Newbie still has AHI in the teens on CPAP

[jjlady]

I have been drop dead exhausted and felt like I can fall asleep in seconds, but as soon as I put the mask on, I am awake, maybe not wide awake but much more awake. I wonder if because the mask is MAKING me breath wakes me up??? There are times while awake but exhausted I feel like I am breathing very shallow or not breathing at all (obviously not for long, or I would be dead!)

At this point once I fall asleep I am fine on the machine, but it takes hours to fall asleep and I wake up exhausted.

What I'm finding, and it may be hard starting out when you feel so tired, is I pick up the pace during the day so that when bed-time rolls around, I feel like zonking out.

[MaxDarkside]

I have been drop dead exhausted and felt like I can fall asleep in seconds, but as soon as I put the mask on, I am awake, maybe not wide awake but much more awake. I wonder if because the mask is MAKING me breath wakes me up??? There are times while awake but exhausted I feel like I am breathing very shallow or not breathing at all (obviously not for long, or I would be dead!)

My guess is that you are still getting used to all this, that when confronted with it, you become alert. Over time this will pass I think, as things come to a new normal. I know I went through such a process, maybe still a little now that I'm off sleep aids totally. I think about other things, like what I'm going to do on an upcoming vacation to Europe (Amsterdam, Brugge, Dunkerque, Calais, Omaha Beach, Paris, Luxembourg, castles, Brussels,...) with a high school buddy, or go to a "happy place" in my mind, like sitting on a park bench in Sorrento, Italy, overlooking the sea... I forget the mask and the day's activities and most certainly avoid my "what's going to happen tomorrow" stressors. Those anxiety promoters are locked in little boxes in my mind where I keep them until *I* am ready to deal with them. I don't even realize it's morning already. Nice.

[desmondwl]

As a RPSGT and a hose head for over 3 years, maybe 4,(my Dad used to say I had a hose nose) I can appreciate your situation. It does take some time to get used to CPAP and some take longer than others. One thing that has been brought up and is very true is "Sleep Hygiene" . It is amazing what people willing to do themselves that just does not promote good sleep. My first sleep study was in Dec 99 and at that time I averaged < 4 AHI. The sleep doc then told me he wanted me to clean up my hygiene first. You name it I was doing it wrong, except for not exercising to close to bed time (not the exercising type person). Simple things help promote sleep hygiene and are not difficult. Things such as bedroom to hot or cold, too much on your mind, heavy meal before bedtime all can affect your sleep. My biggest problem at that time was I brought home too much work (used to install cable systems for voice and data). I could not lay down without thinking about work. A good routine that eases the mind and relaxes you is best. Easier said than done. If you got to "sleepfoundation.org" they have a list of sleep hygiene rules and how they affect you. As far as CPAP goes, it can take some time. Just don't give up, you got all the support in this forum to help you. You may find out as you get acclimated to CPAP it gets easier and becomes second nature.

[jjlady]

I am not giving up...this morning my AHI was 11.3 so it is going down....but I wake up so incredibly tired, my eyes are so heavy, I literally feel like I HAVE to close them, my limbs feel like they have weights on them. Sometimes I think I have narcolepsy also with the incredible urge to sleep! I think I got about 6 hours of real sleep last night.

[AHI15]

I am not giving up...this morning my AHI was 11.3 so it is going down....but I wake up so incredibly tired, my eyes are so heavy, I literally feel like I HAVE to close them, my limbs feel like they have weights on them. Sometimes I think I have narcolepsy also with the incredible urge to sleep! I think I got about 6 hours of real sleep last night.

If it helps you any, at least know you are not alone. I am suffering similarly. But I don't think "misery loves company" parties are all that constructive. So...

More importantly, know that we will always be here to encourage you to remain willing to fight this illness. So come here and share with us instead of ever giving up. I feel like I am at the very end of the road sometimes--like at 5:30 this morning after sleeping moderately successfully for the 3rd night with my new machine, but woke up too early, still not refreshed, and desperately fatigued to the point of being dizzy and having a headache, nearly psychotic, so exhausted I can't keep my eyes open yet body will not sleep! There was no way out of this but to take a short acting sleeping pill and get a few more hours. Not what I want to have to do since it screws my sleep hygiene, but it's better than going off the deep end. At least now after waking up at 9:30 I'm just drowsy but no longer in a panic. So I'm back to being rational enough to know that the right course is...

I will keeping working with my machine until something scientifically definable is achieved such as "I am getting better" or "I am not getting better, something else is wrong, let's dive deeper." This is going to take some more time.

Please hang in there with us.