Hello,
I just got my CPAP machine yesterday and I had the worst sleep of my life. I have been diagnosed with Severe Sleep Apnea and I stop breathing 50-60 times per hour. I work 3rd shift and used my CPAP machine set on 14 for the first time this morning and my wife said that I did not snore but I woke up after 4 hours of sleep more tired than ever. Of course I took 2 more naps before I came to work. Does this sound normal and does it ever get better? PLEASE HELP!!!

Thanks
Mark

Welcome to Apnea Board, Mark.

Don't despair! My first few attempts at CPAP were completely miserable. I did everything I could to avoid CPAP, but in the end, I found a workable combination of mask and machine and was able to get restful sleep for the first time in many years.

Now, I wouldn't go without it. I take it with me when I travel, I won't even take a nap without it!

Actually, your CPAP therapy sound reasonably successful so far. If you can sleep four hours right out of the chute with CPAP, you're doing pretty well. You can always ask for another sleep study to see how well it's working, but my suggestion is to stick with it for at least a month or two and let your own comfort be your guide.

Good luck and let us know how it goes!

Carl

Thanks Carl for the quick response! I also had a hard time breathing with the CPAP machine on. I guess I am just a bit nervous about the whole situation. I also just thought that once I wore the mask that my sleep quality would get better over night. Boy was I wrong!

Mark

If you're having trouble exhaling against the pressure, you can ask your DME provider for a trial of an autoPAP, or a CPAP that provides some pressure drop on exhalation, such as a Respironics Remstar with C-Flex.

Carl