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Comment by patrickdavey | Hacker News Reader

I got a sleep study years ago, and again more recently. An ahi of 7 or something. I tried the CPAP machine for 7 weeks and it made no noticeable difference. I've got a mouth guard (mandibula advancement splint) which reduces snoring but again no real difference in fatigue. I've also had nasal surgery but still no real difference. I'm a little overweight but nothing crazy.

Slightly annoying really that I haven't found a magic bullet to fatigue, unsure what to try next (other than just lose some weight & exercise more).

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> I tried the CPAP machine for 7 weeks and it made no noticeable difference.

Did you look at the actual data from your CPAP to see if it was working? Oscar (https://www.apneaboard.com/wiki/index.php/OSCAR_-_The_Guide) provides you with way more information than the basic app on your phone (or display of your CPAP) will provide you; maybe it just needed some adjustments or a different mask.

When I first got my CPAP it was not helping at all. I complained and got a new sleep study WHILE using the CPAP that showed it was not helping. They gave a prescription for an oxygen concentrator to attach to the CPAP. That cut my events-per-hour to 1/10th what it was. When I travel, I take the CPAP but not the OX, and I can really tell the difference. I live in Colorado, and I sleep better with CPAP+OX than at sea level with just CPAP.

I've been surprised at how much light cardio helps many things. My career has been put on hold recently due to sudden onset of intense, never-ending headaches. So far, the most effective ways to stop it have been NSAIDs like ibuprofen, and cardio. In the initial part of my journey I probably consumed more advil than i would in three years, and this of course created additional problems.

The cardio part was surprising because if I did a 30m elliptical workout, getting my heart rate up to ~150 for 20 or so minutes, that granted me 1-2 hours of pain free existence. So, in addition to other things like supplements and cutting back on the caffeine, I'm just about at a place where I can manage it, and I think that the cardio is having a cumulative effect, as the windows where my pain level is manageable are widening.

Hope that helps you too if you go that route. Feeling tired all the time is no joke.

Weight loss, exercise, and diet sound like the next trials. Idk if it’s an as I get older thing, but I do much better energy wise when I replace grain-based carbs with fruits or beans, slightly more protein+fat, etc, within reason. I keep the calories the same roughly but find other fuels sources I enjoy, trying to limit major grain intake to one meal a day.

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