Sleeping aids

[Lauratee]

I'm pulling my mask off at night while sleeping
Should I take a sleep aid for a couple of weeks until my body adjusts to mask
I started a week ago with nasal pillow and now I'm using masks that just covers nose
I've adjusted ramp time but still feel like I'm suffocating
Any advice
FYI I'm really against taking pharmacuticals unless I absolutely have to so this would only be temporay
I take 400 ml of trypophan now but still not helping

[49er]

I'm pulling my mask off at night while sleeping
Should I take a sleep aid for a couple of weeks until my body adjusts to mask
I started a week ago with nasal pillow and now I'm using masks that just covers nose
I've adjusted ramp time but still feel like I'm suffocating
Any advice
FYI I'm really against taking pharmacuticals unless I absolutely have to so this would only be temporay
I take 400 ml of trypophan now but still not helping

Hi Lauratee,

If you could use the link in my signature to fill out your equipment profile, that would really help members tailor their answers to your specific situation.

What pressure was prescribed? By any chance was it something like 4-20 because so many people who complain about suffocating having that problem because the starting pressure is too low. Many folks need a minimum of 6 to avoid that problem.
But even if your minimum starting pressure is higher than that, it could still be too low for your situation.

I would also not use the ramp unless you have to as that could be keeping your pressure too low also causing the feeling of suffocation. Also, having machine set on ramp can prevent it from adequately addressing apneas during the first few minutes because the pressure is too low.

Nothing wrong with sleep aids but in my opinion, until you make sure your therapy needs are adequately addressed, using them could be an exercise in futility. That may be why the tryptophan isn't working although obviously, I am not a doctor.

Welcome to the forum by the way.

49er

[Julie]

You could try taping things to your face a bit (use blue painter's tape - comes off gently) so taking it off won't be so easy and you'll be aware of what's happening.

[Sclark08]

Try wearing your mask at night 1 hour before you go to bed while watching tv. That's what I did it really helped

[library lady]

If there's anything about the mask that makes you uncomfortable, you need to address that... mask liners or strap covers can ease discomfort, etc. If you have a sore on your nose from chafing, perhaps a Gecko nose pad will help. It could be that you need a different mask - many people have to try many masks before they find one they can tolerate. The posts above have good suggestions, too. Be specific about your needs and which equipment you have and we can help.

Maybe discomfort isn't the issue, but simply getting used to the alien being on the face is the problem... wear for awhile every evening when reading or watching TV, even checking email. Help your brain learn that this is OK. I think just about everybody has this problem in the beginning; it's a big adjustment. I had a hard first week because of leaks but once I discovered mask liners I was able most nights to keep it on all night. Some people take to this right away, but others spend weeks adjusting, so you are not alone.

[robysue]

I'm pulling my mask off at night while sleeping
Should I take a sleep aid for a couple of weeks until my body adjusts to mask

It might help.

I've adjusted ramp time but still feel like I'm suffocating

Can you please clarify what you mean here: Is there too much air coming into the mask to exhale fully? Or is there too little air coming into the mask to inhale comfortably?

You might find some of what I say in Re: Pugsy's Pointer's #3-I can't breathe the the mask on useful.

[avi123]

I'm pulling my mask off at night while sleeping
Should I take a sleep aid for a couple of weeks until my body adjusts to mask
I started a week ago with nasal pillow and now I'm using masks that just covers nose
I've adjusted ramp time but still feel like I'm suffocating
Any advice
FYI I'm really against taking pharmacuticals unless I absolutely have to so this would only be temporay
I take 400 ml of trypophan now but still not helping

Reply,

You have not entered your age in the registration which could be important in this case, b/c women and the elderly have been recently advised by the CDC (or the FDA) to cut down the dose on the following Rx.

I take 5 mg of Zolpidem (generic Ambien, not the extended release), and fall asleep within 15 min. If I don't fall asleep within 30 minutes I take another 5 mg. Rarely, it happens that I need to take 5 mg more but I don't take this dose if I have less than 6 hours left to sleep. I usually sleep for about 6 1/2 hours.

In 2012 Consumer Reports on Health had a survey of nearly 9000 people with problems falling asleep. Here is a result of this survey:

[49er]

Try wearing your mask at night 1 hour before you go to bed while watching tv. That's what I did it really helped

Hi Schlark08,

That is normally excellent advice. But it has been my experience that if the pressure is inadequate or you have a mask that is very uncomfortable and intolerable, that is exercise in extreme futility.

I don't mean to come down on you by the way because I have seen this advice offered repeatedly. But unless the underlying issues are addressed, I fear it is not going to be as helpful as you might think.

Finally, my evil twin sister:) thought that maybe I should give a full face mask another shot. I was very comfortable taking naps with it and laying down to listen to music. Unfortunately, when I went to sleep with it, my body thought differently and automatically pulled it off after an hour. I hadn't done that since switching to the Elan Cloth mask. Lesson learned.

49er