Panic Attacks

[sleepwise]

I know it's been discussed before but I couldn't find an answer to my question, are high strung type A's more likely to be prone to Panic Attacks when starting on CPAP, and wake up trying to pull their masks off and if so what if anything can be done to alleviate it?

[avi123]

one way to test it is to take Alprazolam 0.5 mg tablet and see if it solves it. Alprazolam (generic Ambien) is made to treat panic attacks.

[Wulfman...]

I know it's been discussed before but I couldn't find an answer to my question, are high strung type A's more likely to be prone to Panic Attacks when starting on CPAP, and wake up trying to pull their masks off and if so what if anything can be done to alleviate it?

Become a Type B?
Try to calm down and take one night at a time. Wear your mask during the day/evening when you're watching TV or doing other things.
You have an APAP listed in your profile. Maybe your pressure setup is wrong and is too wide open and leaving you feeling like you can't breathe at lower pressures........and then events take the pressure up too high. Too long of a Ramp time or Ramp pressures too low can do the same thing. Heated Humidity settings too high can do it, too.

Please put your pressure and other settings in your profile.


Den

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[DEXSUZ]

This week marks the first anniversary of my intro to CPAP. I had a wonderful sleep study at the local krankenhaus but ran into a granite roadblock as I attempted to get accustomed to full-face masks on my own.

First, back away from trying to do all-nighters with your CPAP equipment. Use my four-step weekly plan WHICH WORKED WONDERFULLY for me:

1) During the first week sit, watch TV, or read with your equipment whirring away next to you. Get accustomed to the sounds, feelings of the moving air, and all the external trappings of the great chance at quality sleep you are nearing. Do NOT go to bed with the equipment.

2) Take the phone off the hook, draw the shades, evict everyone from the house, don't think about any nearby clock, and loosen your clothing as you lie on your bed in mid-afternoon. Turn on the CPAP gizmo, put the mask on your face, and close your eyes. Think peaceful thoughts, whatever they are to you. At some point in the week you WILL fall asleep. After you have this nap, you'll be amazed at what a refreshing experience it was.

3) During the third week have all your CPAP gear ready for action as you go to bed for the night. As you've done so many times throughout the years, you'll awaken far before morning. When you do, slap the mask on your face and turn on the CPAP gear before your groggy brain has any idea what's going on.

4) After successfully completing the first three steps at your pace, decide on a night (mine was March 3rd) when you have full confidence and will retire for the night WITH your mask on. You'll succeed!

My biggest mistake was expecting everything to go perfectly from the first night. One must be patient and keep anxiety as far away as possible. Come March 3rd, I plan on some sort of goofy celebration to mark one year of refreshing sleep I never had - over four decades - before last year.

Best of luck and God bless.

[sleepwise]

Ok will keep in mind the suggestions, also there is the pressure for compliance, so trying to keep up the 4 hours minimum, I still don't understand is that 4 hours straight, or any four hours?
Thanks

[sleepy711]

Hyperawareness to one's surrounding can create a nightmare for a new CPAP user. If only you could be so lucky as to put on the mask and go right to sleep oblivious to everything.

Panic attacks can happen to anyone, any type. I've dealt with people who have had severe traumatic events in their past and others who couldn't think of one good reason why they should be having this panic attack. Logic be darned, you may have to just accept the fact that it is happening and go from there. You do not need to be a defective person to explain the panic attacks. It just happens.

The one response on how to gradually desensitize yourself to the mask and equipment is spectacular and beautiful. Your process and pace may be slightly different but you get the idea.

Insurance companies need to see a cumulative usage of 4 hours. So, for example, you can wear it for one hour while watching your favorite television show and that counts. Really, it does. The machine cannot tell if you are awake or sleeping and the rule doesn't specify you have to be sleeping on it. Also, it adds up all the different times in one 24 hour period. Try taking a 20 minute nap on it. Wear it to go to sleep. Wear it while watching TV. You should be able to accumulate 4 hours in a day doing this.

You probably have 3 months to get this "compliance" down or they will foot you with the bill. Good idea to make sure you have the mask that is the least offensive to you. Remember, everyone is a mouth breather with sleep apnea. Everyone who is suffocating will open their mouths to save themselves. Most people do not open their mouths on a nasal mask.

You might could use a smaller less obtrusive mask which is least likely to trigger a panic attack. However, some people just want the option to breathe through their mouths and awaken in the night to the air zooming out of their mouths (on a nasal mask), sucking the life out of them. And, then here comes the panic attack. Pick the mask that works best for you.

By the way, if you feel panic coming on, take the mask off immediately. I promise you, here and now, if you keep it on, it will only get worse and you will have a dickens of a time getting calmed down. At that point, it may be near impossible to put the mask back on. So, remove it immediately, get up out of the bed (break away from the whole environment of the attack), get a drink of water and have a talk with yourself. Who is the boss? Who is the captain of your ship? That's right. You can put the mask on, take it off, hit the ramp, adjust the moisture. It is all under your control. Then, try to put it back on. Be reasonable with yourself, though.

There is a book called "My Little CPAP Book" available on iTunes. It will soon be available on Nook and Kindle (2-3 days maybe). Dirt cheap and chock full of information including information about PTSD, panic attacks and expectations. Good luck and hope this was helpful.

[49er]

I know it's been discussed before but I couldn't find an answer to my question, are high strung type A's more likely to be prone to Panic Attacks when starting on CPAP, and wake up trying to pull their masks off and if so what if anything can be done to alleviate it?

Sleepwise,

Do you have any nasal obstruction/congestion issues? I was doing that constantly and I believe it in reaction to having a deviated septum and chronic congestion. Now, not everyone who has these issues will do this just as a disclaimer but for some people, is definitely a relevant issue.

I try to stay away from labels . In my opinion, the issue is accepting yourself for who you are and doing the best job you can to maximize your strengths and minimize your weaknesses. Just my opinion as I am definitely not an expert on this.

49er

[Julie]

My understanding of compliance for insurance is that you need 4 consecutive hrs per night, not cumulative hours. But I'm not part of the system, so please correct me if I'm wrong.

[HerbM]

While it could vary with any particular insurance company they mostly follow similar rules:

4 hours per day (any 4, usually between noon and noon so that each "night" is a single day).

70% of the days in ANY 30 day period during the first three months. Doesn't need to be the 1st, middle, or last "month", it is just starting on any date and getting the 70% during any continuous 30 day period. So you could have it for 20 days before using it, use it 21 nights out of the next 30, and not use it at all (but don't do that -- use it every day you are able.)

70% of 10 days is 7, so 21 days are needed out of the 30 continuous day period.

The idea to become comfortable with the mask during TV or short naps is a good one; if you can manage it then you will likely be able to work up to using it for longer periods.

Keep doing YOUR best.

[Vader]

one way to test it is to take Alprazolam 0.5 mg tablet and see if it solves it. Alprazolam (generic Ambien) is made to treat panic attacks.

Actually, alprazolam is generic Xanax. The generic form of Ambien is called "zolpidem tartrate"

[KentuckyHoser]

I haven't officially started therapy yet. I pick up my machine tomorrow. But during the second half of my sleep study (where I slept with the hose)? Well, that was the first time in a long time that I didn't wake up at least once in a state of panic. I've suffered from anxiety disorder for a long time and attributed these episodes to that. Now I wonder if my night time episodes have been because I stopped breathing and my body freaked out because of it. Scary thought. Maybe it's just a fluke that it didn't happen that night, I guess I'll find out soon.

[star444]

I haven't officially started therapy yet. I pick up my machine tomorrow. But during the second half of my sleep study (where I slept with the hose)? Well, that was the first time in a long time that I didn't wake up at least once in a state of panic. I've suffered from anxiety disorder for a long time and attributed these episodes to that. Now I wonder if my night time episodes have been because I stopped breathing and my body freaked out because of it. Scary thought. Maybe it's just a fluke that it didn't happen that night, I guess I'll find out soon.

I absolutely believe that I used to wake up in a panic, precisely because I had stopped breathing long enough to cause my body to "freak out".