Using CPAP while taking naps wake up in fear

[trinimaan]

I have been using my CPAP for a couple years now. I've noticed a couple times taking a nap during the day i wake up in fear, not necessarily a panic attack but scared. Not sure where to begin to get help for this since i use the VA and they are pretty helpless, could it be that my pressure is not set properly. I've googled this and some of the articles point to a buildup of carbon doxide.

Has anyone experienced this issue?

[Julie]

Unless you have actual breathing or respiratory problems, I would ask for a psych consult, though I don't know how the VA might take that. I also think you should download Oscar and post a couple of nights in this thread so we can see what's going on when you're asleep. The sense of fear doesn't happen overnight, only when you nap?

[ChicagoGranny]

I've noticed a couple times taking a nap during the day i wake up in fear, not necessarily a panic attack but scared.

This could easily be a response to a long apnea.

What model machine do you have? Do you know how to read the display to check your AHI and leak level? Do you use OSCAR? http://cpaptalk.com/viewtopic/t88983/Pu ... Hints.html

[chunkyfrog]

Are you using the cpap both at night and for daytime naps?
Some folks think they can get away with just using the cpap at night.
They are wrong.

[Janknitz]

As the frog says, please clarify if you are using CPAP when you nap?

You can have apnea during the day, too, if you are not using your CPAP. It happens to me within minutes of falling asleep without CPAP. When you have apnea, your stress hormones like adrenaline flood your body to try to get you breathing, and that could easily make you perceive fear.

If, on the other hand, you ARE wearing your CPAP when this happens, then it might be something entirely different. In that case, it would be helpful to post your data. Also, are these naps after a meal or snack with a lot of carbohydrates? A sudden drop in blood sugar (blood sugar rises with carbohydrates, then can drop fast when your body finally responds to a big hit of insulin your body makes). That also causes a stress response with adrenaline and cortisol, as your body fights to keep blood sugar up. And that can feel like fear (or anger) too.

Edited to add: I see the title does imply using CPAP during the nap, so posting data is helpful and consider whether a carby meal or snack is involved.

[ChicagoGranny]

Using CPAP while taking naps wake up in fear
Quote trinimaan
by trinimaan » Mon May 24, 2021 4:53 pm

[chunkyfrog]

Using CPAP while taking naps wake up in fear
Quote trinimaan
by trinimaan » Mon May 24, 2021 4:53 pm

Language barrier is possible--phrasing is somewhat unclear.
Maybe missing punctuation after CPAP.
Naps are often taken in rooms other than bedroom.
We need specification.
Is CPAP carried into nap area--or is nap taken in bedroom?
I do not assume.

[kjbarr914]

I've something similar my whole life.

I used to think my blood sugar was dropping when I napped. I'm not diabetic, so there's no reason why this should happen but I bought a glucometer to test my blood glucose on awakening. It was always normal so that's not the cause.

Sleep affects your cortisol levels and I think my body releases too much cortisol when I nap. A cortisol surge can produce feelings of anxiety. I never feel bad when I wake up in the morning, only waking up from naps.

If I use CPAP when I nap, I'm less likely to wake up with this post nap shakiness, but I still get it sometimes even with the CPAP.

[Janknitz]

I used to think my blood sugar was dropping when I napped. I'm not diabetic, so there's no reason why this should happen but I bought a glucometer to test my blood glucose on awakening. It was always normal so that's not the cause.

The question is, do you check your blood sugar BEFORE you nap? Many people who aren't diabetic (yet) experience "false hypos". False hypos occur when your blood sugar starts out high (which may seem normal to you if it's always somewhat elevated, especially after a carby meal), and it drops fast. It may drop into so-called "normal" territory, so you won't appear hypoglycemic on a any blood glucose scale, but a sudden drop of many points will still trigger your body to respond to the perception of hypoglycemia. The person experiencing these symptoms may also have a so-called normal A1C, because that test is an average. If you constantly spike high and drop low, the average will appear in the normal range.

I lived on that roller coaster for decades and woke up hangry with my heart pounding if I fell asleep (way before I was using CPAP) during the day. My blood tests were always "normal".

[chunkyfrog]

Trinimaan has not returned.
Not reading answers?
Or just not answering?
I hoped this would not be another drive-by . . .

[zonker]

Trinimaan has not returned.
Not reading answers?
Or just not answering?
I hoped this would not be another drive-by . . .

we may never know. he hasn't been back since he posted on 5/24.

[Pugsy]

Trinimaan has not returned.
Not reading answers?
Or just not answering?
I hoped this would not be another drive-by . . .

we may never know. he hasn't been back since he posted on 5/24.

Lots of reasons why people don't come back.
1...they were drunk when they posted and forgot all about it when they sobered up
2...they got sick and ended up in the hospital
3...they were in an accident and ended up in the hospital
4...they forgot their log in password.
5...they forgot they posted here at all
6...they had their computer up and die or internet service up and die
7...they went on vacation and left electronics at home
8...they couldn't find the forum again
9...they just wanted to yank our chains and get attention
10....they may have been back and just not logged in and they have read the responses but didn't feel like responding.

[chunkyfrog]

So, not always rude--maybe unlucky, or prone to bad choices . . .

[zonker]

Trinimaan has not returned.
Not reading answers?
Or just not answering?
I hoped this would not be another drive-by . . .

we may never know. he hasn't been back since he posted on 5/24.

Lots of reasons why people don't come back.
1...they were drunk when they posted and forgot all about it when they sobered up
2...they got sick and ended up in the hospital
3...they were in an accident and ended up in the hospital
4...they forgot their log in password.
5...they forgot they posted here at all
6...they had their computer up and die or internet service up and die
7...they went on vacation and left electronics at home
8...they couldn't find the forum again
9...they just wanted to yank our chains and get attention
10....they may have been back and just not logged in and they have read the responses but didn't feel like responding.

did you ever write for david letterman?