Nightmare

[abu117]

Sorry, I posted this elsewhere, but it was suggested that I start my own thread

I don't normally suffer from nightmares (for at last 20 or 30 years since my last one), but this one was a doozy. It is almost 3 am here and I am afraid to return to bed and afraid to go back to sleep - it was so real. All I remember of the dream is this:

I was sitting alone on a sofa and I saw and smelled cigarette smoke. I then saw a cigarette out of the corner of my eye, turned and faced someone I have never seen before in my life. I started to scream as this person was so unexpected and he had a look of confusion on his face like "why are you screaming?" He wasn't scary looking or anything, but no one that I recognized either.

While I was screaming, I felt like I was drowning. I remember my partner yelling my name to me, trying to wake me, but I was unable to wake up and continued to have this drowning sensation. Asking my partner later, I found out that this went on for maybe 5 to 10 seconds. I was lying on my back. As I am typing this, I still feel goosebumps, remembering this.

I am a 66-year-old male and I have been on CPAP therapy for at least 6 years. Before starting therapy 6 years ago, I used to wake up 70 times per hours (events). Recently I got a new machine and mask (the resmed Air and I switched from a nasal mask to a pillow mask). Now I am down to about an average of 1.5 to 2 incidents per hour (which is about the same as on my old machine).

To complicate things, I have also been diagnosed with rotator cuff tendonitis in both shoulders, so I am often waking up sleeping on my back (not my preferred position).

One of the nice features of my new resmed machine is that I can log in the following morning and look at the results and quality of sleep that I had. Everything shows that I am getting good results. A good mask seal, and last night only .6 events per hour.

I don't know what happened here. Was it because I was on my back? Or, was I somehow struggling to breathe? Or both?

I am going back to bed now and I will try to sleep on my side. I hope to have a good sleep and I certainly hope to wake up again

[abu117]

It was also suggested that I download the Oscar software. I did download and installed it, but I'm not sure what I should be looking for. I had called my CPAP provider and he was able to login and told me that he saw an episode at about 2:10 am where I had an obstruction, but based on the image below, all I can see is the disconnect for about 1.5 hours - where do I see the obstruction that woke me up this way?

[Pugsy]

Why do you have stuff turned off on the graphs and flagging?
Where's the Events graph?

See the little arrow buttons at the bottom of the graphs....lower right and left corners???? You've got some stuff turned off...I can see red.....click on the arrow to expand and anything you see that is red...click on it to change it to green.

Somehow or other you have turned off the things that would maybe show you an event being flagged...
which may or may not be related to your upsetting dream.

[abu117]

Thanks, Pugsy - I am now showing all the feeds

[Dog Slobber]

I don't know what happened here. Was it because I was on my back? Or, was I somehow struggling to breathe? Or both?

Or neither.

Your horrible nightmare could be completely unrelated to CPAP therapy.

All too often people on CPAP try to create a link between occurrences and their CPAP treatment, when there is none. Perhaps there is a link, and certainly explore the possibility, but the way you asked the question, and narrowing the cause to only two causes is prohibitive to exploring other causes, or no definitive cause.

[ChicagoGranny]

the dream

Go to the OSCAR display. Find the Events tab on the left middle. Click on it. You will get a list of all events showing the time and length of the events.

See if there was an event(s) immediately before you woke up. Observe the type of event. (I am assuming you turned the machine off as soon as you woke up. So, this helps identify which events (if any) occurred that might have caused you to awaken.

If there is an event of interest, click on it. The software will zoom in on that event on the line graphs. Play around with this feature for a while to get used to using it. Look at the Flow Rate line immediately before and after an event.

Let us know what you observe.

[abu117]

I don't know what happened here. Was it because I was on my back? Or, was I somehow struggling to breathe? Or both?

Or neither.

Your horrible nightmare could be completely unrelated to CPAP therapy.

All too often people on CPAP try to create a link between occurrences and their CPAP treatment, when there is none. Perhaps there is a link, and certainly explore the possibility, but the way you asked the question, and narrowing the cause to only two causes is prohibitive to exploring other causes, or no definitive cause.

Thanks, Dog Slobber - I suspected the CPAP because of how I had the breathing issue at the time - the feeling of drowning and gasping for breath

[kteague]

It will be interesting to see if your nightmare can be correlated with an event in the software. I used to keep a journal of all the dreams I had (both pre cpap and during cpap time before optimized treatment) that in some way contained a difficulty breathing component. Had chronicled about 50 before they became so few and far between I quit journaling them. Occasionally when I checked I'd see an event in the data just before waking, but most times I really couldn't know for sure if I'd just had the dream or if it had been sometime earlier but just remembered it on fully waking. Have read that some say we will only remember a dream if we wake right after having it. But since we don't always remember brief wakings, it's anybody's guess at what time the dream actually happened unless we wake in the middle of it. I hated those times I woke in a panic. About the side sleeping being an issue for you, have you checked out the pillows that have a groove for the arm to fit into that take pressure off the shoulder? I haven't talked to anybody who has actually used one. Wondering if they are effective. About back sleeping, I used to try to stay off my back because my events were a bit worse. Since I mastered keeping my tongue suction sealed to the roof of my mouth I back sleep a portion of every night with no increase in events. Good luck with things. I know it can be unsettling trying to sleep after having a nightmare like that.

[Janknitz]

That sensation of drowning can come from gastroesophageal reflux. Before CPAP and lifestyle changes I woke a few times chocking on stomach fluids because of GERD. It felt exactly like drowning, I couldn't draw a breath without pulling more fluid into my lungs. I thought I might die. Could it possibly be that?

You mention shoulder pain so you may be on pain meds? Even NSAIDS could be an issue, they cause erosion and inflammation of the esophagus and gastric tissue--that's why I had the GERD, because I took NSAIDs chronically after bilateral frozen shoulders. Other meds can cause the dreams and nightmares. It doesn't necessarily have to be anything new and different to your regime--it could be anything you are taking.

My guess is that CPAP is the least likely culprit to this type of nightmare, but you may feel it's associated since you were using CPAP when it occurred. The event data will help us see if you had a great big apnea (which can be associated with GERD by the way--the struggle to breathe creates a pressure gradient that pulls stomach fluids up into the airway). The apnea may have been so big and sudden the machine couldn't keep up.

[abu117]

the dream

Go to the OSCAR display. Find the Events tab on the left middle. Click on it. You will get a list of all events showing the time and length of the events.

See if there was an event(s) immediately before you woke up. Observe the type of event. (I am assuming you turned the machine off as soon as you woke up. So, this helps identify which events (if any) occurred that might have caused you to awaken.

If there is an event of interest, click on it. The software will zoom in on that event on the line graphs. Play around with this feature for a while to get used to using it. Look at the Flow Rate line immediately before and after an event.

Let us know what you observe.

Thanks, ChicagoGranny

[palerider]

Thanks, Dog Slobber - I suspected the CPAP because of how I had the breathing issue at the time - the feeling of drowning and gasping for breath

I haven't had any terror wake ups since I got my CPAP working right....

[Muse-Inc]

Years ago, I messed up both shoulders and was on Rx anti-inflammatory, then aspirin. Could not sleep on either side which I'd been doing for years. I slept on top of several stacked pillows, a foam cervical to prevent mouth dropping open, with thin pillows under each shoulder. My AHI quadrupled for that 6 months or so. I did not get a lot of restful sleep as I kept waking up in pain. Did some shoulder stretches, then chiro suggested some exercises to increase strength and circulation: one of those biking gadgets placed on dining table with hands on pedals, 30 seconds to begin working up to 1 minute several times a day.

Might try what I did while your shoulders are messed up.

[ChicagoGranny]

one of those biking gadgets placed on dining table with hands on pedals

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3dAGkht2c0Q

[Okie bipap]

Spent man hours using a similar machine after having rotator cuff surgeries. I managed to damage both shoulders a few years apart. Lots of therapy both times.

[Muse-Inc]

one of those biking gadgets placed on dining table with hands on pedals

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3dAGkht2c0Q

Similar. Good video. I have this gadget https://smile.amazon.com/Drive-Medical- ... 154&sr=8-4

Had to switch chair as the chiro suggested keeping my arms nearly straight our from shoulder without raising my shoulders rather than dropping having the device at a lower level.