Tired of waiting for CPAP to kick in!

[jabman]

In skimming this thread.......I didn't see where anybody has asked and I didn't see where you volunteered......what your pressure setting(s) are. Also, what was your prescribed pressure from your doctor. You're showing an APAP in your profile and I'm wondering if that's the problem.......that it may be poorly configured.


Den

I agree with Wulfman, I would start with the pressure settings, they might be set wrong that is to say that they could of got it wrong when you were titratied. I would talk to your doctor though before changing anything.

[DoriC]

Your psych meds could be causing you to feel like a zombie and may need some adjusting as well as your pressures. Keep us posted.

[Paul Van Dyk]

OMG!! There is so much info in this thread. First off, I will no longer say, "An AHI is an AHI; either your sleep is fragmented from AHI's or it's not!" After reading this thread now, my mind is finally gonna let up on the stubbornness that this is so black and white. These new postings from everyone is of such great benefit to me, you have no idea! However, I'm not really happy because there is no easy answer. I'm a selfish person by nature. I have the disease of drug addiction. This is a spiritual malady that always makes me want everything "RIGHT HERE! RIGHT NOW!"

My goal is obviously to want this problem to go away as soon as possible. After reading this thread tonight, I'm coming to acceptance that this is gonna take alot more time and effort. This $hit seems like it's gonna take a couple more months to wrap my head around. I say that it's gonna take this long, not because I'm lazy but because I have no energy to sit down at night (at my hotel usually since I travel most of the week for work) and learn about this.

Ok! Whew!! I'm not gonna say F it (for now) and I might as well dig in. Accepting that this is gonna take so much longer than I thought is hard for me right now but here goes...

Thanks so much...!

[Paul Van Dyk]

I sometimes feel that maybe (and some will probably not agree) that our bodies have their own clock schedule or rythm. I know I teach school and in the summer am off. I feel more rested and better when I go to bed about 11:00 or so and then wake up about 9:00. I have always needed more sleep than 8 hours, 8 hours of sleep and I feel like crud. But during school I try to go to bed between 9:00 and 9:30 (usually it is closer to 10:00 in reality) and get up at 6:30. I don't feel nearly as rested. Of course how much of it is stress I don't know.

I'm not really happy that you say you need more than 8 hours of sleep for the rest of your life to feel good. I'm 31 years old now. I F'd off pretty hard in my 20's. Therefore, I want to cram as much productive stuff in a day as possible. I need to be able to have 6 hours of sleep be enough for me to compete with my coworkers. I work in a very lucrative industry against folks that are very competitive (medical device sales). If I need more than 8 hours of sleep for the rest of my life, it's going to F up my whole life/career/success. Period.

[Paul Van Dyk]

Bedtime (or sleep onset) insomnia:

Yes I have this.

Sleep maintenance insomnia:

No I don't have this at all.

By the end of my first month on CPAP, I was probably in bed (with the hose on) from roughly 2:30AM or 3:00AM every night and "sleeping" until anywhere between 8:00 and 10:00am most mornings. But with all the struggles at getting to sleep and staying asleep, I'd have to guess that my sleep efficiency: (time asleep/(time in bed) was pretty consistently below .75 (75%). On good nights now, my sleep efficiency is more like .93. I'm still feeling sleep deprived because of the sleep restricted schedule, but I'm now actively working on trying to increase time in bed without that sleep efficiency figure dropping too much.

I guess I need to quantitatively keep track of my sleep and look at what it's like over time. Hmmmmm. How tedious...

Tiny leaks won't affect the AHI at all. But they are clearly waking you up and that could be just enough to be keeping your sleep sufficiently fragmented to continue the daytime exhaustion and daytime sleepiness problems you're dealing with. Does this happen multiple times a night?

It only happened when I turned my pressure up from 14 to 16. I only tried that 16 pressure for like 3 nights.

It may not be preventing you from getting to sleep, but until you find a really comfortable and desirable sleeping position with the hose, you may unconsciously not be relaxing fully in your sleep. I think part of what was happening to me last fall was that I was falling asleep in acceptable, but not desirable positions and my unconscious mind was not allowing me to get all the way into a nice deep NREM sleep for some kind of unconscious fear that I'd pull the hose off or trigger a mask leak; and the feeling of being tethered also made it hard to get fully relaxed even while thinking.

This actually makes alot of sense to me.

[Paul Van Dyk]

In skimming this thread.......I didn't see where anybody has asked and I didn't see where you volunteered......what your pressure setting(s) are. Also, what was your prescribed pressure from your doctor. You're showing an APAP in your profile and I'm wondering if that's the problem.......that it may be poorly configured.


Den

I changed it to straight CPAP at a pressure of 14.

[Paul Van Dyk]

Sometimes medications that alter neurotransmitters such as psych meds or pain meds will result in mind-bending amounts of sedation and an increase in AHI or even central sleep apnea.. I have diabetic nerve pain and I noticed that when I was taking Cymbalta I felt like I could sleep all day, everyday, CPAP or no CPAP. Then I was taking Lyrica and Topamax and my AHI spiked way up and I felt sleepy all the time. I had to drop the Topamax. When I raise the Lyrica dose, I still have a problem. So depending on what you are taking, these could be a part of the picture. Oh, I know, I know, you are going to tell me that you started the meds because you were tired in the first place. But, I stand my ground here based on personal experience

Yes, Obviously I've hemmed and hawed over the meds causing this and what I should do about them. I'm still on them for now, because like you said, I was taking them for years before this started. I take the #1 sleep offender (Seroquel) but I've pretty much ruled it out as being a factor in this.

The meds I'm on are

Wellbutrin
Prozac
Lamictal
Atenelol
Seroquel (PRN)

[Paul Van Dyk]

Iim brand new to CPAP (one month in) and had the exact opposite reaction; from the first time I used CPAP I slept all night every night - for the first time in well over a year.

In addition to all the helpful suggestions from the other posters (who are WAY more experienced at this than I am), I have two thoughts: make your sleeping environment as inviting and comfortable as possible and (if possible) double check the type of mask you were fitted with.

There are special pillows made for CPAP users that allow a full range of sleep positions. I use this position and sleep on my side and on my stomach:

http://www.papillow.com/

Additionally, last night I started using an aromatherapy kit for CPAP machines. It was wonderful. I had ordered the starter kit so I could sample many of their fragrances to see which I like best. Having a slight scent of a soothing relaxing scent is a great way to start a night's sleep.

http://www.pur-sleep.com/index.asp

If you haven't found a way to manage your hose so it doesn't get in your way during the night, that makes a big difference too. I hang mine over the headboard of my bed. People without headboards either jury rig their own devices or buy something like this:

http://www.cpapsupplyusa.com/Bro-Gho-Ho ... O-GHO.aspx

There is also a cheaper version where the base fits between the mattress and box spring:

http://www.improvementscatalog.com/prod ... erralID=NA

There is another product I find very helpful - a clip to hold the hose to the sheet at the top of the bed so it doesn't wander on me during the night:

http://www.cpapsupplyusa.com/HCW401-Mar ... ubing.aspx

My only other thought is your mask. Were you given an opportunity to try on many different styles and models of masks, to see which was most comfortable for you? A good DME should allow you to try on as many as necessary to find one that is right for you.

Good luck. I hope you find answers and sleep soon.

Well that's a ton of stuff that I can start working on. Thanks so much!

[sleepycarol]

Your will get it figured out. I am sorry if I disappointed you in my stating I need more than 8 hours of sleep, it is just a fact I have come to accept. My husband can get by on very little sleep. He can stay up late (past 10) and get up by 4 and is good to go for the day. He has always been that way. Sometimes it causes us conflicts, but we manage (been married almost 39 years). My one son is like his dad. During the winter he works two jobs. His full time day job and then pushes snow at night for MDOT when it snows.

You will find your own balance -- it just may take a little while to find it. Good luck and keep coming back, even if it is to vent.

[archangle]

If I need more than 8 hours of sleep for the rest of my life, it's going to F up my whole life/career/success. Period.

Perhaps not as F'd up as not sleeping 8+ hours if you need it. Sometimes, you can catch the extra hours with a nap sometime during the day on some days. You may find that a half hour nap will count more than a half hour extra sleep at night. Of course, maybe you don't need 8+ hours, either.

By the way, it's probably a bad idea to put your real name on your posts anywhere on the internet. You never know when someone Googling you in the future will find something that hurts you in some way.

[Paul Van Dyk]

Perhaps not as F'd up as not sleeping 8+ hours if you need it. Sometimes, you can catch the extra hours with a nap sometime during the day on some days. You may find that a half hour nap will count more than a half hour extra sleep at night. Of course, maybe you don't need 8+ hours, either.

By the way, it's probably a bad idea to put your real name on your posts anywhere on the internet. You never know when someone Googling you in the future will find something that hurts you in some way.

Thanks. I didn't mean to put it on there. Glad you caught that!

[LaCansada]

1) LOL. Yes, Seroquel is the #1 "sleep offender". But you likely know better than anyone else the effect this med has on your sleep. Unless... is there any chance that, while it knocks you out, you don't really sleep? Do you notice if you go into REM sleep on it? Before CPAP, I didn't realize I had no REM sleep due to sleep apnea.

2) I HATE the fact that I need 7-8 hours of sleep to feel good but that's the sad reality of it. And, I just read an article on the fact that we are a sleep-deprived nation and that 6 hours is not enough. Last night, my CPAP said I slept for 6.5 hours and this morning I could really tell the difference. I felt run over. Despite the fact that you have a competitive job, you will slowly fall further and further behind if you are not sleeping. It will creep up on you even if you think you are doing well by not sleeping. Ok, I'll stop lecturing now. I do truly feel for you. You've had some challenges and are really trying to deal despite all the "F its" Best wishes. Lisa

[Paul Van Dyk]

Ha! Thanks!