Nightmares and Night Terrors on the CPAP

[DeadlySleep]

Seriously, what brand/model machine do you have? The good people here need to see your machine data in order to help you. It sounds like your therapy is not effective because of incorrect machine settings or large mask leak.

[ChicagoGranny]

Seriously, what brand/model machine do you have? The good people here need to see your machine data in order to help you. It sounds like your therapy is not effective because of incorrect machine settings or large mask leak.

+1

Guest

Register and go to the User Control Panel and fill out your equipment profile. Then start a new thread. You can copy and paste what your wrote above into the new thread.

There's no use living like this. Let us help you get your therapy working properly.

[DeadlySleep]

Then start a new thread. You can copy and paste what your wrote above into the new thread.

Good.

[Wulfman...]

Hi,

I have had very beautiful dreams and "visions" as I fall asleep (pre cpap). If I did have a "bad" dream, it was quite manageable and did not cause any anxiety.

Ten days ago, I started the cap...level 5. I have no trouble whatsoever with the machine on my face; I was extremely happy about getting the machine. I heard so many success stories I could not wait to start therapy. I now dread sleep. I am waking up every 2-3 hours and I am having horrible visions and dreams. I am not under any excess stress nor is there any "baggage" in my life.

Since starting Cpap therapy, I have had visions of being shoved in front of a train, of friends being swept away in a rapid river current and scathing fights with family members(that I am close to in my waking life.) Furthermore, these are not "dreamy"-like states, but filled with deep seriousness. I think it is a warning that something is wrong with my oxygen,but I cannot figure it out. I am also having very strong "brain fog" in the morning...spacey. It seems to go away by late afternoon.

I do not want to give up Cppap, but I am getting very concerned. I have had zero improvement. If anyone has insight, I would appreciate a response.

Thank you,

As the others have stated, please sign up as a member on the forum. Then, fill in your profile with the exact equipment and settings you're using.

But, if your pressure setting is "5", it's quite likely that your oxygen is dropping and affecting your dreams.
You can buy or borrow (from a DME with a doctor's order) a recording pulse-oximeter to check your oxygen levels during the night.

And, if you have a data-capable machine, you can get software to monitor your own therapy.


Den

.

[CPAP~panic]

I feel better after reading these posts, knowing I'm not alone in the nightmare/night terror issue. I'm a newbie, in week 3 of my CPAP therapy. My Dreammapper program indicates great success with average AHI of 1.9 and a consistent 100% mask fit.

Having no issues with comfort using the new Dreamwear nasal mask with the hose fitting on top of the head. There is no feeling of claustrophobia for me, no issues adjusting to the pressure, the hose is never in the way, occasionally when I roll on my side I have to readjust the nasal fitting because I can hear a leak but my husband says he doesn't hear anything.

So, my only issue is the vivid nightmares/night terrors and waking in the middle of the night in full blown panic attacks (chest pain, heart racing/skipping, PVCs, flushed, overly warm). Even though I use calming techniques learned for dealing with panic attacks and I tell myself over and over it was just a dream I can not calm down. The dreams are so vivid. I'm in the group that feels this is caused by reaching deeper REM sleep than I have in years. Deep sleep is great, but the nightmares are rough.

I've been told to train myself to change the outcome of my dreams as a coping mechanism. Not sure exactly how to do this. Do not like the thought of using klonopin to treat CPAP dream induced panic attacks.

Does anyone have any good news on successfully eliminating or dealing with these nightmares/terrors?

[Wulfman...]

I feel better after reading these posts, knowing I'm not alone in the nightmare/night terror issue. I'm a newbie, in week 3 of my CPAP therapy. My Dreammapper program indicates great success with average AHI of 1.9 and a consistent 100% mask fit.

Having no issues with comfort using the new Dreamwear nasal mask with the hose fitting on top of the head. There is no feeling of claustrophobia for me, no issues adjusting to the pressure, the hose is never in the way, occasionally when I roll on my side I have to readjust the nasal fitting because I can hear a leak but my husband says he doesn't hear anything.

So, my only issue is the vivid nightmares/night terrors and waking in the middle of the night in full blown panic attacks (chest pain, heart racing/skipping, PVCs, flushed, overly warm). Even though I use calming techniques learned for dealing with panic attacks and I tell myself over and over it was just a dream I can not calm down. The dreams are so vivid. I'm in the group that feels this is caused by reaching deeper REM sleep than I have in years. Deep sleep is great, but the nightmares are rough.

I've been told to train myself to change the outcome of my dreams as a coping mechanism. Not sure exactly how to do this. Do not like the thought of using klonopin to treat CPAP dream induced panic attacks.

Does anyone have any good news on successfully eliminating or dealing with these nightmares/terrors?

Actually, REM stage sleep is on the "lighter" side. I used to think it was deep sleep, too, but found out differently.
Typically, lighter stage sleep or if woken up during dreams, they're more easily remembered. Dreams in DEEP sleep stages are seldom remembered.

If you're not using software to monitor your therapy, I'd suggest getting it when they get Sleepyhead modified for the Dreamstation machines. If you can find the version of Encore that will work with it, I'd suggest getting that.

In any case, it may be because your therapy may not be optimized or other reasons which may show up on the software reports.
Most of us have reported dreaming more on the lighter or happier side rather than darker and terror sides.


Den

.

[Sheffey]

Does anyone have any good news on successfully eliminating or dealing with these nightmares/terrors?

I will tell you my experience. Most of us wait way too long to begin CPAP therapy. By the time we start, we have a number of problems including sleep deprivation. When you first get a good CPAP therapy working, you are "starved" for REM sleep and your body spends a lot of time in REM to catch up.

These are often crazy, frightening dreams. For me, they persisted for a couple of months. It was hell. I could bear it only because others told me it would pass. It did and it has not returned in the 15 years or so since.

I've been told to train myself to change the outcome of my dreams as a coping mechanism. Not sure exactly how to do this. Do not like the thought of using klonopin to treat CPAP dream induced panic attacks.

I would not undertake either of these two items. Just be determined to bear it until you are caught up on REM. Should you start having suicidal ideation, call the suicide hotline. But, it doesn't sound like that will be a problem for you.

My Dreammapper program indicates great success with average AHI of 1.9 and a consistent 100% mask fit.

I am not familiar with Dreammapper. Just a word of caution that some of these apps are very inadequate. Sleepyhead is the tool of choice here - tried and proven.

Good luck.

[Cryssy2512]

I have also had terrible nightmares since using the CPAP machine. I have been on it 1 month now. Even violent nightmares. Horrible. I missed using it for one night, still dreamed a lot but no nightmares. I was told by my neurologist the mask could be leaking. My machine tells me the mask is fine. Studies have shown a lack of oxygen to cause nightmares so how this happens with the machine beats me.!!

[abu117]

This looks like an old thread, but it came up when I googled "CPAP nightmare screaming drowning".

I don't normally suffer from nightmares (for at last 20 or 30 years since my last one), but this one was a doozy. It is almost 3 am here and I am afraid to return to bed and afraid to go back to sleep - it was so real. All I remember of the dream is this:

I was sitting alone on a sofa and I saw and smelled cigarette smoke. I then saw a cigarette out of the corner of my eye, turned and faced someone I have never seen before in my life. I started to scream as this person was so unexpected and he had a look of confusion on his face like "why are you screaming?" He wasn't scary looking or anything, but no one that I recognized either.

While I was screaming, I felt like I was drowning. I remember my partner yelling my name to me, trying to wake me, but I was unable to wake up and continued to have this drowning sensation. Asking my partner later, I found out that this went on for maybe 5 to 10 seconds. I was lying on my back. As I am typing this, I still feel goosebumps, remembering this.

I am a 66-year-old male and I have been on CPAP therapy for at least 6 years. Before starting therapy 6 years ago, I used to wake up 70 times per hours (events). Recently I got a new machine and mask (the resmed Air and I switched from a nasal mask to a pillow mask). Now I am down to about an average of 1.5 to 2 incidents per hour (which is about the same as on my old machine).

To complicate things, I have also been diagnosed with rotator cuff tendonitis in both shoulders, so I am often waking up sleeping on my back (not my preferred position).

One of the nice features of my new resmed machine is that I can log in the following morning and look at the results and quality of sleep that I had. Everything shows that I am getting good results. A good mask seal, and last night only .6 events per hour.

I don't know what happened here. Was it because I was on my back? Or, was I somehow struggling to breathe? Or both?

I am going back to bed now and I will try to sleep on my side. I hope to have a good sleep and I certainly hope to wake up again

[ChicagoGranny]

I don't normally suffer from nightmares (for at last 20 or 30 years since my last one), but this one was a doozy. It is almost 3 am here and I am afraid to return to bed and afraid to go back to sleep - it was so real.

When a nightmare seems very real, it's because you are in a light sleep stage and fully awaken to remember it. I wouldn't worry about it. It may not happen again for 20 years.

One of the nice features of my new resmed machine is that I can log in the following morning and look at the results and quality of sleep that I had.

That's the least you can get. If you think your CPAP therapy and your sleep are not going well, then it's highly recommended you download the free OSCAR software. You can see in great detail what is happening with your breathing, your CPAP machine and your mask leak.

In the case of last night's nightmare, you could drill down and look at each breath your were taking (or not taking) just before you woke from the dream.

Welcome to the forum!

(See the thread on OSCAR near the top of the index page.)

[Goofproof]

You really need to get the real software to see what's really happening with your XPAP treatment. Jim

[zoocrewphoto]

I agree with the suggestion to get Oscar and take a look at what happened before you woke up.

I used to have dreams of running, being followed. My brain was making up stories for why I was out of breath. I have not had any dreams like that since using cpap.

It is possible that you are having very few events, but you could be having one bad event.

[abu117]

Thanks - I have downloaded and installed the Oscar software onto my mac. Not sure how to interpret what I am seeing lol

[abu117]

You can see at about 2:13 am I awoke (from my nightmare) and at about 4:15 am I finally went back to sleep. I called my CPAP supplier and he said he could see that I had an apnea event just before waking at about 2:10 am. What should I be looking for? The image is attached.

[SDBud]

I've had very little trouble adjusting to the mask or the pressure (0.08 I think). My AHI is 1.4 with the machine. I started wearing a chin strap a few nights ago because I was mouth breathing and losing the effects of the CPAP. When I was mouth breathing I wasn't getting the nightmares, or at least not as bad. Right now it's a trade off. I sleep longer with the machine on, but sleep more peacefully with out it. The nightmares are not about suffocating.

I'd strongly suggest wearing the mask AND strap during the day when you're not sleeping, just to get used to the feel of it.

It IS unusual, and could easily cause a reaction in your brain until it becomes more commonplace for you.