Sleep Comparison - Before vs. With XPAP

mtsarpilot · Post by **mtsarpilot** » Tue Aug 15, 2006 4:57 am

I'm now 3 weeks into CPAP and not really seeing much change in my state of sleepiness during the day. I understand it may take one or more months to reverse the sleep debt. But the main thing I'm finding is that I'm not really sleeping any more than I used to. In fact, I'm sleeping less because of being woken up once or twice at night due to a minor leak or the hose catching on something, etc.. I'm also finding the number of hours I sleep is not changing. I typically go to sleep around 10:30 and will wake up about 4:30. If I go to bed earlier, I just wake up earlier. It's between 5 and 6 hours a night. Has been for years, and seems to still be even on CPAP. I'm hoping the quality of sleep is better due to no apnea events, that's the only hope that this is doing me any good.

So I'm curious - Do most people find their length of sleep has changed once on XPAP? Are you sleeping more hours, or are you simply getting better quality of sleep during those same number of hours?

Thanks,

Joel

bdp522 · Post by **bdp522** » Tue Aug 15, 2006 5:38 am

I've only been on cpap for 2 1/2 weeks but I noticed that I used to go to bed at 1 a.m. and sleep until 6 or 7. Now I go to bed at midnight and sleep till 6 or 7 (one morning till 8:30). The big difference for me is that I used to wake up every 2 hours, now I sleep straight through! My husband thinks the machine puts me into a coma because I don't snore, gasp, and toss & turn all night anymore. He complains that he has to check and see if I'm breathing because he doesn't hear anything. I know I feel better and am much more alert than before.

Brenda

mecocosm · Post by **mecocosm** » Tue Aug 15, 2006 5:49 am

Brenda,
I saw that you have the REMstar Auto C-Flex CPAP machine and the Hybrid mask. Have you been tracking your AI and HI numbers? I feel more refreshed when I wake up ever since I started using the Hybrid mask (I'm a serious mouth breather) but I would like to quantify that feeling. I'm considering getting the REMstar Auto C-Flex CPAP machine.

Cheers!

-Paul

bdp522 · Post by **bdp522** » Tue Aug 15, 2006 5:56 am

No, I don't track anything yet. I have to show compliance for 2 months then the machine is mine. I'm afraid if I play with it I'll end up erasing something then my insurance won't pay for the machine. BUT...at the end of 2 months I'll start with all the software, and you'll see me here all the time asking questions about how to fix whatever I've messed up!

CPAPSaves · Post by **CPAPSaves** » Tue Aug 15, 2006 5:57 am

I have been on CPAP for 2.75 years. I too sleep about 6 or so hours a day, I usually go to bed around 9 to 11 and get up at 3 - 5.

It took me about a month or two to really get used to the hose and the mask, and you will to, don't be discouraged. I now feel lost without the mask and hose.

When I went to my sleep study, they told me it usually takes about 2 weeks from the study until you receive your CPAP unit "if you need it" I received mine on an emergency basis the same day of the study! My O2 level was dropping below 60% and my heart was beating very eratically during my sleep study and it really gave me a wakeup call.

I started to feel way more rested about a couple weeks to a month after starting CPAP, it does take a little time for you to get used to it, and as you describe I also had a little trouble adjusting at first.

So basically to sum up, I don't sleep more hours, but I definitely get more rest. I have to force myself to sleep the same number of hours because when I wake up my brain turns on and I have to force myself to go back to sleep. CPAP has literally saved my life. You WILL get used to it and the rested feeling will come with a little more time. Don't give up!!

_________________

CPAPopedia Keywords Contained In This Post (Click For Definition): hose, CPAP

Snoredog · Post by **Snoredog** » Tue Aug 15, 2006 12:28 pm

the recovery is gradual and can take 4-6 weeks. What you find after that is you no longer get those bouts of heavy eyelids in the afternoon at 2-3PM.

you should also pull out a copy of your sleep study and look over the results carefully, look at what type of events were found during your PSG, if you had a lot of CA and MA events that could explain why you may not feel any different as those are many times not addressed by cpap.

IF you don't have a copy of that report, you should request it from the Sleep Lab/doctor. You have a legal right to a copy (once the content has been delivered to you by a licensed doctor). The more detailed the report is the better.

snoozie_suzy · Post by **snoozie_suzy** » Tue Aug 15, 2006 4:08 pm

For Me, I think I sleep much less than I used to. I remember a few years back, before being diagnosed I slept something like 14 hours on a Saturday! I hadn't slept that long since I had Mono in highschool.

Now its about 6- 7 hours on weeknights, but weekends maybe one hour more, its strange once I wake up on weekends, no matter what time I can't get back to sleep, even though I tell myself, "its a weekend, you can sleep longer" I'm wondering maybe my body doesn't need it, or maybe its my body's way of getting me up and out of bed, so that my sleep cycle that night isn't disturbed or thrown off.

Suzy

jeepdoctor · Post by **jeepdoctor** » Tue Aug 15, 2006 5:36 pm

When setting the alarm for seven hours sleep, I have noted the following. If I get up to go to the bathroom, say an hour before the alarm is set, I can't sleep again. I might as well get up. If I get up for a potty call two hours before the alarm is set, I can sleep again.

Perhaps this happens because the quality of sleep is improved.

inacpapfog · Post by **inacpapfog** » Tue Aug 15, 2006 7:35 pm

I find that the amount of time I sleep is about the same
(7-8 hours) but, like Snoredog refers to it, "the heavy eyelids around 2-3" disappeared after being on cpap a couple of weeks!
Putting it simply, BEFORE cpap, I tired easily, woke up several times a night to visit bathroom and was always heavy-eyed around 2-3. Just thought it was all signs of getting old!
AFTER cpap, sleep through the night, no more bone-tired feelings and I do not get sleepy during the day at all!

Goofproof · Post by **Goofproof** » Tue Aug 15, 2006 7:48 pm

I've been on it almost a year, 8 to 9 hours nightly. I think I've made up the loss, I'm not sleeping as sound as I was at 3 months. Now I'm back to waking 3 times nightly, rolling over adjusting things, at about 2 hour at a time, as the night progresses I sleep sounder, the last sleep period, I'm a Log. I think, I may get more sleep than I need. Jim

mtsarpilot · Post by **mtsarpilot** » Tue Aug 15, 2006 9:06 pm

Snoredog wrote:the recovery is gradual and can take 4-6 weeks. What you find after that is you no longer get those bouts of heavy eyelids in the afternoon at 2-3PM.

you should also pull out a copy of your sleep study and look over the results carefully, look at what type of events were found during your PSG, if you had a lot of CA and MA events that could explain why you may not feel any different as those are many times not addressed by cpap.

Heavy eyelids and zoning out in the afternoon ... Yup, that is me. I know I'd doing it, but can't do anything about it. I say to myself "I should get up and walk around" but I just can't. How I look forward to that going away. At 3 weeks on CPAP it still has not gone away at all.

What do CA and MA mean? I will be seeing my sleep doc in a week, I'll ask for a copy of my PSG. I have had 3 of them as it turns out, so they have lots of good data on my.

Wulfman · Post by **Wulfman** » Tue Aug 15, 2006 10:04 pm

mtsarpilot,

As far as the CA and MA, I think Snoredog meant Central Apneas and Mixed Apneas (combination of centrals and obstructive).

I can't recall that you stated what your pressure is. Are you monitoring your therapy with software?
In any case, it can take months to recover from the ravages of OSA.

Hang in there.

Den

Snoredog · Post by **Snoredog** » Tue Aug 15, 2006 10:32 pm

mtsarpilot wrote:
Snoredog wrote:the recovery is gradual and can take 4-6 weeks. What you find after that is you no longer get those bouts of heavy eyelids in the afternoon at 2-3PM.

you should also pull out a copy of your sleep study and look over the results carefully, look at what type of events were found during your PSG, if you had a lot of CA and MA events that could explain why you may not feel any different as those are many times not addressed by cpap.
Heavy eyelids and zoning out in the afternoon ... Yup, that is me. I know I'd doing it, but can't do anything about it. I say to myself "I should get up and walk around" but I just can't. How I look forward to that going away. At 3 weeks on CPAP it still has not gone away at all.

What do CA and MA mean? I will be seeing my sleep doc in a week, I'll ask for a copy of my PSG. I have had 3 of them as it turns out, so they have lots of good data on my.

mtsarpilot · Post by **mtsarpilot** » Wed Aug 16, 2006 6:54 am

Wulfman wrote:mtsarpilot,

As far as the CA and MA, I think Snoredog meant Central Apneas and Mixed Apneas (combination of centrals and obstructive).

I can't recall that you stated what your pressure is. Are you monitoring your therapy with software?
In any case, it can take months to recover from the ravages of OSA.

Hang in there.

Den

I remember the first sleep doc telling me there was not Central Apnea events, it was all Obstructive. Not sure if the next 2 PSG's had the same conclusion, I'll ask.

My pressure is 10.

I am not monitoring, as the machine I have does not have the capability. I have an appointment next week with the sleep doc, I'll see if she wants to switch me to a machine that has monitoring so we can see how the treatment is going.

Thanks for all the advice, this helps.

Joel