Hey guys! Just got my cpap thursday and I hate it!! It's preset to 16 which can't be changed by me and it has a ramp button which starts it at 4 and increases to 16 in 45 mins. If I'm awake when it hits 16 I can't take it. I can't breathe, it leaks when I move, my lips are chapped, it's cold, my eyes hurt, I have a headache and I'm exhausted from waking up every hour :-( For the past year or so I can't sleep at night (I sleep from about 2-3am to 7-8am) I sleep really good in the daytime. I want to change my sleeping pattern but idk how. Any suggestions as far as the cpap as well as changing my sleeping patterns?

I never had a cpap but there are quite a few nights where my sleep is totally not there. I get up at 4:30a.m. for work, I workout a hour before work on my treadmill or eliptical etc., when I get home after work I walk my dogs for a hour so I am getting enough exercise to sleep for a week straight - LOL. When I finally sit down around 7 -8 pm. I fall asleep for about a hour or two and that messes me up once I wake then it is very difficult to get back to sleep. I am usually up from about 1:30 to 3:30 most nights. Do you exercise at all? I know when I was doing yoga I would sleep like a baby every night. I think I am going to start the yoga again on Wii. It sounds like the cpap is making you uncomforatable !!!

I have been using a CPAP/BIPAP for about 13 years. It does take a bit of getting used to. But once you do it will be your new best friend. A couple of suggestions. Try laying down for a short nap with it. Not so much mental pressure on having to sleep all night. But do put it on every night, you may pull it off in your sleep but continue to put it on every night. You may also need to have the pressure adjusted. Call your sleep doctor. You may also need a different headgear and mask or the one you have is not adjusted properly. Call the provider of your machine and mask and ask if they can help you in a better fit. It is worth going to what ever measures you can to get the proper adjustment both in the pressure and the fitting of the mask. It will make a real difference in how you sleep and how you feel the next day.

And after your surgery theses needs will need to be addressed again as your sleep apnea may improve and settings may need to be changed again.

Please keep trying to used the mask, and get the answers and help you need. Just like the WLS it is not a one size fits all. WIshing you the best and feel free to ask me any questions you have,

Okay, this is what I do for a living (the billing). If you are not asleep when it hits 16, hit your ramp button again and it will start over. If you have the heated humidifier on it turn it up to 3 and go from there, if your still having chapped lips and dry mouth turn it up, if you start feeling like your getting a sinus infection turn it down. Also, not trying to scare you but it is important that you use it, OSA can cause CHF (congestive heart failure) and you most certainly don't want that!!!

Thanks for the advice. Just woke about 30 mins ago and I feel like crap. Nose is running and throat feels like sandpaper. Feel like I need a nap even tho I just woke up.