Waking up to early

Nearly every night I have this problem. I fire up my cpap machine and go to bed about 11pm or 11:30. I sleep like a rock, for a while that is. I feel fully rested as I spring out of bed thinking it's time to get ready for work only to discover it's only 5am. I feel so rested that I can't get back to sleep, though I know I should. Then about 9am it starts to catch up with me and I start feeling really tired and am wasted for the rest of the day.

I have my machine set for 11cm. I am wondering if maybe I am getting to much cpap therapy and that is what is making me wake up too early.

Any thoughts

Greg,

How long has it been since you had a follow-up visit or your last sleep study? If it hasn't been since you joined, that is coming up on 4 years. OSA is highly correlated with age. It might be that your body is 4 years older, and you need an adjustment to your therapy.

How long has it been since you had your machine calibrated, and how long since you changed out your mask and hose? It might be that your machine has drifted off of calibration, or your mask seal isn't working so well.

I noticed that I sleep much less since starting CPAP--about 6-1/2 hours a night on average. I felt really good up until I caught a real nasty cold on July 6. Since then, I feel about like you do. I am having a hard time getting 5 hours of sleep, and I am in the ozone by the end of the afternoon. But I have been feeling a little better every day, and sleeping a little longer every morning. It seems like there is a really thin line between feeling really good and feeling really icky.

-john-

I've been on cpap since March 2010 and I found I wake up much earlier also and I too feel very refreshed.

I think since your getting quality sleep that its quite normal to wake earlier.

Are you able to take a nap in the afternoon? Oh, to have a schedule like the Spaniards.... 3 hr siestas every day!

Before CPAP, I would get up at 5 or 6 every morning, even on the weekend.
I woke up many times a night, usually with a horrible headache;
So, whenever I woke up WITHOUT the headache, I got out of bed.
Now I sleep late when I can, and get up when I need to.