New to C Pap

[BeautyQueen]

I just started therapy with a Res Med machine, full face mask a week ago and I wake up every hour or either can not fall asleep at all with the mask on. Last night I slept 4 hours with the machine and woke up feeling more tired than I was before the sleep. Is it normal to feel worse in the beginning of treatment?

[Dog Slobber]

It is normal for many to sleep very poorly when starting CPAP until they get used to it. It's also normal to feel feel very poorly while you're not getting much sleep.

[zonker]

I just started therapy with a Res Med machine, full face mask a week ago and I wake up every hour or either can not fall asleep at all with the mask on. Last night I slept 4 hours with the machine and woke up feeling more tired than I was before the sleep. Is it normal to feel worse in the beginning of treatment?

welcome to the zoo!

as forum friend dogslobber says, quite normal. and we don't all adjust at the same time. some right away some a very long time.

remember your body and brain are getting used to this. it's been, most likely, years of poor sleep and the brain, on one level, was okay with that. it knew what to do to get you through the night.

now, it thinks there is an alien on your face, trying to kill you!!

patience and time will help.

in the meantime, do you know WHICH resmed machine you have?

and do you know what your pressure settings are?

[booksfan]

Someone else chiming in to say that everyone is different!

My husband, a long-time PAPer who started years before me, warned me ahead of time that I would initially feel like I was drowning with the air coming at me, based on his experience. But that once I got used to it, I would start sleeping through the night and wake up completely refreshed, feeling wonderful. Well, I had absolutely no problem getting used to the airflow but it took me more than a year to find a mask I could tolerate! And 3-1/2 years after starting, I am still waiting to sleep through the night . But I did wake up one morning and realize I no longer get out of bed every hour, and most nights not at all, a most welcome change. I am no longer so exhausted that I can't make it through the day without a nap. So, yes, improvement overall, and definitely cannot sleep without my machine.

[Miss Emerita]

BQ, to help you adapt, you might try setting up your machine during the day or evening someplace outside your bedroom. Put your mask on and turn the machine on, then watch TV, read, play games -- something a little distracting. This helps to reassure you mind and body that the alien Z. mentions is friendly.

[zonker]

i wonder if beauty queen will come back?

[BeautyQueen]

Thanks everyone for the responses, I was saddened I thought I was locked off the forum bc I switched phones and could not remember my password as I trust my phone to remember everything I am still fighting to get used to therapy and still only maxing out at 4 hours before I’m back up. However I did try some Restless Leg cream that I’m going to try tonight and hopefully that helps me stay sleep longer.

[clownbell]

Hi BQ - the experts here (I am not one) can help you much better if they can see your OSCAR charts. Please go to the top of the page and find link to download the free OSCAR software. Your PAP machine records the data onto the SD card which is presumably already in the machine. Then you put the SD card into your PC or laptop and open OSCAR which will create your daily charts. The charts contain the details the experts will need before they can make meaningful recommendations. Otherwise, all they can do is make educated guesses. OSCAR is the ticket.

[Pugsy]

Are you sleeping much at all during the 4 hours you are using the machine?
What happens to cause the wake up and not be able to go back to sleep?
Take any medications of any kind? If so, what?
Is the restless leg issue a new problem or something you have had to deal with for a long time? Is it keeping you from sleeping?

[KrisCrossed]

However I did try some Restless Leg cream that I’m going to try tonight and hopefully that helps me stay sleep longer.

If you suffer from restless legs, you might also try a magnesium supplement. 400 mg a day is generally the recommendation. A formulation of magnesium + amino acid is more easily absorbed. Magnesium citrate, magnesium threonate or similar. In my husband's family, low iron also triggers RL. They grew up compensating for this by eating a lot of red meat....

[tlohse]

Just a note not all RESMED CPAP have memory cards. mine has a space for one but I don't have on in it. It sends data via wifi to my sleep doctor and aerocare.

[Pugsy]

Please note that while it seems these new machines don't come with a SD card....easy to get one and make use of available free software that shows a lot more detail than the cellular transmission to MyAir.

And note it is CELLULAR data transmission like cell phones use and NOT WiFi that the docs and DMEs use and MyAir uses.