I think it is largely a racket. My company told me that 65% of the people who have machines don't use them. I use mine periodically, but have never had much success and find the whole thing very frustrated. I'm very tired a lot of the time and wake up feeling completely unrefreshed. And doctor's don't seem to have any idea what to do. Good luck.
I just have one comment about the information available from the Dreamstation. I find it to be pretty useless. It tells you how long you have used the machine, your AHI and whether the mask leaks. If you look at my information, you would think I am doing great. But I'm not! I sleep very poorly, I don't think the machine helps, and I generally wake up feel exhausted. I don't think my doctors even know what to do, but it is very frustrating. My fitibt gives much better information, tho I know it's not completely accurate - it tells how long I've slept, how often I am "restless", and how many minutes I've been awake during the night. It's much closer to reality.
I just want to comment on one thing - I get info on my AHI and mask leak, and it is completely misleading. It says ow AHI and little leaks. But in reality, my sleeping is simply awful -- never get a good night's sleep, never feel refreshed, even after many months of BiPAP and nasal pillows. Always feel fatigued. Sure wish my doctor's could figure it out.
Hi BLizzard, I don't have many of the issues you have, but I never adjusted well to my CPAP. I eventually got a BiPAP and found that the only thing I could use were the nasal pillows. I am not claustrophobic but the masks just drove me crazy. I also don't need as high a pressure as you need. But you might want to try the pillows at a lower pressure, just to get you accustomed to them, and then work your way up to whatever mask and pressures you need. For me, it has been a very difficult experience. The machine helped for a while, but not very much, and not for long. I'm still persisting, however reluctantly. I have a friend who says it changed his life: he wakes up feeling really great, hardly needs any sleep, etc etc. Not me, but I'm still hoping for something better. Good luck.
I have found my experience to be very disappointing. Started on CPAP a few years ago, then got 3 bouts of pneumonia. Actually wondered if CPAP didn't cause one of them. Didn't use it for a couple of years, then had another study and eventually got BiPAP. I have a friend who says CPAP changed his life -- he never slept so well, and wakes up feeling great and energized every day. Not me! For a short while it seemed to help (in that I didn't feel I needed to go back to bed as soon as I got up), but after a number of months, it hardly works at all. Never feel refreshed or well-rested, even tho the Dreamapper software makes is appear that I sleep well (low AHI and no real mask leak). My fitbit gives better information and tells me how often I am "restless" and awake -- not the most accurate information, but closer to the truth. I wonder if others have had this frustrating experience. I would LOVE to get a good night's sleep one of these days. Even Ambien no longer works. Thanks!
I would like to see information about using supplemental oxygen for daytime sleepiness in people w/ sleep apnea. My apnea is supposedly treated but I am still exhausted and fatigued during the day, and I take dexedrine for energy. However, I do not like being dependent on this drug. Someone recently told me her father used "a little" bit of oxygen in the morning, and this helped his fatigue. (Note that I am not interested in using CPAP and getting nighttime oxygen -- I only want to use a little during the day to fight my exhaustion.)
Any thoughts or experience would be appreciated.
Where is this data that you are getting. Is it on the machine itself. I'm trying to figure out how to get this information.
Can you tell me how you set up the technology you use to get sleep information every day. I am new at this and at a complete loss as to how to get started. My machine has a chip in the back, but my doctor (who I know longer use) led me to believe that only he can get the information from it.??? Thanks in advance for your hep.
Hi, I was diagnosed w/ apnea several years ago. I had no trouble using the CPAP machine but it did NOTHING for me -- felt just as tired when I woke up as when I went to bed. I have friends who say they never felt so great after using the machine, but I never had that experience. Am now researching the mouthpiece, which I am hoping will help.. Has anyone had any experience with these? Would be very interested in knowing about it, as my sleeping has been dreadful. Thanks!
It seems to me that there are two groups of CPAP users - those who use it and say "Wow, I never slept so well in my life, and I feel so refreshed in the morning!" I seem, sadly for me, to be in the second category -- I can sleep with it just fine, but I never felt one iota better, and began to think it actually caused some lung problems. So I'm now searching for a good oral device. Any input would be greatly appreciated.
