Sold on Mouthtaping...yeah!!!!!!!

Hmmm, Mouthtaping seems to have done the trick. I just reviewed my stats for the last few months and my AHI was ranging between 3 and 5 before mouthtaping, and after is in the low 2 range.

What a difference. I do feel better but still sleeping 10-11 hours a night. Is that normal for us with OSA?

I know everyone is different but just wondering how long you guys sleep.
Do you think it is because of "sleep debt".

Now I'm wondering if I need my oxygen levels checked. I haven't had a sleep study since 1995.

Victoria

I use a full face mask so don't need to tape my mouth -- but like you am still sleeping 10 to 11 hours a night. I have only used my cpap for the third night last night (9/2/2007) and thought it might be that I am still in sleep debt mode. It would be interesting to see how much others are sleeping. I am not exhausted during the day and feel much better so far : . Yippee!!

Congrats sleepycarol.
I'm always glad to know this therapy is working.
Maybe someone can tell us more about sleep debt. I know there was a thread a while back but I was too sleep deprived at the time to read it.

Guess that comes with the territory.
Victoria

It took me about 3 months before waking up after 7 to 8 hours of sleep and feeling refreshed. I think it's individual. Some report feeling great after 2 sessions. Most posts I've seen seem to indicate that there is a period of adjustment for everyone. It just takes time, but I do believe there is such a thing as sleep debt and there were times I couldn't wait to go to sleep on be on the machine. That's passed now and it's a part of my daily routine.

I also am a mouth taper. It made a difference. I use 3" micropore sugical tape and blistex on my lips. At my 4 month review with the VA, they of course could not condone mouth taping but were pleased with my results. From a sleep study of AHI 63 I was (and still am) at AHI 1.4. However, a hybrid mask was ordered for me so I wouldn't have to mouth tape. I am anxious to use it. I should get it in the nest week or two.

My experience has been that with dedicated use, you get used to the machine and vice versa. Also, this forum has been invaluable. There are many kind and good people here who offer help and suggestions and personal experience. They have helped me more than any tech, the VA or any doctor. I check new posts daily for tips and advice.

Good luck.

Hey Carol, congrats on the good report. You'll have to change your name to PerkyCarol or PeppyCarol or EnegerizerCarol!!!

Rusty

Just some thoughts on how much sleep we need...

As with everything else, how much sleep one needs on a regular basis to be rested varies. Also, when diagnosed, everyone has had differing degrees of severity, time untreated, and health damage.

I tend to not think of getting extra sleep early on so much as sleep debt, but as recovery. With any other illness, it is almost instinctual to allow the body some extra down time to recover. Why should this be any different?

Once one's therapy is on an even keel, the body should tell us when we are ready to rest less and do more. I don't think we can expect to feel that though while we are still working the kinks out of our treatment. But once we arrive there, our regular sleep still needs to be enough to sustain a person's daily activity, as we can't neglect getting adequate maintenance sleep and expect to not feel the results.

Now here is where I've had trouble. With continued broken sleep at night, I've never reached a point where I've felt I didn't need to sleep in the daytime too just to get in enough hours. So I'm now working on forcing the issue and not allowing napping to compromise my need to sleep at night.

It's a very easy thing to fall into unhealthy patterns, and sometimes it will require diligent effort to break bad habits. Everyone has to figure out for themselves when they need extra sleep or if it's just easier that way. Anyone who has ever exercised testifies to it's ability to not just require energy, but to breed energy. I'm counting on that.

There's been threads on other things that make us tired, though SA usually gets the blame. Usually it's meds or other health issues. This past year I have struggled with going backwards in my treatment. At one time I was up to 6 or 7 hours sleep with only 2 wakeups, but have regressed to my old snatches of sleep. When I would wake up feeling short of breath, it still didn't feel like the old apnea spells, as there was none of the rapid heartbeat that usually accompanied the events. And my AHI says my therapy is working. Now I find the issues with my lungs are not cpap related, and all the while I've been waiting to adjust to this, that or the other.

All I'm saying is if one continues to require what seems to be excessive sleep, start looking for other contributing factors.

Kathy

Great advice guys.

OMG!

When I would wake up feeling short of breath, it still didn't feel like the old apnea spells, as there was none of the rapid heartbeat that usually accompanied the events.

I have heart palpitations also in the night but always thought it was because of mitral valve prolapse. Now I have two valves that regurgitate, mitral and tricuspid. I wonder if that is OSA related.

Thanks Victoria

I've been breaking my own rules lately, going to bed and watching T.V. for a couple of hours going in and out of sleep, and finding I have went to sleep on my back. (Shown by the snore level on EP) So I watch and or sleep 2 hours, then sleep 6 or 7 more. After a few days of that I wake up after 6 hours and just get up, when you get the sleep you need the body tells you you have had enough. Jim