New cpap user, it is getting tougher not easier to use it

[49er]

Hi McJazzy,

As one who is extremely sensitive to noise, you have my utmost sympathy.

Sorry if I missed this in reading your posts but what is the sound DB of your machine? My Devilbiss intellipap is a 26 which I find acceptable.

If yours is higher, you might either need to try the some of the advice given or look into getting another machine. Another thing you might look into (I have no idea if it exists or not) sound cancelling earbuds that you could run by themselves without having to play music.

Another thing to look into - http://cpapsilencer.com/. I have never dealt with them so I can't say yay or nay as to anything.

Hang in there.

49er

[lisacaice]

I feel ya, I can't stand nosies at night either and now that I'm on the CPAP It's even worse. I can't no noise either though, so ear pulgs don't work for me.

before CPAP I always started my laundry at night to drown out my husband blasting the tv in the living room, but that is at the other end of the hall way and my machine is right by my bed. I have a ResMed and it's probably the most quiet, but I can still hear it.. so I started sleeping with wireless headphones and listening to different relaxing audio CD's.

I saw a doctor OZ program that featured Binaural beats as relaxation and meditation method so I found some on youtube. I listen to the ones with theta and ambient sounds or nature sounds and now I wake up in the morning everyday realizing that I have headphones and a mask on... I actually forget for a second when I first wake up...it's pretty cool. It's a pretty big deal for me, because it used to take hours to fall asleep and now it's like seconds and that is so not me.

everyone is different though and it's great that there are so many suggestions from other users.

keep trying
good luck!

[Denial Dave]

I've been very lucky.... prior to CPAP, the slightest noise inside or outside the house would wake me.

Except for when I get musical tones from my mask seal, nothing bothers my sleep until my alarm goes off at 5AM

[macjazzy]

Thanks for all the replies, sorry for not responding til now, I am a mechanic so I don't have easy access to computers during the day.

Anyway, I have been using the TV on a timer to help me fall asleep, it helps some, but I am not sure how deep asleep it puts me, because occasionally I wake up for no reason soon after falling asleep, I think it may the be sudden lack of noise from the tv turning off. Maybe not, that sounds silly I admit.

Not too much on sound machines, I like it quiet. Although i will look into the Dr. Oz tonal thing.

I have no idea what the decibel reading on my machine is. I am sure in the light of day it would seem almost silent, But when all is still in the quiet of night it seems LOUD. The other odd thing is it doesn't make the owl Hooting noise all the time, it seems random. Which was why I thought the first machine was broken.

Last night I tried tying a piece of old t-shirt over the vent holes, That seemed to quiet the Darth Vader noises, and didn't noticeably affect my breathing, that I noticed. Although I still woke up in the middle of the night, and had a tough time going back to sleep. And I woke up again about 30 minutes before my alarm. That time I just took off the mask and slept the rest of the night without it.

I may try the foam ear plugs, although they are not real comfortable to me to wear for a long time, And I worry about hearing my alarm in the morning. May have to wait til the weekend to try that.

I don't want to add more gear to my head, ie headphones, corded or cordless. I think part of my issue is rolling over in my sleep and fighting the hose.

I see the point about it being on the floor and picking up dust. I had originally put it on a small shelf I mounted to the wall next to my bed above the night stand, as it took up too much room on the night stand. But it was sooo loud up there. I doubt the towel is suffocating the machine, I don't wrap it up tight or anything, and it is a big beach towel folded over several times. Mostly just on top trying to muffle the noises from above.

A longer hose so the machine could be further away may help, I will look into that. Also are there hoses that are softer or more flexible? Mine seems like a vacuum cleaner hose and while it isn't terribly stiff, a softer more flexible one might be easier to sleep with.

Thanks for all the help

[cosmo]

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[grapeshly]

I have a bit of the same problem with my machine. It isn't very loud, but just loud enough that I can hear it (and also the sound change between when I breathe in and when I breathe out). Sometimes it keeps me from falling asleep. Because I do a fair amount of travel, I've occasionally used a sound generating machine to help block out the sound of noisy neighbors. I have found that I can now use it to help block the noise of the machine's Darth Vader-like sounds. (I'm NOT out to achieve total Galactical domination! Honest! But somehow hearing that sound gives me the willies.)

You can buy a specific sound generating machine, or an app that runs on a smart phone, tablet, or computer, or even get a CD that plays an hour's worth of noise. I usually have a noise that's a combination of rainstorm and thunder, but my ideal noise would be the sound of a train running on train tracks. (That's much harder to find!)

[pwaterman]

I've been on CPAP for about 2 weeks or so and I've had this issue occasionally. Sometimes the sound od the machine doesn't bother me at all, other times it has kept me up some, especially when the machine seems to whistle a bit with my breathing. When it does this it is not unlike the whistle of a partially nosed and it does become more noticeable for being timed with each breath. I've found that sometimes just switching positions can seem to make it better, and in one case I discovered a very louder-than-normal whooshing corresponding which each breath was caused by the hose being slightly out of alignment with the mask, causing a leak. I just happened to fix it when I reached up to move my mask and went "OH! That's better!"

I heartily second those who suggested some type of ambient white noise generator. I would second the advice to reframe your thoughts on the noise. Let the rhythm of the noise become deep and even, as your breathing becomes deep and even, and think of it as part of the background. The brain is very good at turning attention away from the things we get used to, so if you can find a way to make the sound something you don't think about, you may find you don't even notice it anymore.

Best of luck!

Paul

[Starlette]

Hi Mac.

Your last paragraph is something I would not recommend anyone doing. I have not read the whole thread, but I just don't think it's a good idea. If the sound is bothering you, one thing I would suggest should you have a smart phone (whether it be an iPhone or Droid) is get some of the apps that have different sounds. For my iPhone, some of the apps I have are called Nature Sounds, aSleep, Nap Fairy and Relax Melodies Pro. These are the apps that I have on my iPhone when I want to have fall asleep with different relaxing sounds. There are apps out there that you can choose from that will serve your particular liking.

You are not the only one that has had difficulty with xpap sounds. We have ALL gone through this. It just take some time to get used to, then it soon becomes white noise.

Starlette

[macjazzy]

Starlette, I'm not sure what you are referring to. What would you not recommend? Why?

[49er]

Hi McJazzy,

About 5 years ago, when I had the evil noisy neighbors from h--ll, I had custom made earplugs because I was a klutz with the regular ones. They cost $100 and really worked well.

Unfortunately, due to having narrow ear canals, wearing them caused the wax to be pushed further into my ear canals. Not a good thing since I have a mild hearing loss.

Of course, if I had the necessary skills, I could have rinsed my ears out with hydrogen peroxide as my ENT recommended. But unfortunately, I would always make things worse

Anyway, if that isn't an issue for you and you can afford the cost, this might be a possible option.

49er

49er

[Pugsy]

Starlette, I'm not sure what you are referring to. What would you not recommend? Why?

I think she was referring to putting the machine on the floor and covering it with a heavy towel due to possibly causing lack of adequate air movement and overheating of the machine. That would be my concern.

Put your fingers in your ears and breathe with the machine on....do you still hear the Darth Vader breathing sounds? This is kinda important. If so it usually means that a good bit of the noise you are hearing is conductive noise and ear plugs likely won't help much. I can hear the exact same sounds at the exact same level of loudness when I put my fingers in my ears.
Conductive noise can be limited by using hose cozies and maybe routing the long hose over your head to limit the hose being in close contact with the mattress (which also conducts noise).

Finally, some masks are just noisier than others in regards to the Darth Vader sounds. I found the Pilairo louder than my usual Swift FX.

Machine noise...just part of things unfortunately and it seems like some people are more hypersensitive to machine noise than others. My S9 sometimes makes a faint sound during exhale...not always noticeable to me. My PR S1 machine makes a faint noise on inhale...so figure

So try to isolate the noise....is it mask noise or machine noise...is it maybe conductive noise or machine noise that is the biggest annoyance.