I am 36 years old and I was recently diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnea. I have had two sleep studies done. The first without a cpap and the second with a cpap. I got these sleep studies done basicallly by asking my doctor for them because I was tired all the time.My AHI average was 25, 60 on my back , limb movement 17 and arousal 33, on the sleep study without a cpap.
My second sleep study with a cpap brought all my parameters within normal limits with a setting of 12. If this is good or bad I dont know, but I am excited about the possibilities.
First of all I had trouble believing I had sleep apnea because I thought that I was not overweight enough to have these kinds of problems.I am six feet tall and weigh 220 pounds and my body fat % is less than 20. Thinking back though I had some fairly severe sleep disturbances when i was much thinner and in better shape than I am now.
Now I am thinking that I just hit that threshold where you start to realize the symptoms in the waking part of your day.I had reached a point of despair. My wife was like what's wrong with you because I never had the energy to do anything.
Well I am positive about this whole thing. I am hopeful that being diagnosed and treated is going to be a real good thing. I am looking forward to having some energy again.I hope

Michael - welcome to Apnea Board! I think you'll find that as you start your CPAP therapy, it will take some time before the positive effects are completely evident. Just don't quit CPAP without giving it several months first. It will take a lot of adjustment... getting used to CPAP, trying different types of face masks, etc., but it will be worth it in the end.

In my case, I nearly killed myself while driving on I-70 west of Columbus, Ohio, due to falling asleep at the wheel. I'm glad it didn't take that kind of "wake up call" for you!

After I started treatment, I noticed a lot better alertness and less daytime sleepniness. For me, it took only a few days of CPAP to notice this, but that isn't always the case with everyone, so don't quit CPAP just because you don't see good effects immediately. Some CPAP patients even say that they sleep MORE after begnning CPAP treatment - the reason they gave was that their body had a "sleep deficit" - in other words, their body needed to "catch up" on sleep for a few months that it was missing for years and years.

Everyone's different. I would suggest that as you fine-tune your treatment, come here, post your progress and allow others to chime in to help with any problems you may face. And, as always, consult with your sleep doctor on a regular basis.

Take care and good luck!

Welcome to Apnea Board, Michael.

Many folks are surprised to learn that just about anyone can develop sleep apnea, not just overweight men.

Sounds as though CPAP is working well for you. 12cm is a reasonably tolerable pressure, and relatively easy to deliver through most types of masks or interfaces.

Good luck with your therapy, and be sure to let us know how it goes!

Carl