Waking Up and Feeling Tired

I think sometimes people think that now they are on CPAP, they won’t ever wake up feeling tired. CPAP therapy only treats sleep apnea.

People who don’t have sleep apnea still wake up and feel tired. We need to set reasonable expectations when using CPAP. This is especially true when first starting out.

It took me a while to get used to CPAP therapy

Some people jump into CPAP therapy and have no issues getting used to the mask and air pressure. I was not one of those people.

It took me a while to get used to it. This caused some sleep loss in the early days. And as we know, sleep loss is probably the leading cause of waking up tired. There were quite a few nights I chose not to use my CPAP early on. It was negatively affecting the amount of sleep I was getting.

Things changed with I committed to using it nightly

I was telling myself that it’s better to get more sleep without CPAP than to get less sleep with it. Looking back, I wish I had just tried getting used to CPAP faster. I think I dragged out the process of “adapting to CPAP” by trying to wear it some nights then not wearing it others. 

Once I really committed to using it on a nightly basis, it only took me about 2 weeks to adjust to it. The benefits that I began to notice were almost immediate.

Staying awake was no longer a losing battle

Some of those benefits included feeling refreshed when I woke up. I also was able to concentrate better throughout the day. The feeling of fighting to stay awake went away. I fought that feeling even while driving and being at work. Staying awake while relaxing in front of the TV or reading a book was always a losing battle before CPAP.

I'm not perfectly rested every day

I still have days when I wake up and feel tired. Does that mean I should stop using CPAP? The answer that I come back to is always “NO.” 

My thought is I’m still benefiting from the CPAP because it is reducing my apneas while sleeping. This benefits my overall health. Most importantly, the strain on my heart. Also, even if I wake up feeling tired, I don’t experience the symptoms I just talked about. I can stay awake during the day without any issues, even if I wake up feeling tired.

What else influences our sleep?

The next question is, why are we waking up tired? Remember, there are a lot of factors when it comes to a good night’s sleep.

Are you dealing with extra stress in your life? Maybe the bedroom was too hot or too cold. Did you drink extra caffeine that day? Are you waking up tired once in a while? If so, then most likely, it’s not a big deal. However, if you are waking up and feeling tired on a regular basis, there might be other health issues going on. This should be discussed with your doctor.

One tip I have used throughout my adult life when experiencing health issues is to keep a journal. Keep track of everything for a week or 2 and see if you notice patterns. It can also help your doctor better understand what is going on.