"please keep me updated about oximeters "
Sleep Apnea Forum Bringing Power to the Patient
New? Free Sign Up
Then check our Welcome Center to a Community Caring about Sleep Apnea diagnosis and Sleep Apnea treatment:
CPAP machines, Sleep Apnea surgery and dental appliances.
CPAP Supplies
Latest Activity
Sleep Debt?
Hi there,
I'm just finishing up my second month of CPAP therapy and I'm feeling much better. I'm still adjusting to the mask so I'm not completely compliant yet but I'm getting there. Prior to beginning the CPAP, I had gotten pretty sleep deprived and my doctor often refers to this as something called "sleep debt". What is it and how long does it take to catch up on the sleep deprivation?
I'm just finishing up my second month of CPAP therapy and I'm feeling much better. I'm still adjusting to the mask so I'm not completely compliant yet but I'm getting there. Prior to beginning the CPAP, I had gotten pretty sleep deprived and my doctor often refers to this as something called "sleep debt". What is it and how long does it take to catch up on the sleep deprivation?
Views: 223
Replies to This Discussion
-
Permalink Reply by Mike on
-
every body has an optimal amount of quality sleep they need to get each night. to the extent one has not been able to get that quality and amount, either because of sleep apnea or working late nights or whatever, one accumulates a sleep "debt" -- a number and quality of hours of sleep you need to pay back to physiologically function at your best.
how much you in particular have to pay back depends on how bad your sleep has been. could be weeks. could be a month or longer.
-
Permalink Reply by gordon on
-
Hi Elizabeth and welcome to SG! It's a year, in my opinion. Everyone is different. Nobody really knows how long they slept deprived, you should stabilize in 6 months, a year is great, with the right equipment. Keep us posted, ok?
-
Permalink Reply by Elizabeth Lessner on
-
Thanks so much for quick replies! This is very helpful info.
-
Permalink Reply by 99 on
-
a good indicator is when you start dreaming again that is you have REM sleep then you should not be far off
-
Permalink Reply by sleepycarol on
-
For me it took a long time to pay my sleep debt down.
It took me almost a year and a half to start feeling rested and not tired and drug out. I am just grateful that I had the forums to help me through the roughs spots!!
-
Permalink Reply by Rock Conner RRT on
-
Hi Elizabeth:
As you have already seen, opinions vary about how long to recover from sleep debt. Me, I think you're already recovered since you report feeling much better. A big factor in sleep debt recovery after initiating CPAP is how long it takes one to make friends with the CPAP system. It sounds like you're already there!
Rock C.
-
-
you guys are awesome, thanks for the advice. what a crazy concept, sleep debt.
-
-
Hi Elizabeth---- I did go thru a period of really vivid dreams, I think it was like in the 2nd month after using CPAP , and it lasted about 6 weeks, like someone mentioned. So, I guess if your equipment is working for you, try to relax and let your body recover. And keep us posted, ok?
-
Permalink Reply by RockRpsgt on
-
I have a funny story about the effects of sleep debt and sleep deprivation. In the beginning of my sleep career I struggled with the hours and a severe case of shift worker syndrome. It was a constant battle between work, my studies, and time for my family. My studies have taught me that the average person carries about 10 hours of sleep debt at any given time. Sleep techs may carry even more. Anyway in the first 6 months of my new job in sleep I turned every piece of information I could find into a flash card. The majority of this I did at 3am while working. After which I filed these cards into a card filer and stored them into one of my many backpacks. I then got into reading the textbooks and the many published studies on sleep. I forgot about my flashcards until recently.
Most of you know about my wife starting the END program. This has brought an influx of knowledge and a new enthusiasm for learning into our house. So I decided that maybe it was time for me to go over my old flash cards again. I have never laughed so hard at myself. It was truly a lesson in sleep deprivation and debt. I had written half of the questions like I was playing jeopardy (not on purpose). I had mixed up most of the rules if they made any sense at all. All in all only about ¼ of the cards were of any use what so ever. This happened about a week ago. My wife is till making fun of me. She has been answering all of my questions or statements as jeopardy answers. I love that woman.
-
-
Wow Rock!!
I was thinking yesterday that with all you sleep techs do, learn, and know it must be hard not to be sleep deprived yourself.
My daughter-in-law at one point worked night shift at our local hospital and after a while was so sleep deprived asked to be put back on days. She is now studying for her RN and will be done in December. She will be soooo glad for it to be over.
-
Permalink Reply by Mary Z on
-
Yeah, that night work is hard. I worked many night shifts and the hardest part for me was what to do on my days off. It's good to keep the same routine and schedule all the time, but no one is up all night and asleep during the day, so it gets (for me) really isolating. I didn't have any trouble adjusting to nights and getting enough sleep. I stayed up in the morning and went to bed about 10 or 11 hours before due back at work. I'd get up early enough to shower and have coffee, wander around a bit and would be ready to go. No matter how well/long I slept there was always that slump about 3:00AM and the surge of energy about 5:00AM. I was lucky as I enjoyed the quietness of nights though we certainly stayed busy.
sleepycarol, congratulations to your daughter. Nursing is a good field. Luckily there are a lot of jobs that don't require shift work. I did chronic hemodialysis for years and there are no nights or Sundays.
Mary Zimlich
© 2024 Created by The SleepGuide Crew.
Powered by
