Middle night wakings - have to stop CPAP

[riteoh]

Hi all,

I've been using CPAP for about the last 18 months, but for the last 6 months it's been a bit of a struggle.

I find myself waking in the middle of the night, and tossing and turning (as much as that is possible) with my mask on. The only way I can get back to sleep is to take the mask off. As a result I'm only getting maybe 4 hours of use a night with my machine.

I keep feeling it is a mind over matter thing - my brain is convincing me that the only way I can get back to sleep is by taking off my mask - and because that usually results in me getting back to sleep, that's what I do.

I'm still feeling happy and refreshed in the mornings with the limited CPAP use, but figure that if I've been diagnosed with apnea, then I should be using the mask as much as I can. Does this issue resonate with anybody, and does anybody have any solutions?

Thanks.

[JDS74]

What you are experiencing is a sleep hygiene issue.
You should work to establish the habit that masking up and being in bed means going to sleep.
So, if you wake up and can't get back to sleep in 15 minutes or so, get up and go to a different room and do something not exciting until you feel sleepy again.

Do not take off your mask and stay in bed - that creates the habit that it is OK to sleep without your CPAP.

Do a search for "Sleep Hygiene" for more on the subject.

[Wulfman...]

Hi all,

I've been using CPAP for about the last 18 months, but for the last 6 months it's been a bit of a struggle.

I find myself waking in the middle of the night, and tossing and turning (as much as that is possible) with my mask on. The only way I can get back to sleep is to take the mask off. As a result I'm only getting maybe 4 hours of use a night with my machine.

I keep feeling it is a mind over matter thing - my brain is convincing me that the only way I can get back to sleep is by taking off my mask - and because that usually results in me getting back to sleep, that's what I do.

I'm still feeling happy and refreshed in the mornings with the limited CPAP use, but figure that if I've been diagnosed with apnea, then I should be using the mask as much as I can. Does this issue resonate with anybody, and does anybody have any solutions?

Thanks.

Well, not really.

Apparently you have the "Plus" model that has no data capabilities. So, you have no idea what is waking you up.....right?
Going back to sleep without the therapy is undoing the hours you're getting WITH therapy.
You need to figure out how to avoid doing that and get a full night's worth of therapy.
You didn't specify what your settings are. And, without the data from a data-capable machine you don't know how your therapy is working.

I do remember some people posting some years back that they were waking up around the same time ever night at around 2 - 3 AM. It was theorized that they were getting better sleep in a shorter amount of time than they were before therapy. However, like I said, going back to sleep without therapy is undoing the benefits of the hours with it.


Den

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[kteague]

I don't generally have the problem these days, but back when I'd wake up and have difficulty going back to sleep with the mask on, I found "starting over" worked best for me. Going to sleep without the machine was not an option I was comfortable with. Getting out of bed was inconvenient, but most nights just a few minutes up and doing something to distract my mind made me able to restart my sleep when I masked back up.

About that data-less machine... A doctor can write an order for you to have a trial period on an autopap - usually for a week or two. Probably would go smoothest if you already have a DME you're working with, but any one should be able to fill a temporary order. This will assess your current pressure needs, and your old machine can be reset to a new pressure if indicated. If that temporary rental ends up being too costly, may be better to invest in purchasing a used machine to meet your needs.

[riteoh]

Thanks for the response all. My machine does store data, and I semi-regularly look at it using Sleepy Head software, but must admit that apart from looking at the AHI figure, which is always low, I don't really know how to interpret the data, and understand what it's telling me.

One thing that I really dislike doing, is getting out of bed, and doing 'something else' until I get sleepy. I tend to find it *really* wakes me up, and it can take upto an hour, hour and a half to get back to sleep again. Then even with the mask on, I wake up unrefrshed the next morning from lack of sleep, whereas I'd rather sleep without the mask.

I'll give it a try for a few nights and report back - It does sound like a hygiene issue, and a bad habit that I have got into.

[49er]

riteoh,

I have been there and definitely empathize.

As an FYI for you to consider, when I wore a nasal pillow mask, I found it impossible to get back to sleep with due to my hypersensitive system. Maybe my nose was too congested, who knows? The elan nasal mask listed in my profile is the only mask I have been able to wear when waking up prematurely that gets me back to sleep.

Obviously, try the other suggestions but this may be something for you to consider if you continue to struggle. And even if you do, just don't beat yourself up about it and keep trying not to take the mask off. Eventually, you will conquer this.

49er

Hi all,

I've been using CPAP for about the last 18 months, but for the last 6 months it's been a bit of a struggle.

I find myself waking in the middle of the night, and tossing and turning (as much as that is possible) with my mask on. The only way I can get back to sleep is to take the mask off. As a result I'm only getting maybe 4 hours of use a night with my machine.

I keep feeling it is a mind over matter thing - my brain is convincing me that the only way I can get back to sleep is by taking off my mask - and because that usually results in me getting back to sleep, that's what I do.

I'm still feeling happy and refreshed in the mornings with the limited CPAP use, but figure that if I've been diagnosed with apnea, then I should be using the mask as much as I can. Does this issue resonate with anybody, and does anybody have any solutions?

Thanks.

[LoneStar]

One thing I do when I have a bad mask night is allow myself to take off my mask BUT I may not stay and sleep in my bed. I must get up and go "sleep" on our old, lumpy, narrow and uncomfortable couch. This way, I don't allow my mind to set up the "I must take the mask off to get back to sleep" trick.

I rarely have bad mask nights anymore, and if I do, getting up to go "sleep" on the couch doesn't disturb my husband nearly as much as it would if I stayed in bed, fought with the mask, and tossed and turned.

I never allow myself to sleep in my own bed without my mask. Ever.

Lisa

[JDS74]

For me, sometimes it does take one to two hours to get sleepy again.
But even so, I never go to sleep in my bed without masking up.

[Sleeprider]

Thanks for the response all. My machine does store data, and I semi-regularly look at it using Sleepy Head software, but must admit that apart from looking at the AHI figure, which is always low, I don't really know how to interpret the data, and understand what it's telling me.

One thing that I really dislike doing, is getting out of bed, and doing 'something else' until I get sleepy. I tend to find it *really* wakes me up, and it can take upto an hour, hour and a half to get back to sleep again. Then even with the mask on, I wake up unrefrshed the next morning from lack of sleep, whereas I'd rather sleep without the mask.

I'll give it a try for a few nights and report back - It does sound like a hygiene issue, and a bad habit that I have got into.

What are your pressure settings?
To understand a little better what is going on, go to the Sleepyhead Daily data tab. You can see the gaps where you discontinued use of the CPAP. You can zoom in on that by hovering your cursor near that gap and tapping the left mouse button until the wave-form of your respiration becomes clear. You may see event flags or leaks immediately prior to waking up. If the awakenings are caused by respiratory events, there might be changes to pressure you could make to stop those. If the problem is leaks, that is another thing to deal with. Use the data to help you narrow down the possibilities, and of course this forum can help you to figure that out. Take a look at the data or post a screenshot, and maybe we'll see something that can help.

[archangle]

Thanks for the response all. My machine does store data, and I semi-regularly look at it using Sleepy Head software, but must admit that apart from looking at the AHI figure, which is always low, I don't really know how to interpret the data, and understand what it's telling me.

If you get AHI numbers, the machine listed in your profile is wrong. It says "REMstar something" near the display. Tell us EVERYTHING it says after REMstar.

Also, take the water tank out and turn the machine over and look for something like REF 460P on the label on the bottom of the blower unit. Tell us what that says.

Basically, just don't go back to sleep without the CPAP. Period.

Is there anything in particular that bothers you about going back to sleep with CPAP?

[Sleeprider]

Thanks for the response all. My machine does store data, and I semi-regularly look at it using Sleepy Head software, but must admit that apart from looking at the AHI figure, which is always low, I don't really know how to interpret the data, and understand what it's telling me.

If you get AHI numbers, the machine listed in your profile is wrong. It says "REMstar something" near the display. Tell us EVERYTHING it says after REMstar.

Also, take the water tank out and turn the machine over and look for something like REF 460P on the label on the bottom of the blower unit. Tell us what that says.

Basically, just don't go back to sleep without the CPAP. Period.

Is there anything in particular that bothers you about going back to sleep with CPAP?

The new 60 series plus 460P does provide therapy data. The 450 had only compliance data.

[palerider]

The new 60 series plus 460P does provide therapy data. The 450 had only compliance data.

that would be incorrect.

the 450 provides complete efficacy data, the 250 does not.

[Wulfman...]

Thanks for the response all. My machine does store data, and I semi-regularly look at it using Sleepy Head software, ...........

Then you need to change your profile. It's still showing a non-data-capable machine......."brick".......and it's messing up those who are trying to answer your questions.


Den

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