I didn't notice instant relief, probably because I never knew there was a problem. My husband was the one who informed me that I snored loudly and frequently all night, every night. I did notice, after I found a mask that works fairly well for me, I am no longer drowsy every afternoon, nor do I wake with a mild headache any longer. I used to not be able to function unless I took a nap every day. I would fall asleep watching tv just about every night, not so now.

I am sorry the 'good response' has been delayed for you. I've been on an APAP since mid June this year, and from the very first morning I've felt a HUGE change. I am still amazed. I feel better physically and emotionally than I have felt in 15 years. It took a couple of weeks to get used to sleeping with it, and I still have an awful crick in my neck that no matter how I drape the hose I still get... but over all the change for me is dramatic. My DH says the same thing, and says I no longer complain constantly about how tired I am, something he really appreciates. ... I can drive again, I can sit somewhere for 5 minutes w/o dozing off... I am no longer hallucinating or dreaming during the day (something that happened often as I struggled to stay awake in meetings), an most importantly - I can think. I am a scientist by training and for the past few years I thought I had gotten stupid or something, because I was having the most difficult time thinking... following the argument of a collegue, thinking about the theory that would or wouldn't support it, and couldn't do it. Couldn't think my way out of a paper bag. On the physical side - I still have a lot of aches and pains in my hips and legs... but it seems like I can tolerate the pain better - it still hurts, it just doesn't disable me any more. I'm down from 40mg/day to 5mg/day on my blood pressure meds, I've lost about 20 lbs w/o trying, and my diabetes Hb1AC came in at 5.7 in August - amazing, I've never had it under such good control. I love my APAP and would not consider sleeping without it, ever. I will add though, for the past 3 weeks I have had some episodes of tiredness like I used to have... I have started adjusting the settings on my machine to see if I can't optimize them better and get back to that incredible sleep I was experiencing just a few months ago.

Hang in there... the changes you experience may be more subtle but if you have a need for a A/CPAP, in time you will get a benefit from using it. Good luck,

Luanne

I knew I was better when number 1 I stopped hearing my husband complain about my snoring and 2 when my son said I seemed to have a lot more energy. It took about two months for me. It happens gradually and it's not really noticeable until you think back to how you felt before. Going to the grocery for me was such a chore. Now I don't mind at all. Running my teenage son all over creation (he's just received his permit) was taxing for me. Now I have so much more patience and get up and go. I don't feel like superwoman, but I am much more "normal" for 41 years old I think.

Getting used to the machine is a mind-set. I'm almost claustrophobic and had to make myself learn to breath normally with my nose pillow on. Thinking about something special like a good memory helps me get my breathing down to normal when I put it on. Now I can't sleep without my CPAP. I accidentally fell asleep in the recliner a few nights ago and woke up with a terribly sore throat and dry. My body is used to the moist warmth of the CPAP now.

The only problem I do have is that I live in Kentucky. The worst state for allergies and sinus problems. I do have problems keeping my nose unstuffed for the evening. I'm on three kinds of allergy/sinus meds daily and it still doesn't work. I regrettably use OTC nose spray and I do worry about what the long term effects of this will be.

I hope that was encouraging. I would do it again in a heartbeat!!!!

God Bless and best of luck.

I am a real "newbie"!! I have had my CPAP for 6 weeks. I am 73 and truly want to feel better. I don't mind the machine at all~but don't really notice that I feel better. I don't get up for BR breaks as often ~down to about 0 to 1 time a night.
But, I am discouraged that I am not feeling better during the day. Everyone tells me to be patient~BUT patience is NOT one of my virtues!!! I have been told also that it could take me perhaps 6 months to adjust to the point that I notice a difference.
My machine tells me nothing except how long I spend wearing it! I faithfully put it on when I go to bed (around 8:30) & wear it until I get up (around 5AM) But, I toss & turn ~ when I do waken, I am able to dose off again fairly quickly! But, I am still tired ALL the time.
Being on Medicare, I am limited, I think on changing machines. Do I need to request another study?? I have gained almost 10 pounds just since I went on CPAP...
HELP, please!!!

I have been using the CPAP for about 4 years. The difference that it has made in my life is unmeasurable. I had no idea that I was having sleep problems. I went to a pulmonologist to check on my asthma. After talking with me for less than 5 minutes he said that he would bet his paycheck that I had sleep apnea. I would have bet my paycheck that he was crazy. Well, long story short he was right. My sleep study showed that my pulse ox was 84. Now on the machine it's 96. He told me that I would quit getting up to go to the bathroom several times a night. He was right . I never get up anymore. I didn't buy Tylenol or Advil for over a year after I started using the machine --- my almost daily headache was gone. Before my diagnosis, I was having trouble at school. My short term memory was shot --- couldn't do a simple math problem on the board. My principal even told me one day, "Is something wrong? You look like ^%$#." Everyone at school is amazed by the transformation. I was worried that the machine would interfere with my husband and me in the bedroom. That is soooo much better too. I'm not "too tired" anymore. My husband even likes the machine because the white noise helps him go to sleep.

To be honest, when first diagnosed I cried and fretted. It took me about 2 weeks to get used to the mask and the pressure and about 6 months to get used to the idea of being tied to a machine. I just kept plugging at it and haven't slept a night without it. After that initial adjustment period, it's been nothing but good!

I guess I'm one of the lucky ones, I had success the very first night! I am very new, first night on CPAP was Nov 3rd, last week! I started the sleep study with a small comfort gel that just covered my nose. I fell asleep fairly quick, but woke up around 1 am with my nose, lip, teeth and sinuses killing me. I called the tech to adjust it and ended up switching to the comfortgel full face. I was wide awake at this point and had a hard time going back to sleep, but when I did I slept great and did not wake until called that the study was over at 5 am. For the first time in nearly 20 years I woke up feeling good! I went home, washed the gunk out of my hair and talked hubby's ear off! I never talk first thing in the morning! I went to work and ended up working for 12 hours that day! The day before, I was exhausted by 10 am. CPAP has already changed my life! I won't say that I love the machine, I'm still adjusting to the fit and being tied down during the night, but the benefits of the therapy are already worth the discomfort! I have lost the brain fog and short term memory loss, my quick thinking and reasoning is back! My heart rate is improving and so is my arrhythmia. I am not exhausted when I get home from work or during work. The depression is all but gone! All this in only 11 days! I feel alive again!

I've been papping since September or so last year. When I first started wearing my equipment every night, I couldn't wait to wake up and feel as refreshed as the day after I got my sleep study/titration done. Alas that didn't happen. I did not wake up all bright eyed and bushy tailed in the morning the first morning, nor the second ... third ...

I came to this forum to find out what it was that I was doing wrong. Guess I was being impatient and wanted an instant relief/cure.

I found out that because of my years of sleep deprivation, it will take my body years to catch up.

It took a long time, but fast forward a year and some later to now ... I only fall asleep at random places sometimes rather than always. I used to never be able to stay awake to enjoy my manicures, haircuts, lectures, meetings, movies, plane rides, traffic jams (yes, while I was driving) ... basically everywhere that I sit down quietly for. I'm now down to only falling asleep when I'm really tired.

Yeah, it's dangerous to have me out there pretreatment.

I'm still not all that alert, and I still claim sleeping as both a hobby as well as a talent ... but I'm getting there ...

I'm on day 5 and have been 100% compliant. (if 5 days counts as compliant). However, sleep is a hit and miss with air leaking around my face mask to trying to get comfortable or stay comfortable throughout the night. I have to make this work so that I can lose the 50 pounds I gained, regain energy to help me with my daily 130 mile commute. One huge advantage thus far, is I've left my anxiety attakcs behind me (I hope for good). My docotor told me that they'd subside with getting rest, so it must be working or at least the sleep I get with the CPAP is 100% times better without it. Additionally, my wife no longer stays watch over me to ensure I'm still breathing between my loud bear sounds and silence......
- I have been cheating to some degree with drinking Kava tea before bed time, Valerian root capsules and sometimes tylenol pm. I'm still trying diffrent things (over the counter) and hope to take nothing after getting used it.
-- Q: anyone else taking sleep aids, over the counter? How long did you take them until you were comfortable without them ?

Dan on CPAP, sleepless in California

Four Years in February!!
Totally compliant - can't sleep well without, get a headache and am cranky in the morning if it happens.
Breeze user - though also have used Comfort Lite II in the past.
Kids husband and cats don't seem to notice it anymore.
CPAPtalk got me through my first year - and I want to say a HUGE THANK YOU to you all for that - even though I am not "around" so much anymore as the CPAP is just a regular part of my life now.
HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO ONE AND ALL!
AII

Newbie here having started CPAP therapy just 5 weeks ago. I started with a REMStar Plus M Series ramping pressure from 4 to 7. Then I switched to a REMStar Auto M Series and average pressure is 9.

I was familiar with OSA as my mother was diagnosed with it many years ago. I am lucky in that I have adapted to CPAP therapy fairly easily and I am already experiencing benefits like being able to stay awake to watch a 2 1/2 hour movie in the evening and being less sleepy during the day. Also, not waking up with a headache and not snoring like a freight train are added and immediate benefits.

This is a great forum for information and support. Thanks to everyone here and Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Hi all,

New CPAP user here, although I've been lurking for a couple of months trying to learn more about CPAP to increase my chances of success.

In a nutshell, I've known that I haven't been sleeping well for a long time. I finally did a sleep study in Sept. 2009. My AHI at that time was around 37. After reading posts on this forum, I got a Resmed S-8 Elite II, F-P 431 mask, a card reader, and the Resmed 3.7 software. I've been having some challenges with air leakage, but other than that, my experiences have been pretty good.

At this time, (about 7 weeks of CPAP), my average AHI is about 7.5 with apneas from .3 to 1.7. I've been using CPAP every night since I started. I've only removed my mask during sleep one time, (during the first week), and to be honest, using CPAP has not been as big an intrusion as I had originally thought. It did take awhile to get used to the mask, but now I actually look forward to going to bed at night. Prior to CPAP, I would generally fall asleep within 5 minutes or so after going to bed. That hasn't changed and now I feel like I'm getting more "air" when I go to bed.

In my case, I have to say that I'm not an instant success story- I didn't feel like "a million bucks" the first morning after, or even after 7 weeks of use. However, my girlfriend noticed and mentioned that after a few weeks, when we would watch a video or TV after eating dinner, I was not dozing off on the couch. Do I feel like I have more energy? At this time I'd have to say sometimes yes, sometimes no. As a newbie to CPAP, my advice to other new users is to keep wearing and experimenting. Don't fight CPAP. Try to embrace the therapy. There's a learning curve but once you get past that things will get easier and better.

I know I'm not quite where I want to be on my AHI, but I'll get there, lol.

I've been sleeping with CPAP/BIPAP for a little over eight years now..............First night was astounding and I've never looked back...............lost a little over fifty pounds in the first six months and my blood pressure was almost normal after dangerously high levels for over thirty five years. My last sleep test was almost 7 1/2 years ago and the tech told me I was lucky to be alive for how long I went without diagnosis and treatment and the degree of my ilness.

Sure, I've had the go rounds with reaction to the nasal mask and how often and with what to clean it, but if for nothing else, just the fact that I no longer have GERD is well worth it...........Some people take a little longer to adapt than others, but for me the alternative is not worth it. I have a professional acquaintance, that with a little prodding from myself got diagnosed, and gave up after six months, because he couldn't get used to it. (the mask) He is getting concerned again, because he has developed arrythmia......................I hope he starts trying to adapt again.

Life with sleep is so much better than an existence without.

Hang in there!

Jim

I re-read this thread this morning and have to add to the story. Diagnosed with mild OSA in September of this year. Had asked my cardiologist for sleep meds on a follow up after a full blown heart attack in March of this year. (I was 53, have always exercised religously and BMI below 26..) Got the referral to a sleep disorder MD instead.. Almost refused to accept OSA diagnosis. I do not snore, not overweight etc. But I agreed to CPAP therapy because my sleep was so horrible. First month and half was miserable. Claustrophobic, rain out, leakage you name it I experienced it. But and this is a huge but....: I had one morning of profound refreshment. Hadn't had that feeling for so many years I honestly can not describe how good it felt. But it only happened once early in the treatment. All the other nights and mornings were misery. I called the home health people to return the machine and they required the Dr.'s authorization. Dr. wanted a consultation prior to authorizing. I'm thinking this is all a scam for money, but made the appointment and complied. He said he had a different machine, brand new on the market and wanted me to try it because I was a "problem case". I only agreed because of that one glorious morning I had experienced. Long story short, my new Respironics Remstar Pro C-Flex+ machine allows me to exhale without having to fight the airflow. For me, it is the difference between night and day. There has been absolutely no "rain out" with the new machine and I am going forward anticipating many more of those wonderful, fully refreshed mornings. Scary how close I was to terminating the treatment and reverting to the sleep meds. Good luck to all and may this forum thrive and continue to help the oh so many who need it.

I'd like to add my success story. I was diagnosed about a month ago, so it's a brief story but encouraging.

I asked my primary care doctor for a sleep aid -- Ambien or whatever -- and to her credit she instead referred me for a sleep study, "just to rule out sleep apnea." A few weeks later, I'm sleeping like a baby with an APAP and nasal pillow mask.

I've used it all night, every night, since I got it. It did take a week or so to figure some things out, like how to get rid of the rainout (I solved that with money, buying the heated hose).

Anyway, the difference has been astonishing. Years of mental fog, fatigue, depression ... seem to have lifted literally overnight. I'm back onto my weight loss program, exercising with more energy, working with more clarity, and generally enjoying life again.

I just wish I'd known about this much sooner! And now I'm getting my sisters tested ...

Pam

I'm hopeful. I was diagnosed with apnea two years ago. I tried the cpap, and couldn't tolerate it. I felt like I was dying, and on life support. Also, it kept my wife from sleeping. All the folks at the sleep center could recommend was to sew a tennis ball onto the back of my pajamas, to keep from sleeping on my back.
I have an appointment next week with a different sleep center. I'm hoping to be fitted with a dental device.
It took me forty years to realize why I became so depressed back in sixth grade. I had an overbite, so my dentist extract FOUR of my permanent teeth, and braces pushed my mouth and jaw back, enough to cause sleep apnea. After this, dark circles appeared under my eyes, and I had crying jags, and felt overwhelmed by school. I developed a social phobia.
After thirty years on anti-depressants, I finally went "cold turkey" (with the resultant withdrawal horrible withdrawal symptoms) and I'm hoping that a dental device will give me a decent, restorative, slow-wave filled night of sleep.
I wish the dentists had left me alone back when I was a kid. My life certainly would have turned out different.