Trouble with sleep apnea & anxiety with CPAP:

[ag1996]

Hi, I am hoping to get some ideas on resolving issues sleeping with a CPAP. I have sleep apnea and I also have anxiety. Every time I try to fall asleep with a CPAP I find myself gasping for air. I believe it is my anxiety that is causing this. I’ve tried all of the face masks although i do believe myself to be a mouth breather which means the full face mask is what I should be using. What about Bipap, Apap, etc? Would I be better off with a different type of machine? I’ve had two CPAP machines already, same issue both times. If anyone knows anything about how to resolve the sleep apnea & anxiety combo please let me know! Any help I will be grateful for! I need sleep! Thanks!

[LSAT]

If you are having anxiety wearing the mask, it wouldn't matter what machine you are using. Have you tried sitting and watching TV during the day while wearing the mask? Are you taking any med for the anxiety? Have you discussed this with your doctor?

[Julie]

If you feel you're not getting enough air, you may not be getting enough. What are your min. and max pressure settings and what model of which machine do you use? It's common for settings to be done at machine defaults without considering the patient.

[zonker]

here's a bit of background for the original poster-

http://cpaptalk.com/viewtopic/t178572/G ... -CPAP.html

also, ag can you ell us the machine again? the forum has been borked and people's equipment info doesn't show up at the bottom like it used to.

what we'd like to know is if you have a machine that's data capable and would work with the oscar software. if so, we'd like to see some data on YOUR particular apnea.

good luck!

[ag1996]

Actually I am not currently using a CPAP machine. Have tried using one on two separate occasions but neither time was I successful. Reason I am trying to figure this whole thing out beforehand is because I am considering round #3 & using a CPAP for the third time. I would like to know all the ends and outs before I try it again so that I know what I can try to hopefully make it work next time. I have contacted the doctors office about coming in for another sleep specialist visit but they are simply waiting on me to tell them when I’m ready. Due to my current situation I have no CPAP data to supply. Has anyone tried an oral device for sleep apnea? Like one you get from the dentist? That is the only alternative to pap therapy that I know of. I refuse to take anxiety medication due to the fact that I’m already on a bunch of meds and I don’t want any additional meds. The propranolol & gabapentin that I take is already used to treat my anxiety and it works quite well. These two meds are not quote on quote “anxiety” meds but are rather an alternative treatment for anxiety. The controlled substances don’t work for me, second I don’t want them due to the fact that they are habit forming. I hope I have provided enough information. Pugsy says that some of the meds that i am on cause sleep apnea to be worse. If you need further information please refer to my previous post(s). There isn’t a lot there but maybe someone can figure all of this out. Isn’t that what my doctor should have done? Someone goes to college for 8 years and they still can’t figure out why I’m gasping for air when I begin to fall asleep on the CPAP? I thought that’s the sort of thing a sleep specialist should be trained for? Doctors are hit & miss, either they help you or they don’t

[Pugsy]

Pugsy says that some of the meds that i am on cause sleep apnea to be worse.

Did I say that the meds worsen sleep apnea or maybe have side effects of messing with sleep quality???

Neither of the 2 meds you mentioned today will make apnea worse but they can make sleep quality worse.
Worsening apnea kinds of meds....muscle relaxers or sometimes narcotic types of pain meds.
Now making sleep quality worse....big long list of those meds but not all sleep quality problems are related to apneas.

[Megs78]

I felt incredibly claustrophobic when I first started and used to rip the mask off in a blind panic periodically. I finally found two things that helped: white noise (I play a rain sound on my phone when I'm going to sleep) and not attempting to put the mask on till I was ready to fall asleep (ie, so tired I could literally not keep my eyes open). I picked up another technique from this forum: counting to ten whenever that overwhelming urge to rip it off hits.