigue up to a point?

Thank you
Kokopod

I have seen some improvements, but they have been subtle. I am not hugely fatigued, but it is not the night-and-day change I had hoped for.