Ever take a night off?

Wulfman wrote:Every time I see these kinds of discussions, I always wonder what the "hoseheads" would say to their children if THEY had a life-threatening condition and told their parents "Gee, I don't feel like doing this tonight, Mommy."

If you think for one second that any of the rest of us would't like to go to sleep "unencumbered"......you've got another think coming.....

Doing damage to your body is having a "TREAT"??????
(Yes, I know.....many kinds of "treats" can damage your body.)

< shakes head then smacks forehead >

Den

My "TREAT", is a night hosed up, that I can keep my nasal fairly clear. Jim

Wistful wrote:That's exactly how I feel!
I need to know that the choice is mine, for if I feel I have to, it overwhelmes me. Knowing I can take the night off makes it easier for me to go back to it the next night. Kind of like knowing that you can have a treat on Saturday night gives you the strength to be good the rest of the week.

I made it until 2 am last night - a record, yay!

Erin

Might be treating yourself to heart trouble as I did, ignoring the symptoms, and treatment of apnea, back in shape now,and wouldn't think of going a nite without cpap, but then I have to much to live for.
Ed

wistful

Having been diagnosed with OSA in Nov. of last year and being a hosehead since Dec. of last year, i have pretty much accepted that this is going to be a lifetime nightly routine, strapping up to that ugly looking mask and hitting the power button. There have been some nights where i felt like chucking that thing and going without it. But i start thinking about dying in my sleep and that pretty much scares me in to sticking with it. I always think about my initial sleep study where i stopped breathing (one time of many breathing stoppages) for 1 min. and 11 seconds. with an O2 level of 42% and it doesn't take me long to get over the feeling of quitting and i stick with it. Also i feel a whole lot better now and i do not want to go back to the tired days again.

Dale

Please don't misunderstand me, I am not advocating nights off, nor do I think it is a treat to do so. I apologize if I was not clear about the treat in my analogy - I was referring to allowing yourself a treat to eat on saturday night so as to make it easier to be good the rest of the week (a technique many dietitains recomend) - Knowing you can makes it easier to persevere.

I recognize the importance of continuing Cpap therapy and the health impacts of not being treated. That is why I am keeping at it at all, despite not being able to sleep with the mask on.

However, for those of us that are still working on leaks, fit, aerophagia and actually sleeping, so much so that we are more tired with the therapy than without, there are times that it is just hard to face another night of very interrupted sleep. Knowing that the choice is mine, makes it easier to keep at it.

I truly, sincerely hope that one day in the near future, I will be where many of you are and look forward to sleeping with my mask and miss it horribly when I must go without - I am just not there yet.

Erin

However, for those of us that are still working on leaks, fit, aerophagia and actually sleeping, so much so that we are more tired with the therapy than without, there are times that it is just hard to face another night of very interrupted sleep. Knowing that the choice is mine, makes it easier to keep at it.

wistful

I look at all this problem solving stuff as a challenge and i treat it like a hobby, but at the same time i am trying to get the best treatment i can, and sometimes the problems can be troubling to say the least, but hang in there it gets better with time.

Dale

as far as a treat or not, i cant tell...
i have made an effort to to use my machine
every night, and i think im pretty darn good at it.

BUT, in my world, i've dealt with the worst of it
for nearly 20 years (my best guess), and now that im
on cpap, i feel great, and i am constantly seeing improvements.
SO, if i have an opportunity to do some World Class
salmon fishing in british columbia (canada) with
no extra power on the the boat, i'll not be encumbered,
I'M GOING FISHING.

consequently, after two nights and two great days
of that world class fishing, i felt great, and didnt
notice a lapse....yet i was happy to get back to cpap.

If it is any consolation, my first 30-35 nights w/CPAP were the WORSE sleep of my life (other than the two titration studies). I was MORE exhausted after those 30-35 days than I can remember being and I was a WITCH! But then I'd have a good night here, and a good night there, and one day it occurred to me that while I was still TIRED, I wasn't exhausted as I had been and I "thought" but wasn't entirely sure that I was sleeping as well as prior to starting CPAP.

And then one day I realized that I DID feel better and more rested than prior to starting CPAP! My sleep is still fragmented despite good stats. I'm still not feeling as rested and energetic as I hoped for and expected w/CPAP, but I'm not giving up. My sleep pulmo is happy w/my stats, didn't seemed at all concerned about the fragmented sleep and has turned me loose for six months.

Ha! He may be satisfied - but "I" am NOT! When I explained this to my family doctor and told him I was thinking of seeing a sleep neurologist, maybe even the sleep department at a nearby University, he offered to refer me to either. For now he's referred me to a local sleep neurologist. But the appointment isn't until May 10th. I'm checking to see if I can get into the sleep department at the University prior to the local appointment. First come, first served as far as I am concerned. The earliest "bird" will get the worm (me!).

Here's the way I look at it--my goal is to live a long, healthy life, and I've (reluctantly) come to the conclusion that that means I need to participate in effectively treating my osa. I want CPAP to work. So . . . how do I get there? How do I break this process down into bite-sized pieces I can manage? For me personally, I know that when I crawl into bed tonight, my attitude matters. Again, for me, personally, if I'm thinking "Okay, I'll wear this mask tonight and do the best I can do. I may decide tomorrow night that I can't deal with it, but tonight, I'm gonna put this on and turn the machine on and . . . " I am more likely to be successful. And if tonight happens to be the night I can't deal with it, I will, guilt-free, take a night off. That suits my nature. I am much more likely to go back to it the next night than if I beat myself up for not being sucessful. I think I've purposely decided to be mask-free 3-4 nights since I started back in November '06. Granted, my diagnosis is for mild sleep apnea, so maybe I'd handle things differently if the situation were more severe.

Having said all that--I had a very good night last night with my OptiLife. I slept close to 8 hours, waking up 2-3 times very briefly, to turn over and readjust the hose. That's the best night I've had so far!

Dj,
I'm glad you had such a good night with your optilife.

I think doing the best that we can is all that we can expect of ourselves. One day at a time, one bit a time makes sense and beating ourselves up for what we cannot accomplish never helped anyone.

I go to bed each night saying 'this is the one, I will make it through the night tonight, it will work..." and one day (soon I hope) I'll be right!

Erin

Well I have a really bad night - Thunderstorm and had to unplug everything. Did not get to hose up at all. Felt really bad this morning but the machine is okay.

Becky

Taking nights off makes it easier to give up on your treatment.
You may not realize it but not using your machine after you have been diagnosed is like agreeing to developing heart problems,diabetes and the possibility of a stroke.Go online and read about what OSA does to people if left untreated.I didn't know I was a borderline diabetic (I felt fine)until I had bloodwork done and I believe it came from having untreated OSA for years.I have always been a chronic snorer and that is what lead me to seeking treatment.Any discomfort you may experience in the very beginning of treatment while you are geting used to using the CPAP every night is outweighed by how great you feel when you get used to it and start seeing improvemnts in your quality of life.
God Bless-
Rapunzel111

You know, I was thinking about this thread as I was about to fall asleep (with my CPAP on, of course) last night. I've really wanted to respond to this thread, but didn't know if I would make things better or worse. I don't like to be mean to anyone on these boards, but...

It seems like some of you need a wakeup call. This is NOT something you can choose to use or not use night after night. It seems like telling yourselves you can have a night off is your way of feeling like you have control. Well, you don't. Apnea is not something you can suddenly make go away because you don't feel like using your cpap one night.

Every time you sleep without it, you are damaging your body. You are literally injuring your heart, your lungs, your brain, all your vital organs, EVERY SINGLE TIME you sleep without it. You've already stacked the cards by having untreated apnea for some time - who knows which night of sleeping without it is going to be the final card that you just can't handle, and your whole stack comes tumbling down? I honestly care about you all, and I'd hate to see one of you have a stroke in your sleep, or have a car accident in which you kill someone else or yourself because "one more night won't hurt." One more night CAN hurt. It can be the night you think about for the rest of your life.

This treatment is really, really hard to make work. No one knows that more than me. But despite all the obstacles I had (and I had more than many do) I hose up every. single. night. Because I'm done letting this silent thief of my life sneak in and smother me every single time I sleep. I'm done giving control of my life to this disease. I'm done with it.

CPAP is not a burden. It is the best gift I have ever received. I have a life-threatening disorder, and all I have to do is strap a mask to my face when I sleep. Very few other people with disorders as serious as ours can say that. The sooner you start looking at it as a gift, and something that's saving your life, regardless of how hard it is to get the right mask, machine, etc. the better off you will be. CPAP is not the enemy. It is your best friend.

I've been on CPAP for about 5 weeks now and there's so much to get used. I have yet to use it for more than two full nights since I've started. I just raised my pressure and feel more rested when i awake in the morning and time will tell witht he day time sleepiness.


IF it's not the mask leaking, I awake due to dry mouth. It's always something!

I am going to agree with college girl on this one. I might not have said it the same way, but the point I would make is the same. No choice about using cpap.
If I have to choose between sleeping or breathing, I am going to choose breathing every time. Sooner or later I will get the sleeping part right. I haven't yet, but I know I will. Am I tired? Yes. Does it make me grumpy that I am not sleeping the way and amount I want to? Yes. Do I want to continue destroying my health with low O2 desaturation? NO. NO. NO.
Think of it this way. Suppose it was someone you love very much. Would you want them to skip a night and risk letting sleep apnea do its damage? Try loving yourself.
Catnapper

I agree with CG 100%! I even purchased a battery operated unit form cpap.com for those nights when the power goes(or may go) out. Yes, it was expensive, but I kinda feel I'm worth it.

Brenda