Newbie Struggling

[LindseyMichelle]

Trying this again. My eqipment is the DreamStation Auto CPAP with humidifier and heated tube. I use the nasal pillows.

My diagnosis was moderate sleep apnea even though my AHI was 14.7 at the sleep study. I only had hypoapeas and rarely an osa.

I probably sleep 5 hours max with a cpap running. My sleep hygiene consists of me drugging myself so I won't wake up from the machine. I have always had insomnia so I've used gabapentin and sometimes xanax to help me sleep. However, the machine is so strange that I've had to up the dose a bit.

I am healthy and fit, exercise regularly.

My setting starts at 4 and max is 10.

So it has been a challenge. I have a lot of CA when I fall asleep which is ok but once I'm asleep it's fine. I hate CPAP machines, I am a delicate sleeper to say the least, ear plugs, eye mask, sound machine - the works. So throwing in a machine that squirts air up my nose is quite a shock. I currently feel awful. I am getting less sleep than normal because I wake up so often. I want to quit but my brain fog/spaciness is so bad I'll do anything to treat it. I am in graduate school so to say the least my brain needs to be ON.

I'm really struggling. I am too tired to go to events and feel too out of it to really hang out with friends.

here are some stats dont really know what they mean (also FYI all of my Clear Airways happen as I start to fall asleep and I may have one or two as I'm asleep)
Here are some of my week averages

Obstructive Index 0.56
Hypopnea Index 2.78
Clear Airway Index 1.67
Flow Limitation Index 1.86
RERA Index 0.20
Leak Statistics
Average Leak Rate 1.05
90% Leak Rate 3.00
% of time above Leak Rate threshold 0.00%
Pressure Statistics
Average Pressure 6.05
Min Pressure 4.00
Max Pressure 10.80
90% Pressure 8.50
Average EPAP 5.00
Min EPAP 3.60
Max EPAP 8.70

[LSAT]

Technically, with a 14.7 AHI you would be considered Mild . AHI 15-30 is moderate and 30+ is Severe. I suggest you put the machine on while you watch TV to get your nose used to the pressure. Then increase the minimum pressure to 5-6. The CAs can be ignored...they are Clear Airway events....you stopped breathing for 10+ seconds but there was no airway blockage. Personally, I disliked nasal pillows because of what you indicated. I found that having the pressure directly into my nose was uncomfortable. For me, using a nasal or FF mask was far more comfortable since it diffuses the air and makes breathing more natural.

[LindseyMichelle]

Oh that's good advice, maybe I should order another type of mask. I will look into that.

[robysue]

I probably sleep 5 hours max with a cpap running. My sleep hygiene consists of me drugging myself so I won't wake up from the machine. I have always had insomnia so I've used gabapentin and sometimes xanax to help me sleep. However, the machine is so strange that I've had to up the dose a bit.

Are you using just the gabapentin and the xanax? Or are you using anything else?

Paying a bit of attention to a few sleep hygiene behavior patterns may also help. In particular, try to establish a regular wake up time and force yourself to get up at your regular wake up time even if you don't want to. That will help encourage your body to get sleepy at a reasonable time each night. Also try to minimize naps and always use the CPAP when taking a nap.

My setting starts at 4 and max is 10.

So it has been a challenge. I have a lot of CA when I fall asleep which is ok but once I'm asleep it's fine. I hate CPAP machines, I am a delicate sleeper to say the least, ear plugs, eye mask, sound machine - the works. So throwing in a machine that squirts air up my nose is quite a shock. I currently feel awful. I am getting less sleep than normal because I wake up so often. I want to quit but my brain fog/spaciness is so bad I'll do anything to treat it. I am in graduate school so to say the least my brain needs to be ON.

I'm really struggling. I am too tired to go to events and feel too out of it to really hang out with friends.

Some questions about your struggles:

1) Would you say that there is too MUCH or too LITTLE air coming in through the hose for you to breath comfortably?

2) How often are you waking up? How hard is it to get back to sleep after you wake up?

3) What is the first thing that goes through your mind when you wake up in the middle of the night? What is the first thing you DO after waking up in the middle of the night?

4) Is the sound of your own breathing bothering you when you are trying to get to sleep wit the CPAP on your nose?

5) What was your insomnia like before you started CPAP?

here are some stats dont really know what they mean (also FYI all of my Clear Airways happen as I start to fall asleep and I may have one or two as I'm asleep)
Here are some of my week averages

[Chevie]

I am a delicate sleeper

You say your AHI was 14.7. That's why you were a delicate sleeper - those breathing events were waking you all through the night. Now with CPAP, it may take a while to get out of your mind that you are a delicate sleeper.

[CPAPLowspark]

Fellow newbie here...

Just keep at it...I have severe sleep apnea and was diagnosed less than a month ago. It gets better...has for me anyway. I was having 80+ AHI pre-CPAP...night one I dropped to 10...now I hover under 1.

I keep getting more and more use to the mask...it does seem to get easier.

[robysue]

I am a delicate sleeper

You say your AHI was 14.7. That's why you were a delicate sleeper - those breathing events were waking you all through the night. Now with CPAP, it may take a while to get out of your mind that you are a delicate sleeper.

While it may be the case that LindseyMichelle's delicate sleeper problems will lessen or even end once she's fully adapted to CPAP, it's also possible that they won't. There are plenty of reasons other than OSA that lead to being a "delicate" or "fragile" sleeper. CPAP only fixes OSA, and if your sleep is fragile for other reasons, you sleep may well remain fragile even after you have your cpap therapy pretty well optimized.

[Soothest Sleep]

Getting used to new equipment and sensations takes some time, but it is all do-able. Make getting better sleep a priority--true friends will still be there when you feel you can handle more of a social life--and with better sleep, grad school may be more manageable. The health benefits of CPAP use far outweigh the inconvenience of learning to adapt and accept it. Keep persevering.

Jean

[Chevie]

While it may be the case that LindseyMichelle's delicate sleeper problems will lessen or even end once she's fully adapted to CPAP, it's also possible that they won't. There are plenty of reasons other than OSA that lead to being a "delicate" or "fragile" sleeper. CPAP only fixes OSA, and if your sleep is fragile for other reasons, you sleep may well remain fragile even after you have your cpap therapy pretty well optimized.

You want to convince everyone they have the same problems you have?

[robysue]

While it may be the case that LindseyMichelle's delicate sleeper problems will lessen or even end once she's fully adapted to CPAP, it's also possible that they won't. There are plenty of reasons other than OSA that lead to being a "delicate" or "fragile" sleeper. CPAP only fixes OSA, and if your sleep is fragile for other reasons, you sleep may well remain fragile even after you have your cpap therapy pretty well optimized.

You want to convince everyone they have the same problems you have?

I want to accept that a person who says they're a "delicate sleeper" might know more about their total sleep than you do.

When I was a newbie who was struggling the LAST thing I wanted or needed was to be told that all my sleep problems would magically get better once I accepted the CPAP.

Fact is the OP says they're struggling. And I asked the OP questions to try to tease out what's really happening rather than saying "your delicate sleep is due to OSA and things will get better as soon as you start using your CPAP."

[Lucyhere]

While it may be the case that LindseyMichelle's delicate sleeper problems will lessen or even end once she's fully adapted to CPAP, it's also possible that they won't. There are plenty of reasons other than OSA that lead to being a "delicate" or "fragile" sleeper. CPAP only fixes OSA, and if your sleep is fragile for other reasons, you sleep may well remain fragile even after you have your cpap therapy pretty well optimized.

You want to convince everyone they have the same problems you have?

.

[LindseyMichelle]

Thank you all so much for your encouragement. Im going to talk to my Dr. about changing my settings a bit and just sticking to it. Thank you!! I am so glad I found this forum, I don't feel so alone

[ChicagoGranny]

1. Are you using Sleepyhead software? Most of the regulars here use it to analyze their therapy and change their own machine settings when needed. No doctor can manage CPAP therapy as well as an informed CPAP patient with the right tools.

2. Here is a checklist of items for people who have trouble falling asleep or staying asleep.

- Practice good sleep hygiene (Google it and read several sources)
- Eat a good diet
- Have a regular, moderate exercise program
- Try to avoid daytime naps
- Practice total abstinence of caffeine including sources like chocolate (sigh)
- Review all medicines, vitamins and supplements you are taking to make sure none are interfering with sleep
- Use the bedroom for sleeping (and sex) only, and make sure the bedroom and bed are comfortable.
- Learn to appropriately handle emotional stress in your life
- Do not listen to your breathing or the sound of the machine as you are falling asleep.
- Distract your mind by thinking of a pleasant, relaxing activity that you enjoy. Thinking of sitting under an umbrella on a quiet beach with a warm gentle breeze works for me.
- Use CPAP software, such as the free SleepyHead, to make sure your therapy is optimized
- If you still don't feel or sleep well, make sure you have regular medical checkups to confirm there are no other medical problems

CG

[EdNerd]

I am also a newbie (almost here months into it), so I don't have a whole lot to add.

I have a lot of CA when I fall asleep which is ok but once I'm asleep it's fine.

In my case, my machine records CAs when I'm doing things like adjusting my pillow, trying to unwrap my hose from my head, attempting to get away from the air leaks, readjusting my mask - about any time I am minimally conscious and doing something, vice fully asleep. You might want to look at what you're doing as you fall asleep when that cluster of CAs occurs: are they really CAs? or just breathing irregularities as you move, adjust, pull blankets, etc? Especially if your machine is counting that cluster of multiple CAs into your AHI number and incorrectly (in my opinion*) inflating it.

Ed

*I think it's incorrectly inflated because that is NOT my breathing while I'm asleep. And, unless I misread the OP, their CA events also drop off almost completely while asleep. Open to correction, of course, because I'm new and my opinion doesn't count as much as the years of experience collected here.

[DaisySmith]

I am the same as you. I have always had sleep issues and I wake very easily. I am sensitive to light and sound so I always sleep with a sleep mask and a fan for white noise.When they told me I needed CPAP I cried like a baby. Just lost it. Like I didnt have enough problems with sleep right? Just add a scuba mask to my face. It SUCKS when you realize this is your reality. There is only one way for it to get better and you have to make friends with your CPAP machine. Im serious. You have to look at it as something which is helping you and making your life better. If you dont you'll continue hating it and everytime you have a moment of wakefulness you'll feel that mask and get mad all over again. I am almost a year out and just starting to come to terms with it and some days I really struggle but I have to tell myself its helping me not hurting me.

I suggest you try the Dreamwear mask, its the least invasive. Tied it up with a nice ribbon so it floats above your head and doesnt sit on your face all night. Try to set a little cotton ball of lavender essential oil near the air intake on your night stand. Do whatever it takes. It takes time and some days will still suck but it can get better.