newbie having trouble falling asleep and wearing mask

I'm new to this forum I've allways had trouble falling asleep and staying asleep but since starting with apap it takes so much longer to fall asleep the sleep doctor gave me amitripyline to help fall asleep which just makes me groggy after still having a hard time falling asleep the mask is comfortable its a mask that covers the mouth as i breathe thru my mouth and im also us to sleeping on my stomach trying to sleep on my side since i tend to have leeks on my stomach. I was never comfortable sleeping on my back.

i've been using the machine since january will admit its been on and off at night with taking the mask off.

any Ideas would be greatly appriciated

Hi Shelly, welcome to the forum and the land of hose heads.
You do not need to sleep on your back at all. doing that usually makes your osa worse. As to keeping your mask on....please, please do that. I would recomend you read everything on this site pertaining to that. If you would do a search on taking the mask off, you will find all kinds of solutions that others have tried out. I sleep on my side exclusively, if I am using a full face mask I usually sleep on the edge of the pillow and let the mask hang over. If I`m using my hybrid I just snuggle down in the middle of the pillow as the hybrid has a smaller footprint and doesn`t get pushed out of place by the pillow. Some of the folks here use specific cpap pillows...whatever your questions are just do a search and you till get lots of advice and suggestions. I went into this struggle with the machine and masks just over a year ago with the attitude that it HAD to work, no fooling around here, it`s my health I`m playing with. I have persisted and held on, and now am doing just great, I sleep all night with the mask ON and the machine doing its thing. I wish you good luck and good health in your quest to a better nights sleep.
Cheers
Nan

I have used amytriptyline in the past...it never helped me fall asleep, but I slept longer and sounder. If you give up on the meds, you might try OTC Melatonin.

Hi Shelly,

I am relatively new here myself but I can tell you what I am doing to get over the hump of falling asleep with a mask on: benadryl. Not addictive and helps with my seasonal allergies as well. Melatonin is another possibility, tryptophan is another.

None of these are long term solutions, but maybe one of them will help you get through that initial getting-used-to-the-mask period.

You also might try exercise during the day (not too soon before sleep). Thus far I have avoided exercise, but tonight I am going to try walking a mile or two to tire myself out.

Good luck to you!

LSAT is right; amytriptyline or benedryl is better for helping you stay asleep than fall asleep. If you feel hung over, the dose is probably too high. Many people only need 10 mg.

Shelly,

Great advise so far, researching the site can produce a plethora of ideas. I would like to suggest that you use the Cpap when you are watching TV or reading a book. Start out maybe a half hour to an hour and increase the time as you feel comfortable. This will help you become more acclimated to the air pressure and the sounds and when you go to sleep these will be less disturbing. Then it is time to find ways to prepare yourself for the goodnight sleep that you so richly deserve. Meditation can help or listening to calming music. Sleeping should not be a stressful time, as stress will keep you from nirvana. Remember that using a Cpap is a good thing for you and that if you give it enough time falling asleep without the Cpap will be difficult and you will long for the feeling of the air blowing. I know this to be true and that you can do it if you set your mind to it.

Taz

thanks for all the good advice so far. Im going to try walking to get sleepy. the dose the doctor gave me on the amitriptlyne is 100mgs and will try using the machine when not working I work verying hours sometimes days, sometimes afternoon, sometimes evenings but will try using it when relaxing when not working to get used to it

shelly56 wrote:thanks for all the good advice so far. Im going to try walking to get sleepy. the dose the doctor gave me on the amitriptlyne is 100mgs and will try using the machine when not working I work verying hours sometimes days, sometimes afternoon, sometimes evenings but will try using it when relaxing when not working to get used to it

WOW....100mg......I was using 25mg and often I took half. No wonder you were groggy.

LSAT wrote: WOW....100mg......I was using 25mg and often I took half. No wonder you were groggy.

Yeah. Double WOW. I was started at 10 mg and slowly worked up to 20mg. Also found it seemed to do better when I took it an hour or two before bedtime. Just a little something to sleep through the back pain which caused me a lot of fragmented sleep. I would be a barely walking zombie with 100mg.