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A little confused - sleep debt - Printable Version

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A little confused - sleep debt - JCB7777 - 06-09-2014

So is it unusual to want/need to sleep MORE when starting CPAP? I'm only about three weeks in, but for the last week or more I have been (a) sleeping longer, and better, at night; (b) occasionally napping in the afternoon - which I NEVER used to do (napping by choice btw, not dozing off uncontrollably); and © still feeling tired and wanting to go to bed earlier than before.

I've done some reading about "sleep debt" and wonder if this a normal part of the process of "paying back" years of non-restorative sleep.

Another oddity: I had one day last week where I felt unusually alert and energetic. It took me a while to realize it was the way I felt when I briefly took Provigil a few years back. I was hoping that might become the new normal but so far it hasn't repeated.

Any thoughts?


RE: A little confused - Buckeyedog - 06-09-2014

Same sort of thing is happening to me as well. Be curious to hear some of the responses.


RE: A little confused - jaycee - 06-09-2014

IMO, it often does take people awhile to "balance out" when it comes to their sleep. It seems to be different for everyone but for the most part within a short period of time (weeks) you start to develop a "new normal" for sleep.




RE: A little confused - Buckeyedog - 06-09-2014

just a dumb thought........wonder if our bodies are now craving sleep since we are getting better sleep overall?? Sure is interesting. Mine is definitely a "different" tired/sleepiness than I've had before.


RE: A little confused - Visitor - 06-09-2014

I definitely experienced the fully alert and very energetic part (I'm only on APAP for two weeks). I had it twice so far. It was great. I try to take it day be day, and have gotten some awful nights too. Ups and downs, but I don't sleep more, in fact, I am less sleepy in the day and tend to wake up quite early.


RE: A little confused - Homerec130 - 06-09-2014

I've found that yes I do sleep better and longer. Whereas back in BC (before CPAP) we figured might as well get up thinking we were rested. I used to wake up multiple times a night for various reasons, but now, I may get up once (unless the cats wake me up) and sleep pretty much through the night. I do admit, it is harder at times to get out of bed when the alarm goes off when I have to get up real early.




RE: A little confused - sleep debt - zonk - 06-10-2014

I don,t believe its something to do with sleep debt if there is such thing, not breathing while sleeping is a serious problem

Here is a wiki video presentation from ResMed illustrate what happen during sleep with untreated OSA
Sleep disordered breathing (SDB) http://www.apneaboard.com/wiki/index.php?title=Sleep_disordered_breathing_%28SDB%29


RE: A little confused - sleep debt - Sleepster - 06-11-2014

(06-09-2014, 08:06 AM)JCB7777 Wrote: So is it unusual to want/need to sleep MORE when starting CPAP?

Your body has been craving sleep but was unable to get it. Now that it can it's taking advantage of the situation.

Look at it this way: You are in recovery (from years of sleep deprivation).

Eventually you'll find a new normal and you will have more of those days like the one you had where you felt great.

Just give it time and enjoy the journey. Be thankful that CPAP therapy exists. Our parents and grandparents were not so lucky.



RE: A little confused - sleep debt - DocWils - 06-11-2014

There is no such thing as sleep debt. What you are experiencing is a normal process of the body relearning how to have a "normal" sleep pattern - it takes a while for the body to find the correct equilibrium to our genetically programmed sleep pattern (actually, it never does find it - our modern world forbids what our hard wired sleep pattern should be, alas - it is not normal to sleep a straight six or eight hour sleep per night - that is something imposed on us by the Industrial revolution and electric lights, etc. Prior to that, we slept in two phases, with a relatively active wakefulness phase in between). Sleep debt itself is a myth and has no basis in science.

Let the flame war begin Wink


RE: A little confused - sleep debt - Evpraxia - 10-03-2014

(06-11-2014, 06:13 AM)DocWils Wrote: There is no such thing as sleep debt. What you are experiencing is a normal process of the body relearning how to have a "normal" sleep pattern - it takes a while for the body to find the correct equilibrium to our genetically programmed sleep pattern (actually, it never does find it - our modern world forbids what our hard wired sleep pattern should be, alas - it is not normal to sleep a straight six or eight hour sleep per night - that is something imposed on us by the Industrial revolution and electric lights, etc. Prior to that, we slept in two phases, with a relatively active wakefulness phase in between). Sleep debt itself is a myth and has no basis in science.

Let the flame war begin Wink

Greetings,

No "flames" from me but it is an interesting thought. I have read of several inventors, T A Edison for one, who slept when he felt the need and worked when he wanted to; but few of us can do that.

Today - I think I am exhausted (I Know I am sore!) from having worked on our roof yesterday to make sure we don't have any leaks come the rainy season.