Sleep Apnea "Going Out Of My Mind!"

[Drowsy Dancer]

Insomnia and affective disorders: http://www.medscape.org/viewarticle/480681

[Jimmycrackhorn]

I wrote this in another thread for someone who seemed to be having similar issues.

You know, there are a lot of people that have way more experience than me about the technical side of this, but I would say to maybe chill a little when it comes to the mask, do what I do, Meditate yourself to bed.

Some great stuff is:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4vgKzXd ... vgKzXdwtRE - A Playlist with a lot of mindfulness.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oJjc4XreJSQ - Honest guys 1 hour guided sleep meditation

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nMl_T7QIZdY - Suffering is Okay by Thich Nhat Hanh

There are a lot more. The idea is that Mindfulness will make Physical changes. Plus on those days when I am REALLY tired, I use this stuff to relax myself, fall asleep for a little bit and get a huge recharge. Over time, the more do this the more effective it will become. I remember days where I felt like complete panic, deprivation and so on, and this stuff really helps calm the mind and body and even alleviate some of the bad feelings both emotionally and physically.

Adding to this, I discovered a point where I can feel absolutely tired and zombie like, and if I can literally take a "meditation nap" and become so relaxed that I catch myself (meditating on my back) snoring even a tiny bit, and that can be after anywhere from 20 minutes to an hour depending - I can have a burst of "wake up" that will carry me through the day. (oh wait, I guess I sort of said this already in the Quote - oh well, probably better to hear it twice. I'd be curious to find out if it works for other people too.)

I really hope you incorporate this meditation into your daily/nightly routine. I was doing it usually Mid-day and then to fall asleep every day for a while. Now I do it every time I fall asleep, but on days where I'm tired I will still fall out mid-day for a short med-nap. The key to really help sometimes is to eat something right before and sometimes that will kick in a little "itis" to help with the falling out.

[Julie]

We make a point of advising people to not sleep on their backs as it provokes more apneas, and to not eat anything before bed as it can interfere with good sleep and aggravate GERD, which many of us have, though if meditating makes you sleepy, it may be a great idea for some.

[49er]

For a really long time I've been struggling with trying to get used to putting my CPAP mask on before bed and have a decent nights sleep! Some days I can put the mask on and get a few hours hear and there but most of the time I can't. One of the reasons is it's been so long having Sleep Apnea that sleep depervation is becoming a "very" serious issue. I am becoming more and more grumpy at others. I feel like a complete zombie all the time!
I've lost interest in just about everything and sometimes for no reason at home I start crying histerically! Oh and one more thing, I am Bipolar and Sleep Apnea is sending my emotions on a horrendous roller coaster ride! It almost seems as though trying to help myself with this is almost becoming a catch 22! I have anxiety from the whole CPAP thing and I'm getting more anxiety not sleeping with the mask and machine.

I would like to know if at all if someone out there has had "some" of the same experiences?

Advice is greatly appreciated!

I don't have Bipolar but I definitely can relate to your situation. Regarding the mask you use, are you limited to full face masks?

The reason I am asking is for months, I experienced what I refer to as full face mask h-ll as I found them very intolerable. If I woke up after a few hours of sleep on the machine, that was it for the night. But because of my nasal obstruction issues, I wrongly assumed I was a mouth breather which I learned was not the case when finally, I switched to my elan cloth mask. Even if I woke up prematurely, I had no problems putting it back on when I was ready to go back to sleep.

I do feel that having a septoplasty will make the difference with my pap therapy. But at the same time, I wonder if I had made the mask switch alot sooner, if I could have avoided some of the problems that I currently have with sleep.

Anyway, if at all possible, you might look into switching to nasal masks to see if that makes a difference. I am not going to tell you to woman up but I do agree that if you don't use your mask, you will go down a path you don't want to go.

49er

[Dogjudge]

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=104045&p=980372#p980372

Wulfman. It's the above thread.

Thanks.

Only 3 posts.

[purple]

Have you been tested for Diabetes?

[Dogjudge]

Sugar levels are part of my blood work every six months.

Not even close to upper levels.

[mgaggie]

I am a little like you. I'd wake up often during the night and throw the mask off.

The thing that helped me the most was just accepting what I was doing. I woke up during the night and took my mask off, so be it. I would take a couple of breaths, have a sip of water, whack the mask back on and lay down again. Yes its frustrating, but beating yourself up over it won't help.

I listen to the dulcet tones of an audiobook called 'The history of the Third Reich' I'm lucky if I can stay awake to hear the end of the chapter