More fatigued after use - :(

Hello! Newbie here. I’m 42 & I started cpap therapy 8 days ago. I’ve got the resmed machine, with heated humidifier - pressure from 8-15. My sleep study showed moderate sleep apnea.

The first few nights were horrible. I was miserable.

I actually did get used to my mask this week and sleep through the night for the last half of this week. When I wake up in the morning need to go back to sleep within an hour or two. I’ve needed to nap at least twice a day - even with 8 hours of sleep. This is absurd. This morning I got up at 7, and took my mask off. I went back to sleep for 4 hours, but feel much better than other mornings.

What’s going on? I know I’m supposed to keep at it. I can’t stay asleep for 12 hours a day anymore.

Hi - please read the Sticky notes at the top of the page and download (free) Oscar software so we can see what's going on - and please follow the instructions re posting what and how. And please stay in this thread (don't start a new one) so we can help follow everything for you. And thanks for getting your machine/mask info in Profile!

Julie is spot on. If you can use the Oscar software and post a daily chart, the wealth of information it presents will help the people on the forum help you.

One other thing: the occasional person puts on their CPAP mask for the first time, sleeps deeply all night, and wakes up feeling great. But most of us find that it takes time and patience to adapt and to start feeling the benefits. Once we can see some Oscar charts to understand better what is going on, we may be able to make some specific suggestions that could help you feel the benefits sooner rather than later.

It's good that you're getting used to the mask and starting to sleep through the night. You also have an excellent machine. And you sound determined. Those are all good ingredients for success.

One thought: I know from personal experience how hard it is to avoid taking naps after a bad night. But if you could avoid long naps, and any naps after 2 pm, you'll improve your chances of a better night the next night.

Thanks -

I guess I should ask if this has happened to anyone before? It's not so much that I'm still fatigued with the CPAP, it's that I feel horrible from using it and would prefer my previous state of tiredness. Is this common?

Anything can feel awful if not set up properly and there's likely a hundred (probably more) who have had your experience - until they got everything adjusted.