waking up in the middle of the night

[RPM1965]

Hello to all,

I am frustrated. I have been using my CPAP machine for at least 8 months now. Recently, I have been waking up in the middle of the night and NOT able to fall back to sleep. Not sure if its stress, or apartment becoming warm in the middle of the night, or not going to be late enough.... But I feel awful throughout the day. Are there remedies that people may be doing for this? I know there are probably many threads regarding this topic. I was doing really well for a while. Then all of a sudden I seem to have a difficult time trying to get back to sleep. Any info regarding this topic would be greatly appreciated.

RPM1965

[ChicagoGranny]

Here is a checklist.

Good Sleep for CPAPers

- Practice good sleep hygiene (Google it and read several sources; ignore extreme advice.)
- 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. (Some people, including me, actually find listening to their breathing and the sound of the machine to be relaxing.)
- Distract your mind by thinking of a pleasant, relaxing activity that you enjoy.
- If you are awakening at night, do not be too concerned. It is actually a normal part of sleep. (It does become a problem though for people who, when they awaken, become frustrated and have difficulty returning to sleep.)
- Use CPAP software, such as the free OSCAR (or 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

This is a checklist. Some of the things you already do. Some are easy and can be done right away. Others you can work at over time.

CG

[Pugsy]

Google "sleep maintenance insomnia" and start reading about potential causes....the list is endless.

I always look at medication side effects first because it is so common and then go from there.

[Janknitz]

I had this problem and people here urged me to take a look at my data. Good choice, because while my AHI's were low, we could see that I was always bumping against the pressure "ceiling" to get there. We raised my top pressure and sleep improved. So check your charts. I think it may also be helpful to use a recording pulse oximeter to see if anything is going on there.

That said, I'm having the same problem. For many years with CPAP I'd fall right back to sleep, but now I'm having trouble with that. I need to check MY data. But I think there are other factors.

I found if I get out of bed and go to the bathroom (though it's not the urge to use the toilet that's waking me) I cool down a little, get better positioning in bed, and fall asleep again a little easier.

[zonker]

I had this problem and people here urged me to take a look at my data. Good choice, because while my AHI's were low, we could see that I was always bumping against the pressure "ceiling" to get there. We raised my top pressure and sleep improved. So check your charts. I think it may also be helpful to use a recording pulse oximeter to see if anything is going on there.

That said, I'm having the same problem. For many years with CPAP I'd fall right back to sleep, but now I'm having trouble with that. I need to check MY data. But I think there are other factors.

I found if I get out of bed and go to the bathroom (though it's not the urge to use the toilet that's waking me) I cool down a little, get better positioning in bed, and fall asleep again a little easier.

+1

i'm down to getting up once per night. not every night, but a large percent. it's always down to "i'm awake, may as well go". i'm not sure that this will ever really change and i'm okay with that.

[zonker]

Hello to all,

I am frustrated. I have been using my CPAP machine for at least 8 months now. Recently, I have been waking up in the middle of the night and NOT able to fall back to sleep. Not sure if its stress, or apartment becoming warm in the middle of the night, or not going to be late enough.... But I feel awful throughout the day. Are there remedies that people may be doing for this? I know there are probably many threads regarding this topic. I was doing really well for a while. Then all of a sudden I seem to have a difficult time trying to get back to sleep. Any info regarding this topic would be greatly appreciated.

RPM1965

kind of a follow on to what janknitz said.sleep hygiene helped me a lot when going through the same situation-

https://www.cci.health.wa.gov.au/~/medi ... ygiene.pdf

also, if you aren't using software to track your therapy, see the link in my sig regarding the free software program oscar.

good luck!

[RPM1965]

Here is a checklist.
Very helpful. Thanks.

Good Sleep for CPAPers

- Practice good sleep hygiene (Google it and read several sources; ignore extreme advice.)
- 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. (Some people, including me, actually find listening to their breathing and the sound of the machine to be relaxing.)
- Distract your mind by thinking of a pleasant, relaxing activity that you enjoy.
- If you are awakening at night, do not be too concerned. It is actually a normal part of sleep. (It does become a problem though for people who, when they awaken, become frustrated and have difficulty returning to sleep.)
- Use CPAP software, such as the free OSCAR (or 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

This is a checklist. Some of the things you already do. Some are easy and can be done right away. Others you can work at over time.

CG

[RPM1965]

Google "sleep maintenance insomnia" and start reading about potential causes....the list is endless.

I always look at medication side effects first because it is so common and then go from there.

Thanks