How long did it take for you to feel better on CPAP therapy

[Hugh Jass]

Many people visiting this site and who are new to CPAP therapy (including myself), often ask when will I start to have energy again ?

Your contributing to this poll will help answer the question.

[LDuyer]

Hi,
I voted. But keep in mind, I voted based on some improvement. It was awesome improvement, considering what I was going through before the first night. Still it was a baby step. But the energy continued to improve after this first night, and I think still continues to improve (for which I'm grateful).

[hoser]

it's been two months. Still not sleeping well... wish I was in the "immediate" section.

[RubyKat]

Because my sleep apnea was very severe, I noticed the improvement immediately. That doesn't mean I was bursting with energy, it meant that I didn't feel like I was one of the living dead. So the immediacy of the improvement could well depend on the severity of the sleep apnea anyway.

[Miko]

After over a year of marked failure, I gave up. Just the other day I managed to tolerate the Respironics Auto for a few hours before air swallowing once again set in.

[Clownshow]

For me, It was like climbing out from under a rock after the first night but it was only a moderate improvement. I still feel awful and its been a year and a half

[Guest]

For me it was about 2 months.

[snoozin']

I'm with Clownshow. When I finally broke down and got the test. I was taking a couple of naps a day. I COULD NOT get through a day without naps. Even with naps, I often felt like a walking zombie. When I started the CPAP, I felt an immediate improvement, but I'm still not back to normal after a year and a half. It gradually improved - from a couple of naps a day to one nap. From one nap every day to one 3-4 time a week. Then to only an occassional nap. I can make it through a day without napping now, and am starting to sleep a normal number of hours, but I still tire very easily and don't have much energy, especially in the evenings. If I have something to do that's going to take some effort, I HAVE to do it in the morning, or it won't get done. But this is still better that a couple of years ago. Hopefully, it will continue to improve, if slowly.
Debbie

[sharonokc]

I felt better after a few nights, but it was surprising that over the months and years on cpap therapy I continued to improve.

[sawman91660]

I slept better the first night but really started feeling better after 2-3 weeks. My wife had relief the first night from my snoring, Now she also is getting a good nights sleep.

[bozmon]

I've built up to 100% usage in my third month. If someone asked me during the first two months...I'd say no great improvement in energy. However, I did notice on my days off that I didn't sleep in as late as I normally did without it. Recently, I caught that stomach bug (NASTY) that lasted 24 hours and got out of the habit of not using it. 5 days after the bug left I was feeling very tired and thought it might be remnants of the virus. I got back on CPAP and feel great again.

Moral of the story: Sometimes we may not feel the good it's doing until it's gone. Also, don't expect miracle amounts of energy...it's a gradual return, similar to daylight as springtime nears.

[jean19540_0]

im into my third week now, and realy up untill this last few days i've felt pretty much the same as i normally have, but now i'm noticing small improvements, ie, felling a little brighter in myself, not nodding off quite so often, and having a much better nights sleep, + so is hubby. i said to my technition only last week, when will i start to feel some improvement, his reply was, if you've be deprived of sleep, quality sleep for so long, you sort of accept it as the norm, and you often dont realise your starting to feel any small improvements, but i can tell a differance in your face. he then went on to say, to be deprived of good quality sleep, for the years that you have, its perhaps going to take almost as long, to feel thoughrally refreasshed & normal again. you don't get over it in days, or weeks, just be patient and it will come, creeping up on you very steadilly.
so hoser, i think weve just got to stick with it, be patiant and we will get there, in the end. jean...

[RubyKat]

Moral of the story: Sometimes we may not feel the good it's doing until it's gone. Also, don't expect miracle amounts of energy...it's a gradual return, similar to daylight as springtime nears.

Good point. Consider this: how many of us really believed we had sleep apnea until either (a) a bed-partner told us we stopped breathing or (b) it got so bad we couldn't ignore it? And then we get told we've had sleep apnea for a long, long time?

People with sleep apnea are used to ignoring our level of fatigue, and it is a long, slow decline. Therefore we're probably not that good at judging our level of improvement either, and there's a lot of ground to be made up...

[Guest]

For me it was about 3 months.

[glassgal]

Hello all,

I have been reading and absorbing all the good information on this forum for a month or so. Thank you all for so much great information and relaying your experiences!

I have had my ResMed S7 with heated humidifier and NasalAire II mask since 1/10/05. My sleep study was 12/3/04. My OSA rated as severe.

The first week was tough -- mask leaks, weird stuff attached to my head, but I have perservered and am feeling better. I am sleeping right through the night, waking up before the alarm (used to make bathroom stops multiple times/night), and not napping at all. I feel much more rested, don't get the after lunch sleepies at work (or nod off), and have more energy. I am 100% compliant now -- one night I threw the mask on the floor because leaks were waking me up, and got new, bigger NA II, which fits better.

It is my belief that a too small mask was moving around and irritating the inside of my nose, in addition to leaking (and making noise!) which woke me up. The snugger fit of the medium (started with small) just works better for me. For those of you not familiar with the NasalAire II it looks like a giant oxygen cannula. I use the back strap only to loop behind my head and loop a regular headband from the drug store through the loops that the hose goes through to hold everything tight -- it seems to hold better than the supplied forehead strap with loops. The headband hits my forehead at the hairline. I wear glasses and this allows the glasses so that I can read while getting drowsy. I use the humidifier turned up most of the way and a saline nasal gel in my nose morning and evening. I believe that my sinus issues have been helped with the heated humidification.

I also find that I do not move as much during the night -- I go to sleep and wake up the next morning feeling better. I still have a lot of progress to make on losing weight and getting my life back under control, but figuring out what has had me tired for DECADES is a huge step for me. I don't expect instant results -- after all -- as it has been said so many times in this forum -- I didn't get here in a day, so I shouldn't expect it to cure all of my problems instantly!

I want to thank all of you folks, again, for all your great communications about your experiences and the results of your thoughtful analysis of your problems.

I have ordered a 420E w/ heated humidifier (when available) and software, so am hoping to continue the learning curve!

Jane