Posted by BC on June 23, 2010 at 04:18:36:In Reply to: Re: sleep study posted by insomniac6622 on June 22, 2010 at 08:32:04:
No, you can have severe apnea and a low setting, and mild apnea and a high setting. Lower settings seem to be easier to adjust to, though, and I think that's the good news.
A sleep lab really is an artificial environment; I know I had a hard time sleeping in one, and adding the CPAP just makes things worse. It may not be as bad at home. To be honest, I had a hard time adjusting to CPAP even at home, and I was tempted to give up but I knew I couldn't keep going at my level of sleepiness. There are several ways of measuring severity of CPAP; one is in terms of the number of apneas, but another is the practical effect on your life. When I fell asleep in a meeting with a business client, I knew I had to do something.
If you are feeling only minor effects, I can understand not wanting to go through the trouble of adjusting to CPAP. Maybe you can get by for a time, though the apnea will probably get worse as you age, so keep an eye on it. Keep in mind a few things, though. Apnea puts you at a greater risk of a car accident, and at a greater risk of heart disease. It also takes some of the fun out of life. I found that everyone seemed boring; just as being bored makes you sleepy, being sleepy makes it easier to be bored. I had to stop going to seminars, which I used to enjoy. Plus I just had less energy for life. Only you can judge your own situation. But a single night on CPAP in a sleep lab is hardly a fair test of CPAP.
Take care.