Newbie

[mike291068]

oh shit - I just realized I posted the wrong format of my graph - hope no one gets pissed.


Also, not sure if TMI, but this is my last note to my sleep doc


"something that never came up in our original consult is my gut issues. I have had ongoing issues which have yet to be officially diagnosed. Gut doctor suspected "silent reflux" and potentially eosinophyllic esophagitis(never actually confirmed). I had a narrowing of my esophagus which had to be stretched. Anyway, I didn't think it would have any impact on CPAP treatment or vice versa but hoping you can help out.

Is Aerophagia a relatively common side effect of CPAP treatment? I originally assumed aerophagia was causing the diarrhea I am experiencing. In the limited research I was able to do, there is some question as to what the correlation is but my main symptom is diarrhea now. Some days it is less than others, but today for example it is pretty bad. The aerophagia-specific symptoms(bloating, upset stomach) are still present but manageable and not nearly as bad as the diarrhea. Should I take pepto bismol? Will increasing the pressure have an adverse impact? My sleep seems to be getting better some nights but very choppy and still waking often."

anyone have any insights? Thanks again! Happy Friday!

[ChicagoGranny]

Is it obnoxious to keep posting these??

Yes, but the majority of members are masochists, so post away.

Like when I woke up (after sleeping without CPAP) it was almost like adrenaline was running through me??

It probably was. When apneas are experienced, the body produces excess adrenaline which is very unhealthy.

Full disclosure I do have anxiety and depression issues so not sure how much related.

Excess adrenaline produces anxiety. Low sleep quality or insufficient sleep hours produces depression. Sleep apnea is causative for many cases of anxiety and depression.

Aerophagia

What are the symptoms? Is it worse than simply having to fart two or three times upon arising?

Have you studied the wiki on aerophagia? wiki/index.php/Aerophagia

[mike291068]

Is it obnoxious to keep posting these??

Yes, but the majority of members are masochists, so post away.

Like when I woke up (after sleeping without CPAP) it was almost like adrenaline was running through me??

It probably was. When apneas are experienced, the body produces excess adrenaline which is very unhealthy.

Full disclosure I do have anxiety and depression issues so not sure how much related.

Excess adrenaline produces anxiety. Low sleep quality or insufficient sleep hours produces depression. Sleep apnea is causative for many cases of anxiety and depression.

Aerophagia

What are the symptoms? Is it worse than simply having to fart two or three times upon arising?

Have you studied the wiki on aerophagia? wiki/index.php/Aerophagia

Yes much worse than a few farts - let's just I've spent a fair amount of time today on the throne Regarding the causative nature, it never occurred to me in 40 years that it (the anxiety and depression) could be primarily because of sleep. I always assumed it was the opposite. I think in my case it is somewhere in between if that makes sense but I am already seeing major changes in my everyday life and thought patterns which is super encouraging. I am grateful that I finally found out!! (I had no idea I had sleep apnea and the impact it has had on me!) and I am grateful there is so much info out here and so many people who want to help!!

[ChicagoGranny]

Regarding the causative nature, it never occurred to me in 40 years that it (the anxiety and depression) could be primarily because of sleep. I always assumed it was the opposite.

Militaries knew this at least a century ago. They would 'break' POWs by sleep deprivation. The medical and mental health industries have been very slow to recognize the connection. Many are still oblivious.

[mike291068]

I wasn't sure whether to start a new thread on this or continue so BEAR with me The hurdle of the day is whether to sleep at all without the CPAP. . Last night, I had my mask on from 11-9:30. I was still tired this AM(go figure) so decided to take mask off and see what happened. I did fall back asleep for a bit and got "different" sleep. I can't even really describe how it's different but it doesn't feel bad and I'm wondering if this helping, hurting or doesn't matter?? It actually feels like it's helping sleeping for these short periods without it. I think I know the answer but will ask again and look forward to feedback.

[Pugsy]

I see at least 3 breaks in therapy where the machine was turned off and back on again...and I assume there were more times where you were awake as well.
This all adds up to crappy sleep quality and with crappy sleep quality we feel crappy during the day. This is true no matter what the cause.

You have to decide which is worse...feeling crappy from untreated apnea or feeling crappy from apnea being treated but crappy sleep from something else (either cpap, mask or whatever causing you to wake up).
If you are having a lot of spontaneous arousals unrelated to the mask or cpap...those are going to happen no matter if you use cpap or don't use cpap.

While we can't expect cpap to fix all our sleep quality problems we sure don't expect it to make things worse and for some people just wearing the mask and the machine doing its thing will mess with sleep quality and make things worse.
Your choice how much time and/or energy you want to put into fixing problems created by cpap itself. They are all fixable but no one ever said it as easy or fast for everyone.

[Dog Slobber]

I was still tired this AM(go figure) so decided to take mask off and see what happened. I did fall back asleep for a bit and got "different" sleep. I can't even really describe how it's different but it doesn't feel bad and I'm wondering if this helping, hurting or doesn't matter??

It matters and it's hurting.

CPAP therapy is not just about getting better sleep. it's about harm reduction to your body.

Sleeping with untreated Sleep Apnea damages one's body.

You are also creating an association, whenever you're not sleeping well or can't sleep, your solution is to take the mask off. This association will become stronger, then habit, then potentially lead to more bouts of not using the mask.

You've only been using the mask for a couple weeks, your body still hasn't completely adapted to it, the more you wear it, the more accustomed you get.

You're not going to get permission from too many here to keep taking it off, unless there is a compelling reason too. Poorer sleep quality in the first few weeks is not that reason.

[zonker]

I wasn't sure whether to start a new thread on this or continue so BEAR with me

if you wish, you can change the title of this post to something like "mike's therapy thread" or what have you.

i haven't been following it because of it's current title, but then got curious because of the number of posts.

but that's just me.

[mike291068]

I wasn't sure whether to start a new thread on this or continue so BEAR with me

if you wish, you can change the title of this post to something like "mike's therapy thread" or what have you.

i haven't been following it because of it's current title, but then got curious because of the number of posts.

but that's just me.

I tried to change it and couldn't - if you noticed I've been changing the title within the individual posts Like I said, wasn't sure where/how to post. If you tell me how to change the main title I would be happy to. Thanks!

[Dog Slobber]

I tried to change it and couldn't - if you noticed I've been changing the title within the individual posts Like I said, wasn't sure where/how to post. If you tell me how to change the main title I would be happy to. Thanks!

Change it on the 1st post. That will change the title that's presented on the forum topic list.

[zonker]

I tried to change it and couldn't - if you noticed I've been changing the title within the individual posts Like I said, wasn't sure where/how to post. If you tell me how to change the main title I would be happy to. Thanks!

ah! i see firnd dog slobber has answered.

so do like that!

[mike291068]

Pugsy/Dogslobber - thanks for input if you read each other's posts you will see my conundrum. I don't know how much of this is sleep apnea and how much something else(anxiety/depression). It seems like an impossible puzzle to figure out. I was only recently diagnosed with sleep apnea as it never even occurred to me that I had it. Since I've been doing CPAP I have noted definite changes, mostly positive. I haven't had uninterrupted sleep in decades. Some nights my sleep seems to be improving, others not so much. I don't see the frequent wakeups going away anytime soon but who knows.


My assumption and hope is that the CPAP is helping and my body has been so sleep deprived for so long it is going to take a while to adjust but I don't know for sure. I can sense the frustration in you guys just imagine being me

[Dog Slobber]

ah! i see firnd dog slobber has answered.

so do like that!

Careful who you're calling firnd.

[ChicagoGranny]

I was only recently diagnosed with sleep apnea as it never even occurred to me that I had it.

What caused you to seek a sleep study?

my body has been so sleep deprived for so long it is going to take a while to adjust but I don't know for sure.

It may take some time to adjust because it's a totally new way of sleeping.

Good sleep is about more than CPAP. Did you review this checklist? --->

Good Sleep for CPAPers

- Practice good sleep hygiene (Google it and read several sources; ignore extreme advice.)
- Eat a good diet
- Have a regular, moderate exercise program
- Try to avoid daytime naps
- Practice total abstinence of caffeine including sources like chocolate (sigh)
- Review all medicines, vitamins and supplements you are taking to make sure none are interfering with sleep
- Use the bedroom for sleeping (and sex) only, and make sure the bedroom and bed are comfortable.
- Learn to appropriately handle emotional stress in your life
- Do not listen to your breathing or the sound of the machine as you are falling asleep. (Some people, including me, actually find listening to their breathing and the sound of the machine to be relaxing.)
- Distract your mind by thinking of a pleasant, relaxing activity that you enjoy.
- If you are awakening at night, do not be too concerned. It is actually a normal part of sleep. (It does become a problem though for people who, when they awaken, become frustrated and have difficulty returning to sleep.)
- Use CPAP software, such as the free OSCAR (or the free SleepyHead), to make sure your therapy is optimized
- If you still don't feel or sleep well, make sure you have regular medical checkups to confirm there are no other medical problems

This is a checklist. Some of the things you already do. Some are easy and can be done right away. Others you can work at over time.

CG

[mike291068]

I was only recently diagnosed with sleep apnea as it never even occurred to me that I had it.

What caused you to seek a sleep study?
I was waking acting out my dreams swinging and kicking. I decided to video myself and noticed every time I seemed to drift into deep sleep I would stop breathing/choke/snore and wake up.

my body has been so sleep deprived for so long it is going to take a while to adjust but I don't know for sure.

It may take some time to adjust because it's a totally new way of sleeping.

Good sleep is about more than CPAP. Did you review this checklist? --->

Good Sleep for CPAPers

- Practice good sleep hygiene (Google it and read several sources; ignore extreme advice.)
- Eat a good diet
- Have a regular, moderate exercise program
- Try to avoid daytime naps
- Practice total abstinence of caffeine including sources like chocolate (sigh)
- Review all medicines, vitamins and supplements you are taking to make sure none are interfering with sleep
- Use the bedroom for sleeping (and sex) only, and make sure the bedroom and bed are comfortable.
- Learn to appropriately handle emotional stress in your life
- Do not listen to your breathing or the sound of the machine as you are falling asleep. (Some people, including me, actually find listening to their breathing and the sound of the machine to be relaxing.)
- Distract your mind by thinking of a pleasant, relaxing activity that you enjoy.
- If you are awakening at night, do not be too concerned. It is actually a normal part of sleep. (It does become a problem though for people who, when they awaken, become frustrated and have difficulty returning to sleep.)
- Use CPAP software, such as the free OSCAR (or the free SleepyHead), to make sure your therapy is optimized
- If you still don't feel or sleep well, make sure you have regular medical checkups to confirm there are no other medical problems

This is a checklist. Some of the things you already do. Some are easy and can be done right away. Others you can work at over time.

CG

Yes I did review and do as much as I can. I don't want to get into details but my therapist says she's never seen anyone more committed to fixing themself