More tired after starting CPAP

I have had my CPAP for about 3 weeks now. It's the Resmed autosense 10 for her with auto ramp. Humidifier is set to 5/8. I don't know my pressure setting. I'm using a nasal mask, because it's the only type of mask I have found to be comfortable enough to actually sleep. I tried out the nasal pillow for a couple nights but it kept coming off in my sleep, and when I tightened it, it was giving me pressure sores. So I've been sticking with the nasal mask. The myAir app shows that my mask is sealed properly and my AHI is down to .5 - 1 per hour.

When I was tested, my results were 10.7 AHI. I was surprised to hear this diagnosis. I have always considered myself a "champion" sleeper. I sleep deeply and dreamlessly. I do not wake up during the night. I do not snore. I was experiencing a bit of daytime tiredness - maybe a 4 out of 10. But I was able to function and do my job. And I really attributed my mild/moderate tiredness to a bit of depression because I have had some stress at work recently.

When I took the sleep apnea at home test, the equipment shocked me in the middle of the night. The electrical shock was so severe that it burned my finger and made my heart race for over an hour. I reported this issue to my insurance (Kaiser), but they have basically been ignoring me. I repeatedly have told them that I think their equipment malfunctioned, but they don't care. They don't want to administer another sleep test.

Now I that I am using a CPAP machine, my exhaustion is 10/10. I am not able to function. I can barely keep my eyes open. It's a mind-numbing type of exhaustion that makes me feel sick to my stomach. I have been waking up late for work because I'm so tired, and when I get to work I can't focus. I continually put my head down on my desk from exhaustion. I can't think. I don't even trust myself to drive being this tired. I've also been grinding my teeth due to the CPAP and it has been giving me terrible headaches and tooth pain, and my teeth are starting to break.

Does it normally take a long time to adjust to the CPAP machine, during which time you feel extremely exhausted (far more exhausted than before you started on the CPAP)? Do you think it's possible that I was misdiagnosed? If I was misdiagnosed and I don't have sleep apnea, would using a CPAP cause exhaustion?

dlv9 wrote: ↑

Tue Jul 16, 2019 9:03 am

I don't know my pressure setting.

You have to give the people on here useful information to allow them to help you.
JPB

jimbud wrote: ↑

Tue Jul 16, 2019 9:36 am

dlv9 wrote: ↑

Tue Jul 16, 2019 9:03 am

I don't know my pressure setting.

You have to give the people on here useful information to allow them to help you.
JPB

That is unfortunately the one thing I do not know. Is none of the other information I gave relevant? Is this your way of saying that having a pressure setting that is too low or high may be causing my exhaustion?

Yes.
JPB

How many hours of actual sleep are you getting using the cpap machine?
Are you waking frequently during the night for whatever reason?
Having trouble falling asleep or staying asleep?
Do you take any medications? If so, what?

Were you misdiagnosed? Doubtful. False positives are rare. If anything the home studies might tend to under score the apnea events and not over score them.

Pugsy wrote: ↑

Tue Jul 16, 2019 9:46 am

How many hours of actual sleep are you getting using the cpap machine?
Are you waking frequently during the night for whatever reason?
Having trouble falling asleep or staying asleep?
Do you take any medications? If so, what?

Were you misdiagnosed? Doubtful. False positives are rare. If anything the home studies might tend to under score the apnea events and not over score them.

I get 4-7 hours of sleep a night. This has not changed since starting CPAP.
I do not wake up frequently at night. This has not changed since starting CPAP.
I do have trouble falling asleep at night. I lay down around 10:30, but don't fall asleep until 12-2am. I wake up at 6:30-7am. This has not changed significantly since starting CPAP. Previously, I would usually fall asleep from 11:30-1:30, so it's a difference of about 1/2 hour on average. I dread going to sleep now, because the mask is uncomfortable and I feel that sleep is now pointless because I wake up even more tired the next day. And I feel like my sleep is overall worse quality because I am now grinding my teeth at night and having nightmares. I also feel constantly uncomfortable. I am getting severe headaches on the days after I use the CPAP for the whole night (probably related to the teeth grinding).
I do not take any prescribed medications regularly. However, I do often have congestion, so I will sometimes take an antihistamine or (rarely) a decongestant. And some nights if I'm having a lot of trouble falling asleep, I will take a couple ibuprophens.

Press and hold down the dial and the rectangular button with the little house on it for 10 seconds.
This will put you into the clinical menu.
Then scroll down to the pressure settings.
Getting into the clinical menu is your right.
Changing the settings is your choice.
Take charge of your therapy with the help available on here.
JPB

dlv9 wrote: ↑

Tue Jul 16, 2019 9:40 am

jimbud wrote: ↑

Tue Jul 16, 2019 9:36 am

dlv9 wrote: ↑

Tue Jul 16, 2019 9:03 am

I don't know my pressure setting.

You have to give the people on here useful information to allow them to help you.
JPB

That is unfortunately the one thing I do not know. Is none of the other information I gave relevant?

That post up at the top of the forum?
PLEASE READ BEFORE POSTING

Please read it.