NOW-what to do about my insomnia???

[shellybean54]

I cannot sleep!! I have always had this issue, but I had hoped that the Apap machine would help. I put it on around 10pm when I go to bed, and then I wake up numerous times in the night. I end up taking off the mask around 2-3am and then I sleep until 5ish. I don't mind getting up at 5am, if I was getting good sleep. ugh.

One more question, when you get up at night, do you turn off your machine to go to the bathroom, or do you just leave it running??

Thanks for all of your help.

[LSAT]

I cannot sleep!! I have always had this issue, but I had hoped that the Apap machine would help. I put it on around 10pm when I go to bed, and then I wake up numerous times in the night. I end up taking off the mask around 2-3am and then I sleep until 5ish. I don't mind getting up at 5am, if I was getting good sleep. ugh.

One more question, when you get up at night, do you turn off your machine to go to the bathroom, or do you just leave it running??

Thanks for all of your help.

Turn it off...unhook the hose....leave the mask on

[ChicagoGranny]

I cannot sleep!! I have always had this issue

Here is a list to start working on. Don't try to achieve all the items in one day. Some lifestyle changes are required for most people. This takes time.

- Practice good sleep hygiene (Google it and read several sources)
- Eat a good diet
- Have a regular, moderate exercise program
- Try to avoid daytime naps
- Practice total abstinence of caffeine including sources like chocolate (sigh)
- Review all medicines, vitamins and supplements you are taking to make sure none are interfering with sleep
- Use the bedroom for sleeping (and sex) only, and make sure the bedroom and bed are comfortable.
- Learn to appropriately handle emotional stress in your life
- Do not listen to your breathing or the sound of the machine as you are falling asleep.
- Distract your mind by thinking of a pleasant, relaxing activity that you enjoy. Thinking of sitting under an umbrella on a quiet beach with a warm gentle breeze works for me.
- Use CPAP software, such as the free SleepyHead, to make sure your therapy is optimized
- If you still don't feel or sleep well, make sure you have regular medical checkups to confirm there are no other medical problems

CG

[palerider]

I cannot sleep!! I have always had this issue, but I had hoped that the Apap machine would help. I put it on around 10pm when I go to bed, and then I wake up numerous times in the night. I end up taking off the mask around 2-3am and then I sleep until 5ish. I don't mind getting up at 5am, if I was getting good sleep. ugh.

I wake up numerous times during the night, turn over, get comfy and go back to sleep. it's *normal*... read up on sleep cycles. the thing is that some (most?) people don't remember the little wakeups between sleep stages.

don't take the mask off.

One more question, when you get up at night, do you turn off your machine to go to the bathroom, or do you just leave it running?? .

it turns off when I take my mask off, it turns back on when I put my mask back on.

[amandah72]

you sound like me. When you figure it out let me know

[Pugsy]

I cannot sleep!! I have always had this issue, but I had hoped that the Apap machine would help

There are many, many causes for insomnia and sleep apnea is only one of them.
If sleep apnea isn't the cause...the cpap/apap machine is unlikely to help no matter how much we want it to.

Do you take any medications of any kind? If so what are they?
Do you take naps during the day?

[shellybean54]

no naps. I eat very healthy. I have started a regular exercise program. I take blood pressure meds and hormone replacement therapy. I have coffee in the morning, but no other caffeine during the day/evening. Phew!

[Pugsy]

Research your blood pressure medication and your hormone replacement medication to see if they could maybe be a factor in the insomnia.
Example...I take a pain medication that comes with a "may cause drowsiness" sticker but for a very small % of people it causes insomnia. I can't take it after 6 PM because I simply can't fall asleep until around 2 AM if I take it. It has never caused drowsiness for me...but it does wire me up. It's not common but it is a known side effect that affects less than 1% of the people who take it.

Read up on good vs bad sleep hygiene to see if you are doing something that could be a factor in the insomnia.

You might read RobySue's blog. She talks about insomnia and how hers got worse with cpap but she had insomnia long before cpap and she admits it. In her blog she talks about things to do and some reading material that helped her.

http://adventures-in-hosehead-land.blog ... er_19.html

[avi123]

If I was going to sleep at 10 pm as you do then I would wake up at 3 am and then I would not know what to do. So I drag my going to bed to past midnight by watching TV (BBC news and Charlie Rose). Then if I wake up before 5 pm I would remove the mask but leave the chinstrap on. Most of the times I manage to sleep without the CPAP 3 additional hours till 8 am at which time I get up. I take 5 mg of Zolpidem before going to sleep.