CPAP machine - does it improve your numbers?

I have been told I have severe sleep apnea. I had to wear a monitor at home the other night to take measurements on my breathing during sleep. The results will be sent to my doc and I should get the results later this week. It will tell the doc if I need a full blown sleep study.

My doc told me that wearing the CPAP would help me get the proper oxygen during sleep and that should improve my blood pressure and b/g. Not exactly a cure-all but would help me have greater control over both readings since I would be sleeping “like I should”. He said I would feel better overall getting the proper sleep.

Anyone who wears a CPAP or has been told what I was told…talk to me…or send me to the group or forum that has discussed it.

thanks!

i’ve worn a CPAP for 5 years, my blood pressure has gone down, also they thought i had fibromyalgia, and all symptoms disappeared once my body got rest. I was only diagnosed with diabetes a year ago, so i wouldn’t know if it helped my #'s or not.

A CPAP only improves your oxygen supply. That might or might not improve your BG. It depends on the person. I was diagnosed with sleep apnea years ago. I noticed no difference when I started the CPAP machine therapy. I feel a little more rested… thats about it.

Hi Nancy,
My son uses a CPAP. He is a type 1 and without sleep his numbers are crazy. He is a person who maintains extremely tight control of his blood sugars, but when he does not get sleep, it is a stressor that is not treatable for him. He began using the CPAP about 5 years ago and has to increrase the pressure every so often. When he usues this machine and sleeps this really makes a difference for him. He is able to wake up to normal numbers (of course he uses Lantus too) and does much better during the day as well. When his numbers start going up he goes back to the pulmonologist, they make corrections on the machine and he does better. Also his blood pressure is much better since he is able to sleep. You lose nothing by giving it a try. I would try it for a month and be sure to log everything. Make your decision after that. Using anything is kind of like treating diabetes, each of us is different. I think you need to try and see how you feel. My best to you.

thanks for all of your answers. I know we are all different so I am anxious to see what happens.

glad for the detail. Dr. called today. I definitely need to have a full sleep study. the date will be set up in the next few days. looking forward to feeling rested.

Hello Nancy, I realize that this post is a little old, but…

I finally received my CPAP machine. you can read about my initial experience with the sleep study and all that here if you want to, “Where is my CPAP!?” and a little more history here, “9 Months In…”.

Other than feeling much more rested when I wake up, I have noticed that my morning BG is a lower. I think I was waking up more stressed in the morning due to the lack of restful sleep. Not to mention the fact that I stopped breathing and was constantly fighting for air throughout the night.

I am on a REMStar Pro MSeries machine with humidifier, and I use their ComfortGel mask.

Anyway. I have been waking up feeling well rested. No headache yet! I constantly had headaches in the morning. But my sleep study showed that I am still not receiving enough oxygen, so they sent me home with another device (a Respironics Oximeter) as well to monitor my oxygen saturation for a few days. I may end up with having an oxygen tank inserted inline with my CPAP to ensure that I get enough oxygen as well…I have yet to hear the results of that test. So I have joined the ranks of people who have home medical supplies delivered to their door.

I was told that this may even help me lose weight because I will feel more energized, we’ll see…

If I do not wear mine my numbers are crazy, and after 9+ years on cpap amnow needing some oxygen to go with…not sold on its effectiveness yet–we shall see