Trying again

I pulled my cpap out for another try after 6 years hiding under my bed. ...sick of being tired all of the time. I am looking for advise on how to make my cpap therapy successful!

melpitz wrote:I pulled my cpap out for another try after 6 years hiding under my bed. ...sick of being tired all of the time. I am looking for advise on how to make my cpap therapy successful!

You took the first step by pulling it out. NOW...when you go to bed... put on the mask and turn on the machine.

Take detailed note(s) of what specifically is hard about using it... does the mask leak, or dig in somewhere? Do you throw it off when sleeping? What are your pressures and what machine (full name) do you use? Do you have Sleepyhead installed (you can do it free from the 1st note (Announcement) on the pg here, with info about using it so we can help you tweak things if necessary.

Wait until you have some time off work (Wednesday or Thursday if you are American) so you don't have to stress about missing sleep. When you start, NEVER sleep without it. By never, I actually mean never. If you need to take off your mask at night, get out of bed, and go do something else for a while. The first couple of nights I would get online and read posts on cpaptalk.com.

Between now and when you use it, change the filter, and clean the hose and mask in a sink full of mild dish soap. Check that the mask hasn't broken down to the point that it is unusable. You may need to go buy a new one.

One thing that works really well for getting my mind off of the CPAP is using aromatherapy. I made a holder for my wife's makeup remover pads out of a hotel key card. Just add a drop or two of essential oil (I use peppermint because I like the smell and it keeps my sinuses clear) and put it near your CPAP inlet. You can control the level by how close it is to the CPAP.

I've just started CPAP and found trying the mask on in the day to work out how it was most comfortable is helping me get it adjusted quicker for sleep when I'm tired and just want to get to sleep! If I wake up, I don't think I'll try a bit of sleep without it. My attitude now if that the mask will be on whenever I sleep, even for naps so that I don't geet tempted by not having it on. And I've accepted that the first few weeks may involve worse sleep as I get used to it but I keep telling myself that it will be worth it.

Here's a good place to start:

viewtopic/t61785/Especially-for-newly-d ... hange.html

and since you're basically a newbie (no offense):

viewtopic/t35702/Where-A-CPAP-Newbie-Should-Start.html

Also, peruse the rest of the stickies at the top of the main page... all good stuff.

I agree with the others... get Sleepyhead software, it's great and it's free! The successful usage of SleepyHead depends on exactly what machine model you have, so list that please.

BTW: You might need a new sleep study, so be aware of that.