3 Weeks with No Sleep

[Redbones711]

Today is 3 weeks on C-Pap. I try every night and cannot sleep. I even put it on if I try to nap during the day. I do not find it uncomfortable for the most past. I tried Tylenol PM. I tried Rozerem. I am now on Ambien.I even took 2 one night because I was so frustrated. I get tired, but eventually just wind up laying there awake in bed. I usually wait it out for 3-4 hours before giving up for the night. The last few nights just about an hour. I am so tired.I have not had more than 3 hours total sleep in any night since starting I feel my health is declining quickly.I cannot function at all. I am starting to feel that sleep with sleep apnea is better and healthier than no sleep at all. I have a 1 month follow up at the sleep doctor next week, and am going to make an appointment with my regular doctor. I feel as if I could just pass out at any moment and never wake up, and that does not sound too bad right now.

[MurphysLaw]

Oh, Redbones, my heart goes out to you. If it's any consolation, I struggled for the first three weeks, heart pounding, racing, and panic attacks with the mask on. Then something finally seemed to click and all of those things resolved themselves. If it hadn't been for the terrific feeling I had the morning after the titration, I never would have believed there was hope. That's the only thing that kept me plugging away.

You need to tell your doctor everything you are feeling. Perhaps you need an APAP or BiPAP or the pressure isn't correct. People on this board are here for you. Please keep us updated.

Lynne

[GrumpyGurl]

Redbones,
Hey! Hang in there! Believe me, I know how you are feeling, we have all been there to some degree or another. I know you are having problems sleeping, I get that. Tell us what your sleeping conditions are like? Are you leaving the TV on? Is the room a comfortable temperature? I ask these things because I had to change some of my habits when I started using the CPAP. Pre-CPAP I had become accostumed to not sleeping most of the night, and because of my apnea-related awakenings, I would end up wide awake and watching TV, getting up to play on the computer, going out to smoke or getting up to eat. I have had to change these habits in order to break that cycle and give the CPAP a chance. Don't give up, whatever you do. I am becoming more and more stable (mentally and emotionally) since my therapy has started kicking in. I am seeing much less fatigue. No, it's not perfect, but I am finding that I laugh more now, and don't fall asleep at work. You may have to change a couple of things along with CPAP.....but don't ever give up. It's too important. We are all here for you.

[Redbones711]

I have always been a light sleeper. I had a whole lot of trouble sleeping for my sleep studies. I think I just have a hard time being hooked up to things. TV is off, temp is fine. I am not very active(probably because I am always so tired). I am going to try to do about a half hour on the treadmill tonight and take a hot shower. Maybe that will help.

[GrumpyGurl]

You are right, it's hard to be active when you feel so tired. The treadmill sounds like a good idea, and trying to relax as much as you can before you go to bed. Let us know how it goes tonight....

[frustratedmary]

I too am a newbie. I have been using cpap for 4 weeks now. I'm lucky to get to sleep within an hour now but I only sleep for 2 hours at a time. This has improved over the weeks. When I started I was like you and I would lay awake for 2-3 hours. I felt like you. I was comfortable enough but couldn't sleep. Mine has slowly improved but I'm waiting for the rested feeling our other new friends speak of. You're not alone. Hope you see an improvement soon.

[Redbones711]

OK. So last night, I did 20 minutes on the treadmill. I tried to push myself a bit. Took a hot shower, took an Ambien, and was in bed with the lights out by 10. Phone rang at 10:30. It was an important call from my vet(he works very late) so I had to take it. Went back to bed. It seems like I was up all night, but I do remember 2 different dreams, so I know I slept at some point. I did not toss and turn, nor was I frustrated. I just felt like I never went out. I was up at 4 and took the mask off knowing that my wife would be getting up at any minute for work, and I usually wake up anyway when she gets up. I do usually stay in bed until 5:30. So 6 hours with the mask on last night is pretty much the longest I have gone. I will try the treadmill again tonight and give it another go.

[GrumpyGurl]

Good Morning! Well that sounds like an improvement! When I first started with wearing the mask and all that, it still took me forever to get to sleep. After working really hard to be compliant, my sleep pattern started slowly falling into place. Now there are times I wake up and I have taken my mask off and not realized it, and I wake up and put it back on, but coming fully awake during the night is becoming more infrequent AND I know I am getting into deeper sleep now because I am dreaming again! I haven't dreamed in years!

Keep up the good work, it WILL fall into place.

[TXLadybug]

It takes me about an hour after taking Ambien, to start feeling drowsy. Take your Ambien before your shower/ earlier so that it is ready to start kicking in before you even lay down. Then I watch TV until I'm truly ready to lay my head down and go to sleep. Right before I turn off the TV, only then do I put on the mask, lay down and go right to sleep.

[Yoda]

I told my sleep doc that this is some crazy therapy. When I first went to her, she asked if my room was quiet, dark and cool. Then, she gives me a machine that lights up the room like a Christmas tree, makes a terrible squeaking noise when I breathe in and out and shoots water up my nose if the room is too cool. Go figure! No wonder so many people give up!

I feel your pain. I was absolutely miserable for the first month. And, I did not get anywhere - during the sleep study I had only one apnea and only a 7 AHI (my real problem is RERAs) but during the first month my AHI went to 16 on the low pressure the doc had me on. And, did not know it. When I got those results from the RT, I got on this forum, got software and started to try to get a handle on this process. I still not making a lot of progress, but at least I have a better understanding of the what we are trying to accomplish and have a few good nights.

So, get the software and reader - see what is going on with your breathing. Then you can really work on your therapy.

Good luck!

[TXLadybug]

I started out with the same apap you had and it bugged me so much, after 30 days, I convinced the DME to exchange it for a Resmed S8 Autoset II w/ hi4 humidifier. IT IS FANTASTIC! No noise, no lights.

But helpful tips for your issues- Put duct tape over the blue buttons to cover the light. Use a snuggle hose cover (mine is a Respironics brand cover) which cuts out the rain out issues. How high do you have your humidifier set? Mine ended up on 2 after testing higher settings and getting water in my mask.
3- Some folks have talked about an attachment called a "Whisper Cap" that you can purchase for your machine, that most of them say worked to make the Darth Vader sounds either quit entirely or soften considerably.

[stbalaji2u]

This is really terrific. I feel very sad about your sleepnessness. I hope god will bless you to get nice sleep soon. But what i think is that you are keeping al your worries in your mind so that may be a reason why you are not getting sleep.

[MurphysLaw]

My machine has annoyingly whistled from day 1. The whisper cap doesn't make much of a difference for me but it may for you. I use a radio that has nature sounds, one of them being plain white noise. That helps a lot.

I have a few more years with this noisy machine before I can get another. My husband's Remstar CPAP is much quieter.

I'm learning that different masks require different humidifier settings to get the same "feel." Experiment with yours to find what's comfortable.

[Uncle_Bob]

It takes me about an hour after taking Ambien, to start feeling drowsy. Take your Ambien before your shower/ earlier so that it is ready to start kicking in before you even lay down. Then I watch TV until I'm truly ready to lay my head down and go to sleep. Right before I turn off the TV, only then do I put on the mask, lay down and go right to sleep.

Wow Ambien knocks me out in about 20 mins.

From the Wikipaedia page for Zolpidem (Ambien) ... It works quickly (usually within 15 minutes) and has a short half-life (2–3 hours).

I use Melatonin now and stopped watching TV as recommended by my sleep doc, its not good for your sleep architecture apparently. I sit in a chair reading the most boring book i can find until i become sleepy enough to go to bed (i read the instruction manual for my new washing machine last night )

[TXLadybug]

Everybody seems shocked when I tell them it takes 45 min to an hour for Ambien to work - but it does work!
After I go to sleep, I rarely wake up, and I sleep until the alarm goes off the next morning. I just need the help to get to sleep, not staying asleep. Once I'm relaxed, I don't even feel the mask or the air, or hear the machine. I've tried twice now to sleep w/o Ambien - not good. Awake till 4 am. I can't afford any sleepless nights with the amount of sleep debt I owe.