Does CPAP Therapy Improve Non-CPAP Sleeping?

I was told by my sleep therapist that CPAP therapy only addresses the problem at hand...it is not a cure for anything... And maybe I misinterpreted him, so please don't criticize what could be me just not hearing things or interpreting things correctly when I met with him...

Anyway... That said, I have been using the Snorelab App in parallel with my CPAP... Prior to CPAP therapy, my "SnoreScore" averaged between the 30s and 50s... Nowadays, my average with admittedly inconsistent CPAP therapy has been between the single digits and the high teens... But of course, some of that average is dragged down by my CPAP usage...

However... What I have noticed is that when I unconsciously remove my CPAP mask in the middle of the night, my non-CPAP snoring seems to be in better control... Last night, as an example, I wore my CPAP mask for 3 hours before yanking it off and sleeping without it for 4 hours... During those 4 hours I didn't log any notable snoring at all...

That doesn't happen all the time though... Sometimes there is some significant snoring when I am "unmasked"...but still...the visual SnoreLab chart and audible recordings are still a lot improved from before I started my CPAP therapy...

Any chance you turn over in bed after taking the mask off, so end up sleeping in a less snore-inducing position (i.e. side vs back) the rest of the night?

Julie wrote: ↑

Mon Aug 01, 2022 10:44 am

Any chance you turn over in bed after taking the mask off, so end up sleeping in a less snore-inducing position (i.e. side vs back) the rest of the night?

There's certainly a chance... But generally speaking, I am a back sleeper... So while not 100% sure, I am somewhat confident that I continue to sleep on my back after taking the mask off in the middle of the night...

MikeekiM wrote: ↑

Mon Aug 01, 2022 10:17 am

I was told by my sleep therapist that CPAP therapy only addresses the problem at hand...it is not a cure for anything... And maybe I misinterpreted him, so please don't criticize what could be me just not hearing things or interpreting things correctly when I met with him...

No, CPAP doesn't improve base sleep any more than glasses improve your base vision abilities.

palerider wrote: ↑

Mon Aug 01, 2022 1:51 pm

MikeekiM wrote: ↑

Mon Aug 01, 2022 10:17 am

I was told by my sleep therapist that CPAP therapy only addresses the problem at hand...it is not a cure for anything... And maybe I misinterpreted him, so please don't criticize what could be me just not hearing things or interpreting things correctly when I met with him...

No, CPAP doesn't improve base sleep any more than glasses improve your base vision abilities.

Yes, that is what my sleep therapist said... So that aligns well...

I like the eye-glasses analogy...

Glasses don't "cure" poor vision. You expect to wear them for the long haul. Same with CPAP. It treats the problem but does not cure it. When you go off CPAP, the original problem is back in action.

Sometimes a patient might be told to temporarily halt cpap therapy before
undergoing an additional sleep study, because the provider believes
there is a "carry-over" effect from cpap use.
Sadly, there is no scientific basis for this line of "thought";
and many of us believe it is stupid and dangerous.