Returning to Pre-Diagnosis Symptoms

I am going to assume that almost all of us, including myself, thought that once we were diagnosed and there was a clear treatment plan to help with our sleep apnea, we were going to go back to how we were before it became an issue.

I’ll remember back to when I had plenty of quality sleep and lots of energy all day to do whatever I needed to and then some. When I was given my diagnosis and then CPAP, I thought this was going to be the cure-all to my issues. I was wrong.

A short reprieve

Initially, I did go back to how I felt, at least, I think. I am almost positive a little bit of what I felt was a placebo effect. There was a part of me that wanted this to be the best thing I could do to have normal energy, and that could have easily given me a false sense of having energy.

You won’t hear me complain about it. It did feel good to have that kind of energy again, even if it was temporary. I do wish it had lasted longer, or even forever.

Reasonable expectations?

My energy now has not been perfect like it used to be, but when you get older, that is an expected part of life. I do feel like I have more energy from right before my diagnosis, just not as much as I think I should. Maybe it's just me getting a little older, but it could be that my treatment isn’t as good as I think it should be.

We expect a lot out of our CPAP and doctors, maybe a little too much. There is no reason not to expect to get better in some form, but maybe I am hoping for a little more than can be done for me.

Busy home and work life

I do have a job that requires unusual hours and a family that I need to be there for during the day when I probably should be sleeping. Making my work and home life balance out sometimes means I have to cut myself short on sleep, which is part of my issue.

However, when I do get a normal amount of sleep during normal sleeping hours, I still don’t have the kind of energy I sometimes think I should.

Fueling my body for more energy

Another issue that I think could be causing my energy levels to be lower than normal is my diet. This is something we should all look at when we are feeling off or not where we used to be. I don’t exactly have the best diet sometimes, and this can be a major cause of my tiredness.

We have to fuel our bodies to perform how we need them to. If we aren’t getting enough sleep, there needs to be a supplement for that to help us through the day. This could very easily be a proper diet. That is how we all need to fuel our bodies in addition to sleep.

No one-size-fits-all solution

I wish there were a simple fix to sleep apnea we could all use to feel better during the day. For many people, that is just a CPAP. Other people may need to do other things to help energy levels to have quality days when awake.