Improvement process to slow

I've been on cpap for 4 months, lots of major improvements, but still feeling tired. The great news is, I don't have to take naps anymore. Only symptom, I have left is still feeling tired.

My energy level, depletes fast during the day. After I awaken, I'll be fine for around 4-5 hours, during activities, then wham !!!! I get awfully tired physically, but still mentally alert.

Just my body feels like it weighs, 2 tons,. Every step is an effort, But as long as I lay down, watch tv, I'm fine. But I get tired of laying around watching tv. So mentally, I'm doing really well, no more brain fog, lack of concentration, etc..... Also, I don't yawn anymore during the day, or fight to keep my eyes open.

I just don't understand, why I feel so physically tired still ? Sleep doc said, my data is looking really good, bumped my pressure up 1cm, but that hasn't helped.

I just want to wake up one day, stretch, and just feel energized. I'm like at 50%, between zombie and being fully normal again.

Does anyone have any idea, how long it takes energy to return or when thiers actually returned ?

Are thier any type of foods, vitamins, drinks that can help improve energy levels.

I just feel, as if I'm almost there, and just need that push to get to the other side.

Any input would be appreciated.

Well, you might want to ask your MD for routine lab tests, just to make sure nothing else is coincidentally going on. You also might want to get together with a friend and at least make a stab at some slow and easy exercise. I think that the less you do the worse that gets, you know... use it or lose it, and the habit is insidious. Don't look for quick fix alternative meds or foods, though a proper maintenance diet is a good idea. Do you have any outside interests? What is your pressure set at? And are you going to sleep at a regular time, napping without the machine (a no-no), eating or drinking too much before bed?

While it's fantastic the progress you have made in 4 months, of course you want to keep going until you've received the maximum benefit from your CPAP treatment. I don't know how long it took you to get used to the treatment and the mask and have been able to sleep a full night, but it is probably realistic to consider that point in treatment as your "for real" starting point. Consider the prior stuff warm-up.

Do you have the specifics on the data your doc reviewed? Reason I ask is it must have not been optimal or why the increase in pressure? Maybe it was good, but not good enough, and that could contribute to residual tiredness. I would want to know the specifics of the AHI and leak rates to be sure something doesn't need tweaked more.

Also, are you consistently getting adequate hours of sleep on your machine? Do either your diagnostic study or titration reports make any mention of limb movements? Have you been evaluated for all the common things that can cause tiredness, like diabetes, thyroid dysfunction, anemia, and cardiac conditions, just to name a few? If your CPAP is optimized, I agree with others that other possible contributors need to be ruled out.

Let us know how things progress for you. Best wishes.

Kathy

You have seen results and should be encouraged by those results, but you need to keep going. It took me around six months until I woke up one morning with lots of energy that has been missing. It took time but after that I still saw things get better.

Gerry

It took me 9 months to get the energy to exercise. I was easily fatigued too during those 9 months. I saw other improvements but my energy was really slow to return to anything near normal. I just kept trying to exercise for more more than a few minutes every wk or so, then shazamm, 10 mins, then 15, then 30, then 45, then 60...over the course of several more months. Have some patience. Meanwhile, get your thyroid checked out; if it's under par, it causes tiredness. I also found transitioning to a higher protein diet helped my daytime alertness and tiredness. I made sure I got at least 8-9 hrs of sleep every night. Good luck! Congrats on seeing improvements; I remember how discouraged you were in the beginning, nice to see you're recovering!