I've been using my cpap for 7 months will few problems. My biggest issue now is in the morning I can't get awake enough to get out of the bed. Prior to the cpap the morning was my best time of the day, but now I'm unable to get going. Has anyone experienced this same issue. Any ideas?

I just started on cpap again about three weeks ago and have persevered to getting my mask bearably comfy and starting to sleep really well. But I also am finding it difficult to get going in the morning and after twelve hours wearing my mask last night (probably sleeping for ten of those hours) I have felt absolutely exhausted! I have been siting about feeling rough, yawning all day today. It beggars belief that I am now getting much, much more and better sleep than ever and yet after an initial improvement I am back to feeling tired out again.

???????????????

You pipped me to the 'post' there mikreb.

mikreb and deadhead77, if you will go into the "user control panel" and put in your equipment info, (mikdreb, you'll need to register and log in first; it's free!) then you will be able to get some more specific help. Also, if you'll post some info from a few typical nights, leak rate, AHI, AI, HI, etc that will help tremendously.

There are many here who can help, but we need more info.

mikreb wrote:I've been using my cpap for 7 months will few problems. My biggest issue now is in the morning I can't get awake enough to get out of the bed. Prior to the cpap the morning was my best time of the day, but now I'm unable to get going. Has anyone experienced this same issue. Any ideas?

Sorry, but I suspect your treatment is off. But like was said it would be better if there were some numbers you could share.

deadhead77 wrote:I just started on cpap again about three weeks ago and have persevered to getting my mask bearably comfy and starting to sleep really well. But I also am finding it difficult to get going in the morning and after twelve hours wearing my mask last night (probably sleeping for ten of those hours) I have felt absolutely exhausted! I have been siting about feeling rough, yawning all day today. It beggars belief that I am now getting much, much more and better sleep than ever and yet after an initial improvement I am back to feeling tired out again.

???????????????

You pipped me to the 'post' there mikreb.

It may be too soon to tell for you. I know when I first started treatment, the equipment was a detriment to a good night's sleep. You may have some more getting use to it.

I also believe I crashed after first starting treatment. By crashing, I mean I was so on autopilot from poor sleep and use to that level of poor sleep, I was sort of in balance with it or at least numb to it. When I started getting better sleep and I started making up my sleep debt, I was recovering but also starting to feel it.

Sort of like when you have an injury and you can still function on it in the heat and andenaline of the moment, but once you stop then the pain and swelling comes.

HALLELUJAH I got something to work When I filled in my details I forgot to submit them each time I also registered as 'stevasaurous', at some point, messed it all up and started again with deadhead77.

The only info I have is that my machine is set to 11.0 cmH2O and I apparently wake up 30 times and hour

As you can see I am in the UK, my test was done by St Thomas Hospital London. They gave me a thing to wear on my wrist overnight and deduced my apnea from that. I get my treatment and equipment free on the good old (yet much maligned) NHS. Since looking at this splendid forum it occurs to me that I should look much deeper into osa and once I feel a bit more confident I shall get the most appropriate kit and monitor myself at home as well as be monitored by the hospital.

Its a lot to take in isn't it.


This is a good thread mikreb, lets hope we get sorted out mate.

steve.

mikreb wrote:My biggest issue now is in the morning I can't get awake enough to get out of the bed.

Me, too. I sleep through multiple alarms

I have yet another sleep study tonight to confirm my current pressure. If they do confirm it, I'll have a MSLT tomorrow. We'll see what happens then.

the most common reason of failure to benefit from a CPAP is mouth breathing with a nose only mask, this causes a very dry mouth and tongue on waking

deadhead77 wrote: Since looking at this splendid forum it occurs to me that I should look much deeper into osa and once I feel a bit more confident I shall get the most appropriate kit and monitor myself at home as well as be monitored by the hospital.

You caught on quick and are going to be doing it right. There is nothing as effective as self-monitoring and self-titrating for the ordinary obstructive sleep apnea case which makes up 95% of the cases. Get a machine and software and take care of yourself.

deadhead77 wrote:
Its a lot to take in isn't it.

It is at first. As one new member once said, "Before I came here, I thought it was merely a machine that helps you sleep."

deadhead77 wrote:HALLELUJAH I got something to work When I filled in my details I forgot to submit them each time I also registered as 'stevasaurous', at some point, messed it all up and started again with deadhead77.

The only info I have is that my machine is set to 11.0 cmH2O and I apparently wake up 30 times and hour

As you can see I am in the UK, my test was done by St Thomas Hospital London. They gave me a thing to wear on my wrist overnight and deduced my apnea from that. I get my treatment and equipment free on the good old (yet much maligned) NHS. Since looking at this splendid forum it occurs to me that I should look much deeper into osa and once I feel a bit more confident I shall get the most appropriate kit and monitor myself at home as well as be monitored by the hospital.

Its a lot to take in isn't it.


This is a good thread mikreb, lets hope we get sorted out mate.

steve.

Steve given your machine I think the best thing you can do is to get friendly with someone here in America. Then send them the money to buy a APAP on your behalf, along with the software so you can have the best chance of fine tuning your therapy.
With the exchange rate as it is it would be a good investment in your future health. If i was still in England that's what i would do.

It is unfortunate that you had the poor mans titration with just an oximeter, but then that is socialized health care for you

Good luck

i just started cpap therapy about 4 months ago. after the first few weeks of getting used to it, i started to feel some benefits - sleeping better and longer, dreaming, more energy, improved memory, etc. but lately, i too have been waking up exhausted. but it could be because after seeing how the cpap therapy was helping i decided to discontinue all other meds - even vitamins - to see how much of my medical issues were directly related to sleep apnea.

so, have you made any other changes in your routine, diet, stress levels, etc. that could be a factor?

deadhead77 wrote:The only info I have is that my machine is set to 11.0 cmH2O and I apparently wake up 30 times and hour

Steve,

Is that 30 times per hour with CPAP, or without CPAP? If that is without CPAP, that says that you have a significant sleep disorder. If it is with CPAP, that says that CPAP is not working at all for you in its current configuration. This is a huge issue since all your machine appears to be doing for you is making noise.

I see three options to pick from...
- go to a real sleep center and do an overnight titration study
- get a better machine that detects and reports your sleep events
- take out a really good life insurance policy so your wife will be taken care in your absence

Do this even if you have to pay for it since OSA is a life-threatening condition, and you have it bad enough where it will cause serious health issues for you. You really want to get your treatment dialed in correctly.

-john-

Hi, yes it was without cpap.

So, 30 times a minute is quite serious? I am still learning what these numbers mean actually.


Mind you, then I have to remember the buggers

What is an appropriate machine for a new user like me, I don't want to overwhelm myself but I do want a good measure of informed control.

Steve,

Think about this for a moment. The study results said that you wake up 30 times per hour. Since there are 60 minutes in an hour, that is waking up every 2 minutes. When could you ever get any restful sleep in that mode? And if it takes an hour or more to reach REM sleep, what year was it when you last had any REM sleep at all? Finally, if your body wakes you up to breathe every 2 minutes, so when do you get any oxygen into your lungs and into your blood? I'm certainly not an MD, but it doesn't take much in the way of smarts to realize that this isn't good. Not good at all. I am not trying to scare you, but rather, I am hoping that this will convince you that you really want to learn the real diagnosis and get on some type of effective treatment.

As far as a machine, some posters in this forum maintain lists of data-capable machines. In the line that you are using, I think the Elite rather than the Escape is what you want. For Respironics, an M Series Pro or APAP might be good choices.

-john-

Hi John, thanks for that info and reinforcing my instinct to learn much more than I initially thought I would need to. Having joined this forum and beginning to understand osa, I don't think I have ever slept properly and have lived in a body and mind constantly compensating for the effects. I suppose the effects of this are bound take a long time to unravel but again, from what I can gather from this forum,the best approach is to acknowledge that you are where you are. If you want to improve, you must be relentless in the quest for the best treatment and the know-how to use and interpret the information it can give you.I think a little self obsession is allowed I think (and in fact a good thing) for people with sleep apnea.

Thanks John


Steve.

Another question John, what is the order of importance of information that a layman user can realistically expect to understand and use beneficially. I know we all have different levels of technical grasp, but I would like to get my head around this in a sequence prescribed by fellow sufferers.

Any input would be much appreciated guys.

Steve,

I know that I will never understand OSA in any level of detail from the medical point of view. What I do understand is numbers and methodology. That leads me to the strategy of getting the numbers to look good, and then if there are still issues, you have something to take back to your MD or sleep doctor. You can approach it from one of two ways, in my opinion. One would be to have a formal titration study, have an MD read that study, and start with their diagnosis and prescription. The other is to take what you have as a starting point, but with a data-capable machine. Start watching the data every few days, and work to get the leak and AHI numbers dialed in. Once you are there, if you still are not making progress, then add in blood oxygen readings. If they are OK, and you are still having issues, then you have numbers and some history to take back to the medical system. Just my two cents worth.

-john-