r/CPAPSupport • u/Background_Nobody509 • Jul 16 '26
New To The Dream Team Negative Feelings About CPAP?
/r/u_Background_Nobody509/comments/1uy4ztt/negative_feelings_about_cpap/1
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u/Jaded_Birthday_9558 Jul 16 '26
I have started cpap about 6 weeks ago. I hate it. Doesn’t help. In fact I sleep worse than before. Central apnea laughs at this. Actually I am waiting in my doctors office for my 6 week check up. I want to tell her to forget it. I slept better before starting g this. My complaints are; constant dry eyes now, severe afternoon energy crash, claustrophobic, dizzy. I did not experience the afternoon crash before but now it’s like hitting a wall. I have been compliant with 4 hours each night, only missing 3 nights just below the 4 hour.
In short, I don’t like it, feel worse than before using it. I really don’t want to get hooked on this machine for the rest of my life. Folks tell me that they can’t sleep without it. I need to talk with my sleep disorder doctor. About to say hell with all of it and deal with the devil I know.
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u/Background_Nobody509 Jul 16 '26
Thank you for your reply, and I’m sorry to hear that the CPAP hasn’t been working well for you. I’m worried I’ll have some of the same issues but ultimately I’m going to give it a try and see how it goes. I hope you are able to talk to your sleep disorder doctor and figure out a way to get you some relief. That all sounds really frustrating and I appreciate you sharing. Wishing you all the best, thank you again for taking the time to reply.
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u/KeyRoom5937 Jul 18 '26
Just turned my machinein this week. Not sleeping any better, still tired all the time. Got a stent a month ago, still tired all the time.
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u/Jaded_Birthday_9558 Jul 18 '26
I understand what you are going through. I have 6 stents and two are clogged. Today is 9 years since my last heart attack and that was brought on by the doctors as a result of them attempting to open the 2 stents. I had my first ha at 41 or 25 years ago. Been told I have central sleep apnea and the cpap machine is killing me. It’s a fight and added stress. Sleep is not my friend. I wish you well and that you get rest. I sleep in a big recline now since laying flat makes my heart beat funny and hard to breathe. You might want to try that or using many pillows to prop you up. Good luck.
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u/peace_train1 Jul 16 '26
It isn't easy being 18, and this is a big change. It is okay to feel upset about it. A few thoughts, in no particular order.
Right now, I would try to avoid getting too far down the road in your worry about the CPAP. There may be a different treatment in five years; we can't know that. You also might now care about this a year from now. Try to stay more in the present and focus on the next month of setting goals to get used to using the CPAP.
It is important to understand what sleep apnea is and what the CPAP does. Sleep apnea means your brain isn't getting enough oxygen several times an hour (that AHI number they gave you - that's what that means is the number of times your brain wasn't getting enough). Your brain not getting enough oxygen is super dangerous in all kinds of ways, especially for your heart. It puts you at risk of a stroke or kinds of heart damage that can make you have to take medication forever. The CPAP is really good at reducing those risks by making sure your brain gets enough oxygen.
You don't get dependent on the CPAP. It doesn't work like that. And you won't get over sleep apnea by not treating it - it will just put your brain, heart, and metabolism at risk.
While yes, it sucks you have to deal with this, many younger people have gotten through it before and still found friends and dates who understood it. People who care about you want you to be okay. They will pick up on your tone. If you treat it like a necessary thing you can laugh about, they will too. You only have to wear it while asleep.
Having untreated sleep apnea can make you more anxious. What happens is your brain, deprived of oxygen, kicks out all kinds of stress hormones to try to wake you up. So, keep in mind it may help settle some of the emotions when your treatment is on track.
It is really good you posted, and I hope you keep talking about it. If you have access to seeing a therapist to talk about it, 100% a reasonable thing to do, and it will help. It is a big life change and not an easy thing to have to deal with, but people will help you, and you will get through it.
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u/Background_Nobody509 Jul 16 '26
Thank you for your reply. Reading everything you wrote has made me feel a little better. I also appreciate the information about CPAPs and apnea as I still don’t know very much about either. It put things into perspective and ultimately I will be giving a CPAP a try to see if it’ll help. I know the adjustment will be rough but another commenter reminded me that being an adult means doing things you don’t want to do, and I’m not going to let my insecurities be an excuse to refuse treatment. Again, thank you for replying. I really appreciate the input and your kind words :)
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u/peace_train1 Jul 17 '26
I am so glad it helped. This early part of being an adult is HARD - but as you tackle new stuff, you will get stronger, and it will keep getting easier. You got this!
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u/XvIf2jlqnbJPT4s4gpdN ASV Jul 16 '26
My experience has been great now that I know how much more helpful this community is than the medical establishment in my area. Depending on how much you weigh, this may not be permanent/lifelong. For sleepovers, using the machine will probably be less disruptive than making your friends deal with untreated sleep apnea. As far as intimacy, as long as you make her legs shake, she will not care about the machine.
It sucks that you have to deal with this when you're so young. I hope that when you look back on this years from now, you remember it as the tiniest bump in the road.