anxiety to masks and the forced air

[newtoCPAP2018]

I had a sleep study which shows apnea and the recommendation is to have another sleep study with the mask. The problem is I am fearful of masks and air in my face. I understand this is an irrational fear/anxiety. After much procrastination, I went to acclimated to the mask and it was a nightmare. The tech in the bedroom at the clinic had me sit up and put the mask on and once he turned the air on ( the lowest level) it was awful. I started hyperventilating. I tried oh Lord, I tried, but something in me kicks in this innate overreaction. I asked if I could ask my doctor to be sedated when I come for the real one and he said I can't as sedatives interfere with the breathing. I don't know what to do. Any advice? I see my ENT tomorrow but he is not the most compassionate person. I equate it to this: if you are afraid of swimming, you would not have spmeone just throw you in the deep end and say deal with it. You would go in the shallow end and slowly get used to it. I know I NEED this machine as I snore so badly and my quality of life affects this with my fatigue. I actually went to a therapist who said I can do work on desensitizing myself to this, but it will take months! Also the room had no windows. I understand why but man, it just added one more issue to my existing anxiety.I have learned those with anxiety can relate. Please help! I am so depressed right now.

[Goofproof]

Must be bad, being caught in a wind storm. Maybe thinking about your health, when the anxiety of masks and air raises it's ugly head could override the anxiety. Poor health and Dying, keeps my treatment in line. There are many things I'd rather not do come to mind, but reality keeps me doing what needs to be done.

You can use the machine while watching the T.V., to get used to the Alien. Jim

[D.H.]

CPAP is the "gold standard" for the treatment of Sleep Apnea at this time. You should make every effort to get it to work for you. The first thing to do is find a mask that you're emotionally comfortable with. Also, start the ramp at the lowest possible starting pressure until you adjust.

This being said, if you absolutely can't tolerate CPAP (or it's not effective), there are alternatives. For instance there are dental devices to position your jaw, there are various surgeries with unpredictable levels of success, there is an Inspire implant (similar to a cardiac pacemaker), and there is a new experimental collar to pull your airways open from the outside (not widely available in the U.S. at this time).

[knothead]

Hi newto,
I to had a bad case of claustrophobia when I went for my sleep study, I took some meds with me so I could sleep, tolerate the mask. I used a FFM at work for years with no problems, you ask what changed? They turned off the lights. Long story short when I got home and my wife and I were sitting on the bed, I put my mask on...no problem, I got this. She turned out the lights, BAM, panic attack. I couldnt do it. I found this site, done lots of reading and found the article where one starts out watching TV with just the mask on till u get comfortable...may take several days, next have the mask on hooked up to ur hose( u can still breath) till ur used to it, next hook up to ur machine while watching TV & turn it on. may take awhile for ur brain to get accustomed to the odd thing on ur face but it will. I did this routine(sitting at TV) for maybe a week or until comfortable. Next I lay in bed with mask on, machine on, relaxing, light on...all is good. Finally with the light off, several times I woke up with the mask on the floor but at least I got to sleep with it on. It will take awhile, little steps but it WILL happen and u will sleep soooo good. Good luck to u and report back on ur progress.

[Julie]

A whole lot of us with the blessing of MDs use(d) one only Ambien when going for testing and no one has shown that it interferes with breathing (tho' other meds might).

[D.H.]

When I was first tested, there was not worry about not being able to fall asleep. It was a bigger worry that I would fall asleep before they could get the wires on!

[kteague]

Please take comfort in knowing that many of us struggled with this in the beginning. I had to chuckle when I looked back at one of my early posts describing "gale force winds". Now I have to reach my hand up to feel the exhaust to check and see if it's on. A few things helped me acclimate. May or may not be helpful to you. Just as I turn the air on I forcefully exhale. Feels better to me than a blast of air that takes my breath away. When not on your face, do a little playing around with the air. See how strong (or weak) the air flow really is rather than allowing the claustrophobia to define it for you. Let the air blow a tissue, a piece of paper, a piece of string. Once you see how strong it is not you might feel less intimidated by it. Visualization might help too. I've heard others describe imagining lying on a beach with the summer breeze on their face. I enjoy using essential oils. A few drops on a cotton ball placed behind the air intake of your machine can be quite pleasant. A routine of using the oils as a part of my bedtime routine was a welcoming signal to sleep. Some scents claim to have calming properties. I used to visualize myself in a lush floral garden walking around sniffing the flowers. The incoming air then became part of a pleasant experience. Good luck at finding what helps you adjust.

[chunkyfrog]

The airflow is less than a dog experiences when he hangs his head out the car window.
(And they LOVE doing that!)
Just channel your inner hound, and pretend you are going for a ride.

[Janknitz]

I had a rough time in the beginning--most of us here did. I completely relate to how you are feeling, that was me, once upon a time.

Here's how to start off "in the shallow end".

Start by sitting in a comfortable chair. Soothing music might help. Hold the mask up to your face with your hand (make sure you are not blocking the vents with your hand). Whenever you feel panicky, take it away from your face. Repeat. Your goal is to hold it up to your face for longer and longer each time until you can do it for 30 minutes. You are in control, all you have to do is move the mask away from your face if you feel panicky. But after a while, try to go just a bit longer even if you feel some panic. Count slowly to 10 before you remove the mask. If you can make it to a count of 10, try 10 more before you take off the mask. At the end of that 10, do you REALLY need to remove the mask, or can you hold on a while longer? Etc. Until you have successfully kept the mask against your face for at least 30 minutes. It may take a few days to work up to this. Practice EVERY day.

Once you can hold the mask up to your face for 30 minutes, try it with the straps. It's the same process, EXCEPT that you must start out counting to 10's before removing the mask. You remain in control, but your goal is to make it to 30 minutes.

Once you are at 30 minutes with the mask strapped on, gradually increase the time. (Watching tv, listening to a podcast or audible book are all great distractions). When you can go 2 hours, it's time to try it in bed. The same rules apply. It may take a little getting used to, because when you lie flat you feel less in control. If you need to, prop up your head with a few pillows to feel more in control. Use white noise or listen to music or a podcast if focusing on your breathing increases your anxiety. You don't need to TRY to sleep, let it come naturally if it will (it will!). Compliance requires 4 hours per night, so that's your first goal to work up to. Once you have achieved that, try to increase the time until that wonderful morning when you wake up realizing "hey, I slept all night".

There will be good nights and bad nights. Eventually, the good nights will outnumber the bad nights, and eventually the bad nights all but disappear. Be patient with yourself, but firm. It is not permitted for you to go a single day without trying, and you must be moving forward to gradually increase your time--no excuses.

Finally, it's important you understand that people get used to the "blowing wind" pretty quickly. What makes it hard for most people is a feeling of "suffocation" and that is typically from the fact that they may have set a ramp feature that starts out with the very lowest pressure in hopes you will fall asleep before the real "wind" begins. But in reality, that pressure is too low and it makes people feel panicky because they feel like they are not getting enough air. When you recognize that you're feeling like you can't get enough air, let us know and we will help you adjust your machine to overcome that.

One morning you are going to wake up feeling rested and calm. It's a wonderful feeling, and it's what motivates every one of us here to strap on the mask each night and aim for that again.

[newtoCPAP2018]

I do not have the machine to do this YET so I can't "play around" with anything. In order for insurance to let me get it, I have to have the sleep study which requires this air in my face. See my conundrum?

[newtoCPAP2018]

I already have the oral appliance.. trust me I tried that first! It is not working ( I still snore) and I have it the maximum line, pulling my jaw forward. It is also causing my teeth to shift and I now have TMJ. My ENT's ( two of them ) said due to the structure of my palate and tongue, I am not a surgical candidate. Either I find a way to be "thrown in the deep end of the pool and learn to swim on my own" or I continue to wake up like a zombie. I really wish I could get a machine and learn to use the air on my own but to buy one outright is 1500 and I don't have that at all.

[newtoCPAP2018]

I do appreciate all the insight, but I am not talking about getting used to it in MY home- a few minutes each day; I am referring to putting this one with the air AT THE SLEEP STUDY! It is not like I can rent an air machine and watch TV with it. ( I wish!!) How do I get over that? I will ask about ambien.

I bought the mask for 200 bucks, but I do NOT have the machine. I am wearing the mask right now just to get used to that, but I don't have an air pressure to get over that hump. As I researched this, I met two other women with the same issue and they just can't do the sleep study. They just deal with the apnea. Anxiety in people is on the rise, especially to claustrophia, and I hope someday the sleep specialists can find a way to bridge the gap- NOT for wearing it at home on your own timetable, but JUST GETTING THROUGH THE DANG SLEEP STUDY! I did go to the clinic today, just to try this out ( full panic attack happened once he turned the air on the lowest amount). He was not compassionate or empathetic and that just added to my anxiety. He told me his sister has panic attacks- hmmm... then act like you have compassion. It SUCKS to have panic/ anxiety rule your life. I so desperately want to sleep well and not be a zombie all day. But for those with panic attacks, in the moment, it controls you and talking yourself off the cliff just doesn't work. I had to be sedated to have an OPEN MRI. I tried to do it, but then I hyperventilated. What calmed me down was the MRI tech let my husband hold my hand while the sedation kicked in. I did ask today if he could sit next to me and calm me down until I feel asleep when I do the the sleep study then leave and I was told no. Seriously, I am not a nutcase. Just a lady with an irrational fear and I know it and I am trying my dang hardest to not let it control me.

[Goofproof]

The airflow is less than a dog experiences when he hangs his head out the car window.
(And they LOVE doing that!)
Just channel your inner hound, and pretend you are going for a ride.

I love hanging my head out the window when I drive too "Woof", except in the summer, it lets the A/C out... Jim

[chartle]

I do not have the machine to do this YET so I can't "play around" with anything. In order for insurance to let me get it, I have to have the sleep study which requires this air in my face. See my conundrum?

One thing I notice with my mask is that it blows up my nose a bit when I'm sitting up and the hose is hanging straight down, but once in bed and the hose off to the side like posted above the only way I know my machine is on is if I feel for the exhaust.

I did a home sleep study and no mask just a nasal cannula, Pulse Ox on the finger and a band around my chest. I was not asked to do a study with a mask in a sleep lab.

[jilliansue]

Hi! It sucks to deal with this stuff in the absence of compassionate practitioners. I have one suggestion that can be very helpful and in a very short period of time: hypnotherapy. It works great for fears and phobias. Conventional therapeutic treatment does consist of desensitizing, which can take some time, and which to me sounds like a slow exercise in terror. I really recommend hypnotherapy, I had my fear of heights reduced by I would say 90-95% using hypnotherapy. The therapeutic uses of hypnosis are NOT what we see on tv, that is the entertainment side. Good luck to you!