90 Days & Still Exhausted

Last night I decided to try increasing the pressure a bit on my CPAP. I increased it from 9 to 10. Not sure if this will actually make any difference, but I did actually sleep all night without any wake up which is somewhat unusual. I am wondering if the pressure on my CPAP is not enough. I switch between back and stomach during my sleep and my sleep study I was only on my back during the time that I was actually able to sleep.

Is this a good strategy to try?

I am not on any medications at all right now besides the 1mg melatonin. I have tried going without the melatonin but it seems to have a calming effect on me that helps me fall asleep almost immediately.

I do drink unsweetened fresh brewed iced tea in the morning which I know has caffeine in it. I would eventually like to be able to stop having caffeine but Icea Tea is my go to beverage in the am.

Thank you,
Corey

I think it is a good strategy to try..hey, anything that helps is fair game in my book.
I know several forum members who use a slightly higher pressure just for that reason. They say they sleep better and feel better at so and so pressure despite maybe a lower pressure giving "acceptable" reports. We don't have to always use a lower setting because it gives us a good report. It hurts nothing to use a little more.

I think that fragmented sleep really messes with some people's sleep quality. I know it sure does mine. And it doesn't have to be a whole lot of fragments to do it. I think that it also depends on when the wake ups occur...like in the middle of a sleep cycle instead of at the end of a cycle.

websiteguy,

Sounds to me like you've got a good strategy.

I do want to add one thing. You write

websiteguy wrote: I do drink unsweetened fresh brewed iced tea in the morning which I know has caffeine in it. I would eventually like to be able to stop having caffeine but Icea Tea is my go to beverage in the am.

Ah, real iced tea---the only thing I really miss about being caffeine free is that I have to pass up the iced tea all the time when I'm eating out.

But---if you are brewing your own tea for the morning iced tea, you might want to consider brewing it with decaffeinated tea bags. That's what I do at home whenever I'm wanting iced tea.

Thanks everyone for all the help. This is great.

Another question. I currently have my CPAP which was provided by Nationwide Medical. Their billing process has been horrible up to this point. My insurance has been billed so many times for so many different things, but I have yet to receive one bill or mailing from them. At this point it looks like I owe over $500 for 3 months of the device. Should I be renting this device or buying it? It looks like I will pay $76 per month to rent it. I asked if they could put in a purchase request when I called but they said they'd have to wait until after the first of the year which at that point my deductible will be reset. They really couldn't give me any straight answers when I called.

Corey

websiteguy,

Most insurance companies in the US do a "rent to buy" scheme when it comes to CPAPs; you rent it for so many months and then the machine is yours. Call your insurance company and find out directly from them how they deal with CPAPs. My guess is that you are on some kind of "rent to buy" program. It's also important to know how long the "rent to buy" period lasts. That's the only way you are likely to know exactly how much the PAP machine is going to cost you in terms of OOP money.

websiteguy,
My first CPAP night was September 27th. I went for two months more exhausted than I'd ever been in my life. Other than snoring I'd no symptoms I was aware of before CPAP, no fatigue at all. Except for my feet being warm the very first night and thereafter, I felt no benefit from CPAP and could barely function. I finally found a mask that did not leak and wake me up at night - I'd had AHI at ±1 from the first night, despite it being 60 when I was diagnosed. After a few days with the new mask, somehow I turned a corner and started sleeping all night. By Thanksgiving week I felt almost normal again. I don't think it was all the mask; somehow I finally adapted but I don't know just what made the difference. Maybe you are just a few weeks behind me, so don't give up.

It took me about a year before my body accepted cpap. I fought it every single night. I slept maybe 2 hours a night and that was interrupted. I threw my mask across the room numerous times. When I switched to nasal pillows I noticed I accepted it a lot faster and easier. Now I use it every single night with no problems. I put it on and turn it in and drift off to sleep. My body is trained that when it feels the pressure it's bedtime. I can't sleep without it now I hate to say. Give it time is all I can say. Try different masks, pressures, humidity levels whatever it takes. Perseverance.

Forget a cpap machine. Buy yourself a Bipap machine. They are easier to breathe with. Buy a pulse Oximeter you can wear at night to see how well your cpap therapy is working. You should maintain an O2 in the mid to low 90s.

Take the vitamin D3.

Take calcium carbonate aka tums before bed with a light snack.

Take magnesium citrate about two hour before bed. Just mix it in some juice. Not to much as it has laxative effects.

Start taking the B vitamins.

Get away from Wifi and computers and cell phones anything else that emits radiation. Are you an electronics fanatic? Do you have the digital power meter by your bedroom. Are you inline and close by any cell towers?

Take Vitamin C, E, A. All are good for inflamation. Getting good sleep is also good for inflamation.

You might want to try some Iodine http://www.infowarsshop.com/Survival-Sh ... _1104.html

Stay away from zoloft or any other psych drugs the doctors push.

Had any vaccine shots lately? Stay away from them as the doctors push these as well.

What type of food do you usually eat? Do you eat a lot of junk food from say McDonalds.

DO NOT take ANY vitamin or mineral suppliments without consulting your doctor. Many of the suppliments may conflict with other meds that you take.