no more than 4 consecutive hours of sleep

[Freddie]

Hi All,

I'm new here, so sorry if a similar question has been posted earlier. If so can you please post a link to it.

Anyway, I'm 9 nights into auto-titration CPAP. First couple of nights I had the usual issues with the mask, noise and pressure, but I'm now finding falling asleep quite an easy task.

This said on all nine nights I've woken up within 4 hours of falling asleep (usually more like two and a half). On most occasions I have been able to then fall back asleep (for 60/90 minutes) within minutes, possibly even seconds (this isn't a nocturia issue).

Now I certainly feel better after nine days of heavily broken CPAP sleep than I would after the same amount of broken sleep without CPAP; and beyond this I'm no longer falling asleep during the day. But I just don't feel as if I'm getting sufficient sleep. I eventually get out of bed feeling good but tired, instead of the standard crappy but untired.

I guess this is probably an adaptation issue, that my body is still intolerant to a good night's sleep and that perseverance is the only solution. But has anyone been in the same situation? Is it just a matter of time?

Fred

[Jim Eads]

Hi Fred,

It's great that you've adapted to the mask so quickly!

I think there could be any of a number of things going on. I've been on CPAP for a couple of months now and I am still adjusting to different sleep patterns.

First, what range is your APAP set for? Is it possible that it's hitting the top of the range and you are still having an apnea that is waking you up?

Second, be careful not to "train" yourself to wake up. I got into the bad habit of turning on the TV when I woke up in the middle of the night. Now, I turn over immediately to go back to sleep no matter how awake I feel. Bad habits are hard to break.

Is the mask fitted properly? If there are leaks the APAP can increase pressure to the point where it may wake you up?

Also, I've found that I don't need nearly as much sleep as pre-CPAP. I used to sleep 9 hours and sometimes more. Now I'am averaging between 6 and 7. I've also noticed that with CPAP I'm no longer sleepy during the day but I do not have more energy. I'm as lazy as ever!

Persevere!

Jim

[Guest]

Yes, it's just a matter of time. It took me several weeks (like 2-3 months) before I slept through the night uninterrupted. The sleep you ARE getting is restorative sleep, which you weren't getting before CPAP. So you end up putting up with the wakenings because you know the sleep you used to get was damaging your health. At least with the machine you are making forward strides in warding off stroke and all the other health issues associated with sleep apnea. It takes a while. Hang in there.

[pharmwoman]

it seems like Im up several times a nite, whether a potty break, or I feel like Im drooling(lol) or fighting the mask, but yes, overall less sleep on cpap feels much better than more sleep without. I did have one nite in 6 weeks with no awakenings nd that was truly amzing and heavenly. Unfortuanately I think that gave me too much energy and I slept awful the next nite.LOL

[Moogy]

on all nine nights I've woken up within 4 hours of falling asleep (usually more like two and a half). On most occasions I have been able to then fall back asleep (for 60/90 minutes) within minutes, possibly even seconds (this isn't a nocturia issue).
Fred

Fred,

With your wake-ups coming that far into your night, I am wondering if increased pressure is waking you up. That happenned to me for a while, and I also have an auto machine (BiPap). Some people have more apneas when they hit REM sleep, and so the automatic machine cranks up the pressure to take care of the problem.

Do you have software that tracks when your pressure increases happen? That is how I discovered what was waking me.

I am only 3.5 weeks into my therapy, but I have already stopped waking if the pressure increases.

Whatever the cause, it is likely that you will adjust pretty soon. But if you can figure out what causes the waking, you might solve it sooner.

Moogy

[Brent Hutto]

It's only been a couple nights but I have had a pattern recently of an awakening at just about the four-hour point you're mentioning. Looking at my downloaded data, there's something that looks a lot like a mouth leak right before I wake up. My guess is that at some point either I sleep really deeply or else my tongue gets tired of holding back the air and my mouth pops open.

I don't know if that could possibly apply to you. Heck, I'm not sure yet that's what is happening to me but it seems likely.

[Freddie]

Hi all,

Thanks for your comments they have been very helpful.

Jim you make an excellent point regarding becoming habitualised to short sleep by not attempting to get straight back to sleep. Luckily thus far I haven’t done this, but have had the “heads-up” on making sure I don’t.

Luckily and coincidentally I was contacted by my CPAP trial co-ordinator this afternoon and we went through the software report. My maximum clearing demand seems to be 9cm, the auto-CPAP is on the standard range at present (4cms to 20cm) so I’m not hitting the top. Also leaks are at a minimum.

This said, Moogy and Brent you’re spot on. 40% of the time I seem to be waking after a ramp in pressure and 40% after mouth breathing. In addition there is always the possibility that the waking ramps cause me to mouth breath and it is this that wakes me.

I shall therefore adopt a chin strap for a couple of days see if there is any improvement in sleep length. Although as has been mentioned, I’m not expecting to be sleeping 9-10 hours a night and then a couple of hours during the day like before.

And of course I shall persevere.

Thanks again.

Yours Freddie

[Brent Hutto]

BTW, Freddie...my sleep is quite fragmented and full of arousals so I consider four hours of uninterrupted sleep that's actually restful to be a major victory. Ideally, I'd like to have the odd night without that wakeup in the middle but it still beats my pre-CPAP days of waking up very 90 minutes all night long.