BrightLilacDove4332

There is a correlation between needing sleep and feeling hungry--the same parts of the brain are at work. When you crave sleep, you may also crave food. Plus, if you are tired all the time, chances are you are not as physically active either. In my case, my apnea also affected my ability to learn anything new, my memory of how to do my job, my creativity, my problem-solving ability and it also caused depression. When I finally saw a doctor due to the depression, he told me I needed to do a sleep study. It took 2 1/2 months to get in because they were so busy, but when I had it, they told me the reason I could not learn anything new was because I had no deep sleep and long term memories are only formed in deep sleep. The reason I was depressed was because I could not dream and the mind needs to dream, otherwise you get depressed. Back then, they didn't tell me about the correlation between sleep apnea and clogging of the arteries and shortly after I got my machine, I needed a quadruple by-pass due to my clogged heart arteries. That was 12 years ago and since I got my first machine, I have missed about 6 nights. My machine changed my life and all my abilities I had relied on came back--good memory, creativity, problem solving abilities, quick learner. I was already exercising and trying to do physically healthy things, but it became easier to stay up with this when well rested. My last stress test in March of this year showed no clogged arteries, so everything seems to be the way it should be. I like getting the score each night from my Airsense10. My most frequent score is 100, followed by 99, then 98, etc. My most frequent AHI is .5, followed by .2. I rely on the leakage score to give me a clue if it is time to replace the nose piece or adjust my straps. And I love feeling rested and mentally sharp again.

That has been my experience, too. I am using an AirSense10 and occasionally clean the nose piece with a disinfectant wipe. I also change the air filter every few months. Since the machine automatically dries out the hose each day, I figure it is not a breeding ground for bacteria then. Most of the flow is to me, not from me. I have used a CPAP since 2005 with no bacteria related problems and minimal fussing. I use only filtered water for the humidifier tank and every 3 months or so wipe it out if there is any residue starting to show. That water also is unaffected by my breathing. I know some are greatly worried about cleaning these machines, but I am not sure I understand what the basis is for that.

YES, it is dangerous. Beside the side effects of being tired while driving and performing poorly in your job, things are happening inside that can shorten your life. When you stop breathing and the oxygen level drops, your heart starts racing trying to get oxygen to the brain. Eventually, you get a jolt of adrenalin to make you gasp and start breathing again. Adrenalin irritates your arteries and your body's response to that is to lay down cholesterol. It is dangerous to have irritated arteries. When I picked up my newest CPAP machine two years ago, I was a told there is a 100% correlation between sleep apnea and hardening of the arteries or arteriosclerosis. I got my first machine in March of 2005 after a terrible few months at work where I had no creativity, no problems solving abilities, could not learn anything new and was forgetting how to do parts of my job. I had always relied on these attributes to do my job well. Over Christmas, I noticed how depressed I was and decided I better see my doctor because something was wrong. When I explained my symptoms, he told me I needed to do a sleep study. It took 2 1/2 months to get in. Afterwards they told me the reason I could not learn anything new was because I had no deep sleep and long term memories are only formed in deep sleep. The reason I was depressed was because I couldn't dream and the brain needs to go through 2 to 3 dream cycles a night to be healthy. I started using a CPAP machine they had calibrated for me and it only took me 3 nights to get used to wearing the nasal mask and keep in on all night. After that, I would wake up with a smile on my face because it felt so good to be rested. All my abilities came back, but I had already resigned and retired to avoid becoming an embarrassment at work with all my inabilities and forgetfulness. The following December, I was seeing a cardiologist to do an angiogram after doing poorly on a stress test. When they did that test, the told me I couldn't leave the hospital and they wanted to operate that afternoon to perform a quadruple by-pass operation due to my badly clogged arteries going into and out of my heart. I decided after that that I will not sleep without using my CPAP machine, even for naps. Who needs to be causing that kind of damage to themselves? I am in my 12th year using a CPAP machine and just did another stress test in January and they found no signs of any blockages to or from my heart. So far, so good. I had been taking good care of myself before all this, exercising, eating fairly carefully, maintaining a healthy weight. The damage to my arteries happened anyway. My wife's nephew had to have by-pass surgery at age 42 and during recovery, they found out he had sleep apnea, too, Same problem, same result. He was physically fit and athletic and doing healthy things, but it didn't stop the damage sleep apnea was causing. Good luck on your journey to a healthier and longer life.

I think my CPAP story is a good one. I was diagnosed with Sleep Apnea in 2005 after noticing how tired and inept I was the fall of 2004. I was working as the Library/Media guy in a large middle school and noticed that fall that I was really tired, wanting to nap on the way to school in the morning, taking 3 hour naps on Saturday and Sunday. I noticed I could not learn anything new. I had no problem solving abilities or creativity like I usually relied on. I was forgetting how to do parts of my job and I had prided myself on a good memory. Over Christmas break, I noticed also how depressed I was and that made me see my doctor right after Christmas break. When I explained my symptoms, he told me I needed to do a sleep study. It took 2 and 1/2 months to get in. They wired me up to record my brain waves, etc. and I went to sleep. Halfway through the night, they gave me a CPAP machine that they could control and I continued sleeping. Afterwards, they had a machine calibrated for my needs. They told me the reason I could not learn anything new was that I had no deep sleep and long term memories are only formed in deep sleep. My depression was because I could not dream and the mind usually goes through 3 dream cycles a night and without that, you are depressed.

It took me 3 nights to get used to wearing the mask, but I was determined. I told myself: "Others have done this, you can, too! It's just a case of getting used to the feel." After that I would wake up with a smile on my face because it felt so good to be rested. All my abilities slowly came back, but I had already tendered my resignation to retire and didn't change that. I had not wanted to become an embarrassment to the school.

I have used my machine all night every night ever since, except for 1 trip to the Boundary Waters where there is no electricity. I never returned because of that.

My new machine from February, 2015, records my sleep each night and sends in a report that I access later in the day. I have logged all the results and have ranked the scores and the number of sleep interruptions per night (AHI). The highest score you can get is 100. My most frequent score is 100, the next most frequent score is 99, then 98. You have to get at least 7 hours of sleep a night to get 70 points. It also keeps track of mask leakage. No leakage is 20 points. Any sleep interruptions under 5 / hour gives you five points. My most frequent AHI score is .2, followed by .5. If you only take the mask off once, you get 5 points. I have a large bladder and don't need to get up in the night, so I usually get 5 points. From an apnea point of view, that is what I think success looks like.

The mask leakage measure is a barometer for me telling me when to adjust the fit or replace the nose piece.

I know I am lucky compared to many because I could adjust so easily. I am a side sleeper and position the hose so it goes up the pillow and then over to the machine. I can turn from side to side and not have a hose problem. When it's time for sleep, I put my mask on, pull the covers over my head and fall asleep within a minute or so. That way, my wife can continue reading if she wants to. I'm in the dark and have all the air I need through my mask. This machine is very quiet and neither of us can hear it operating.

I do not understand the difficulties others have since I experienced none myself. My supplier has good advice if I have a machine problem, like hose leakage or something, so I can turn to them if something isn't working right.

What no one explained back in 2005 was the connection between sleep apnea and artery clogging. When you stop breathing, your heart starts going faster trying to get oxygen to the brain. Eventually, you get a jolt of adrenaline to make you gasp and start breathing again. Adrenalin irritates your arteries and that is dangerous, so your body lays down cholesterol over the irritation. My arteries were getting irritated by adrenalin and soothed with cholesterol. I got my machine in March of 2005 and in December of 2005 I was having an emergency quadruple by-pass due to my clogged arteries. That problem only surfaced when I asked my doctor in the fall of 2005 if I could try a different blood pressure med than atenolol. He said "Sure!" and put me on two other meds. When I got off Atenolol, I got pains in my right shoulder when my heart rate went up. The doctor tried a stress test and told me my EKG was not normal and that I should see a cardiologist and have an angiogram done. The angiogram found the blockages and they told my wife I should not leave the hospital and they wanted to operate that afternoon. The blockages were where the arteries branched and they could not use stents. I learned afterwards in cardio therapy that Atenolol masks the symptoms of angina--that pain in my right shoulder. I would never have known of my problem if I hadn't changed blood pressure meds.

Once I had that experience and realized how sleep apnea contributed to the problem, I became more determined than ever to use my CPAP machine faithfully any time I wanted to sleep--naps included.

Good luck on your journey!