Before and After CPAP: 10+ Changes You'll Experience by Starting CPAP Therapy

The idea of starting CPAP therapy can feel overwhelming. But the truth is, using a CPAP machine to keep your sleep apnea in check makes a big difference in your overall health, well-being, and even your lifespan. 

In this article, we'll discuss the changes you can expect to see before and after CPAP therapy. We'll cover:

• How untreated sleep apnea affects your physical, mental, and long-term health
• Changes you'll experience after starting CPAP therapy 
• Success stories from real CPAP users
• Why CPAP is considered the best treatment for sleep apnea
• Common concerns and misconceptions about CPAP therapy
• Next steps if you think you need a CPAP machine

Sleep apnea causes repeated pauses in breathing during sleep. When this happens, your brain responds by briefly waking you up so you can resume normal respirations. This response is called arousal, and oftentimes you don't even know it's happening. 

Over time, these disruptions affect your sleep quality, leaving you feeling chronically tired and lacking motivation. When you combine the effects of poor sleep with repeated dips in oxygen levels, it leads to serious chronic physical and mental health issues.

When you get a good night’s rest, it allows your body to repair itself from any damage sustained during the day. However, the sleep disruptions triggered by sleep apnea can interrupt rest and recovery. 

Studies suggest that these sleep disturbances put stress on the body and may even heighten your sensitivity to pain. Even a temporary reduction in oxygen levels can increase inflammation throughout the body, which has been linked to the development of chronic illness and aging.

Healthy sleep is a critical factor in your mental health and cognitive abilities. Then there are the physical changes to the brain each time your oxygen falls. In fact, evidence suggests that individuals with OSA experience brain damage similar to that of a traumatic brain injury.

Without proper treatment, it doesn't take long for untreated sleep apnea to have a serious impact on your long-term health. Sleep apnea activates your stress response, increases inflammation, and throws off your hormonal balance. Over time, it becomes a recipe for chronic illness.

There is good news, however! These numbers significantly decrease once you start using your CPAP machine consistently.

Some people start to see the benefits of CPAP therapy almost immediately, depending on how often and how long they use their machine. Others may need time to to adjust. So sometimes it can take a few weeks to consistently meet your CPAP compliance goals.

Even if you choose to slowly ease into therapy, you’ll still be cutting down on the number of sleep apnea episodes that you experience each night. As a result, you're still reducing your risk for health issues related to untreated sleep apnea.

Continuous positive airway pressure therapy has a high success rate for most people with sleep apnea, but you may be surprised to hear that the goal of CPAP therapy is not to bring your sleep apnea episodes (also known as an AHI score) down to zero. 

While putting a complete stop to sleep disruptions would be nice, most healthcare providers believe that this isn’t a realistic goal for most people. 

In most cases, the target number is usually less than five per hour (ten for more severe cases). But if your AHI score doesn't respond to CPAP your doctor will probably suggest increasing your CPAP pressure settings.

One of the most important changes you'll see after CPAP is that your sleep quality gets a whole lot better. As the number of sleep apnea events falls, so do the disruptions to your sleep cycle.  

Because sleep health is closely linked to both physical and mental health, improving your sleep quality can have a ton of benefits, including improved mood, better cognitive function, and increased energy levels. Additionally, those who follow through with their treatment plan are often more focused and productive.

Getting better sleep leads to less fatigue, fewer naps, and more energy. It totally reshapes the way you move throughout your day-to-day routines.

For example, using a CPAP machine for just 3 weeks led to noticeable improvements for people with sleep apnea. As for those with severe symptoms? The good news is you're even more likely to notice significant changes.

• Lower risk of significant fatigue

• Significantly higher energy levels

• 30% drop in excessive daytime sleepiness 

Untreated sleep apnea puts serious strain on your heart and blood vessels—even missing a couple nights of CPAP therapy can cause noticeable stress on your cardiovascular system. 

Currently, 89% of young adults with unexplained high blood pressure are suspected of having undiagnosed obstructive sleep apnea.

But consistent use of your CPAP machine can help ease this burden. CPAP therapy has been shown to help lower blood pressure, reduce stroke risk, and support healthier circulation, especially when used for more than four hours per night.

If left untreated, sleep apnea is pretty rough on your cardiovascular system and, as a result, can seriously increase your risk of death. There is even evidence to suggest this sleep-breathing disorder can result in direct damage to your blood vessels after missing only one night of CPAP therapy.

Sleep apnea and heart failure are closely connected—and having both dramatically increases your health risks and even death. By keeping your airway open and oxygen levels stable, CPAP reduces the strain on your heart and improves circulation.

Many people who start using a CPAP machine see a decrease in heart rate and blood pressure, especially with long-term use. This reduced workload gives your heart a much-needed break.

In fact, just one month of CPAP therapy improved left ventricle ejection fraction in patients with heart failure and OSA. 

Sleep apnea affects more than just your body—it impacts your emotional health, too. Studies show that anxiety and depression are common in people with untreated OSA due to poor sleep and repeated oxygen drops overnight.

The good news? These symptoms often improve with consistent CPAP use. Therapy helps stabilize mood, reduce stress, and restore emotional balance.

Morning headaches are a common sign of untreated sleep apnea, often causing pain and pressure to both sides of the head without sensitivity to light.

They’re caused by overnight dips in oxygen levels and blood vessel changes inside the head and neck. Luckily, sleep apnea headaches usually improve significantly and often go away with consistent CPAP therapy.

Sleep breathing disorders take a toll on your brain, leading to poor concentration, memory problems, decision-making, and difficulty solving problems. These changes make it difficult to stay alert, often affecting your productivity at work and your confidence in daily life.

Even one night of CPAP use can boost cognitive performance—and the longer you stick with therapy, the better your results.

Sleep apnea can interfere with how your body regulates and responds to insulin, making it harder to manage or prevent type 2 diabetes. This is especially true if you struggle with obesity.

Fortunately, studies show that CPAP therapy helps stabilize blood sugar levels and may reduce diabetes-related risks when used consistently.

Interestingly, if you have diabetes and you stop using CPAP, even for just one night, your body will begin to show signs of struggle within hours.

Emerging research suggests that untreated sleep apnea may be linked to low testosterone and reduced fertility in men.

While the science is still developing, CPAP therapy has been shown to improve sleep-related sexual dysfunction, and researchers believe it may also help restore fertility-related health.

The reason for these findings stems from the idea that sleep apnea has been linked to low testosterone in some individuals. Another contributing factor is likely the damage that sleep apnea causes to the body, increasing the build-up of toxins and limiting the amount of restorative sleep you get each night. While more studies are needed on this topic, current evidence supports the idea that maintaining your CPAP therapy plan can improve sleep apnea-related sexual dysfunction, which suggests the very likely possibility that it also impacts fertility.

Sleep apnea has been associated with negative outcomes during pregnancy. This is especially concerning because pregnancy actually increases your risk of sleep apnea due to hormone shifts and changes in body structure—especially in the third trimester. 

While some women are at a higher risk than others due to pre-existing factors, the increase in estrogen means that all pregnant women have an increased likelihood of developing a sleep-breathing disorder.

More research is needed, but early studies show that CPAP may help lower the risks and effects of pregnancy complications like pre-eclampsia, pregnancy hypertension, gestational diabetes, and fetal growth issues in women with OSA. 

Sleep apnea and weight gain often go hand in hand, often creating a cycle that is really difficult to pull yourself out of. Poor sleep health disrupts metabolism, increases cravings, and leads to fatigue that makes it harder to stay active and motivated.

Some studies suggest that CPAP therapy may help regulate metabolism and support weight loss even with sleep apnea—especially when paired with diet, exercise, and other healthy lifestyle changes.

CPAP therapy can be truly life-changing! In addition to the physical and mental health benefits, many users also report changes in their life when comparing before and after CPAP therapy, including impacts on their general demeanor and energy levels. Effective treatment may even boost your professional achievements and improve your personal life. Some people have even suggested that CPAP saved their marriages, as their spouses could finally get their own good night’s sleep without being awoken by constant loud snoring.

But generally speaking, the real goal is to reduce the total number of apnea episodes you experience by as much as possible. And as a result, you are able to limit the damage that sleep apnea is able to do to your body over time.

For this reason, experts consider sleeping with a CPAP, even part-time, beneficial. Although it is highly encouraged that you sleep with it as often as possible. Most health insurance companies require you to sleep with your CPAP machine for at least four hours a night, five nights a week, to be considered “compliant” with your treatment plan.

So, while sleeping with a machine attached to your face long-term may seem daunting, you have the freedom to take an incremental approach to this process. This makes sticking with your CPAP truly doable because you have the ability to ease into sleeping with it full-time, while still seeing the benefits.

There are many misconceptions about CPAP therapy, including the idea that it is always uncomfortable or noisy. While there's an adjustment period, most users get used to the machine fairly quickly. Plus, many modern CPAP machines have features that make the transition much easier, for example:

• Heated Humidifiers
• Ultra-Quiet Machines
• Portable-Friendly Designs
• Automatic Pressure Adjustments

Also, keep in mind that if you find yourself continuing to struggle with CPAP therapy, there are many other treatment options that may be better suited to your needs. These include Oral Appliance Therapy for Obstructive Sleep Apnea or even surgery. Or, if you simply need some extra support, these solutions can be combined with CPAP for an even more effective outcome.

If you have questions about CPAP therapy, don't hesitate to ask your doctor or a sleep specialist. And for more information about selecting user-friendly devices, check out our article on the best CPAP machines of 2023!

Have you been told that you snore too loudly or have recently found yourself waking up while gasping for air? It may be time to speak with your healthcare provider about sleep apnea! If you are experiencing these symptoms along with trouble waking or daytime fatigue, your doctor may decide to order a sleep study, which can be done either at a clinic or in the comfort of your own home, using the Home Sleep Apnea Test. Based on your results, you and your doctor will have the opportunity to plan out

How quickly you notice a change between before and after CPAP depends on a few factors. Some people who have mild Obstructive Sleep Apnea and adjust quickly to sleeping with a CPAP machine may begin to wake up feeling refreshed after a single night of good sleep! If you have a severe case of OSA or have Central Sleep Apnea, this could take a bit longer. Of course, the long-term damage caused by repeated breathing episodes will take some time to reverse.

The number of apneas and/or hypopneas that you experience will likely begin to decrease immediately. With these changes, you or your partner may start to notice that your snoring improves as well, along with the number of times that you find yourself waking up gasping for air. Other numbers could take a bit of time to return to pre-sleep apnea levels, such as the increased number of inflammation markers that show up in your lab work.

If you regularly sleep with your CPAP machine, you can expect to see improvements in both your physical and mental health. Decreasing the number of times that you experience a drop in oxygen levels can reduce your risk for dangerous chronic conditions such as cardiovascular disease and cancer. And the subsequent improvement in your sleep health can have significant impacts on your mood and energy levels.

Some people just starting out with Continuous Positive Airway Pressure therapy may complain of experiencing a few unpleasant issues. These include CPAP-related headaches, dry mouth, nose, and eyes, sinus congestion and irritation, and/or gas and bloating. However, many of these can be resolved by adjusting your mask and humidity levels. Also, it is important to remember that these short-term negative effects will be far outweighed by the benefits of sticking with CPAP therapy, such as improved mood, increased energy, and reduced risk for health complications and even death.

Technically you can be on CPAP for the rest of your life, but this primarily depends on the cause of your sleep apnea. Central Sleep Apnea is often the result of some underlying condition. If this applies to your, treatment of such ailments may lead to a complete reversal of your sleep apnea. Similarly, if your Obstructive Sleep Apnea is caused by enlarged tonsils, you may not require CPAP after undergoing surgery to remove your tonsils. That said, most cases of sleep apnea are considered to be long-term, without any permanent solutions.

By itself, CPAP therapy will not make sleep apnea go away altogether. It can prevent certain types of sleep apnea episodes or decreases in oxygen levels. However, the moment you stop sleeping with your CPAP machine, these breathing issues will come right back.

There are both subjective and objective ways to tell whether your sleep apnea is responding to your CPAP therapy. The most straightforward method is to check your AHI score to see if it’s going down at all. Remember, the goal is below five per hour, but any significant reduction is generally a good thing as long as your numbers are progressively improving. You can also go off of whether your signs and symptoms are improving. For example, your snoring may decrease, or you may realize you are waking up more energized each morning.

The first night of sleeping with your CPAP may be one of the bigger hurdles between life before and after CPAP therapy. It is normal to initially struggle with falling asleep as you adjust to wearing a mask or sleeping with a machine right beside you. However, if you do find that you are able to settle into bed and fall asleep, you will likely wake up experiencing the early signs of better sleep quality immediately.

While starting Continuous Positive Airway Pressure therapy can seem a bit scary, it's important to remember why you're doing it. The goal is to improve your health, sleep, and overall quality of life, even if this therapy takes some time to get used to. Ultimately, if you stick with it, you will see not only a boost in your mood and energy levels before and after CPAP but also a reduced risk of chronic health issues that are caused by the damage that is caused by repeated periods of reduced oxygen levels.

If you suspect you have sleep apnea, please speak with your healthcare provider. And remember, you're not alone in this journey. There are numerous resources and communities to help you navigate this path to better sleep and better health!