Hello, im new here so hopefully I dont do this wrong. Two hours after waking up I cant keep my eyes open. This is followed by a heavy, tingling “wave” and i nod off. I can be sitting strait up, doesnt matter. If i get up at 5am and feel fairly awake, I nod off at my desk at 7am. If I get up at 6am, Im falling asleep at 8am. What could be causing this?
I was put on apap for very mild sleep apnea (6 events/hr) and have been fully compliant for 5 months. I am even more tired than before I started the apap. My pulmonologist thinks im being dramatic, however ive had cognitive decline, as well as being more tired/fatigued, and now the nodding off in public places…which i didnt have before therapy. For the last month I decided to stop the apap and im still exhausted and falling asleep two hours after waking up. Can someone point me in the right direction? Id like to do some research before my next pulmonology appt. My job is suffering greatly. Thank you!
Hello and welcome!
To be frank, this sounds like something your pulmonologist should take seriously! Often if therapy seems to not be working, or in this case possibly making things worse, your doctor will review your data to see if the current settings are helping. Sometimes people need a pressure change, different masks, their machines checked for proper functioning, or other adjustments.
If all of this has been reviewed and you’re still having issues, then further tests (for sleep disorders such as hypersonnia in your case) may be needed. Ultimately you need to continue seeking the help you need from medical professionals, but if your pulminologist isn’t listening, you have every right to go to another doctor for a second opinion!
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Hello, thank you so much! He just kinda brushed it off, and was reiterating i need to lose weight and that would fix my issues. I’m obese at 5’4" and 180lbs, and I agree I need to lose weight, however ive been this size for years and never had this problem until after starting the cpap. He said the setting were fine, and to keep being compliant since it takes a while for the body to adjust. I was 100% compliant for 5 solid months and only got worse. His plan was for me to lose weight and come back in 3 months. He doesnt want to do an inhouse sleep study until the summer months. He did mention a medication Provigil? that he may consider in the fall after the potential sleep study in the summer. Sigh. Ill start looking for a diff pulmonologist, but it took me 9 months to get an appointment with this one.