Can't Sleep with CPAP

Recently began using CPAP. Tried different masks, but can't sleep using them. Tried it with Ambien and slept for 6 hours. Which is worse; living with severe sleep apnea or risking becoming dependent on Ambien?

alevy37 wrote:Recently began using CPAP. Tried different masks, but can't sleep using them. Tried it with Ambien and slept for 6 hours. Which is worse; living with severe sleep apnea or risking becoming dependent on Ambien?

Neither, but it's not time to worry about that yet.

It's very common that people use some sleep aid (medication) to help with the adjustment to CPAP. More often than not it's only needed for a short while.

The mask is usually the biggest challenge with CPAP -- which ones have you tried, and what were the specific issue with each? That may help us with making suggestions. If it's simply having a mask -- ANY mask -- stuck to your face, we can make suggestions more directed to that issue as well.

How does the air flow feel? Any problems with breathing with it on?

There's all kinds of troubleshooting we can help with. For the best help, register on the forum, put your machine (exact make and model) in your profile like most of us have, also which mask you are currently using (or trying to use!). If you know your machine pressure(s), tell us that too.

Thanks for your reply. I started with the nasal pillow mask, but it started rubbing my nostrils raw. I switched to one that just goes over your nose. Air flow not a problem. I just wake up after a couple of hours and can't stand this thing stuck to my face.

I stuck with the one used in my sleep study because I had no problems with it. Nasal pillows wouldn't work for me for the same reason. Does your DME let you change them out until you find a comfortable one?

It took me some time to adapt and I suspect you're going to have to adapt at your own rate. Hopefully after a little bit at a time you'll get used to the equipment and be able to sleep more and more every night. People often expect miracles right off the bat with CPAP, but sometimes you just have to settle in at your own pace. Hang in there and let us know how you are doing. BTW, Lansinoh cream is good for irritated nostrils... Google it.

No issue changing masks. But nasal pillow seems like the least cumbersome. I liked the mask in my study. It had nasal tubes about a quarter of inch long. I was told that kind of mask is not available.

alevy37 wrote: Which is worse; living with severe sleep apnea or risking becoming dependent on Ambien?

Ambien doesn't cause diabetes, dementia, heart failure or strokes among other things.

Guest wrote:No issue changing masks. But nasal pillow seems like the least cumbersome. I liked the mask in my study. It had nasal tubes about a quarter of inch long. I was told that kind of mask is not available.

That sounds like the Nuance pillow mask....

Stephen

alevy37 wrote:Recently began using CPAP. Tried different masks, but can't sleep using them. Tried it with Ambien and slept for 6 hours. Which is worse; living with severe sleep apnea or risking becoming dependent on Ambien?

I found that what ever mask I used I could not get deep sleep. Even on ASV which sometimes gives me 0.0 AHI I could not surrender to restorative sleep.
I tried and still use suggestions from Barry Krakow's book, Sound Sleep, Sound Mind, but in the end I realized that I needed to have some chemical help to get restorative sleep.

I am taking a 5mg dose of the Canadian version of Ambian, Sublinox, it is a subligual medication...tastes horrible...lol.
Anyway, my doc and myself are monitoring my sleep quality, I am looking forward to a second lab titration using the med, and will
see how it goes. I am guessing I will be on this med for a few months gradually cutting down as the body/mind gets used to and surrenders to the air...

I wisk you luck, relief is possible, sometimes it takes work and patience...we are all so different, what works for one will not work for another..

all the best,

Stephen

Guest wrote:Thanks for your reply. I started with the nasal pillow mask, but it started rubbing my nostrils raw. I switched to one that just goes over your nose. Air flow not a problem. I just wake up after a couple of hours and can't stand this thing stuck to my face.

It sounds like you might have been using the wrong size nasal pillows. People tend to think if they have a medium size nose they should use medium size pillows, small nose small pillows, etc. I have a medium size nose but found that the large pillows worked well -- once sealed the pillows do not move around so no rubbing around/friction. Others have found that going down a size did the trick.

Also there are many nasal pillow masks out there. I found one brand was causing some irritation but after some trial and error I found the NP mask I use now and no more irritation. Be willing to experiment.

If you want to use a NP mask, don't give up after just one trial. Buy some pure grade lanolin (in the baby aisle, brand name Lansinoh) and use just a bit when you start out with a NP mask. With the right mask and right pillow size you shouldn't need to use the lanolin for very long.

alevy37 wrote:Recently began using CPAP. Tried different masks, but can't sleep using them. Tried it with Ambien and slept for 6 hours. Which is worse; living with severe sleep apnea or risking becoming dependent on Ambien?

The former. And Ambien dependency may not arise even for long periods of usage if you do not titrate up on it. You will stop Ambien sooner than you might think, I know.

Once you get your sleep efficiency and sleep hygiene in order, you will need it less.

Plus, you might want to try Benadryl on occasion in lieu of Ambien, or some other alternative remedy.

When I first started using the CPAP, the first week was awful, I cried myself to sleep every night, after that things started to slowly improve but it took me at least a month to start feeling it was more routine. What helped me was keeping a journal so I could track my progress and I made a list of things that helped me sleep with the mask on - my sleep "aresenal" included taking a hot shower before bed, having a cup of warm milk, taking Benadryl or melatonin, using a drop of essential oil on a cotton pad next to the air intake, (I found the plastic smell unpleasant) and the big game changer was using a mask liner which I ordered from Amazon and is made by PadaCheek. I couldn't tolerate the feeling of the silicone against my skin and the mask liner changed that. Finding this website helped a lot, too. It can be very hard at first but if you can stick with it, the payoff is huge. Hang in there, it's worth it!

Interesting...the time that I tried cpap, no good, I just gave up after laying there awake for a couple of hours, and asked my sleep doctor for a prescription for Ambien in the morning. Used Ambien for about a week, stopped using it, and everything was fine. No ill effects, just helped me get to sleep with the mask and the machine going and all. Earplugs helped, too, but that first night earplugs was just not enough for me...I'm a light sleeper at the best of times.

Anyways, don't worry about it, unless you've already used Ambien and had trouble stopping. Even then, it would be worth for me, personally, having trouble stopping if it gets me over the hump with using cpap. The effects of sleep apnea can be really bad for your health, compared with getting off Ambien (if you have a problem, I don't think that many people do).

RogerSC wrote:Interesting...the time that I tried cpap, no good, I just gave up after laying there awake for a couple of hours, and asked my sleep doctor for a prescription for Ambien in the morning. Used Ambien for about a week, stopped using it, and everything was fine. No ill effects, just helped me get to sleep with the mask and the machine going and all. Earplugs helped, too, but that first night earplugs was just not enough for me...I'm a light sleeper at the best of times.

Anyways, don't worry about it, unless you've already used Ambien and had trouble stopping. Even then, it would be worth for me, personally, having trouble stopping if it gets me over the hump with using cpap. The effects of sleep apnea can be really bad for your health, compared with getting off Ambien (if you have a problem, I don't think that many people do).

Actually, I don't think we really know the true percentage of people who have difficulties getting off of ambien or who have developed tolerance while taking it. Still, if I had tried everything possible to optimize my therapy and sleep to no avail and ambien was giving me enough quality sleep where I felt more functional vs. not taking it, I would go ahead and take it short term and then reevaluate everything. As always, in consultation with your doctor, it is about balancing the risks. vs. benefits and how that factors into your life.

I have been trying to sleep with my CPAP for 6 years and have been unsuccessful. It makes a nice decoration for my nightstand. I still wake up every 2 hours and sleep as badly with as I do without it. I question whether it is really a help or a way to suck more money out of users.