Day four, Arggghhh, cheer me up.......

[Winjas]

Hi all

So new here and new to Sleep Apnea, really struggling so far and could use some support, good vibes as to why this is worth the hassle..

I seem to suffer from OSA and Insomnia which doesn't help, in fact i originally saw my GP as i just couldn't get to sleep. I have had two night in the Sleep Lab having sleep studies, neither of them went very well sadly (hence two nights). The first time round i never got to sleep until about 15min before they had to wake me as it was morning, so they called me in for another night and went straight for the CPAP mask this time. That night went a little better but still not good, apparently i slept for 2-3 times in 10-15min segments only, i recall spending most of the night tossing and turning and getting tangled in wires etc. They tried three different masks as i was struggling and leaking etc, sadly i am someone who rarely sleeps on my back even usually sleeping on my stomach and sides. The staff were great and tried to help, but i just was struggling really.

Anyway they sent me home in the morning with my own new CPAP machine and mask (F+P 608) and said see how i get on and use it daily of course.

Well four nights so far and i haven't managed to sleep a wink with the CPAP, every night i have taken it off after about two hours as i needed to get some sleep to function following day. If i am honest it has improved every night and i feel more comfortable with it, but i am a bit of an insomniac anyway and trying to sleep with this new contraption attached to my head of course doesn't help. The very first night i felt very anxious and was struggling to breath out, and eventually took off the mask after about an hour and was almost panicking madly. Night two i i lasted a tad longer but still felt very uneasy. Third night i did start to feel ok breathing in and out but still couldn't sleep at all and took it off after couple of hours staring at ceiling. And then last night i actually felt confident as i was totally tired and starting to doze off in front of TV, so i headed straight to bed and felt it would be my breakthrough night. Sadly as soon as put my machine on and lay down i was wide awake "concentrating" on breathing etc.

I just find my mind is so awake and "busy" with breathing and not opening mouth etc that i cant see how i can ever relax and drop off to sleep?! I have ramped my humidity to max now as was struggling with cold dry mouth and lips, even though i only had mask on for couple of hours last night (awake) the extra humidity did seem much better. I seem to struggle with drying lips and excess saliva making me need to lick lips and swallow which isnt helping.

Argghh i SO SO SO want CPAP to work for me, i read all the happy success stories and want my life to change and to have good sleep and energy, but right now a part of me says "aint ever going to handle this, it isnt for me"..

[Lizistired]

Welcome, Sorry to hear you are having trouble.
What is your pressure set to?
It appears that your machine doesn't have an exhale relief feature.
Have you tried using the machine before you go to bed to get used to it? Watching tv or reading is often helpful.

[Winjas]

My pressure is 9 i believe, which doesn't seem that high reading other posts. I did try in front TV the other day but found it uncomfortable with my eye-glasses, so maybe i should just chill out with some music or an audio book.
No sadly my machine is straight CPAP, i will see how it goes of course,

[RocketGirl]

I hope it gets better for you, and I think it will. I am a newbie at this (have been using CPAP for one month), but at first, I had the same sensation of my mind being too busy with thinking about breathing, and even getting a little panicky about it. Minds are stubborn things, but I figured I needed to distract mine so that I could relax, so I turned on the radio very low (to BBC World) and listened. With something else to fixate on, my mind stopped fussing about my breathing, and let me go to sleep.

Sometimes with insomnia, I set myself mental challenges that make me focus on something other than not sleeping (e.g. "name every lake in Switzerland;" "name all the spices that start with the letter "G"; "recite Ozymandias and then do it backwards") - others have told me that my method would guarantee a sleepless night, but for me, well, I never get past the second line of Ozymandias. I guess what I'm saying is that if you find the thing that lets you take your mind off your breathing, it may help you past this hurdle.

One month in, I feel like I'm getting younger and stronger, slowly but surely - best luck that you will too.

[Pugsy]

You might want to read what one of our members has written about her insomnia struggles. While some of it relates to specific cpap related issues the core basics apply to any insomnia.
http://adventures-in-hosehead-land.blog ... er_19.html

[retrodave15]

I too am a new CPAP user, just started my second week then. My first couple of days were pretty crappy as I too went to the GP because of insomnia. I had just taken my wife to a sleep study and while she was filling out the questionnaire I kept answering yes to quite of a few of the questions. I ended up being sent for a sleep study and ended up with my very own CPAP as well.

I had trouble getting to sleep on the first few nights. After working on a few things with my DME and my Sleep doc this is wat we came up with. The DME changed the ramp setting starting at 6 and going to 10 over 30 minutes. They also enabled CFLEX on the machine to give me some relief on expiration. My sleep doc also recommended I take 10mg of melatonin and 50mg of benydryl about 1 hour before bedtime.

This has helped alot and I am now sleeping better than I have slept in years. The only problem is I am now sleeping through the alarm clock in the morning. I have been late for work several times in the past week.

Hang in there It gets better.

[Lizistired]

Too bad that you got a machine that only seems to claim to have heat and humidity. If you can I would try to exchange it for a Resmed S9 or PRS1 machine. The host site says it's an auto but I don't see where it provides any data on your therapy.

[Resister]

Learning to exhale was also the hardest part for me. It took me several weeks just to get past that part before dealing with other issues. (Now that I have a new machine, it's not an issue. Hopefully it's not too late for you to change your machine!)

All that to say....it DOES get better. It IS doable. Easy? Nope. But persistence pays off.

Keep going!

[Winjas]

Thanks for great replies,
Being in NZ things are very different with suppliers etc. No insurance etc here, no costs needed. Machine and all tests / checks etc covered by national health scheme (at least taxes have there uses), so i am unsure on how and if i could just say "hey change this" as its essentially a state supplied machine and thats what they use. That being said of course, i have no doubt if its not working out for me then sure they would look at changes etc, but i certainly want to give this equipment a good go before i maybe call them. If i still struggling in two weeks say, i will go see them.
Think brand always likely to be F+P, being as there a NZ company in NZ..

And i do think i am slowly getting a little more used to it, so hopefully time may tell. I may look at purchasing a 2nd mask for myself to try something else maybe, not sure.

Thanks for insomnia link, think its my number one issue right now to be fair, if i can sleep i think i can do the CPAP, just finding its doubling my insomnia issues right now.

Right i off to bed for night five....

[Katagal]

You are in the very early stage of adjusting to the whole CPAP and OSA caper. It is a big adjustment having something on your face all night. I was never a back sleeper in my life but now since I have a mask it seems that I now roll naturally on my back when I fall asleep which is traditionally while I am on my side.
It is a mind set you need to create about the benefits of wearing a mask and just going about your nightly ritual while masking up. Insomnia is not something I know about so I won't comment on that other than to wish you luck and perseverance in conquering your newbie issues and achieving that marvellous thing we on this forum are all seeking which is a full night of restorative sleep.

Best of luck

Katagal

[cflame1]

if you're sticking with F&P... try for a 244 or 245... those are supposedly full data machines (we don't know much about them here but some folks have them!)

[Java Time]

I just find my mind is so awake and "busy" with breathing and not opening mouth etc that i cant see how i can ever relax and drop off to sleep?! I have ramped my humidity to max now as was struggling with cold dry mouth and lips, even though i only had mask on for couple of hours last night (awake) the extra humidity did seem much better. I seem to struggle with drying lips and excess saliva making me need to lick lips and swallow which isnt helping.

Winjas,

My first two nights went well (after the first hour or so and I calmed down enough to go to sleep), because I was so exhausted that once I had a CPAP machine I practically passed out for the night.

For me the problems started after the 2nd night when I had just enough rest to stay awake from the weird things associated with CPAP.

I'm about 2 months on CPAP, here are five things that helped me.
1) Since people are so unique, for every 10 things I read on this website that worked for others, maybe 1 of the ideas would help me out a little. But these little improvements add up and my comfort level from these small incremental improvements is starting to add up. Focus on the small improvements. How to hang or arrange your hose, how to keep the mask exhaust from bothering you, things you can do to make your mask leak less or at least not blow in your eyes, etc.
2) Go back to your doctor and tell them "I cannot sleep, I'd like to try a new mask". I'm not in NZ, but when I told my insurance this they did allow a 2nd mask style. This at least gave me two different mask types to try out and to find out which one worked better for me.
3) Speaking of masks, I found that one of my masks forced me to take slower, more measured breaths than the other mask. For me, this slower, more measured breath sort of forced my body to relax and actually helped me fall asleep.
4) Make small changes to your humidity and try them for awhile to find out what is best. I was so dried out initially that I was convinced I would always use "max" humidity. After a few nights I actually found a slightly lower humidity worked better for me.
5) If you can't go to sleep after an hour, try getting up and reading for a half hour and then go back to bed. My Sleep doctor has advised me not to stay in bed too long if I can't fall asleep. Sometimes you get so worked up over not being able to sleep, that it makes it even harder to sleep. Breaking the cycle by getting up for a half hour may help you fall asleep.

Good luck!

[Lizistired]

Are you using the RAMP feature?
Starting out at a lower pressure might help.

[Winjas]

I tried the ramp on day one, couldn't breath at all so decided not to use it.
Well night five and sadly no change, in fact last night was worse with leaks, hisses and discomfort for 2-3hrs (awake) before i took it off and went to sleep!
Maybe CPAP isnt for everyone.... fed up right now

[Java Time]

Here's one more thought...

You may want to talk to your sleep doctor or the nurse at your clinic about options. They may offer something else we aren't thinking of. Who knows, maybe even a mild sleeping pill or anti-anxiety pill for a week or two to help you adjust to the CPAP.

Just a thought.

Hang in there, you have a lot of folks that are here to help if we can!