Just out of curiosity -- do people eventually learn to love CPAP?

[Geer1]

It's a love hate relationship. Do I love it? No. Do I wish I had it on nights that I don't? Yes.

To me the true test of understanding if you are benefiting from cpap is after 6+ months of continuous use you feel like you sleep worse without it and it makes you want to continue using it.

That is my case even though I don't have obvious apnea issues anymore (I think it's the humidification that really helps me). I tried quitting a couple times but I always end up coming back to it cause it does help.

[Malikont]

Started off loving it because after 12 years of next to no sleep it was like coming out of a deep fog and I could think clearly and no fall asleep if I stopped moving. Eventually I was over the honeymoon phase and started researching how to customize the equipment to suit me better and additionally, my wife sleeps better because of it.
I have found what works well for me, for now, and although I would rather not have to use it, I use my machine every night.

[Nightynite]

I have been on it for 3 yrs and I never have adjusted to it. Every night is different, Oscar says I’m fine. Some mornings are good, most are not. I chalked it up to age ( 69) . I have exhausted things like sleep hygiene, exercise and that sort of thing, so I’m on the edge of just accepting it for what it is. ( Old age & stuff on your face that’s disruptive)

[Superstar]

I have been on it for 3 yrs and I never have adjusted to it. Every night is different, Oscar says I’m fine. Some mornings are good, most are not. I chalked it up to age ( 69) .  I have exhausted things like sleep hygiene, exercise and that sort of thing, so I’m on the edge of just accepting it for what it is.   ( Old age & stuff on your face that’s disruptive)

I totally agree with you. I am 78 and have the same issues. And I have tried the same things.  I must toss and turn due to back pain and the ResMed machine records this as central apneas, sometimes 80+ a night. These are not CA's.  My OA's are completely controlled. So an AHI may be 2 one day and 14 the next. It is an older person thing and we have to just do the best we can. But at least we are not adding more health issues and we would be if we did not use CPAP.

[Ratchick]

Wow. That's a lot of tossing and turning you do, Superstar. Eighty times a night? That's like... every 5 or 6 minutes, all night long. I'm not surprised you don't feel great.

[desaturator]

I am one who had NO identifiable sleep apnea symptoms other than developing atrial fibrillation. So I cannot tell that I sleep better. But like you and running, I will stick with it for my health.

I think I'm in much the same position. I don't have any symptoms except arrhythmia, and then mostly at night when I don't even know about it. May I ask how you know that the CPAP is actually working? Do you experience less AF when you are awake? Or do you have to have additional overnight ECG monitoring? If you know it's working, how long did it take for you to find out?

Sorry if I'm dragging my own thread off topic...

Best wishes, DS

[Geer1]

Desaturator a lot of the time I believe people don't even realize all the benefit they are getting because they occur slowly. Our bodies take weeks/months to fully adapt to CPAP and many of the changes occur slowly. Normally in mild cases I say give it a good 6+ months and then try quitting, the symptoms and issues come back much sooner then they go away and many people including myself start to notice them within days.

That said if you have something like atrial fibrillation that is a different story. If you have AF and documented/obvious apnea then there is a very good chance your apnea is a contributing factor to AF. Apnea is very hard on the heart because each apnea forces it to work harder to try and make up for lower oxygen level.

My one grandfather started having AF including a bad episode ~ 18 years ago. I had to help carry him to a car to rush him to the ER to get it dealt with. He was diagnosed with apnea and started CPAP at that time and hasn't had any significant episodes since (that I am aware of). My other grandfather has congestive heart failure and central apnea (more controversial on which causes which) and has been on ASV for ~15 years and is in very good health for late 80s. I am pretty sure that without PAP technology at least one if not both of them would not be with us anymore. Having seen how I believe it has extended both of their lifespans I strongly recommend its use to anyone with known heart issues and apnea.

[Doublereeder2]

Desaturater, I've been on CPAP 7 months. I committed to do this so I researched and tried lots of masks, downloaded OSCAR and took the advice of the good people here and on the other board. I tweaked my settings a bit, now get great quality sleep and wake up refreshed and ready to conquer the day. After finding a very comfortable mask, fine tuning the settings and finding a good way to manage the hose, yes, I love it.  Plus my O2 saturation is higher and my blood pressure is lower. 

[SarcasticDave94]

I think I would like the PAP machine a lot more than tolerating the doctor, RT, test tech, DME, insurance that you have to deal with to get the machine.

[desaturator]

I think I would like the PAP machine a lot more than tolerating the doctor, RT, test tech, DME, insurance that you have to deal with to get the machine.

Since UK insurance companies won't pay for any of this stuff (at least, mine won't) that, at least, isn't a problem I have.

Um. I said that like it was a good thing...

Best wishes, DS

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Desaturater, I've been on CPAP 7 months. [...] Plus my O2 saturation is higher and my blood pressure is lower. 

May I ask how long it took to see these positive effects? I do appreciate that everybody is different in this respect, of course.

Best wishes, DS