Any change in energy/tiredness going from cpap to auto cpap?

It's been about 2 years since I've been using a CPAP, a Resmed S8 Escape with Swift II Nasal Pillows. When I first got it I thought it would be life changing, but it really hasn't been. I did 2 or 3 sleep studies and it showed I was borderline severe apnea (around 30 per hour). I have basically the same symptoms now as I did before, I feel refreshed after I wake up from sleep or a nap, but after about 5-6 hours I get tired and lose energy. If I'm at home all day (weekend or when I work from home), I always succumb to taking a nap. I didn't have it as bad as some other people here, I never would have headaches or feel really tired when I woke up. About the only thing that I think has changed with the CPAP is I don't snore anymore, I used to be a loud snorer. The CPAP doesn't bother me and I would say I use it 90-95% of the time I sleep, whether it be at night or during a nap.

Anyway, a couple weeks ago I broke my humidifier and didn't use my CPAP while I waited for a replacement part. I noticed in these two weeks that my sleeping and day time energy isn't really any different then when I was using the CPAP. I'm wondering if an Auto CPAP, such as the S9 would "change my life" and give me energy all day long. Or is it only beneficial for people that have trouble sleeping and are uncomfortable with a standard CPAP? I would have to pay out of pocket so I don't want to spend $1k+ on an S9 and humidifier and not see any change. I guess I'm asking people that used a regular CPAP religiously and then switched to an auto CPAP if they noticed a big difference during the day. Thanks.

subsolar wrote:It's been about 2 years since I've been using a CPAP, a Resmed S8 Escape with Swift II Nasal Pillows. When I first got it I thought it would be life changing, but it really hasn't been. I did 2 or 3 sleep studies and it showed I was borderline severe apnea (around 30 per hour). I have basically the same symptoms now as I did before, I feel refreshed after I wake up from sleep or a nap, but after about 5-6 hours I get tired and lose energy. If I'm at home all day (weekend or when I work from home), I always succumb to taking a nap. I didn't have it as bad as some other people here, I never would have headaches or feel really tired when I woke up. About the only thing that I think has changed with the CPAP is I don't snore anymore, I used to be a loud snorer. The CPAP doesn't bother me and I would say I use it 90-95% of the time I sleep, whether it be at night or during a nap.

Anyway, a couple weeks ago I broke my humidifier and didn't use my CPAP while I waited for a replacement part. I noticed in these two weeks that my sleeping and day time energy isn't really any different then when I was using the CPAP. I'm wondering if an Auto CPAP, such as the S9 would "change my life" and give me energy all day long. Or is it only beneficial for people that have trouble sleeping and are uncomfortable with a standard CPAP? I would have to pay out of pocket so I don't want to spend $1k+ on an S9 and humidifier and not see any change. I guess I'm asking people that used a regular CPAP religiously and then switched to an auto CPAP if they noticed a big difference during the day. Thanks.

My intuition tells me that you're leaking your therapy air out your mouth while you sleep.......thereby nullifying much of your therapy. On top of that, you don't have a data-capable machine to tell you that......or anything else, other than the amount of time you slept.
You could look on http://www.cpapauction.com for a good deal on a data-capable machine, or check out https://www.cpap.com

Nothing wrong with having an APAP, but they don't necessarily give "better" therapy. For many people, the pressure changes disturb their sleep. I'm one of them. I have several APAPs and run them all in CPAP mode.


Den

Wulfman wrote: My intuition tells me that you're leaking your therapy air out your mouth while you sleep.......thereby nullifying much of your therapy.

Hmm, well, at first I tried regular masks but they would always leak around the side and I would continue to snore. Should I try taping my mouth or something to see if things are any better?

subsolar wrote:

Wulfman wrote: My intuition tells me that you're leaking your therapy air out your mouth while you sleep.......thereby nullifying much of your therapy.

Hmm, well, at first I tried regular masks but they would always leak around the side and I would continue to snore. Should I try taping my mouth or something to see if things are any better?

That would be the quickest and least expensive thing to try. Many of the members who tape use a blue easy-release painter's tape.


Den

I think the most urgent need you have is data--so you know if your therapy is working for you, it sounds like you are having leaks and/or your pressure needs adjustment.

You don't have to buy an S9, to have data, though it certainly is a nice machine.

ResMed has: the S8 Elite is a cpap, the S8 Autset II is an apap. The S9 Elite is cpap, the S9 Autoset is apap.

Look at the difference in prices at cpapauction, and buy whatever you can afford.