How long will the daytime sleepiness go away if I'm getting the right treatment?

Hi there, new to the forum and the world of sleep apnea. I probably already have daytime sleepiness for a very long time, but it's been getting very bad this last few years, with the addition of brain fog. Exercise and meditation helped a lot with the brain fog, but I still have a lot of sleepiness. I slept for 7-9 hours a day. I feel the quality generally is quite good. But I still feel sleepy, even after a lot of naps.

So after a couple of blood tests and a sleep study, my doctor found that I have sleep apnea with AHI of 16, only when I'm sleeping on my back. She said this may the cause of my sleepiness, but she can't be sure, as she said 16 is "only" considered moderate (she also said I may have depression, which I don't feel so). But since it's the only thing that we found, I embarked on a journey to get the treatment for sleep apnea.

I was lend a cpap machine for 2 weeks, which wasn't very successful. I don't like the feeling of the hose around my neck. I couldn't move as freely as I used to. Dryness on my throat which was alleviate with the humidifier though. My sleep quality declined when I was using it. I always found the mask was not on my face anymore in the middle of the night. And it didn't help with my sleepiness. Also hate the idea of having to bring it all along when I'm travelling.

So after 2 weeks, I returned the machine, thinking of trying another treatment. Right now I'm trying the tennis ball approach, where I put 2 tennis balls on my back. While I can't be 100% certain, I think it does help keep me sleep on my side. It's only been about day 4. Not a very good sleep at day 1 and 2, but I think it's getting better. I still have strong sleepiness though.

So if this tennis balls approach does work, how long can I expect the sleepiness to go away?

Hello @AmicableRoselbex7856. I'm not sure there is a definite timeframe within which you should expect sleepiness to go away. There are many things that can contribute to feelings of fatigue and sleepiness--like other noise in your environment, pets disturbing sleep, or even a bed that is not quite as comfortable as you'd like. The hope is that treating the sleep apnea will help. It sounds as though your have position sleep apnea the occurs only when you are on your back. The tennis ball approach may be helpful, and there are devices such as the Zzoma that can help keep you from rolling on your back. CPAP and other treatments may take time to adjust to, but hopefully you will start to notice some improvement in your sleep soon. Please keep us posted on your progress!