First month on cpap.... still tired!!!

hi everybody! got a question... i've heard a little about sleep debt, and if i've had this problem as long as i think i have, it'll take a while to get caught up, but i wanna know if my problem was common... i'm still extremely tired... i think i'm sleeping better since i dont toss and turn like i used to and i stay asleep all night. i seem to be sleeping a LOT deeper. the problem is i wake up just about as tired as i was when i went to sleep. i'm trying to get in bed earlier (i'm getting only about 6 hours or so a night) but busy lifestyles being as they are.... besides that, my prescription is set at 7cm/h2o (did i say that right?).... anyway its a 7. i've tweaked it up to 11, but i'm still pretty tired during the day, i'm just not falling asleep at every chance i sit down... how long might it take to pay back sleep debt? shouldn't i feel at least a little better in the mornings??

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my .02

[quote="Anonymous"]hi everybody! got a question... i've heard a little about sleep debt, and if i've had this problem as long as i think i have, it'll take a while to get caught up, but i wanna know if my problem was common... i'm still extremely tired... i think i'm sleeping better since i dont toss and turn like i used to and i stay asleep all night. i seem to be sleeping a LOT deeper. the problem is i wake up just about as tired as i was when i went to sleep. i'm trying to get in bed earlier (i'm getting only about 6 hours or so a night) but busy lifestyles being as they are.... besides that, my prescription is set at 7cm/h2o (did i say that right?).... anyway its a 7. i've tweaked it up to 11, but i'm still pretty tired during the day, i'm just not falling asleep at every chance i sit down... how long might it take to pay back sleep debt? shouldn't i feel at least a little better in the mornings??

It may take a couple of months...the fact that your are sleeping through the night, and seem less restless during sleep (the 'deeper sleep' you mentioned) are positive indications. If the tiredness persists, get back with your sleep doc and discuss this. If your machine supports data gathering/reporting, and you do not have the software, ask your sleep doc's office to download it for you (or <shudder>have the DME do it) so you can see if the pressure you are using is actually preventing your apneas...an AHI of 5 or less is considered normal, so your AHI should be at or below that. Simply increasing your pressure w/o any data to monitor the results is not a good idea.

I've got the same problem and have been wondering the same thing. Still tired in the mornings and pretty much throughout the day. But, that being said, I have also noticed some pleasant changes - most noticably sleeping through the night more frequently without the multiple trips to the bathroom. I like that!!! Also I would usually fall right asleep after eating dinner - doesn't seem to happen that often any more. I'm thinking that possibly a good test to go by might be starting a good book and tracking how many minutes of reading I can get through before nodding off. Also how much time I spend rereading what I just read! Something does seem to be happening - hopefully the beginning of better things to come. It seems that if your sleeping through the nights now and not falling asleep every time you sit down, that you are also experiencing some positive changes. I personally think that I have had sleep apnea most of my life and that I really won't see any rise in energy level for quite some time. But in the meantime it's uplifting in itself just knowing that something is finally being done, or tried at least, to cure the problem. I've only been on it for 12 days now, but have already had at least three complete get up and walk down the hall to the bathroom awakenings every night eliminated - that's gonna have to add up to a pretty big benefit in the long run! I know where you are coming from because I'm right there with ya. Best of luck - to both of us --- BT

Heya Folks,

I have been on the hose for about 7 months now, my compliance is >95%, AHI hovers around 5-7 (still high) and my experiences are very close to yours: less midnight bio-breaks, generally a better night sleep, still wrestling with adjusting gear and machine (darn leaks), and a question of "does this stuff really work?" because I haven't had a sudden, massive change in energy or health.

I believe I got an answer to my question last weekend when I left town for 3 nights and accidentally forgot my machine at home. My sleep on all three nights was awful. Multiple bio breaks, woke-up tired and grumpy, falling asleep all day....in short it was a flashback to pre-hosehead. The lack of the hose correlated with the miserable nights which gives me some indication that the therapy works for me.

I have not experienced an epiphany moment of eureka! I'm cured! However, I am convinced the hose seems to make subtle (and I hope important) differences.

Ottsca