Headaches for a couple days after stopping cpap?

Hi-

I recently got a cpap machine and used it for about a week. There is no doubt i was more rested and alert. However, i had to stop using it because the mask i had didnt fit well and i wound up with a sore/blister on my nose.

anyway, in the past few days since i have stopped using cpap, i have had a pretty consistent headache. I cant say if i had the same headache while i used it, i certainly dont think i had it this bad though.

So, im just curious if it is normal to have headaches for 3-4 days, after stopping cpap.

thank you

Very normal ... you are expereincing hypoxia and placing yourself at risk of stroke and/or heart failure when not using the CPAP.

Finding the right mask interface is indeed the most difficult part of the treatment. Some have more than one type of mask as back up for when sores or things like that happen. Do what you can to heal your sore as quickly as possible and try and get yourself a different type of mask.

Best of luck!

thank you for the quick reply.

are you saying that i create a greater risk of hyopoxia and stroke by using cpap and stopping or that everyone with OSA is at risk for these things?

dk wrote:thank you for the quick reply.

are you saying that i create a greater risk of hyopoxia and stroke by using cpap and stopping or that everyone with OSA is at risk for these things?

Everyone with OSA is at risk when not using the CPAP. However your body adjusts easier to good treatment than it adjusts to going from treated to untreated.

Your headaches indicate that your blood pressure spiked while asleep as your brain sent signals to pump out massive amounts of adrenaline to your heart and get the brain the oxygen it needed. The headaches are from the inflamed nerves surrounding the blood vessels dialated by the high blood pressure spike(s).

Oh how I wish I'd known about my apnea for those 5 years that I had bad headaches! I'm sure alot of them were from apnea. Every day between 3:30 and 5:30 I'd wake up with a doozie.
On those occasional days when I don't use my CPAP, I have a headache.......not a horrible one, but enough to know that it was from the apnea.
Of course there might be other things going on with you........hormonal changes, weather fronts moving through, foods not agreeing with you, caffeine, etc., but it wouldn't surprise me if its from not using your CPAP. Hope you get things worked out soon so you can get back to it!

It sounds like your body got use to O2, and now you are starving it again.

You're wondering why? Not hard to figure out. Jim

I had horrific headaches everyday until I started cpap. And the few nights that I have gone part of the night without cpap, I have the headache. So low oxygen definitely contributes to headaches (in my case anyway.)

I used to wake up with awful headaches. Many times there was a feeling of intense something that I couldn't quite describe. I would go to the doctor for these "funny" headaches and she would look at me and tell me that she couldn't find anything out of the ordinary. I truly believe now that it was due to apneas!!

All kinds of crazy things happen when you start to suffocate, which is exactly what happens during sleep for untreated OSA. Most people seem to think of OSA as a sleep disorder but I see that as a side effect. OSA is about suffocation during your sleep, which also disrupts your sleep but does a lot of other nasty things to your body, including causing death. You have a headache because your body goes into oxygen desaturation multiple times an hour without your cpap--it's that simple.

[quote="Country4ever"]Oh how I wish I'd known about my apnea for those 5 years that I had bad headaches! I'm sure alot of them were from apnea. Every day between 3:30 and 5:30 I'd wake up with a doozie.
On those occasional days when I don't use my CPAP, I have a headache.......not a horrible one, but enough to know that it was from the apnea.
Of course there might be other things going on with you........hormonal changes, weather fronts moving through, foods not agreeing with you, caffeine, etc., but it wouldn't surprise me if its from not using your CPAP. Hope you get things worked out soon so you can get back to it!

What kind of mask are you using? it may be adjusted too tight. I have the same problem sometimes. I put a piece of paper tape over the affected area then, then moleskin over the tape. You could also try a forehead/nose protector from http://www.padacheeks.com. Best of luck!

DK........

What you've read in this thread is "dead-on right"......your BP is going up higher than you can imagine while you're asleep.

I know....because I measured my BP in the middle of the night (the time when we're always too sleepy to do it) and was shocked by what I saw, I got myself to the sleep doctor quickly.....on afterburner......pronto!

It took me about 2-weeks to get through the sleep test, titration, and purchase of my equipment from CPAP,com. I began using my machine in September of 2006.....and I haven't missed a night yet.

Nobody has to convince me to be compliant. All I had to do was look at the BP readings for a couple of nights.....and that did it for me.

I could see myself as a drooling, bed-ridden stroke victim....at best.....or a dead one at worst. You won't ever catch me without my mask & blower while I'm asleep!

Gerald wrote:DK........

What you've read in this thread is "dead-on right"......your BP is going up higher than you can imagine while you're asleep.

I know....because I measured my BP in the middle of the night (the time when we're always too sleepy to do it) and was shocked by what I saw, I got myself to the sleep doctor quickly.....on afterburner......pronto!

It took me about 2-weeks to get through the sleep test, titration, and purchase of my equipment from CPAP,com. I began using my machine in September of 2006.....and I haven't missed a night yet.

Nobody has to convince me to be compliant. All I had to do was look at the BP readings for a couple of nights.....and that did it for me.

I could see myself as a drooling, bed-ridden stroke victim....at best.....or a dead one at worst. You won't ever catch me without my mask & blower while I'm asleep!

I would consider the drooling, bed-ridden stroke victim to be the worst ... but I'm just weird that way

Ditto what everyone has said.

One of the first masks I got was the Comfortlite 2 because it had several different interfaces. It has 2 kinds of pillows and a small cuplike thing that goes over your nose like a mini nasal mask. I figured if one made my nose sore, I'd switch to one that didn't rub in the same places. I'm not recommending the CL2, it's just that you may need two masks that rub in different places and then trade off. I couldn't get the CL2 to work well for me, but that's because I didn't understand how to modify masks to fit better back then.

Luckily my sores healed quickly and I never had to go without a mask. But, if your present mask doesn't work you need to get a new one even if you need to buy out of pocket. I got mine from cpap.com. It will take some figuring out and you may even buy a mask or two that you hate. But in the larger scheme of things, your staying alive and viable is worth every penny. This is not the place to save money if your mask isn't working, get one,, on your own dime most likely, that does work.

Read all the mask reviews and if your DME will let you try other masks, all to the better.

I've never gone a single night without a mask. However, recently I was exhausted. I came home and it was cold in the house, so I got under my covers waiting for it to warm up. I fell asleep for 2-3 hours without my mask. When I woke up I was very disoriented, but even more strangely, the overhead light (which was still on) looked a very weird yellow and there was a yellow cast to the light on other things. I thought it must have been my brain's reaction to sleeping without a mask. I put the mask on and went to sleep. The next morning the light looked the right color. It was weird.

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CPAPopedia Keywords Contained In This Post (Click For Definition): cpap.com, DME

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CPAPopedia Keywords Contained In This Post (Click For Definition): cpap.com, DME

SleepGuy wrote:Most people seem to think of OSA as a sleep disorder but I see that as a side effect. OSA is about suffocation during your sleep, which also disrupts your sleep but does a lot of other nasty things to your body

I agree. In fact I think sleep apnea is poorly named because I think it sends the wrong message about what this illness is all about. Its a breathing disorder more than a sleep one, IMHO. I can't tell you how many of my friends and family still don't get it and think I am having a just having a poor nights sleep.