Re: Sleep apnea CPAP experiences?

Sleep apnea symptoms…
- snoring
- waking up during the night
- sleeping 12 hours per night and still feeling tired when you wake up
- feeling very tired during the day / needing a nap during the day
- swollen hands or feet (edema)
- waking up with heart palpitations during the night
- slurred speech and/or poor memory (e.g. forgetting my train of thought halfway through my sentence)
- feeling 'out of breath' all the time
- feeling irritable/grouchy

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Comments by people who use CPAP...


When I treated my sleep apnea, I went from needing 12+ hours of sleep a night to needing 8. And I wake up without an alarm and am actually rested. I had never experienced that in my life that I remember.
It improved my mood. …I have more energy for sure.
And I was mild sleep apnea when tested.
This is all fresh in my mind because I had to go without (logistics) for about a couple of weeks recently. I started first with the morning headaches. Then the exhaustion hit. On week-ends, I found myself sleeping 14 hours easily and was still tired. I was napping during the day. I also would wake, especially as I was falling asleep feeling I was suffocating. I don't remember that suffocating feeling from before my sleep study though. I don't know if living without it so long has made me aware or it's something else, but now I'm treated again and that's gone completely away. I'm back to myself sleep, mood, and energy wise.


I have severe sleep apnea. My CPAP helped me get quality sleep. If you're sleeping 12 hours a night, and still nap, you're not getting good sleep. Now I can get up in the mornings without dragging, I'm alert all day long, I can focus better, I have more energy and at work, my productivity improved. It's been a life-changer. 



My dh was diagnosed with severe sleep apnea about a month ago and started using his CPAP machine 2 weeks ago. In that short amount of time, he already feels better. He has more energy and doesn't fall asleep every time he sits down. I don't have to listen to his snoring anymore, either.  



Lack of sleep does nasty things to people physically and psychologically.  My dad went from an angry bear to lovable and playful teddy after getting his CPAP.    He is no longer suicidal, and he can function in large groups again.  He lost a bunch of weight too.


My husband started using a CPAP machine seven years ago.  He no longer falls asleep every time he sits down.  His brain works better.  He has more energy.  He no longer has a wife who resents his snoring.  That sort of thing.  Now he can't sleep without it.




A miracle has happened - CPAP works!!
Hi Everyone, 
I've been absent for a long time, been super busy with life, but wanted to share, the wonderful news of cpap treatment, I've been experiencing the past few weeks. The beginning was very rough, after weeks of adjustments, feeling fatigued, I tried autoset on the cpap. A miracle has happened, my energy level slowly began increasing, now I have no fatigue at all!!!!!!! 

 My energy level, did a major boost in the past month. So, very difficult to describe the transition, but now I am falling into deep REM sleep, my dreams are getting longer, I wake up feeling refreshed, sleep solid 8-9 hours consistently everynight, no disturbance, mask, hose, leaks, apnea, everything working like a charm. . My ResScan data illustrates how my sleep hours, increased over time.
A few months ago, I was bedridden with no energy, complaining up a storm at the forum, now I'm putting in a full active 8-10 hour day. I feel energized, a new awakening, new burst of energy, a new life. My sleep pattern has corrected itself as well, used to be an all night insomniac, now I go to bed early, wake up early. Now, I can sleep peacefully without a zillion events going through my mind.
So for all you newbies that read this, do not be discouraged, do your best to be patient, cpap treatment takes time, lots of adjustments, education and forum visits. Do not be afraid to try different masks. Finally found, the one that works great for me. Lots of super support here at the forum, to help you right along. 


For several years i feel like somebody just suck my energy all the time. One time i just "black out" when i´m driving my car heading home, hopefully nobody is near my car and i just not hit the road barriers or something. Just move from first to third ramp on the highway ..... between ramps is just blackout in my mind.
I´ve worked on a place with low salary and never even think to go to see a Doctor because i just realize i had not enough money for this.
Recently i´ve changed my work and after a family member pass through 3 months of intestinal cancer all finally ends for me. I´ve decided to care a bit about myself.
When i decide to see the doctor ? , well , some times i work at night, so i´m sleeping this day ( literally) and a friend comes to see me, somehow he see me "sleeping" and later tell me that i just "jumping on the bed" y he had fell terrible for me.
Since this, and advised many many times by my wife, i decided to see a Doctor. Did the test with a resmed tinny blue device in my chest ( at home ) and after a week i came to see the doctor again.
He is very concern and tell me i have 76 Apnea episodes during a hour .... i just don´t get it ..... but Dr. hit the point .... that´s the reason ... poor sleep ..... snoring ....
I just feel like the answer is there, the answer for all my problems. Next week i have to try "The machine" ... at this point i just imagine ( doctor just explain me everything ) a device like a vacuum cleaner at my bed side.
When i went to the Clinic to do a "machine test" i just receive a notebook sized bag ?????? what happen to "the machine" ..... I was instructed how to used, how put the mask and later go home.
"the machine" looks so tinny, "but probably is loud as hell" was my first think .... just leaved there with none interest.
Later at night i´ve put the mask on, and start "the machine" for the first time .... at the beginning it feels a little bit "strange" but after some inspirations it feels way better.
Try to sleep ... and suddenly i fellt slept ... 9:45 AM next day i´ve opened my eyes and feel like somebody just give my life back ( sorry for this but .... i have to type it ) IS JUST AMAZING !!!!!



Thought I'd come back and share my CPAP experience!

It was about 7 yrs or so ago. I'm a big guy, 6'-1 to 2", and was nearing 310lbs. I'd fall asleep during the day at my computer at work, I'd doze off when just sitting for a bit to watch TV, I was always tired.

I went to the Dr. and asked for tests: thyroid, diabetes, liver issues, everything I could think of to find out what was going on. My sudden weight gain from 250 to over 300 had me scared something was seriously wrong. My ankles and lower parts of my legs were swollen. The Dr. tried "water pills" to see if I was just retaining water and having an issue with that. No.

Then he mentioned getting a sleep study done to test for Apnea. That was the start.

I did my study and thought it was strange... all those wires and monitoring equipment. How was I supposed to sleep like this! I thought...

I remember during the study the tech came in and woke me around 1am. He said I haven't really been sleeping yet. I questioned this, I had... but under my rules. He said they were going to hook me up to a CPAP now and get some results from 1am to 6am.

The next thing I remember was him standing over me YELLING my name at 7am trying to get me to wake up. Unreal I thought... I've never slept that 'deep'.

The afternoon the medical supply company's tech showed up to setup my machine and show me how it would work was a Friday. He was a big guy himself, and even admitted he was using a CPAP too.

That 1st night I went to bed around 11pm. I didn't wake up 5-6 times as "normal", I actually didn't wake up until 11am that next day. And Saturday night into Sunday morning was no different... I slept another 12 hrs. straight through. Something I hadn't done in years.

The machine he setup was an old ResMed S6, which I still use. I've purchased another for traveling (ResMed S8 Elite) and have been using the same Mirage nasal mask since day 1.

After starting on the CPAP machine 7 yrs ago I lost 25lbs within the first few months simply because I had more energy during the day and was getting wayyyyy better sleep at night. No more falling asleep at work, no more smacking my head on the desk and waking in embarrassment, and mostly, no more 300+lbs on the scales!

Now, if I fall asleep for a nap or something and do not put on my mask I will wake up with headaches and feel so tired.
CPAP FOR LIFE!!! (well, now maybe BiPAP)


I have been using a CPAP/BIPAP for over 2 years now, The first year and half was an challenge to say the least. My CPAP use has been 99% for the past year and the results have been fair to good, , but not perfect, and I was only 50% of where I was 7 years ago. 

I have an average AHI of only 1.2 but I wake up tired and just do not have energy to do much and or go in cycles of tiredness.

For the past 6 months, 80% of my events are Central and I have been trying for 2 months to get a prescription for a ASV machine that I thought might help with my central events. 

I just had a sleep study ordered by a neurologist and I was told the results were good and nothing needed to be changed.

I have had trouble getting enough oxygen at elevations above 8,000 feet for 20 years ...........even while sitting.

So I had an Idea; I bought a Oxygen Concentrator on craigs list and tried it out for the past 3 days at 1.5 L per min by drilling a hole in my CPAP tubing near where it connects to the CPAP machine.

I have had my best 3 days in over 6 years! 
 My energy level has been up, I have not taken a nap during the day and I feel like a new person.............. like my old self

So IMHO the oxygen "therapy" has been a success ......... so far.
Anyone else adding 02? to their xPAP?



When I started on CPAP, I couldn't believe how different I felt a few weeks after starting my treatment. It just took a couple of weeks to get used to the blast of air in my face (my pressure is 12cm). I probably used the ramp feature for less than a week. All my co-workers and friends have commented on how much better I look. I have lots of energy, my headaches are gone, and I have no problems with fatigue and concentration. I have lost 12 pounds since starting on CPAP.





Got a Respironics REMstar Pro with C-Flex (the older, pre-2007 unit, affectionately known as "the tank"), set at a constant pressure of 14 cm/H20. With about 10 minutes of instruction I was sent on my way.
Started using it and after the first night, I felt SUPER (hence my user name SuperSleeper) 
It was like I hadn't really slept for many years... "Oh, so this is what real sleep feels like!".
After reading about the benefits of Auto-CPAP machines, I took the plunge in 2010 and bought my first auto machine - the ResMed S9 AutoSet, a great little machine. I feel this (AutoSet) machine has greatly enhanced both the comfort and effectiveness of my CPAP therapy.



My symptoms of TMJ have been alleviated since being on the CPAP. I don't know for sure why, but my best guess is that my facial muscles are more relaxed due to being able to breathe better. (My TMJ is caused by muscular issues).
I am also less irritable and way more positive, alert, and energetic in the morning.
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