After 5+ years of CPAP use, my subconscious seems to be fighting it

[Sleep2Dream]

The short version of my problem might be that for the first time in years, I seem to be ultra aware of the CPAP when I'm using it. This is manifesting in the worst teeth-grinding I've ever experienced--in fact, it's loud enough to wake both me AND my husband! It stops when I take off the CPAP and go back to sleep without it. I will add that when I first started using a CPAP, a little over 5 years ago, I found that my fears about adapting to it were unfounded: From the start, it was surprisingly comfortable and easy to use. Now I hate it, and I need to find a way not to. I realize this might be more of psychological issue than a garden-variety CPAP issue, but I figured I'd see if other CPAP users have experienced something like this or might have ideas of how I might approach dealing with it. Thanks, all. I am feeling a bit at my wits' end.

[Cpapian]

If you are grinding your teeth at night, you should see your dentist. Your teeth might be out of alignment (maybe some recent dental work?). Your dentist can make a night guard to protect the teeth, stop the noise, etc. I usually pay about $3-4 hundred for a device CAD. They last a long time, years. Once I tried buying a drug store guard but my grinding mashed it up the first night so that was a waste of money.

The other consideration might be stress. If something is bothering or worrying you more than usual you might be working it out through your teeth.

[dataq1]

FWIW:
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/14592147/

From the abstract:
it was found that among the associated sleep symptoms and disorders obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) was the highest risk factor for tooth grinding during sleep. The purpose of this report was to evaluate the effect of continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) on sleep bruxism in a patient with both severe OSA and sleep tooth grinding. Two polysomnographic (PSG) recordings were carried out. The first showed 67 events of sounded tooth grinding, most of them appearing as an arousal response at the end of apnea/hypopnea events in both the supine and lateral postures.

The paper goes on to suggest that when the OSA is properly treated, the bruxism seems to resolve.

[Cpapian]

An article on how to relieve tension and pain from jaw clenching or teeth grinding

https://www.cbc.ca/life/wellness/how-to ... -1.5926626

[Deborah K.]

Maybe something has happened with your actual sleep; things can change over the years. If you post an Oscar shot or two I'm sure the experts will check it over to see if there is some setting you can change to make things comfortable again. Best of luck!

[Sleep2Dream]

Okay, I am looking into a lot of these suggestions. So a heartfelt thanks to those who replied. I downloaded (er, uploaded?) my latest Oscar info and am trying to get a better handle on understanding it, though I seem to be a bit allergic (or something) to getting the nuances. I'll keep working on it. Maybe I'll post some of the readings.

I think what I haven't heard yet is: How do other people psych themselves into liking/appreciating the CPAP, so that they don't fight it? I suspect my problem lies in my psyche, and the part that is resisting. I want to get back to the experience I had at the beginning, when it all seemed so much easier and more tolerable than I'd imagined, and sleeping with my CPAP was no big deal. I'm just not sure how to do that.

[KobeT]

I did it for my family. When I first started my son was 8 years old and he would tell me I needed to wear for him, that was what did it for me. This has worked for me for the last almost 16 years.

[Deborah K.]

You don't need to understand the nuances of your Oscar charts. Just post the charts here. We have folks here who are happy to interpret and explain the charts for you.