I am talking of the effects of PAP therapy even when you are not using it. I wish I could find the studies. My PC crashed during the cross country move and took my sleep folder with it.
Anyway PAP therapy does build muscle memory. It is not the type of muscle memory that you can rely on forever but in a pinch it helps quite a bit. When sleeping you should wear your mask whenever possible. However studies have shown that if you wear your mask for just the first 4 hours of sleep that your apnea will be of less severity for the 2nd half. The cause of this is muscle memory. It may take an extended PAP user 2-3 days to return to the original severity. For this reason many labs will ask patients returning for re-evaluations to cease PAP use for 2 days prior to their study. If this was not done it could be possible that people who had been on PAP for years may not meet the requirements for a new machine.
Now I am not telling anyone this so that you can take a break. As I said above when possible you should always wear PAP. Don't be upset if you fall asleep without, forget, don't have power, faint, or for any other reason have to go a few hours to a night without therapy. As long as you are being honest about it a little time of won't hurt. Remember many of us went a lifetime without treatment. Those of us whom can't afford a break from therapy will already know and won't have to ask.
Rock
.....that's strange Rock, as I only have to have one bad night with the CPAP therapy and it feels like I used to feel in the days before diagnosis.
How long have you been on PAP Kath? if your sleep debt is being paid off then an hour to a night without should not effect you very much. The original severity does play a role. Maybe some matter over mind ;)
Kath Hope said:.....that's strange Rock, as I only have to have one bad night with the CPAP therapy and it feels like I used to feel in the days before diagnosis.
I find that if I doze off after waking in the morning I seem to sleep OK for an hour or so, so I know what you mean. Can't get to sleep now without the PAP, whether that's physical or psychological I don't know!
5 years and I was diagnosed with 30 apnoeas per hour. Think things are worsening though now due to peri-menopausal flashes etc. which are also waking me up :(
RockRpsgt said:How long have you been on PAP Kath? if your sleep debt is being paid off then an hour to a night without should not effect you very much. The original severity does play a role. Maybe some matter over mind ;)
Kath Hope said:.....that's strange Rock, as I only have to have one bad night with the CPAP therapy and it feels like I used to feel in the days before diagnosis.
Both my mom and stepmom are going through the same thing. I have been trying to design a fan with a heater in it. I am hoping that the fan could read the mood swings of the owner and regulate the temp accordingly. Unfortunately I can't find anyone that understands the algorithm that we call a woman :)
Kath Hope said:5 years and I was diagnosed with 30 apnoeas per hour. Think things are worsening though now due to peri-menopausal flashes etc. which are also waking me up :(
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