Sleep Changes with CPAP

[slowmo2000]

Hi all,

Been on CPAP therapy for about 2.5 weeks and would love some help understanding some of my subjective experiences, along with any tips/tricks that folks can offer. I've been very fortunate and adapted to therapy pretty quickly (slept through the night the first night and became 95% comfortable by night 4/5). I'm using an airsense 11 with a p30i nasal pillow and I loop the tubing over the headboard of my bed so I don't get tangled up. While the tubing does occasionally "stick" between the wall and the headboard, it's typically only when I'm first getting set up at night.

Okay, some thoughts/subjective experiences:

- I look forward to putting my nasal pillow on as it sends a signal to my body that it's time for sleep
- I usually go to be around 9:30pm and am out cold till anywhere between 3:30 and 4:30am. This period of time feels like very deep sleep and is unlike the sleep I got before CPAP therapy - it's extra refreshing
- When I do wake up around 3:30/4:30am, it's typically to go to the bathroom and often my sleep pressure is fairly moderate when I return to bed. Said another way, half of the time I feel like I can start my day that early.
- Instead of doing this, I tend to back to bed and get anywhere from 2 - 2.5 hours of additional sleep but it's usually on the lighter side with dreams, awakenings, and lots of movement.
- I've been wearing Oura ring for many years and my sleep scores have gone from and 84 down to around 80 but with a lot of night to night variability. I tend to get a 3/4 nights a week where I get between 6 - 7 hours a sleep and 3 nights where I'm closer to 8.

- Overall, I feel like my sleep is a bit worse. The last couple of hours of light sleep with tossing and turning is a little annoying, BUT I do feel like I have more energy and need fewer naps during the day. One thing I've been struggling with is the lack of ability to sleep on my stomach. I feel like my face digs into my tubing and cuts off air supply. I used to sleep on my stomach the last couple hours of the night/morning.

- I would love to somehow figure out how to from 6 solid hours to 7 solid hours (obviously everyone would love this). I think there's definitely an element of needing to go to the restroom that's throwing things off, but I've needed to go once a night for many years. Additionally, the lack of stomach sleep time has been tough.

- Apologies for the long write up but wanted to get all my thoughts out

[zonker]

- I usually go to be around 9:30pm and am out cold till anywhere between 3:30 and 4:30am. This period of time feels like very deep sleep and is unlike the sleep I got before CPAP therapy - it's extra refreshing
- When I do wake up around 3:30/4:30am, it's typically to go to the bathroom and often my sleep pressure is fairly moderate when I return to bed. Said another way, half of the time I feel like I can start my day that early.

have you considered going to bed later? many folk have reported that with cpap, they seem to only get or need 6 hours of sleep.

I used to sleep on my stomach the last couple hours of the night/morning.

how about the falcon position?

wiki/index.php/Sleep_Positions

good luck!

[slowmo2000]

Thank you! The Falcon position is quite helpful!

[zonker]

Thank you! The Falcon position is quite helpful!

i'm glad it works for you! i'm not a stomach sleeper myself. i usually sleep on my side. but spring of 23, pain level in my shoulders made side sleeping difficult. so i thought i'd try the falcon position.

i kept at it for a good six months but i just couldn't get comfortable that way. fortunately, physical therapy made it possible to side sleep again.

[ElusiveSleep]

The quality of sleep is more important than duration. Many research studies have shown that 6 hours of sleep is adequate and not unhealthy. And total sleep time does decrease as we get older.

I only get about 5 1/2 hours of sleep currently with CPAP. It seemed like this was less than I was getting when I stopped CPAP for a couple months while waiting for a broken machine to be replaced. Then I had three consecutive nights of a home sleep test that accurately measured my total sleep time, which was a little over 6 hours. So indeed my sleep time has been reduced by CPAP (but the benefits far outweigh the sleep lost time). I am not tired during the day, and don't take naps.

A study conducted in Japan found that CPAP either increased or decreased time asleep (compared to before starting CPAP therapy.) In fact, the average sleep time before CPAP was about 6 hours, and reduced by 20-30 minutes during CPAP in that one subgroup.

"Changes in Habitual Sleep Duration after Continuous Positive Airway Pressure for Obstructive Sleep Apnea"
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28326793/