Sleep not long enough

This is probably a "weird" question but I am going to ask anyway. Some background. I had my initial sleep study about 5 years ago and then another 3 years ago both times I was told I needed CPAP and have been using it faithfully every night for the last five years but was still awaking tired in the morning. I kept going back to the sleep dr. and was told this was as good as it gets.

Anyway, I got tired of it all and went to a new dr. They put me on a full sleep study since I had not had one in 3 years. Bottom line is I am off CPAP. The team looked at my results and no CPAP "DO NOT SLEEP ON YOUR BACK". Only when I was on my back did I have any issues. The rest of the night was better than perfect. Told me to either put a tennis ball on my tee shirt or get a no snore pillow to put on my back.

The question is has this happened to anyone else and how long before you were back to normal sleep without the CPAP? I only seem to sleep about 4 hours a night no matter how early I go to bed and once awake have a very hard time getting back to sleep. Not really different then when I was on CPAP. Also they said my REM sleep was very good during the study. I am puzzled why I still feel tired most days. Thanks for any insight.

o2 never dropped below 94% even on my back and ahi was 4.2 discounting the time on my back.

Login and go to your profile and post your cpap machine and mask. Then maybe someone can offer some suggestions, particularly if your machine is data capable so you can see whether it is really helping you or not!

I think I'd want to lay the reports side by side and compare them. Did something change in your life that might have improved your situation, like losing weight, or going off a med? The details of your recent study may give some clues, and I would want to closely scrutinize it. One thing to look for is if you spent a substantial amount of the time on your side in deep sleep and REM. Just be sure the study gives you enough good info to accept it as representative of your normal sleep. So, you're sleeping without cpap now, right? What method are you using to assure you don't roll onto your back while asleep? Just wondering why you're still symptomatic with problematic sleep and tiredness. Can you give us some details on the report?

I am no longer on CPAP. The dr. took me off the meeting after my study. My new dr. did look at all three studies. He said the first two did not take into account the sleep on my side. I have excellent rem sleep on my side so that is not the problem. The first dr. was a pulmonary specialist who became a sleep dr. The new team only does sleep and are all board certified.

I use a tennis ball in a sock pinned to the back of my tee shirt. VERY uncomfortable if you roll over on your back. Anyway it has been about a month and I have "trained" myself to sleep on my side and stomach. I used to sleep on my side and stomach when younger just do not remember when I started sleeping on my back.

The only other medical issue I have is a stabilized case of Hoshimoto disease, thyroid with higher then normal output. I have been seeing an endocrinologist for years and all my levels are within the normal range and are consistent with what they have been. He also said my throat geometry was not that of someone who has sleep apnea. Basically my tongue slides back and blocks the air if I am on my back. I am not heavy either, 6' 3" at about 200-205 lbs.

The only other thing that I can think of is stress which has been high for the last 6+ years as my children have been leaving home for college that along with high work stress that keeps increasing. Thanks for the questions and pointers in advance. I have been reading this board for years now and am just looking for a possible other cause of my tiredness.

I think you could have a problem with the thyroid meds - Hashimoto's requires them to slow your metabolism and it could conflict with the way you felt prior to having it. Can you talk to your MD and ask about it?

I am on no meds at all. That is what my dr. suggested, that I go back to my endocrinologist. That is the next step. He did run all the typical thyroid tests and the were all in the "normal" range. This has been a vexing issue for me for the last 5+ years. At least the sleep apnea is ruled out so I have one less thing on the list. Thanks for the suggestion.

The issue is there really is no easy way to lower production of the thyroid hormones without damaging the thyroid in the long term. That has been one of my issues. The dr. wants to take it out and put me on synthetics but has failed to explain to me any benefits since I am in the normal range. My thyroid was "hot" for about 3 years then settled down and has been in a consistent range for the last 8 years. The other issue is this is typically seen in women and I am not of that gender.