Unexpected Positive from CPAP

[rjberube]

Have to agree with other posters... the simple act of changing your mental focus to breathing acts like self-hypnosis... zzzzzzz

I realize now that because sleeping was frustrating in so many ways before PAP, I would delay going to bed, leading to further sleep deprivation, and further downward spiral... So hang in there - you'll find the mental fog will start to lift.

Another side benefit to PAP therapy I accidentally found is that all of that nice, warm humid air helps keep my sinuses and nasal passages open. I've noticed an improvement in smell and taste [though better half insists my humor is often still in bad taste ]

[Sleepster]

My suggestion to anyone who suffers from depression is to get help from a professional therapist. Medication may help, but therapy may help even more. It takes courage to face your issues and work through them in therapy. You may or may not have a chemical imbalance, but you definitely have issues. Everybody does. It's part of being human. Many people resort to medication as an alternative to therapy when instead it can be used as a supplement to therapy. And it may be the case that with adequate therapy you can get off the medications and so avoid their side effects.

[Eurika]

For some of us, who have had many years of therapy and are aware of the causative effects of the depression and learn to live with it, with the help of meds, there is no other alternative. I would dearly love to come off meds totally, but the best outcome is to be on low level meds and be aware of all the warning signs of the depression worsening, and to get help. There is only so much therapy, be it personal or group that will make any difference.

As an intelligent long term sufferer who fully understands what depression is and the willingness to try virtually anything to get off meds, I don't see the point of a therapy session for the sake of it, when the patient knows more than the therapist about his or her condition. Im lucky as my consultant treats me intelligently and is aware that I can probably teach him as much about my condition as he can teach me. We have regular discussions about reducing meds, changing them etc, and I/we start to reduce the level of meds, but are very careful not to upset the balance, and as soon as it begins to negatively affect my quality of life we stop the changes, always small steps, but always in the right direction!

After spending most of my adult life suffering from depression, I have more than kept pace with the advances in therapy, and meds available, and they are significantly more advanced in both areas than they were 30 years ago.

Yes therapy is important, and yes meds are important, but what is most important is having a realistic, knowledgable, and positive outlook going forward.

And getting back to the positives of CPAP here is a list that I have compiled in no particular order, and please add to it as you remember more benefits that you may have forgotten about, they are not all personal to me, but a combination of what others have reported too.

Read, remember and be grateful for all the positives in life, no matter how small.

No more morning headaches
Lots more energy during the day
Controlling depression better
No more night time acid reflux
None or fewer trips to the bathroom at night
Regained the ability to concentrate
Happier bed partner
Falling asleep easier
Waking up feeling refreshed
Able to think clearly
Better sex life
Losing weight
Healthier body
Quality rather than quantity of sleep better
Clearer Sinus's
Stopped drooling
No more seasonal headaches