How do I condition myself to use the CPAP machine?

[jKinsa]

I am very new to sleep apnea therapy. I have a Weinmann SOMNObalance e with a nose mask.
I find that when I power the machine on it automatically starts at a pressure of 8 even when I use soft start. Then after 30 seconds it drops to 4 for 10 minutes.

I cannot tolerate the 30 seconds at 8 and remove the mask. Last night (first night) I was able to fall asleep for about 2 hours. I woke up suddenly with a headache. I could not get comfortable with the machine again and removed it.

Tonight I have tried the machine again but cannot get comfortable. I feel claustrophobic.

Do I need the machine to be reset? How do I get used to it?

Thanks for any information.

[bavinck]

I am very new to sleep apnea therapy. I have a Weinmann SOMNObalance e with a nose mask.
I find that when I power the machine on it automatically starts at a pressure of 8 even when I use soft start. Then after 30 seconds it drops to 4 for 10 minutes.

I cannot tolerate the 30 seconds at 8 and remove the mask. Last night (first night) I was able to fall asleep for about 2 hours. I woke up suddenly with a headache. I could not get comfortable with the machine again and removed it.

Tonight I have tried the machine again but cannot get comfortable. I feel claustrophobic.

Do I need the machine to be reset? How do I get used to it?

Thanks for any information.

I found having it on running while watching tv or something at night really helped. It helped me get used to something on my face like that, which helped reduced the claustrophobic feeling.

[BlackSpinner]

I am very new to sleep apnea therapy. I have a Weinmann SOMNObalance e with a nose mask.
I find that when I power the machine on it automatically starts at a pressure of 8 even when I use soft start. Then after 30 seconds it drops to 4 for 10 minutes.

I cannot tolerate the 30 seconds at 8 and remove the mask. Last night (first night) I was able to fall asleep for about 2 hours. I woke up suddenly with a headache. I could not get comfortable with the machine again and removed it.

Tonight I have tried the machine again but cannot get comfortable. I feel claustrophobic.

Do I need the machine to be reset? How do I get used to it?

Thanks for any information.

8 is not a very high pressure. Wear it while watching tv for a few hours in the evening. The thing is to stop paying attention to it and get your body used to this life saving equipment.

[jKinsa]

Thanks - I will give that a try.

[Pugsy]

Not many users here on this forum who are familiar with your machine.
Here in the US our machines don't do a higher pressure for 30 seconds and then drop down...they start out low and work their way up if a person is using the ramp feature. Unsure what your machine is doing or why when it does that.

What is the hardest thing to get used to? The pressure...the machine..or mask? Why can't you get comfortable? Anything specific that you can think of like discomfort somewhere.

It's really hard for us to offer ideas to help someone when we don't have a lot of specifics to go on.
Why can't you tolerate 30 seconds? We can hold our breath that long if we had to just ignore it.
You might get with your supplier and find out exactly why it does the 8 cm thing from the first..maybe there is a way to turn that part off.
Since it is not a machine that we are normally familiar with we don't know what it is or if it can be turned off or how to get to where it can be turned off (if it can).

The drop to 4 for 10 minutes is what we call the ramp feature...after 10 minutes what is your pressure supposed to be?
Are you okay with the 4 cm for the 10 minutes? Normally the ramp can be extended up to 45 minutes...would you do better if you had a longer ramp time?

[Lukie]

How you feel about the machine, mask, and whole process of CPAP therapy can affect how easily you adjust to it. For me, getting as much informations as possible and hanging out on several apnea forums and chats helped me immensely. Knowing that the machine was helping to spare me from heart trouble, stroke and dementia made me feel better about the whole thing. I made up my mind to wear it for at least 8 hours every night whether I slept or not. I relaxed with music and/or talk radio and drifted off to sleep and despite waking up several times I started sleeping so much better and deeper. I would just lie there and breath and relaxed knowing the machine would protect me from this horrible monster apnea. It is a steep learning curve and a totally new and strange experience but it is in the end a life-saving one. In the beginning I would wear the mask in bed for a few hours before I went to bed to get use to it and to get all the adjustments made before bedtime. Now I just wear it for naps and sleeping. It's not perfect yet but I'd rather sleep with the mask than suffer the awful sleep apnea symptoms.

[JDS74]

jKinsa:

Your machine sounds quite capable and interesting. I've attached a link to the Owner's manual which you might download and read.

The machine can perform the "ramp" function for a maximum of 30 minutes.
The pressure change you describe is a settable parameter and does indeed start at a higher level before dropping down to the lower pressure limit prescribed. Your doctor or DME can turn that function off for you.

In order for you to be a more active participant in your own therapy, your machine has the function of recording the data on the SD card and analyze it using software available from the manufacturer. Here is a quote from the Owner's Manual on the subject.

Therapy journalThere is the option of storing a therapy journal on the SD card. If
your doctor has activated this function, the therapy device saves a
csv file on the SD card which you import onto your PC and can edit
there. The file has an exchange format which can be read by a
variety of programs (e.g. Microsoft® Excel®).
You can also download the SOMNOjournal application from
http://www.weinmann.de. Following installation the data stored in the
csv file can be viewed with SOMNOjournal, so allowing you to
control your therapy.

Edit: I tried to navigate the site to see if I could download the software but coulcn't get to the proper page. Presumably you supplied will be able to help you do that.

http://www.weinmann.de/fileadmin/wm_de/ ... 411_en.pdf

New edit: Here is a link to the Physician's manual so you can check the settings yourself.

https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B5IP2u- ... edit?pli=1

Do discuss these issues with your physician and/or respiratory therapist. See if they will change the parameters more to your liking. Also see if they will turn on the journaling function if it is not already turned on so you can see your own progress.

As my neurologist mentioned to me several times, "Untreated Sleep Apnea will kill you!" Try to keep that in mind to help balance out the intial difficulties many of us experience when starting sleep apnea therapy.

[jKinsa]

Once again, thanks for the constructive info. The mask is quite comfortable and I have adjusted it slightly to reduce the pressure on my forehead which was the main area of discomfort last night (first night).

I think the two main ares of concern are the initial intensity of the pressure and the uncertainty of the behavior of the machine. In terms of pressure, last night I could tolerate the machine operating at 4 hpa and I was able to fall asleep. However after I woke up 2 hours later, the 4hpa felt to strong and left we with a breathless sensation. Similar feeling to walking in a strong wind while trying to breath, at which point I removed the CPAP mask and went to sleep.

Tonight I attempted to go to use the CPAP again, and immediately found the pressure to be claustrophobic.

I know I need to use the CPAP to increase my quality of life and longevity, I guess I need to understand how my CPAP operates to feel more comfortable with it.

It does have the SD card installed and it is set to record.

[SleepWellCPAP]

The cpap operates by "splinting" your airway open with additional air pressure to allow your airway to remain open while you sleep.

Unfortunately, additional air applied tends to cause stress (dryness/discomfort) to your sinuses and throat. The headache you feel will more than likely go away over time with continued use. As others have suggested, using the device during the daytime, while listening to or watching something relaxing will help not only your claustrophobia, but also shorten your acclimation time to your device. Which, by the way, can take from 3 days up to a month typically. Be sure to keep your mask and face clean and watch out for any leakage.

You have some wonderful suggestions/advice already in this thread of course, good luck and please don't give up!

[BlackSpinner]

I think the two main ares of concern are the initial intensity of the pressure and the uncertainty of the behavior of the machine. In terms of pressure, last night I could tolerate the machine operating at 4 hpa and I was able to fall asleep. However after I woke up 2 hours later, the 4hpa felt to strong and left we with a breathless sensation. Similar feeling to walking in a strong wind while trying to breath, at which point I removed the CPAP mask and went to sleep.

Your machine was blowing at full pressure then, not at 4. Next time turn the machine off, count to 10, and then back on again. That will reset it to 4 and allow you to fall back to sleep comfortably.

[krstms]

It sounds like you might benefit from the cflex feature that some machines have. It makes the pressure lessen when you exhale so you don't feel like you cant breathe. If it weren't for this feature I don't think I could tolerate it as well.

[JDS74]

jKinsa:

I edited my earlier post to include a link to the physician's manual ( this is often referred to as the clinician's manual ).

With this information, you should be able to turn off the offending early higher pressure and just go to the normal auto pressure range.

I do recommend you speak to your physician to see if they will do it for you.

[jKinsa]

A huge thank you to all the forum members who took the trouble to respond to my call for help. After lying awake for a couple of hours, I decided to try the CPAP again. I am happy to report that I managed to sleep for 4 hours with the machine on. I was woken by my morning alarm.

I don't feel refreshed yet (a total of 7.5 hours sleep over 2 days is responsible) but I can honestly say that I believe tonight will be much easier.

My wife commentated that I seemed restful but was surprised to see me sleeping on my back and not moving around. Normall I am a side or face sleeper.

Anyway once again a big thank you for your support, it really helped my confidence to continue.

[dae3dae3]

Just keep at it. It sounds like you are already getting a little better adjusted. It took me a couple weeks to really get comfortable when I started about five years ago and I think I would have a panic attack if I had to sleep without the machine now.

[Foggy1]

It will take some time. Everyone is right about using the machine while watching TV. It is a matter of getting accustomed to the thing on your face. Think of it is a process...every night that you wear it, you are getting a step further to success. Aim for keeping it on 4 hours a night minimum. Then 5. Then before you know it, you'll be sleeping all night.