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Permalink Reply by gordon on February 10, 2011 at 10:44am

I'm 15-20% less tired this am after using my new Swift FX the 1st night (fantastic!) and having the pressure 2 points higher, plus I'm working on losing weight, better diet, while knowing I am not starving my vital organs of oxygen anymore at night. What's that worth to me? Priceless.

You should feel less tired I would think. I waited way too long to have a sleep checkup on my equipment. (5 yrs)

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Permalink Reply by Charles McDermott on February 10, 2011 at 10:55am

"Curing", as you state it, sleep apnea would do just that cure that problem.  What happens afterwards is conditional upon many other factors

lose weight?:  I don't think a "cured" sleep apnea directly means mentally and physically you are now like a reborn individual.  Weight loss may mean a different diet and more exercise.  Weight loss for women may mean a thyroid condition along with diet etc.

 

 

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Permalink Reply by Moe on February 10, 2011 at 10:59am

Well, speaking for myself, I feel much better thanks to my CPAP. After the 1st night I noticed a difference for me: there was no nagging headache or fogginess that lingered well into mid-morning. Over the next few weeks, I was a lot less tired - I could actually read the newspaper without a face plant 3 pages in...and I saw whole sections of a regular highway drive we took to my in-laws I hadn't seen for years because I'd fall asleep practically as soon as I'd snapped myself into the seat belt (as a passenger, of course).

 

My general health and energy levels improved. The only thing I still struggle with is weight but that is probably because I'm awake more so I eat more...ha ha. I keep thinking maybe I should start smoking again to lose the extra poundage but my doctor just gives me the stink eye whenever I suggest that...

 

If your CPAP is adjusted properly, mask is fitting right, the diagnosis of sleep apnea is correct and you've been 'compliant' for a few months, then perhaps there is another medical condition operating here. The machine won't treat insomnia, for instance, or asthma or GERD (in fact it can aggravate it, as I have discovered recently). If you have sinus congestion or a low grade infection that will also cause you to continue to feel tired...

 

Also, I would just like to say CPAP is a treatment, a therapy but it is not a cure. If I take my mask off and sleep without it, I will snore like a freight train and be back to multiple episodes in short order. It is like any other therapy, if you stop it, the condition returns. My daughter is a Type 1 diabetic and takes insulin. It isn't a cure, it's a therapy. If she stops taking the insulin, she will die. It's a small but vital distinction in terms. 

 

Anyway, I hope this helps. 

 

moe

 

 

 

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Permalink Reply by Janie Simmons on February 10, 2011 at 11:17am

Thanks everyone. I can't say I don't feel better ... especially after the first month or so ... and the distinction between a cure and a therapy makes a lot of sense ... I still expected to feel better and better ... rather than reach a plateau. I've been using the CPAP for more than 6 months now. There must be many complex changes metabolically, hormonally, etc. that will require multiple strategies to deal with ... and a change of routines (more exercise, meditation, etc.). Thanks!

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Permalink Reply by DAVID J BURROWS on February 17, 2012 at 2:47pm

Have you thought of being tested for thyroid problems, they can lead to weight gain and tiredness

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Permalink Reply by ZolliStar on February 17, 2012 at 7:26pm

Thank you for your thoughtful reply, jnk.

I thought I would immediately feel fantastic once I was able to sleep. I feel better but not fantastic. Thanks to this forum, I learned that I'm probably affecting -- and afflicting -- my sleep by using my computer at night. I'm going to cut off using it by 8:00 pm. I cut back my use for two nights in a row and did notice a difference in how I felt. I'll be turning of my ' puter in a few minutes and won't turn it back on until tomorrow morning.

Other things:

• I make it a point to walk briskly for about 30 minutes almost daily;
• I limit my coffee consumption to one strong cup in the morning (I LOVE coffee!);
• I've cut back drinking liquids at night;
• I'm trying to eat dinner before 9:00 pm (I much prefer to eat very late, so this isn't easy for me).

One problem area for me is alcohol. I really enjoy having a daily drink or more. One reason I got in to drinking (I used to dislike alcohol) is that I used it as a soporific. Now I don't need it to help me fall asleep but I still don't want to give it up entirely. Darned if I didn't get so that I kinda liked it!  I think it's probably best to drink rarely or, even better, not at all. I'm thinking of (trying to) give up alcohol for Lent.

j n k said:

An amazingly, fantastically GOOD question, in my opinion.

 

For many, sleep apnea is one of several conditions we deal with. PAP solves one condition, not all.

 

Getting good sleep at night allows better diet and better exercise, since a sleepless person can't lose weight and can't maintain an exercise schedule or be as active as a person who is able to sleep.

 

Once PAP allows you better sleep, the trick is to take the mental, emotional, and physical energy you get and immediately invest it in the life-style changes that will improve overall health.

 

PAP is not the magic bullet that cures everything, but it is a valuable tool that can be used in the fight for improved health.

 

-jeff

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Permalink Reply by RockRpsgt on February 17, 2012 at 7:29pm

Standing O!

j n k said:

An amazingly, fantastically GOOD question, in my opinion.

 

For many, sleep apnea is one of several conditions we deal with. PAP solves one condition, not all.

 

Getting good sleep at night allows better diet and better exercise, since a sleepless person can't lose weight and can't maintain an exercise schedule or be as active as a person who is able to sleep.

 

Once PAP allows you better sleep, the trick is to take the mental, emotional, and physical energy you get and immediately invest it in the life-style changes that will improve overall health.

 

PAP is not the magic bullet that cures everything, but it is a valuable tool that can be used in the fight for improved health.

 

-jeff

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Permalink Reply by Mary Z on February 18, 2012 at 11:38am

There is some good information here.  I would like to say there are no stupid questions.  My four year journey with PAP has not resulted in the success I had hoped for.  Specifically I sleep an average of 11-12 hours per night and do not wake ready to get out of bed.  I take Provigil for excessive daytime sleepiness.  Also I have lingering drug resistant depression (I am bipolar, but it is the depressive component that gives me the most grief).  My therapy, my doc and I believe has been complicated by my meds which do alter sleep architecture and also the addition in the past year of opiates for severe pain from a back injury so I essentially sleep sedated. 

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Permalink Reply by Banyon on February 19, 2012 at 3:29pm

Janie, Do you have the software to check the effectiveness of your therapy?

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Permalink Reply by Mary Z on February 19, 2012 at 5:24pm

There are no stupid questions on this forum.  We are here to support one another through the frustrations and sometimes seemingly endless time to feel better.  Your post helps others, it's what the forum is about.  Please stay active and keep us posted on your progress.  Give it time.

 

As to why you don't yet feel as good as you would like and the doctor not having any answers- I don't think there are any easy, but very complicated, elusive answers.

 

I encourage you if you are able to monitor your own numbers to make sure your therapy is optimal.  Pay attention to your sleep hygiene.  You've got to get good sleep.  If nothing else be aware that you are avoiding future health problems.

 

Good luck.  Thanks for posting.

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Permalink Reply by Janie Simmons on February 19, 2012 at 7:32pm

Thanks everyone for keeping this post alive! I am taking what you have said to heart. I am trying to take better care of myself-- not easy with all of life's stresses-- and have made an appointment with my doc to make sure I am getting the optimal benefit from my C-PAP machine. I'll keep you posted! Good health to all of you. --Janie

Mary Z said:

There are no stupid questions on this forum.  We are here to support one another through the frustrations and sometimes seemingly endless time to feel better.  Your post helps others, it's what the forum is about.  Please stay active and keep us posted on your progress.  Give it time.

 

As to why you don't yet feel as good as you would like and the doctor not having any answers- I don't think there are any easy, but very complicated, elusive answers.

 

I encourage you if you are able to monitor your own numbers to make sure your therapy is optimal.  Pay attention to your sleep hygiene.  You've got to get good sleep.  If nothing else be aware that you are avoiding future health problems.

 

Good luck.  Thanks for posting.

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Permalink Reply by Janie Simmons on February 19, 2012 at 7:33pm

I don't think so. I thought you needed a special machine? I'll discuss it with my doc. Will be seeing him soon. Thanks!

Banyon said:

Janie, Do you have the software to check the effectiveness of your therapy?

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