New CPAP User Sleep and Adjustment Problems

[youngag]

Hi, I was recently diagnosed with Moderate Obstructive Sleep Apnea and have been provided a DreamStation with humidifier and a RESMED AirFit F30 mask, full face.
My few days using the machine have been very hard and less than 3 hours a day. I am totally committed to getting this right, but I am unable to fall asleep when wearing the mask, I have increased loud buzzing in my head and I am getting increasingly uncomfortable with the mask. When I realize I am not going to be able to sleep with the mask and DreamStation, I take it off and sleep "normally." I have to be able to function in the morning.

I was prescribed with 8.0 pressure. After not having any luck the first two days, I manually set it for 5.0 and am gradually inching it up a .5 notch each day to help me adjust. The strategy does not seem to be working. Here is my screenshot from last night. I had the mask on when I went to bed, took it off after about 2 hours and tried again this morning. Any advice would be very much appreciated!

screenshot-20190601-142819.png (404.16 KiB) Viewed 3992 times

[Julie]

Was there a reason you were given a plain Cpap vs an Auto machine (which is at a fairly low setting?

I understand your instinct to have lowered it, but you're going to wrong way in terms of optimizing therapy.

And are you wearing the mask uncomfortably tight (possibly to try and stop leakage)? Also not a good idea.

[LSAT]

Was there a reason you were given a plain Cpap vs an Auto machine (which is at a fairly low setting?

I understand your instinct to have lowered it, but you're going to wrong way in terms of optimizing therapy.

And are you wearing the mask uncomfortably tight (possibly to try and stop leakage)? Also not a good idea.

What makes you think he's got a fixed pressure machine? Icon and report shows auto. Pressure was 4.0/8.0 now 5.50/6.50. I agree he's making arbitrary changes that make no sense.

[Julie]

He was prescribed a single (8) pressure, and on the chart there's only one (6.5) showing... or am I seeing the wrong thing?

[LSAT]

He was prescribed a single (8) pressure, and on the chart there's only one (6.5) showing... or am I seeing the wrong thing?

At the bottom of all 5 columns, (Pressure statistics)...it shows his min and max pressure. His profile shows Auto.

[youngag]

I was prescribed 8.0. I started using the Ramp feature at the recommendation of my DM, so it starts 4.0/8.0. It felt too strong and that is when I decided to begin at 5.0 and gradually increase to help me get used to it.

Last night was a fail again. I was at 6.5 and although I was tired at 11 pm, when I started the cpap it felt like I was energized and could not sleep. I tried reading and gave up at 12:30 and took the mask off.

The mask is uncomfortable, I will try a new mask. I can push through the discomfort, but I need to sleep.

If I go back to the original settings, 4.0/8.0 (using RAMP) is there a possibility that I will feel sleepy again?

[LSAT]

viewtopic/t172378/Sticky--Newbies-PLEAS ... STING.html

[youngag]

Was there a reason you were given a plain Cpap vs an Auto machine (which is at a fairly low setting?
I know the machine is capable of Auto, but the doctor's prescription was for CPAP (E0601) (1/mo): 8 cmH2O

I understand your instinct to have lowered it, but you're going to wrong way in terms of optimizing therapy.
I was trying for a gradual adjustment since the air pressure was bothering me when it ramped up to 8.0.

And are you wearing the mask uncomfortably tight (possibly to try and stop leakage)? Also not a good idea.

I think I have the mask adjusted with the straps so its not too tight. I am finding it uncomfortable with the warm air around my face. I want to try a nose mask.

What makes you think he's got a fixed pressure machine? Icon and report shows auto. Pressure was 4.0/8.0 now 5.50/6.50. I agree he's making arbitrary changes that make no sense.

[Miss Emerita]

Youngag, you’re smart to plan on trying a different mask. A lot of people have to try several before finding the one that’s right for them. (I tried four myself.)

If you want to try a nose mask, you might want to consider the ResMed P 10, which has nasal pillows and a minimalist headgear. Pillows sit on the ends of your nostrils. You’ll want a starter pack that includes all three pillow sizes so you can pick the size that’s best for you. Also, there are two sizes for headgear: regular, and “for her.” ( Someday ResMed will realize that their “for her” designations do nothing but drive away potential male customers.)

With any kind of nose-only mask, you will need to find ways to keep your mouth closed. There are lots of ways to do this: tongue placement, chin strap, neck collar, tape.

You might also want to take a look at these recommendations about “sleep hygiene”:

https://www.sleepassociation.org/about- ... iene-tips/

If you follow them for about a month, you may well start having better sleep.

Good luck, and keep posting!

[youngag]

Thanks Miss Emerita! I will see what mask options appeal to me and talk with my doctor. This is much harder than I imagined. I appreciate the kind words here.

[RogerSC]

Going to suggest using a sleep aid for a week. When I started cpap I couldn't get to sleep with all the gear the first night, so I got in touch with my sleep doctor and he gave me a short-term prescription for Ambien. Used that for a week, and by the end of the week, I was able to sleep with all the gear just fine. Quit the Ambien, and things have been fine since. The other thing that helps me is ear plugs...I use the foam kind that you compress, and they expand after you put them in your ears. This keeps external sounds muffled, and I just hear my own breathing, which is much less of a problem than all the cpap air noises.

Just a thought, don't know if you're on other medications that might conflict with a sleep aid or not. And ear plugs are apparently not everyone's cup of tea *smile*. Passing along the things that helped me get jiggy wit cpap *smile*.

[youngag]

Thank you Roger, those are good solutions and my doctor has offered a sleep aid. I am doing better, using the mask about 7 hours a night. But, I often am up when my nostrils close. I am using flomax and saline solution to help. They help, but I have not yet found my best combination. I really appreciate your encouragement.

[Muse-Inc]

...often am up when my nostrils close. I am using flomax and saline solution to help. They help, but I have not yet found my best combination...

I have chronic nasal congestion that comes and goes while I sleep. My mask allows me to breathe through my nose or mouth without losing therapy air (click on it in my signature to view it). Too, I have claustrophobia; I cannot see the mask when it it on, so it doesn't trigger my fear. Ocean in the can (it's pressurized) washes out sinuses. If congestion is horrid, I use the Grossan Nasal Irrigator, sounds gross, works great. All sinus washes a few hours before maskup so sinuses are drained of saline. There is a thread here on the Navage device that might be an option.

[kteague]

You mention not liking the warm air on your face, and about congestion. Have you tried lowering your humidifier setting to see if your sinuses respond better to cooler air? I get congested and snotty if I turn my humidifier up enough to feel warm air.Everyone is different in that respect. I tend to think too low of a treatment pressure (and ramp pressure too) is more problematic than pressure a little higher. It usually takes only a few nights to adjust to the full needed pressure (except maybe those with high pressure needs). Adjusting to too low of a pressure will never happen; it's as if the brain senses impending suffocation and can't relax enough to sleep soundly. That's why lowering one's pressure can be counter intuitive unless one is certain higher pressure is the source of the sleep issues.