Using CPAP for two weeks and more tired than ever.

I've been using the Respironics Auto A-Flex for 2 weeks and I feel worse than I ever did before starting treatment. I am seriously painfully tired and have never felt like this before. I went to the sleep doctor today who told me he is perplexed and has never heard of this. My AHI has been less than 3 and most nights has been less than 1. Pressure is 10-15. Ramp at 7 max pressure has gone to 12.8. My leak rate has been under control and all of the readings are very good. I've been sleeping better than I was up to 8 hours a night and only waking up a couple of times and falling right back asleep where as previously I would be awake for hours in the middle of the night. I've been working out a little more and eating better and I've dropped 10 pounds in the past 4 weeks (239 to 229. I'm 6'0). Doctor says it doesn't make sense.

The doctor has instructed me to stop using the CPAP for two weeks to see what happens. I'm having Septoplasty surgery tomorrow anyway so it works out, but has anyone else experienced this?

Your doctor has successfully postponed dealing with your problem for two weeks.

Did he think of doing some research or consulting with anyone. Perhaps some tests?

Get another sleep doctor.

Welcome. Please fill in the equipment on your profile so we can help you better. There's a link in my signature line.

In particular, what CPAP machine do you have?

As for being tired, this happens to some new CPAPers. It usually goes away, but sometimes you have something wrong that you need to fix.

It can be that your brain hasn't adjusted to the strange sensations and you're not getting to all the right sleep stages you need.

It may be that your body has adjusted to apnea and is out of balance in terms of chemicals, stress hormones, neurology, etc. Think of it being like stopping cigarettes, drinking, or many drugs. Your body got used to stress, waking up, O2 deprivation, etc. and has to readjust.

Some people use the term "sleep debt," saying you need to "catch up" on lost sleep. The experts tend to say there's no such thing, but some new CPAPers experience something that seems like sleep debt.

@ sleepy1235 He said he was going to talk to his colleagues. The computer systems all went down at the time of my appointment so all he did was check the usage and AHI on my machine. He seemed shocked to find out I was using it 6-8 hours every night. I left with a script for Ambien (he wrote Donald instead of Douglas on my script too) and an appointment in two weeks. I really can't beleive that he has never heard of this before. Tomorrow I have septoplasty scheduled. The ENT seems to think I'm an excellent candidate for UPPP surgery. Guess he might be right if I can't use the CPAP.

Do leaks wake you up? If so you need do deal with it. For the weight, sleep apnea can make it hard to lose weight.

Hi. You having a septoplasty scheduled does add an extra element here that changes usual suggestions. Does your surgeon say you shouldn't use the CPAP for two weeks due to the surgery itself? As far as the ENT saying you're a good candidate for UPPP, I'd do a lot of research before considering that, and I'm guessing after you do that research you'll see a need to give using CPAP a heroic effort.

At 2 weeks in with no help in trouble shooting and zero discovery process, it is far too soon to pronounce judgement on your ability to use CPAP. I was one who experienced a tremendous slump after starting CPAP. My theory is once my body and brain figured out it could sleep instead of staying on alert, my body craved an abundance of sleep until it recovered from the trauma of years of untreated sleep apnea.

If you indeed have to remain off the CPAP for 2 weeks due to the surgery, stop back in when you are ready to resume so we can walk you through some of the troubleshooting steps. You will want to think about if you are on any meds or could have any other medical conditions that contribute to how you feel. Sometimes sleep apnea is just one contributor. CPAP can fix your breathing, but any other issues would still need addressed.

Good luck with the septoplasty and I hope this will indeed help you breathe easier.

2 weeks CPAP myself, and I am just starting to get less tired myself.

I've never had the daytime sleepyness that apnea is supposed to bring, but since using the CPAP I have been more tired than I have ever been, to the point I got a mate to drive me into work one day last week. This is with me getting more sleep than I ever did without the machine and waking up less.

But this week I am just exhausted rather than dying, so it is getting better. Reading around it doesn't seem to be too uncommon to feel more tired in the initial stages.

I'm glad to hear others have felt this way but I find it ectremely perplexing that my sleep doctor told me he has never heard of this.

Just curious, when you were awake a lot at night how often did you use the ramp?

DONT QUIT.

Just because you are getting some BAD results doesnt mean youre getting BAD information. Everything means something and is a potential clue.

True story: I was put on cpap and had good numbers consistently. However sleepyhead revealed a constant problem with vibratory snore. What many people do not know is that they really need to be on BIPAP because much of sleep apnea obstructively occurs upon exhale.

When i got on bipap the snore was gone and i felt better. AHI numbers are not the holy grail.

This is a constant adjustment and we act as our own physicians. Exhaustion could also be a titration problem, hidden leakage, the wrong mask, mouth breathing, hundreds of things.

Bottom line, if you dont have central apnea or cheynes stokes, then you should be able to find a system that works for you soon. You also have to look at lifestyle, vitamins, blood, thyroid, etc.

Your titration has to be right or it will throw off your natural breathing rythm. You have to go into REM. People like Pugys are here and willing to help people who ask. Stick with it.

nycdug wrote:I'm glad to hear others have felt this way but I find it ectremely perplexing that my sleep doctor told me he has never heard of this.

Many doctors seem to be very ignorant of the real world practicalities of CPAP, especially patient comfort issues.

Once you get past the septoplasty issues, try the CPAP again, and hang on a while. You're not the first to post about this, but it seems to go away in a few weeks for many who've posted here about this issue.

Should I be concerned that my doctor told me he has never heard of the SleepyHead software?

No; many doctors have not heard of it, as they use the proprietary software. Plus Sleepyhead is just a few years old I think. Its apparently unusual to have patients check their own data. My doctor said very few of her patients do. She said someone had mentioned Sleepyhead to her before, but she had forgot what it was called. Best wishes.

nycdug wrote:Should I be concerned that my doctor told me he has never heard of the SleepyHead software?

SleepyHead is written by a private individual as a free, open source, unofficial way to read the SD card data.

Doctors tend to only use the manufacturer's official software. This is both for liability reasons and medical mafia reasons.

Many doctors have a bias against the CPAP machine data anyway, and want to only rely on the results of in-lab $leep te$t$.

archangle wrote:

nycdug wrote:Should I be concerned that my doctor told me he has never heard of the SleepyHead software?

SleepyHead is written by a private individual as a free, open source, unofficial way to read the SD card data.

Doctors tend to only use the manufacturer's official software. This is both for liability reasons and medical mafia reasons.

Many doctors have a bias against the CPAP machine data anyway, and want to only rely on the results of in-lab $leep te$t$.

nycdug may be asking if they should be concerned that their doctor is ignorant