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

[Doublereeder2]

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

Within the first couple months I saw lower blood pressure and higher O2 readings.

[Geer1]

I believe the milder the case the longer it takes to see benefits. PAP is an intrusive treatment so the more benefit you get from it the easier the transition will be to accepting it. Some people with severe obstructive apnea sleep better on their first night with PAP whereas mild cases like myself can take months to see benefit. I bet it was 2 weeks before I even felt like I was sleeping better with PAP than pre PAP, I didn't think it was going to help but stuck with it and eventually was converted.

In your case you said your only symptom (possible symptom) is arrhythmias during sleep. If that is the case then that is probably quite difficult to see the benefits from. Do you have some way of knowing if that has improved? I imagine you would have to wear a holter monitor for them to test that?

[desaturator]

In your case you said your only symptom (possible symptom) is arrhythmias during sleep. If that is the case then that is probably quite difficult to see the benefits from. Do you have some way of knowing if that has improved? I imagine you would have to wear a holter monitor for them to test that?

Yup. And, this kind of testing is rather expensive and, because none of it is covered by insurance, the money is coming out of my retirement fund.

I guess this is why I'm wondering whether I'll ever come to love -- or at least tolerate -- CPAP. If it had a clear benefit or I got along well with it, I guess I'd just stick it out. The fact that I really loathe CPAP (at least so far) tends to tip the scales in the "screw this" direction. But if I knew that in a month's time (or whatever) it would be no problem at all for me, that would be different.

Best wishes, DS

[Ratchick]

I can't promise how anything will go... but it does usually get a bit easier to go. The first week on CPAP? I cried, I was SO tired, so fed up, my nose was sore, my face was sore, I was right in the start of lockdown at the very beginning of the pandemic and had nobody to help me in person... I was SO tempted to give up because I hadn't really noticed the headaches improving etc... But it really did get easier. So much so that it takes me less than a minute to get ready for bed now, and sometimes I wake up and I have to poke my mask to check if it's even still blowing air - and my pressure is fixed at 15cm, no ramp, no auto, nothing.

[desaturator]

[...] sometimes I wake up and I have to poke my mask to check if it's even still blowing air - and my pressure is fixed at 15cm, no ramp, no auto, nothing.

You're a super-hero I can't imagine being able to tolerate anything like this. I guess it comes with practice. Maybe...

Best wishes, DS.

[Mrzocor]

Loving it is pushing it. Tolerate it is more like it.

[SevereApnea]

"Does it get easier? Do people eventually find combinations of equipment and settings that they don't mind too much? Or is it always a thing that you put up with because the alternative would be much worse?"

Actually after two years now (I am in week 103) I have found my preferred machine, mask, pressure settings, bed and pillow setup, and leak management and am quite happy with where I am.

I used to dread the night ahead with the CPAP but for me that meant the set up was wrong.

I now fall asleep easily, no longer need sleep aids to get me through the night and am generally finding I do much better during the day.

A few times I woke in the early morning and took all that stuff off thinking I would not fall asleep, but did, and regretted it!

Now it is just part of my daily routine.

I don't like wearing glasses either and would love to be able to not need them, but I do, and without them I am lost!
Do I like them? nope. But they are part of who I am and what I need to do to get around.

So, short answer is Yes, there is hope for you, once you have found your groove and the correct settings and set-up. It can take a while!

[Jeff8356]

After two years I can't say I love it. But I am used to it and sleep much better with it. In the beginning it took me a couple of months to get settled in with settings, mask, etc. And while it did not cure all my sleep problems it did help considerably. YMMV....

[speed3914]

You'd have to pry mine out of my cold dead hands.   I LOVE it!  I used to think it was awful and could not imagine using one but now I know it helps my sleep quality immensely.

[NotADr]

Using it has never been comfortable but not having headaches every morning makes it worthwhile for me. But my wife loves it even more than me since she no longer has to put up with my snoring.