Anyone ever had dreams of suffocating with no CPAP???

napagirl · Post by **napagirl** » Mon Dec 03, 2007 8:39 pm

Hi,

Just curious about this.... I have been on CPAP now for almost a year. I wear it everynite, but some nites, I must pull the mask off in my sleep. This usually occurs around 3 or 4am, from what I can figure. Twice when that happened, I had a vivid dream that I couldn't breath... that I was trying to breath but it was very difficult. I felt in my dream like something was blocking my airway. During this dream, I would slowly come awake as I rolled over onto my side. I was breathing fine and awake, and I figured that I must have been on my back, having an apnea in REM sleep, hence my dream. Weird, huh?

I don't remember having any of these kind of dreams before starting CPAP therapy. I just would choke and my husband would wake me up. And I was SOOOO tired all day long. My very first time on CPAP, I slept so deep and long, that my body was achy from not flipping around all nite....

Has anyone had a dream like this? It's very freaky.

kteague · Post by **kteague** » Mon Dec 03, 2007 9:15 pm

Yes, I had those dreams regularly before cpap, only a few since. Even journaled the ones I could remember - have between 40 and 50. According to prior threads about dreams, we are not the only ones.

As far as not having them before cpap, maybe you didn't have much REM to dream in before due to the apnea. If cpap gives you more REM but does not totally prevent all events, you could be having a dream related to an event and woke up during it, making it more likely to remember it.

Wondering if your pressure is adequate.

Kathy

Nenetx2004 · Post by **Nenetx2004** » Tue Dec 04, 2007 11:11 am

Oh my gosh, yes!!! It's awful! I think even worse than just having an apnea rouse you out of a light doze!

My new "significant other" has been known to nudge me awake if I doze off so I can put my mask on.....he knows those dreams freak me out!!!

Jeanne

tater pie · Post by **tater pie** » Tue Dec 04, 2007 11:25 am

I had those precpap and only once since cpap. Before cpap, I had one so bad that my chest hurt for about a week because I had struggled so hard for breath. The doctor told me that was very common before cpap. They're sure no fun and I hope I don't have another one anytime soon.

Sleepy Dog Lover · Post by **Sleepy Dog Lover** » Thu Dec 06, 2007 12:13 am

I had them too pre-cpap. They were scary. Haven't had them since cpap.

kteague · Post by **kteague** » Thu Dec 06, 2007 1:47 am

Argh! Shouldn't have bragged too soon. Couple nights ago had an awful dream. It was brief and was a closeup of me laying down, and I wasn't moving except for my mouth, which was open and moving every so slightly. In my thoughts I was calling for help saying I can't breathe, and panicked to realize no one could hear me. My chest ached with the struggle to breathe. Then my face contorted and some air broke through and I woke up.

I'm betting I was having an event. Was using my nasal mask even though very congested. However, I can't help but wonder if watching the youtube video that was linked to on here with the guy named Nick struggling to breathe with his mouth open, plus publicity about the new show with the guy waking up during anesthesia but no one can hear him trying to tell them, may have influenced how my dream played out.

Sure is unsettling to wake up to those.

Kathy

DME Daddy · Post by **DME Daddy** » Thu Dec 06, 2007 7:24 am

Hi napagirl,

You have abundant classic symptoms of someone using cpap with insufficient pressure to hold their airway open. You very likely need at least a 3cm increase in pressure. Contact your physician immediately or get an auto cpap. Let us all know what happens. Good luck, may God bless you.

napagirl · Post by **napagirl** » Thu Dec 06, 2007 3:54 pm

Hi Everyone,

I don't think it's my pressure.... this only happens when my mask is off. What happens is that around 3 or 4am on some nites, I wake up and pull my mask off because it is uncomfortable and my neck muscles are sore from lying funny. Then I fall back asleep, and an hour or so later, I have the dream (lucid dream) of not being able to breathe. I slowly come awake with the feeling, and tell myself, roll over. Then I awake (on my side after rolling over) and I am breathing fine.

I never have this with my mask on.

I had to pay for my cpap because of a botched home sleep study that was inconclusive, and showed possible OSA. The HMO would not let me have a clinical sleep study, but did let me have a clinical titration study!! Go figure!

Anyway I bought my cpap on my own, and wish I would've bought an APAP. I do plan on buying one eventually, but cannot afford to now.

PS.. I also have bruxism (teeth clenching) in my sleep and wake up with a very sore jaw!!

I have tried various nasal masks and just wasted my money. I require a full face mask, but boy is it bulky!

Napagirl

DME Daddy · Post by **DME Daddy** » Thu Dec 06, 2007 5:25 pm

Aha, it is insufficient pressure to hold your airway open....No cpap equals no pressure..thus the dream. You were not able to dream. Dream equals reality.

kona0197 · Post by **kona0197** » Fri Dec 07, 2007 4:00 am

I have a bad dream that I'm trying to force myself to breathe and I forgot how about once a month. It's scary as heck...

Anyone ever had dreams of suffocating with no CPAP???

Anyone ever had dreams of suffocating with no CPAP???

Dreams about suffocating

Dreams of suffocating

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Mask

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