Still waking up 3 to 4 times a night

Hi,

I’m new to all this, as a previous post as digger shows, hopefully this works better.

so here goes. I was diagnosed with mild to moderate sleep apnea after 3 sleep lab sessions, the 3rd one utilized equipment with mask. I would wake up 3 to 4 times a night. Since 3/3/09, I have had two pieces of equipment. The latest is the ResMed S8 Autoset II with humidifier and Mirage Quatro Nose/mouth mask.

It has taken quite awhile to get used to it. It has been adjusted 3 times, the setting now being auto, starting @ 10, but during the night can go anywhere between 10-20. Woke up first night, after 2 hours with it humming @ 16. Almost blew it off my face. Recently it has calmed down. I can fall asleep with it on. The problem is, after only 1 to 3 hours I wake up and can’t go back to sleep unless I take it off, even though I’m fairly comfortable with it on. Just seems I start listening to my breathe and forgetaboutit from there.

Couple of nights ago, as a test, took ambien, small dose, and slept for 5 hours, no wake up. I don’t want to get hooked on sleeping pills, which occurred before with Temazepam, after a total knee replacement operation, let’s just say it was trauma in the highest degree. This time I just wanted to prove whether I could sleep with the mask or not. I just can’t seem to get back to sleep once I wake up unless I take the mask off.

Suggestions or is this normal after a couple of months?

Undertaker

Do you have a prescription for a specified pressure?

Whether you do or not, I'd suggest using CPAP mode and a single pressure.


Den

Hi -

Well I am a fellow new user like you as well...and I wake up a lot due to me still trying to dial in my mask and the sounds the machine makes of course...but the first thing I would recommend to you without question is to get the software and see what the hck is going on with your theray during the night...i'm pretty sure your machine has that capability....this will also allow you to dial in your pressure a bit more instead of having the large range you do.....its all about getting yourself dialed in to what works for you so you can keep the mask on all night...using it part of the night is not helping....but, believe me I understand how you feel...I dont know how many times a night I wake up..I lose count ......try to mask the sound of your machine with a low running fan in the room or a white noise machine....their are so many things you can do to help....and i'm sure some people with far more knowledge than me will post on here when they have the time.....keep in mind how many people on here have had the same problem you are having now and with some patience and time and research they have gotten themselves doing very very well on cpap therapy..... I know its hard but try hard not to obsess on the breathing noise of the machine, just become one with it..as if it were a part of your body.....you will find it will actually relax you more when you do this..... hope your sleep tonight is a better one

Welcome Undertaker.

I'm fairly new to xPAP myself - I'm on week six. In the beginning, yes, I would wake up and HAVE to take the mask off. But then I realized that I was allowing my body to train me to take that blippity-bleepin' thing off my face!

So I reasoned that: 1) I'm still in bed, 2) it's not time to get up, 3) I'm tired and sort of sleepy still, 4) the sooner I get used to this, the better I'll sleep and feel, and 5) I am in charge of my xPAP therapy, not my body. So I determined to lay there until I went back to sleep with the mask on. The first night, it took quite a bit of time - a couple of hours. The next night, less time, and so on. After a week, I was waking up and going back to sleep quickly and the mask stayed on.

I still wake up a lot (and did before xPAP), but not nearly so much. I'm hoping with time and continued compliance with xPAP that I'll stop waking up altogether. HTH.

Lisa

Maybe its me, but I dont think waking 3-4 times per night is bad. Is it for a long time, or do you go right back to sleep? I awaken at least 10 times per night, but to change positions or adjust for a mask leak. Its only for a few seconds each time. I'm dreaming and not sleepy during the day so I assume my therapy is working. To expect to sleep through an entire night, without awaking to change positions or adjust the mask, is a lofty and unrealistic goal in my opinion.

Jason S. wrote:Maybe its me, but I dont think waking 3-4 times per night is bad. Is it for a long time, or do you go right back to sleep? I awaken at least 10 times per night, but to change positions or adjust for a mask leak. Its only for a few seconds each time. I'm dreaming and not sleepy during the day so I assume my therapy is working. To expect to sleep through an entire night, without awaking to change positions or adjust the mask, is a lofty and unrealistic goal in my opinion.

Jason,

I agree. I typically wake up three to five times per night to change position. I will go to the restroom on one or two of these awakenings. This is not a great way to live and be healthy, but it seems to be what I am given in life and I hope to make the best of it.

Like you, on the nights when I am able to fall to sleep quickly after the awakenings, I do fairly well the next day. Part of the challenge is to tolerate the awakenings. If you let them upset you, of course it will be harder to get back to sleep.

For the first two years of therapy my goal was to get to the point where I could sleep all night through. Like you, I now think that is unrealistic.

Undertaker, I firmly believe everyone should have software to monitor their therapy. Someone here said without software, it is like flying a plane without instruments on a very cloudy day. The software will monitor apneas, hypopneas, snores, and mask leak and give you a chance to optimize your CPAP process. Hopefully you already have the software.

When you get the pressure correct, and the mask fitting, you should be able to reduce the 3-4 times wakings. I was the same and still can be with less than good night, but usually it's up just one or two times now. IF my "mild to moderate" diagnosis is similar to yours, then I would definitely wake at pressures of 10-20, and still do when my machine goes to 10-12, as usually now a leak pops out.

I wonder if you need to experiment with smaller pressure ranges and lower pressures? From my software data and my tests, I found that most often through the night I was at 7-8, so now I set my machine to start there, and I saw that apenas were usually treated at 10 +/-, so I set that as my apnea pressure and 12 as my maximum pressure and I've had more good nights and consistant results. I've tried the higher pressures, CPAP at various pressures (including 10) and wider ranges on Auto, but the settings above seem to be the best so far as I'm still learning. I never did get a titration study as my sleep specialist was pretty sure that I could get by with a prescribed range of 6-12. Turns out he was right enough, but I still did a lot of my own tests, as at first, 6-12 wasn't working, though there were other problems like mask fitting and leaks and then sleeping positions for me to figure out. I think one of Wulfman's posts helped me figure out the mask leaking (Thanks!). Good luck and keep at it, as there is a fair bit to figure out and we're all different.

rooster wrote:

Jason S. wrote:Maybe its me, but I dont think waking 3-4 times per night is bad. Is it for a long time, or do you go right back to sleep? I awaken at least 10 times per night, but to change positions or adjust for a mask leak. Its only for a few seconds each time. I'm dreaming and not sleepy during the day so I assume my therapy is working. To expect to sleep through an entire night, without awaking to change positions or adjust the mask, is a lofty and unrealistic goal in my opinion.

Jason,

I agree. I typically wake up three to five times per night to change position. I will go to the restroom on one or two of these awakenings. This is not a great way to live and be healthy, but it seems to be what I am given in life and I hope to make the best of it.

Like you, on the nights when I am able to fall to sleep quickly after the awakenings, I do fairly well the next day. Part of the challenge is to tolerate the awakenings. If you let them upset you, of course it will be harder to get back to sleep.

For the first two years of therapy my goal was to get to the point where I could sleep all night through. Like you, I now think that is unrealistic.

Undertaker, I firmly believe everyone should have software to monitor their therapy. Someone here said without software, it is like flying a plane without instruments on a very cloudy day. The software will monitor apneas, hypopneas, snores, and mask leak and give you a chance to optimize your CPAP process. Hopefully you already have the software.

And I agree with you. The anxiety caused by chasing after diminishing returns and not getting them, probably causes more sleeplessness than what is hypothetically "lost" by not achieving perfection. Just put the damn machine on and go to sleep. No worries mate!