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CPAP users

Discussion in 'Non-Vegas Chat' started by Johnzimbo, Nov 25, 2020.

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  1. Johnzimbo

    Johnzimbo VIP Whale

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    So I supposedly have a mild apnea issue and have been using a CPAP for a month and other than having dreams now every night which I assume means I am sleeping more deeply, have not noticed any other changes. For long time users, at some point do you feel like you have more energy during the day or any other noticeable results?

    My follow up with the ENT doc is in a couple weeks.
     
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  2. KnowItAll

    KnowItAll VIP Whale

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    Oh yes more energy. It is a huge help.
     
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  3. WDMJB

    WDMJB Low-Roller

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    WD fought using a CPAP for at least 4 years. He finally gave in and is so glad to have stuck with it. Better sleep, deeper sleep and more energy. It takes about 2 months to really notice though. Stick with it!
     
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  4. DaiLun

    DaiLun R.C., L.C., and A.A.N.G.

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    I have been using a CPAP for almost 30 years, and aside from dreaming (which indicates that I have reached REM sleep), I do feel more energy during the day. Also, when traveling, I don't wake my roommates with my loud snoring and breathing stoppages.
     
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  5. deansrobinson

    deansrobinson VIP Whale

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    I too experienced an increase in dream activity. For decades I would 'get up' at night - and hit the head. I assumed that was the reason for waking up. After the CPAP, I sleep through the night and don't need to get up, even to hit the head. It's lights out and then the morning alarm. End of story. The version I use only covers the nose (not the pilot facemask rendition) and works fine.
     
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  6. makikiboy

    makikiboy VIP Whale

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    Been a few years since I got on a CPAP. For me I don't really notice the difference. Don't feel any better when I use it or sleep any better.

    Actually when I go on trips I don't bring along the CPAP. Too bulky to carry around, IMHO. At night I'm still fighting the machine, taking it off in the middle of the night because I feel like I'm suffocating. I try to get 4 hours a night on the machine and try to go for 5 hours but eventually I take it off when I'm sleeping.
     
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  7. miniwhale

    miniwhale High-Roller

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    My husband has been using one for about 7 months now. He had his 6 month follow up and they said his numbers look great. Average less than one "event" compared to around 15 before. He said he hasn't really had any noticeable differences in his sleep or energy levels. He didn't seem to have low energy levels before, though. Good for me, though, he doesn't snore, and hopefully this will be good for his health regardless of any noticeable differences.
     
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  8. booker

    booker VIP Whale

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    I've had sleep issues since childhood. I have slight sleep apnea and the CPAP helps. All of the masks that I have used tend to leak and frequently wake me up so I putz with it trying to fix it. Then I'm normally wide awake. Anyhow, I do tend to sleep better with the CPAP than without.

    Edited to say that I used to snore quite a bit and now seldom snore due to the machine.
     
  9. ineedavegasfix

    ineedavegasfix Tourist

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    I had a CPAP machine for about 6 years and now have a BIPAP. I have extremely severe sleep apnea. I have two machines...one for home and one that I keep at our condo in Vegas. That way I don't have to schlep the thing all across the land - it is cumbersome. I still don't sleep worth beans but I've noticed that on the rare occasion when I don't wear it (camping, unexpected travel interruptions and I have to stay overnight somewhere) I sleep way worse and I actually can feel that I stop breathing. It's really freaky...I will wake up gasping for air or have very vivid dreams of almost dying! Very unsettling. It's almost like my body is addicted to the machine and if I don't have it, it knows it. So needless to say, I wear mine every possible night and even though my sleep is not much better, at least I don't feel like I'm gonna die :)
     
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  10. Johnzimbo

    Johnzimbo VIP Whale

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    Thanks for the replies. I did have to add a chin strap to keep my mouth closed during sleep because I was waking up middle of night with a very dry mouth... the misses likes that as I no longer snore.
     
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  11. theoldcoach

    theoldcoach Low-Roller

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    Welcome to the club!

    A bit over 3 years here. I was moderate apnea, at a 22. Nearly always under 1 with the machine. After the adjustment period, I noticed much better energy.

    Additionally, if you did not know, your CPAP does not count as a piece of onboard luggage. It is a necessary medical device. Mine is so common that SW gate agents recognize and don’t even mention that I have 3 bags (backpack under the seat, 19” overhead, and CPAP.
     
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  12. Johnzimbo

    Johnzimbo VIP Whale

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    Cool, they did tell me to always carry it on, never check it
     
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  13. booker

    booker VIP Whale

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    My dry mouth experience is 180° opposite of yours. When using the CPAP, i now keep my mouth and my mouth becomes exceptionally dry. I have to keep water next to me at night.
     
  14. mjames1229

    mjames1229 # of visits includes only trips w/ hotel stays

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    This is my answer, too. I was always unconsciously taking it off in the middle of the night, and when my wife would wake me to adjust it, I would get myself worked up and frustrated and then couldn't fall right back to sleep.

    I also had all sorts of trouble adjusting the flow. It took a couple of months to convince my guy to increase the flow as it felt like I was trying to breathe through a straw. Once I got them to increase it, I felt like I was being blasted with air. I got them to back off that, but he said he had only increased it one notch, and that I'd just have to get used to it.

    Then there's the mask itself. I tried two different versions that my insurance paid for, and the one that was most comfortable left strap marks on my face for hours (read: still visible at work in the morning). When I wanted to try a third version my insurance wouldn't pay for it and I wasn't going to spend real money on trial and error.

    My whole CPAP experiment lasted about a year. For the past three years, it is safely inside my closet.

    (Yes, I know I should start the process over. Maybe when COVID breaks and I am comfortable seeing people again).
     
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  15. bignig135

    bignig135 Low-Roller

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    Hi, I have been using a CPAP here in Scotland for around 20 years. It is a little bit fiddly to begin with, but definitely well worth persevering! As mentioned before it counts as medical equipment when travelling and I can’t sleep without it now. I am unusual in that I sleep twice a day ( afternoon siesta) and as per my doctors instructions I am allowed to take a small dose of sleeping pill twice a day as well.
    On the very odd occasion I somehow forget to take my sleeping pill before donning the mask, I just can’t sleep at all! My face mask is one that just covers the nose, I have tried the full face mask and also the smallest mask with two tiny outlets for your nose but both felt unnatural.
    Without trying to sound too melodramatic, if I begin to nod off, without my mask on ,my wife says I vary between snoring very loudly and gasping for breath in true typical apnoea style, making her panic I will stop breathing entirely.
    One last warning, when I ended up in a Vegas hospital, I was told that I could NOT bring in my CPAP machine, instead they insisted I had to use the hospital one- when the bill finally arrived it was obvious why they were so adamant, for each of the 8 nights I was in, the nightly charge was something like $4,000 per night!! Good luck, you will definitely feel more refreshed using your CPAP !
     
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  16. Letsdoit

    Letsdoit Low-Roller

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    DON'T STOP USING IT!!! Many users stop early because it is bothersome. Trust me when I tell you that you will feel 100x better and well rested. Get through the 1st month and use it every night. Don't take a break not even 1 night. You will get used to it...trust me.
     
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  17. MikeOPensacola

    MikeOPensacola El Jefe

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    I've been using a CPAP going on seven years now. It's been a complete game changer for me. I wake up completely well rested which is a 180 from pre-CPAP. I even use it for short naps. When I don't use it for a short nap I wake up with a very sore throat and feel like crap for about an hour.

    I'm looking to get one of those small CPAPs for travel but I don't know much about them and how well they work.

    I've used a carry-on bag for the one I have and its been easy peasy. The airlines allow you a third carry-on bag if you have a CPAP. The only hassle is when I go through TSA I have to take out the CPAP and put it in a separate tray, which really isn't that big of a problem because I'll just put it in the same tray as my iPad.

    I've used several different types of masks but I've found that these are BY FAR the most comfortable. Great seal, soft on the mouth and nose area and they allow for a clear field of vision for watching TV as I doze off.

    hhs-0814-amaraviewmaskinside34view441-rgblo_jpg_egdetail.jpg

    https://www.cpapdirect.com/masks/philips-respironics-amara-view-full-face-mask-fitpack?utm_medium=pla&utm_source=google&sku_id=654&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIq7_08fSi7QIVvoVaBR1xagOxEAkYASABEgL2UPD_BwE
     
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  18. rooster42000

    rooster42000 Goat of all Goats , My Hero

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  19. checkchange

    checkchange Low-Roller

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    My wife has used it for a number of years...Thank God pre cpap cause her snoring was astounding :p Now quiet, she always sleeps well even pre cpap she can fall asleep as soon as her head hits the pillow. Me I'm one of those fiddle farts in bed takes me forever and I wake up multiple times :ssst:

    She says she feels much more refreshed but there has got to be a better mask, to me it looks like a gas mask with a vacuum cleaner hose :eek: like an alien mask. Her complaint is she wishes there was a better less cumbersome mask.

    She doesn't like wearing it, who would ? But she does because as she says her sleep is so much better than before, she feels rested.
     
  20. ronc

    ronc VIP Whale

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    I started using a CPAP machine about three years ago. I wish I would have discovered I had an issue much earlier; I ignored symptoms that could have led to a diagnosis years ago.

    I don't sleep "well"--ringing ears, carpal tunnel tingling (gone now after surgery!), knee pain, etc. get in the way of that--but I sleep way better than I did before the CPAP. My snoring was bad enough that I would wake myself up and that does not happen any more. It has been a huge improvement in my life and my wife's sleep!

    I consider my medical issues minor and will do what I can to resolve them while enjoying the gift of every day. I am happy to enjoy them with improved sleep and a lot less time trying to figure out what that loud noise was that woke me up...
     
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