Not sleeping or doing that great

[JoshCallahan]

I have been having a lot of problems sleeping as of late, my mind starts buzzing and i end up laying in bed wide awake all night long. Before you ask i am in full compliance with my cpap but that is mainly from me just laying awake and suffering the night away. This has not made my cpap journey very enjoyable, and let me tell its been one heck of a ride. From the get go due to extreme panic and agitation which made a over night titration (yes we tryed it and it ended bad) impossible as the sleep center is not equiped to handle those sort of issues. What can i say i have a fear of hospitals and wires. We cant even do an over night oxcimiter my sleep dr just loves me can you tell? Lol. Anyway now that back ground is out of the way back to my question.. My anxity keeps me awake and i cant sleep tryed trazedone 50 - 300 which did not put me to sleep at all just gave me a racing heart. I have restoril which a low dose benzo as well as 5 mg diazepam now those make me sleep esp the diazepam. But with sev osa they say bezos are no bueno even with cpap (and let me reminded you there has been no titration due to psychotic agitation and panic) So my question to you all is there anything out there that can help me sleep that wont make it worse? Have any of you dealt with sev anxity that keeps you awake?

[Julie]

Have you tried something simple (on a short term basis) like Ambien? It's often used when people go for titration to help them relax.

[Sheriff Buford]

In my opinion, you should see a sleep doctor. Though you may have sleep apnea, it sounds as if you have some insomia issues that may need to be treated first. If you aren't able to sleep in the first place, the cpap machine will not help you. The cpap machine can only help people sleep properly.

Sheriff

[Drowsy Dancer]

Josh, as an anxious person myself, my heart goes out to you.

Sadly, as I can tell you from personal experience, CPAP doesn't fix bad sleep all by itself, it just fixes (some types of) disordered breathing during sleep. That's not always the only problem with sleep.

If I'm understanding your post correctly, severe anxiety is giving you insomnia, and also prevented you from getting a good titration?

There are some non-medical approaches to anxiety (e.g. a meditation practice, e.g. cognitive behavioral therapy), but they are very much long-term solutions, not quick fixes. You may need a quick fix in place now AND a long-term solution.

Is this anxiety recent? Triggered by outside events (such as a major life stressor)? If you consume caffeine, can you taper off it? Do you have panic attacks during waking hours?

Have you tried melatonin? Do you ever wear the mask during the day (when reading or watching TV) to get used to the machine? That kind of conditioning helps some people. As the mask, and the process of CPAP, becomes more familiar, your level of agitation (in theory) goes down.

[jencat824]

I agree with Sheriff - you need a sleep dr to properly help diagnose the underlying issue(s) of your insomnia. It is likely you have other sleep issues In addition to the OSA. In the meantime, have you tried Melatonin? It is natural, does not get in the way of CPAP & is gentler than benzos & other sleeping pills. It may not be enough for you, since your insomnia seems severe, but might take the edge off enough to allow you to drift off some, getting some sleep in spurts? I'm just trying to think of short-term help til you can see a good sleep medicine dr. Also, Julie has a great suggestion of Ambien, short term it may help too.

Getting enough exercise, early in the day can help with sleep. You don't want to exercise right before bed, but early evening can help get you tired out for sleep. Again, with severe insomnia this may not be enough help, just a suggestion.

Let us know what your sleep dr comes up with, hopefully you can get relief from this insomnia & move on to working with the CPAP to get better sleep.

Jen

[JoshCallahan]

i should have clarified this this in my original post, yes i am seeing a sleep dr who is also a pulmonologist sorry for the off spelling. My ahi atm is down to 0.5 when i can sleep. As far as medication goes i am hyper sensitive and ambien is no bueno with me. I do ok with the cpap machine although my congestion issues have me on mucisnex nightly. The issue with sleep boils down to racing thoughts, and when my mind is going i do not sleep. As for the titration situation its probably never going to happen, as the medication required to get me into a hospital with out panic would skew the results. The last time i went in for a out pat procedure they stuck a camera down my throat, they had to give me an emergency injection of 10mg haldol and 2mg cogenten before they even got me in the OR. No i am not some loon, i just have severe anxity and fear of hospitals and such and every time end up there it goes very bad. I just feel lost with out sleep and desperate to find some relief. =(

[SleepWellCPAP]

Hello JoshCallahan,

Thanks for posting this issue!

What makes this so appropriate, is the fact that so often outside factors influence sleep that have nothing to do with pressure therapy.

Stress/anxiety seems to be the primary issue here, but other things like pain, sleep timing, sleep environment and lack of physical exercise are all very relavant to getting a recuperative rest period. I recently read a Northwestern University study for instance, where they took a group of people and did nothing more than give them aerobic activity 4 times a week for 16 weeks. Those participants who reported "poor sleep" before, became "good sleepers" after.

Great topic, thanks again for posting this. Please keep updating your progress, it will be interesting to see how you do.

Jim

[ringo728]

I have suffered from Generalized Anxiety Disorder all my life. I also just recently began CPAP therapy. I try to work out at least 1 hour at the gym 3 to 5 times a week. I go in the morning and not in the evening because of not pumping up my adrenaline. My primary care physician along with my sleep doctor both collaborated and prescribed .25mg of alprazolam at bedtime when I need it. Works pretty good. Also, I purchased an over the counter sleep aid (Benedryl) which really is an antihistamine which also helps with the seasonal allergies. I practice deep breathing and sleep in a nice cool room. I know what you feel. It's a tough thing to go through. I'm going through it too. But I have to keep thinking positive! That really helps! Good luck and God Bless!

[JoshCallahan]

recently i moved an entire automotive shop for a friend and still ended up being up all night before at 4:40 the next morning taking a restorial to garner at least some sleep. I just do not get it am going to make a apt with the dr and talk things over more. But what makes me wonder if sedatives are a danger to people with osa what do people with major disorders of the mind such as bi polar do. especially since most of the atypical anti psychotics are sedating or are super benzos.. Anyhow got a bit off topic there, i will keep you all posted after i talk to my dr.

[Dreamingofsleep]

Hi Josh,

Just wondering..have you ever seen a psychiatrist (hopefully a good one, lol)? They of course are the experts in what medications to take for anxiety and any mental health disorder. For anyone who may not know, they are an M.D. especially trained in pharmaceutical treatment of mental health disorders. They would know and understand what medications would be safe and effective for you. Also they would be able to assess and accurately diagnose what mental health issues you are experiencing.

I am not a huge enthusiast of pharmaceuticals, but when you are suffering this way, and can get relief so your body can heal and regroup, I feel that is very important. I have seen many folks get so much better sleep, improved mood, etc. when they have been placed on the right medications.

Also, while you are regaining balance and health you can begin exploring yoga, meditation, exercise, and therapy, and if appropriate, and depending on your diagnosis you may be able to eventually wean off pharmaceutical medication.

All the best to you and keep us posted on your progress


Dreaming

[JoshCallahan]

Yes but at 200 dollar an hour.. it did nothing and honestly id rather not.

[RandyJ]

You mentioned taking Mucinex. Are you taking Mucinex D (guaifenesin + pseudoephedrine) by chance? Many people can't tolerate pseudoephedrine at night, it can produce feelings of anxiety or feeling "wired."

Regular Mucinex (guaifenesin) should be ok, but you may want to look into other therapies for congestion (nasal irrigation, prescription nasal sprays that are safe for everyday use, etc). If you search the topic on this forum you will find plenty to read.

[JoshCallahan]

i take the plain jane mucenex

[JoshCallahan]

i also on top take of it take flownase, and the anxiety is nothing new its been that way for the vast majority of my life.

[49er]

i also on top take of it take flownase, and the anxiety is nothing new its been that way for the vast majority of my life.

Hi Josh,

Flonase can cause insomnia. There was a thread about it that you might want to search for in the archives.

And many people have sworn by mag/glycinate for insomnia which also may be helpful to you since mag has a calming property for most people.

49er