Obstructive Sleep Apnoea - tell me it gets better!!!

[PermanentlySleepyZzz]

I have been completely exhausted for what feels like forever, but is more like 18 months and after a sleep study they have confirmed OSA. This explains why I am so tired and sleeping all the time and I am getting a CPAP machine soon. Has anyone been through this that can give any advice or manage my expectations on whether this will improve things/how long to notice a difference? I’m desperate.

The CPAP is a godsend OP. It takes a bit of getting used to but husband feels so much better now. He doesn't snore anymore and his black eyes have gone.

Thank you so much. How long did it take for him to start feeling better?

I felt better almost immediately. I had a much better quality sleep.

The mask does take a bit of getting used to but it will soon feel normal.

Yes persist with the mask. It’s literally transformed by DH, no falling asleep at the dinner table and every night in front of the tv. He’s religious about using it and has been from the start. I think he started improving within a few weeks.

I went from sleeping practically the whole time the kids were at school, to working full time after I had my mask. It changed my life!!

Im not a sufferer myself (only indirectly) but my dh is. After years and years of horrendous scoring and apnoea and constantly disturbed nights etc he got a cpap machine earlier this year. Unbelievably, the results were instantaneous. He no longer snores (sometimes he starts to struggle a bit but the machine seems to push more air into his lungs and that settles him again), no more breaks in breathing, much better quality of sleep. I don't know if it works as well for everyone but it has been revolutionary for us.

My DH was diagnosed severe obstructive sleep apnoea earlier this year.
I’d been telling him to get checked out for ages. Snoring was off the scale and he was stopping breathing more than 30 times an hour.
He fell asleep all the time including at work (had to adjust his hours) He was either at work or asleep.
The mask is a complete game changer and he’s back to his old self.
Takes some getting used to and he’s on a second smaller type. Improvement within around a week.

I heard on the radio today that there is new medical evidence that blowing on a conch shell for 15 minutes a day can make a great improvement. I’ll see if I can find a link.

Here is an article about blowing a conch shell to alleviate sleep apnoea.

www.theguardian.com/society/2025/aug/11/conch-blowing-could-help-to-alleviate-sleep-apnoea-study-suggests

Where do you get the shells?

Dh is getting tested for sleep apnea. I've been on at him for ages. He's finally seen the GP. Snoring off the scale especially if he's had a few drinks. And he gasps for air. Hopefully he isn't waiting too long?

OP, it will be life changing. The first morning with it, I woke up naturally for the first time in who knows how long, and was shocked at how it felt to slowly transition to consciousness, as opposed to jerking awake via apneas.

I felt better right away, but (having been forewarned from reading I did), was aware that it would take a few months to ‘catch up’ on all the missed sleep. I found this to be true, and so for the first few months, I thought I felt better, but the following month would feel even better, and again the next month. I considered myself ‘caught up’, when, after a few months, I had trouble falling asleep/some insomnia. I couldn’t have imagined that before!

Some things I did or wish I had known as I learnt on the go:

• get the mask and head strap fit right. It will feel weird to start, don’t mistake the weird feeling with being either wrong or right. Check your stats, speak to your texhnition and adjust. You may need to try several masks to get it right, invest time in this. You may need to tighten/loosen the straps, again, invest time in this. Once it’s done, you rarely revisit it.
• my machine has an app and I can check various stats. For the first month or so I checked daily, and made adjustments as necessary. Now I only do so leading up to my yearly appt.
• Having read about the need to ‘catch up’ on the lost sleep, I went to bed at 9:15pm - 7am for the first few months, so I knew I was getting my ‘normal’ 8 hours, but also making a dent in the sleep debt. This worked really well. I was still tired for the first few months, but no where near like before, and, as I said above, every month I would think how much better I felt than the month before. Eventually I knew I had caught up and pushed back bedtime to a more normal hour.
• You’ll encounter little issues like ‘rain out’ and where to store the machine and hang the tube etc. Google and people other forums were great for giving me ideas on how to solve these, and again, now once set up, I don’t think about them at all.

Wishing you goodluck. It’s life changing.

I have been using CPAP for a couple of years and agree that it makes a huge difference. It takes a week or so to get used to but well worth persevering. Getting it adjusted right for you really helps. I found a series of videos on YouTube by an Aussie sleep technician called Uncle Nicko were really helpful. Agree about asking for advice on forums. Other users are very knowledgeable and willing to help.

Thank you so much everyone, I’m feeling optimistic for the first time in months. I’ve not seen the machine yet, but assume it’s a 3 pin plug (uk nhs), but I go camping a lot. Are there options that you’ve found where you don’t have a power supply?

Yes plugs in. First job we had to have done when we moved. No plug socket by the bed!
Not sure about camping options though?

Absolutely does. CPAP changed my husband’s/my life years ago. Up to date machines are even better.

Maybe ask at the clinic about power supply? They have probably been asked before.

Re: power supply, you can get a special power bank (i think a bit like a generator but I presume much quieter) but apparently they are expensive - £150ish?? But with these it is possible to go camping with a cpap.

Some more tips:

• Air leaking out of the mask can cause issues (noise / air blowing into eyes).. as pp said, make sure mask is adjusted well (nice and secure to face), and you may need to try a couple of types of mask to see which suits you best. An eye mask (perhaps with extra cushioning over the bridge of the nose can stop the ‘air blowing into your eyes while trying to sleep’ annoyance.
• ear plugs can reduce noise issues from the mask & machine. The silicone ones with multiple flaps (can get these really cheaply online) work really well to cut down noise.
• invest in a large bed to minimise disruption to bed partner (from noise or air blowing from mask). Super king works well :)

Sorry- this is long! Well done OP for at least making the 1st step and getting tested. DH has very severe OSA. He refused to get tested until I made him an appointment and filled in the details from his epworth scoring myself!

He asked for a humidified machine to stop his mouth getting dry. It took him a few nights to get used to the mask. At first, he felt claustrophobic, or would wake and forget what was on his face, but this soon settled. He buys distilled water online to out in it- not ionised but distilled water. He initially used filtered tap water, which grew mould and then I read the instructions! The distilled water grows nothing in the mask. He emails the respiratory clinic even 6mths and they send out a new mask, piping, filters etc.

DH no longer sleeps on the sofa and has never fallen asleep on the toilet since! Yes, he used to sleep on the loo and even fell off once and cut his head! He has far more energy and has lost 10kg from being more active.

Remember that if you are travelling, a CPAP comes under a medical device and shouldn't be counted in your hand luggage weight. DH's has had to measure and weight the machine and provide the details to the airline before we travel though. 1 issue we had was trying to find out what type of plug sockets they had on a long haul, Cathay Pacific flight. They had a multi way socket, but it took 3 phone calls the clarify that. In the end DH didn't want to use the machine on flight as felt embarrassed! Sitting upright though, thankfully his snoring was minimal.

Some CPAP's do have small, travel, battery options, but I'm unsure if the NHS would supply those. You could certainly ask when you see the respiratory consultant. One thing I was absolutely amazed at- is how quiet the machine is! I had to wear ear plugs for years, but am now finding it hard to wean off using them.

My husband has a power bank that can run his cpap overnight if necessary (he goes fishing). In terms of other ‘kit’, he has a thing that clamps to the bed head board that keeps the tube out of the way a bit, and has trialed a few types of masks to find what suits him best. He was also determined that whatever it took, he was persevering with it, as the number of apnea episodes he was having per hour was terrifying, so was very motivated to find the best set-up for him. The sleep clinic had a few types of masks to try, others he’s bought online.

Having the machine has been life-changing for him, and the difference was noticeable almost straight away; within a couple of weeks he was getting up earlier on weekends because he wasn’t trying to doze as long as possible, and reported feeling better in himself.

It wasn’t just the tiredness either, his mood and motivation were so much better - even things like spontaneously suggesting a day out on a weekend ‘just because’ - before that I’d have had to ‘pitch it’ with a really good reason, and then mitigate for the faults he would find in my plan, and would often end up just me and our son going somewhere.

And the fact he no longer snores is just bliss for me!

It does take time to get used to the cpap but within 3 weeks of getting mine my life had charged totally. It has been revolutionary.

The very next morning I felt 10 years younger. I couldn't believe the difference a night's sleep made.

Wishing 6 weeks my blood pressure had lowered as well, and I had so much more energy. It's life changing.

My 4yo is having his tonsils etc out for sleep apnea tomorrow. My eldest had the same but didnt really suffer with the tiredness in the same way my youngest does. Reading these responses from adults who are able to articulate how life changing it is is making me feel a bit emotional, he really does struggle. I think he'll feel amazing (as will I!) when he manages to have a good sleep

One of my dc had their tonsils and adenoids out aged 4, due to sleep apnoea - it was an amazing transformation… before the surgery he was always volatile, and moody in the mornings, and was often too angry / emotional to eat breakfast, which only made things worse. After the surgery it was completely different, much much calmer and things in the house returned to an even keel. A couple of things - his voice changed after the surgery! It was quite a bit higher ;) (obviously now he is a surly teen with a deep voice, so no lasting issue!!). Oh, and he had quite a lot of ice cream after the surgery, as he found it very soothing on his throat - but we had a job weaning him off a reliance on regular / multiple ice creams in the weeks after the surgery!

Fingers crossed it is not too stressful for your son (and you) tomorrow x

Could you share a link to the power bank he has? Does it last a full night or two or have to be recharged daily?

Look at the charity Hope2Sleep for powerbank rentals.