Waking up too many times?

ScottB · Post by **ScottB** » Wed Sep 13, 2006 6:21 am

I have been on my machine for a week now. I was hoping that a good nights sleep was finally in my future but I am finding this to no be true. When I am sleeping I am dreaming a lot more than I used to be and I don't appear to be tossing and turning as much. However I am waking up 5-10 times a night. I am coming to full consciousness. I don't know if this will go away as I get used to the machine or if I am having an apnea that is waking me up. Do I just need to give it more time or is the setting of the machine not correct for me? I am at 10CM right now.

Thanks,

Scott

"You know, the new guy asking all of the questions."

Pirate · Post by **Pirate** » Wed Sep 13, 2006 6:28 am

There are many things that could be causing you to wake up. (mouth breathing, restless legs syndrome, pressure too highor too low, mask leaks, caffene, etc.). You need to pay close attention when you wake up to any signs and symptoms that are ocurring. Make a note of what is going on at the time. Pretty soon you will have more information that will help you figure it out.

woozle · Post by **woozle** » Wed Sep 13, 2006 9:24 am

If you have just started, I think it is normal to keep waking up - I have been at this for 5 months and do recall the first few weeks waking up - think it is just how foreign everything is at first, coupled with actually getting sleep
I know that after a few weeks when I adjusted to the mask and air blowing at me, that I then started sleeping soundly, but then would sleep for about 6 hours only - think the body is like, wow, actual sleep - this is all we need compared to none before - but that gradually went away for me as well and now I sleep 8 hours or more a night -

as a side note, each time I got a new mask, it took really about a week for each one to get it down - ie, pressure, mask fit w/ out leaks, taping or what have you - but perserverence really pays off with this treatment
good luck
and per previous post - could be other issues as well re: mouth breathing, etc.

lfranek · Post by **lfranek** » Wed Sep 13, 2006 9:36 am

This will be my 6th night on CPAP and I wake up frequently as well. I, like you am just hoping that time will help that once I am used to the mask and such. I am a very active sleeper, meaning I roll from one side to the other quite often. The one thing that really bothers me is having to move the hose alot throughout the night, and adjust things for leaks when I do move postions. I was really excited about starting this therapy but must say that with all the "problems" I've experienced in the last 5 nights you begin to wonder is this really worth it?? Good luck to you-nice to know you arent alone huh?
Larissa

TXKajun · Post by **TXKajun** » Wed Sep 13, 2006 9:38 am

Scott, welcome to the forum and our hosehead world.

Some folks take a while to adjust to being on CPAP. It can be as short as a night or 2 for some (the lucky ones), others can take a month or more. You being on your CPAP for a week is a great start! Keep it up. It will get better.

Something to consider....you say you're coming to full consciousness 5-10 times a night now. Compare that to your AHI before you got your CPAP. If you're like most of us, you were waking (after almost smothering!) somewhere between 15 and 100 times PER HOUR! If you're sleeping 7 or 8 hours a night, that was.......hmmm, a whole bunch of times waking! Compared to that, your 5-10 times a night is almost nothing! WOOHOO! Progress!

There's gonna be folks that will remind you to fill in your profile with brand of CPAP, mask, pressure, humidifier, software, etc, so I don't need to go there. It would be a help, though to have that info.

Remember one major thing: WE ON THIS FORUM ARE NOT TRAINED MEDICAL TREATMENT PROFESSIONALS!!!!!!! We are just a bunch of folks with experience that we are willing to share. k?

Hang in there and keep asking your questions. Remember, we were ALL at one time, where you are now. And we got bunches of help here from the wonderful folks on the forum.

Good luck and stick with it!

Kajun

This therapy WORKS!!! Especially with people helping others here.

Snoredog · Post by **Snoredog** » Wed Sep 13, 2006 10:13 am

Scott,

it takes a good 4-6 weeks to get used to sleeping with the mask/machine.
got a copy of your last PSG or split study?

What did it say? What type of events were noted on it? which were more prominate apnea or hypopnea?

When you are awaken during these 5-10 times per night can you recall any specifics?

When you are awaken, do you recall:

any mask leaks or dry mouth?
what does the machine appear to be doing?

What type of machine and how is it currently set up?

jskinner · Post by **jskinner** » Wed Sep 13, 2006 12:38 pm

ScottB wrote:When I am sleeping I am dreaming a lot more than I used to be and I don't appear to be tossing and turning as much. However I am waking up 5-10 times a night. I am coming to full consciousness.

Hi there. I have been on CPAP for about 2 months now and my experience was similar to yours. I'm getting better now so I think it just takes time.

The extra dreaming that you are experiencing is called REM rebound, it lasted about 2 weeks for me. Its your body making up for all the REM that you have missed.

I too started waking up a lot during the night after starting CPAP. Of course I had been waking up a lot without CPAP but was just not aware of it. Masks leaks where part of the problem and just adjusting to the new way of sleeping. I've just recently starting sleeping all though the night (fingers crossed) Give it some time and work on correcting any external thing like leaks that might be arousing you.

Cheers, -James

arthuranxious · Post by **arthuranxious** » Wed Sep 27, 2006 11:07 am

I am on my autoPAP for a week, also waking up numerous time just for a minute... unsure whether it is morning or not. Relieved to hear it is somewhat normal... I find myself feeling extremely grateful for having the diagnosis and the appropriate treatment, very negative feelings to the slug (resp. ther.) sent by the DME to bring the equipment who complained when I called him to ask hwo the humidifier worked. Fortunately I soon realised the typed joke-manual provided by the DME is just a poor summary of the real manual available online, and adjusted the humidifier without difficulty.

editrix · Post by **editrix** » Wed Sep 27, 2006 2:50 pm

woozle wrote:If you have just started, I think it is normal to keep waking up - I have been at this for 5 months and do recall the first few weeks waking up - think it is just how foreign everything is at first, coupled with actually getting sleep
I know that after a few weeks when I adjusted to the mask and air blowing at me, that I then started sleeping soundly, but then would sleep for about 6 hours only - think the body is like, wow, actual sleep - this is all we need compared to none before - but that gradually went away for me as well and now I sleep 8 hours or more a night -

as a side note, each time I got a new mask, it took really about a week for each one to get it down - ie, pressure, mask fit w/ out leaks, taping or what have you - but perserverence really pays off with this treatment
good luck
and per previous post - could be other issues as well re: mouth breathing, etc.

Thank you so much for this! I'm going on almost a week and a half now with my first CPAP machine and mask, and it's been hard to know whether they're doing any good. I've slept an average of 4 to 6 hours per night for years now, always waking up frequently, and now I'm still waking up at least every hour or so, partially due to discomfort with the mask, having to adjust it, to fix leaks, and so on.

Thanks for giving me hope that things can eventually get better. I do intend to persevere, but I've been wondering how long that's going to take!

Mary

editrix · Post by **editrix** » Wed Sep 27, 2006 3:22 pm

jskinner wrote:
ScottB wrote:When I am sleeping I am dreaming a lot more than I used to be and I don't appear to be tossing and turning as much. However I am waking up 5-10 times a night. I am coming to full consciousness.

I have been on CPAP for about 2 months now and my experience was similar to yours. I'm getting better now so I think it just takes time. . . .

I too started waking up a lot during the night after starting CPAP. Of course I had been waking up a lot without CPAP but was just not aware of it. Masks leaks where part of the problem and just adjusting to the new way of sleeping. I've just recently starting sleeping all though the night (fingers crossed) Give it some time and work on correcting any external thing like leaks that might be arousing you.

Cheers, -James

NightHawkeye · Post by **NightHawkeye** » Wed Sep 27, 2006 5:43 pm

TXKajun wrote:Remember one major thing: WE ON THIS FORUM ARE NOT TRAINED MEDICAL TREATMENT PROFESSIONALS!!!!!!! We are just a bunch of folks with experience that we are willing to share.

DANG!
Well, just why the heck should one waste time here if there are no "trained medical professionals" here? How can the advice be good if there are no medical professionals? How could users know more than "trained medical professionals"? . . . sigh . . .

Regards,
Bill

SelfSeeker · Post by **SelfSeeker** » Wed Sep 27, 2006 8:48 pm

Hello Scott,

Did you used to wake up before the CPAP?

Whether or not the pressure changes, I think will do more with if you are having Apnea episodes when you are sleeping then if you wake often.

Are you experiencing insomia or it the mask waking you up?

How do you feel in the morning and during the day?

Snoredog · Post by **Snoredog** » Wed Sep 27, 2006 9:18 pm

ScottB wrote:I have been on my machine for a week now. I was hoping that a good nights sleep was finally in my future but I am finding this to no be true. When I am sleeping I am dreaming a lot more than I used to be and I don't appear to be tossing and turning as much. However I am waking up 5-10 times a night. I am coming to full consciousness. I don't know if this will go away as I get used to the machine or if I am having an apnea that is waking me up. Do I just need to give it more time or is the setting of the machine not correct for me? I am at 10CM right now.

Thanks,

Scott

"You know, the new guy asking all of the questions."

You are now at 10cm pressure, what was your lab found titration pressure?

When you are awaken all the way back to a Wake state that is usually from Central type events possibly caused by having too high pressure.

Pull out your PSG report and look for any note of CA or MA events and also any notation of snoring. These are Central Apnea or Mixed Apnea events.

If your PSG report indicates CA or MA, I would drop your pressure by 1cm and see how it goes. If your PSG does not show any CA or MA events then you could try increasing by 1cm. I would NOT exceed your lab found titration pressure. If your machine is a Vantage, that could be your problem, agressive increases in pressure can disturb your sleep. If an Elite or straight cpap, then try 1cm less.

rested gal · Post by **rested gal** » Wed Sep 27, 2006 9:59 pm

I think most of the wake-ups people experience during their first days/weeks (and for some...months) using CPAP are most likely due to mask issues. It can take quite awhile for many people to get used to this strange new way of trying to sleep with so much stuff on our faces.

Finding a mask that suits (is not leaky and is reasonably comfortable...none of them are going to be pure comfort) is absolutely essential to being able to "do" this kind of treatment.

If a person finds a mask that's *almost* ok but has a few problems, there are often fixes to improve it. Dig into old discussion topics about masks to get ideas that might make a mask work better:
LINKS to MASKS - nasal mask, nasal pillows, nasal prongs

Look for hints about keeping the main air hose from pulling at masks:
LINKS to Hose hangers and methods of managing the air hose

Take advantage of a fabulous resource site that Mile High Sleeper (a poster on this board) has made available:
Mile High Sleeper's great information resource for cpap users.

Goofproof · Post by **Goofproof** » Wed Sep 27, 2006 10:19 pm

The only downside to xpap treatment, is when you get it right, you tend to stay awake all day. Jim

Waking up too many times?

Waking up too many times?

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