feeling worse after starting cpap

feeling really tired,moreso,after starting the cpap therapy going on third day what is going on???????? If this is a normal reaction how long before I may notice improvement?

Dab,
Some on this forum will start cpap and claim they are a new person in one nights sleep, certainly wasn't my case, my cpap supplier told me that the next day I should be feeling oh so much better, just like the video they showed at the sleep study, again not my case, after a few weeks I got use to this new way of sleeping, found solutions to different problems from other members on this forum, and step by step got to the point where I saw the improvement and actualy didn't mind hooking up at night, fill out your info as to equipment used, and keep posting questions and checking other posts, no where else will you get this knowledge as here on these forums. Hang in there, plenty of help here.
Ed

dab,

Everyone is different in how long it takes them to get used to CPAP, to find the right mask, to tweak their therapy, and to feel better. You will see some forum members that had the best night's sleep in years at their titration sleep study, and often those and some others take to CPAP like fish to water, noticing almost immediate improvement in how they feel.

I don't think that is very typical. Most of us have a difficult time that may last from days to months (or sometimes more). I felt like a zombie for weeks after starting CPAP, and it took me about 7 months before I felt like a mask belonged on my face at night. After a year and a half of CPAP, I have not had dramatic improvement. But I darn sure have had important improvements.

The important thing is to not get too discouraged. Make a commitment to CPAP. Here's a few suggestions:
*Click on Profile at the top of the forum page and fill in the information about your machine and mask.
*Give some thought to what questions you have and post them here and give us details about what you are experiencing. For example, is your mask comfortable, or are you having trouble with it? How much are you sleeping each night, etc?

You will see forum members talking about "sleep deficit." It seems that some new CPAP users have experienced sleep deprivation for so long, it takes their bodies some time to begin recovering.

Good luck.

Janna

As Ed said......some folks take to it like a fish to water. Then, there are
others like us...and for myself personally it took months. But I figured my health and my family's sanity was at stake, so I stuck to it, and I'm pleased
to report within a few weeks, things improved greatly. First, my brain had to become accustomed to a mask strapped to my head, and the air flow pressure. Then I realized my biggest issue was with the exhalation, felt like I was gasping for every breath, and with persistance, my Dr and I finally got it right. Pleased to report my Vantage and I are nearing a 'friendly' relationship, and I'm beginning to feel more energized and positive about the whole therapy concept. It takes time, be patient with yourself, and be persistant with your physician. Hope to hear back from you in the near future, with more positive results.

OH...and Dab...the folks here are INCREDIBLE.
Dont think I could've made it this far without them. Keep coming back.

Dab,

I'll second Hurricane's post. My first 2 weeks were H***. Rainout (condensation), blowout (mouth leaking), blowfish (check puffing) and simply keeping the mask in place. I thank the members of this forum for helping me solve those problems.

Your body heals on the inside first so there aren't alot of visable signs of improvement early, especially if you have been sysmtomatic for a long time. It can be frustrating, this is not an imediated gratifaction therapy. I was lucky that the sleep tech told me that before I left the sleep center. A little over 2 weeks in, I woke up and felt like I had gotten some sleep that night, as vague as the improvement was, it was a great morale booster. Hold on to those, they help.

At 3 and a half months I'm still having some tiredness, but I do feel much better.

"Be patient, don't give up, some people are harder to fix than others"

Ask question, there's not too many problems you can have that someone here hasn't had before.

Sorry, that was me.I can't log on from this computer.

Pineapple

If you boil it all down, you need to solve the problems which prevent you getting sufficient uninterrupted sleep in your sleep period. I found in the beginning the the awakenings from mask problems were much worse that the arousals of the apneas. You come to a higher level of wakefulness to solve a leak problem that you did before to start breathing. Apneas are hard on the body, awakenings are hard on the brain. IMHO.

Now that I (not necessarily in amount of impact order)
1. Allow for at least 8 hours sleep every night
2. Found and tweaked a comfortable mask (comfortlite II)
3. Use a chin strap
4. Use Polident strips to seal my lips
5. Use ear plugs to seal out the world
6. Use sleep aids of various types every night
7. Use Pur-Sleep scents to enjoy the start of each nights session
I feel pretty darn good every morning and through the day.

Good Luck,
TerryB

It took me six weeks of HELL ON EARTH to settle into therapy. I tried 8 different masks. I took so much time off work they were on the verge of doing something to me. I felt homicidal, exhausted, frantic.... I finally begged the doc for some Provigil, and found a mask that worked, and settled down.

I have had one or two incredibly euphoric days on therapy - mostly early on - but the rest of the time it's a very slow, subtle shift in my attitude and general well-being.

Given that I just learned I have SEVERE OSA (Somehow that escaped me before), I think that's okay. So does the sleep doc.

Stay with us. We'll talk you through it. You've got friends here.

Hugs,
Babette