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CPAP Machine
I have been using my CPAP machine for a month now. I thought I was suppose to start feeling better and not as tired. Why do I feel more tired when I wake up? I don't know what to do. Also I am using the sleep nose pillows and I have had a sore under my nose ever since I started using the CPAP what is causing this? I can't use the mask.
Try using your cpap machine for a week and check if still you are having a sore under your nose.
Portable CPAP machines
Portable CPAP machines
I use a CPAP, but they ended up having to do a multiple sleep latency test on me due to excessive daytime sleepiness. I felt ok for the first hour maybe after I woke up, but then went downhill after that. The Sleep doc then put me on provigil to help with that and it is helping some, but still faling asleep. So now I am going to take Xyrem to help me sleep through the night and hopefully that will take care of it. I use the full face mask because I couldn't use the nose one...which one do you use?
Hi
Most patients on CPAP require some time to adjust to the machine. The time required for adjustment is variable, ranging from a few days to a few weeks to may be a few months!
Most important is that you should not give up.
If mask is causing some discomfort or claustrophobia, you may try out some desensitization training. This will make you unaware of the fact that you are using some mask for breathing. You should try wearing the mask first for shorter duration and when you are busy in some other activity such as watching TV. Gradually you can increase the time of wearing the mask till you get accustomed to it. Ultimately you should be able to sleeping with the CPAP all night long.
However, if there is no relief, you should consult your physician.
Take care.
Most patients on CPAP require some time to adjust to the machine. The time required for adjustment is variable, ranging from a few days to a few weeks to may be a few months!
Most important is that you should not give up.
If mask is causing some discomfort or claustrophobia, you may try out some desensitization training. This will make you unaware of the fact that you are using some mask for breathing. You should try wearing the mask first for shorter duration and when you are busy in some other activity such as watching TV. Gradually you can increase the time of wearing the mask till you get accustomed to it. Ultimately you should be able to sleeping with the CPAP all night long.
However, if there is no relief, you should consult your physician.
Take care.
I'm assuming you had a second sleep study done with CPAP to determine the correct pressure and type of mask--did your doctor's report state that your sleep quality significantly improved with CPAP?
Typically, companies that provide you with the CPAP machine have a card with a microchip in it that monitors how often the machine is being used, for what period of time, and whether or not it is being properly used (via pressure measurements and recordings). After about a week of using the machine for the first time, I was asked to mail in this card, and they said they would contact me if it was evident from the measurements taken by the machine that my mask was leaking at night or I wasn't using the machine properly. They never contacted me, so I assumed everything was, and still is, going well.
However, I'm still tired after waking up, and I still wake up with headaches every morning. Since my ENT didn't know where my obstruction was, and couldn't seem to find one (I don't snore, I'm not overweight, etc.), she didn't know what to do about this. I was prescribed Provigil to help me stay alert during the day, and this has been a Godsend. While I think I am getting better quality sleep at night, CPAP just doesn't seem to be enough for me. The combination of CPAP and Provigil seems to work, though, so you might want to look into this, or at least figure out where your obstruction is and see if you can fix it--for good (i.e. get tonsils removed, lose weight, palate surgery, etc.). Don't resign yourself to a life of bad sleep, though.
Feel free to contact me here or via note/message if you have any other questions/comments/thoughts about CPAP or Provigil. I'll check back.
Typically, companies that provide you with the CPAP machine have a card with a microchip in it that monitors how often the machine is being used, for what period of time, and whether or not it is being properly used (via pressure measurements and recordings). After about a week of using the machine for the first time, I was asked to mail in this card, and they said they would contact me if it was evident from the measurements taken by the machine that my mask was leaking at night or I wasn't using the machine properly. They never contacted me, so I assumed everything was, and still is, going well.
However, I'm still tired after waking up, and I still wake up with headaches every morning. Since my ENT didn't know where my obstruction was, and couldn't seem to find one (I don't snore, I'm not overweight, etc.), she didn't know what to do about this. I was prescribed Provigil to help me stay alert during the day, and this has been a Godsend. While I think I am getting better quality sleep at night, CPAP just doesn't seem to be enough for me. The combination of CPAP and Provigil seems to work, though, so you might want to look into this, or at least figure out where your obstruction is and see if you can fix it--for good (i.e. get tonsils removed, lose weight, palate surgery, etc.). Don't resign yourself to a life of bad sleep, though.
Feel free to contact me here or via note/message if you have any other questions/comments/thoughts about CPAP or Provigil. I'll check back.
Have you talked with those who assigned you this mask to tell them it isn't working? They are responsible to help you work thru these adjustments, but they can't help if they don't know. Having it more than 30 days may present a problem now, but talk to them and see what they will do for you.
Still being tired after this period of time is not unusual. Getting used to sleeping with something foreign on your face takes time. And your body has to have time to recover from all the time of having untreated apnea. The quicker you are able to get a mask that works for you and keep it on full nights, the sooner you will feel better.
By the way, one of the most common causes for not improving with nasal masks or nasal pillows is opening the mouth while sleeping and letting the therapy go out the mouth instead of down the throat. There are chin straps for that. If you have a sore under your nose, the mask is probably not properly fitted. There is a forum all about adjusting to and using cpap called cpaptalk. You may find some helpful hints there.
Still being tired after this period of time is not unusual. Getting used to sleeping with something foreign on your face takes time. And your body has to have time to recover from all the time of having untreated apnea. The quicker you are able to get a mask that works for you and keep it on full nights, the sooner you will feel better.
By the way, one of the most common causes for not improving with nasal masks or nasal pillows is opening the mouth while sleeping and letting the therapy go out the mouth instead of down the throat. There are chin straps for that. If you have a sore under your nose, the mask is probably not properly fitted. There is a forum all about adjusting to and using cpap called cpaptalk. You may find some helpful hints there.
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