anxiety, learning to tolerate CPAP

[onward60]

I think that the CPAP provokes anxiety. Oddly, when I practice during the day with the machine I don't feel anxious (although I am listening to a meditation app while I am using it, so there's that). But when I try to sleep at night, I keep getting little jolts of anxiety waking me up. The longest I've lasted with the CPAP is 2 hours. My sister told me her method was to use the CPAP until it woke her up the first time because it "annoyed her," and then take it off. She never tried to fall back asleep with the CPAP on once she woke up in the night. She kept doing that until she slept through the night.

Is my sister's method a reasonable one?

Are these anxiety jolts going to go away as I get used to the CPAP? They are very disturbing. I'm losing a lot of sleep.

Is it OK to not use the CPAP some nights while I am still learning or will that keep me from getting used to it? I'm at a stage that the CPAP is giving me worse sleep, sometimes no sleep. If I have somewhere I really need to be the next day, I can't afford to have a non-night's-sleep.

Has anyone here ever been prescribed an anxiety medication to help them learn to tolerate CPAP?

Thanks.

[Miss Emerita]

I don't recommend your sister's method; it would work only if you were to sleep longer and longer with the machine over time.

Practicing during the day is a really good idea. Try spending some of the time off the meditation app, paying attention to the sensations of the mask and the pressure. Try thinking of the experience as one that will help you be healthy and well-rested. Sometimes when I start my machine at night, that first breath of pressurized air feels great, and I feel safe and taken care of.

I would love to see an Oscar chart for one of your nights. Any chance you can use Oscar? You'd need a laptop or desktop computer, an SD card in your machine, and a way to read the card. What I'm curious about is those little jolts of anxiety. I wonder whether they might be caused by obstructive events. If they are, it might be helpful to adjust your settings.

[onward60]

I don't recommend your sister's method; it would work only if you were to sleep longer and longer with the machine over time.

Practicing during the day is a really good idea. Try spending some of the time off the meditation app, paying attention to the sensations of the mask and the pressure. Try thinking of the experience as one that will help you be healthy and well-rested. Sometimes when I start my machine at night, that first breath of pressurized air feels great, and I feel safe and taken care of.

I would love to see an Oscar chart for one of your nights. Any chance you can use Oscar? You'd need a laptop or desktop computer, an SD card in your machine, and a way to read the card. What I'm curious about is those little jolts of anxiety. I wonder whether they might be caused by obstructive events. If they are, it might be helpful to adjust your settings.

Actually, that's exactly what my sister said happened with her. She kept sleeping longer and longer until she was sleeping through the night.

I recently got an SD card and OSCAR. My son set it up for me. It took awhile because he had COVID and had to stay away. I wasn't sure if the machine was storing data from all of my super-short practice sessions (which I didn't want because I wasn't really asleep) so I cleared the data and then put in the SD card just the other day. I will try to figure out how to get the info onto the computer and then the site. If I can't, then one of my kids can do it on the weekend.

[chunkyfrog]

Using my cpap HELPS with anxiety.
Keep on plugging away until yours helps, too.

[onward60]

Using my cpap HELPS with anxiety.
Keep on plugging away until yours helps, too.

[Miss Emerita]

It’s great that you now have Oscar! When the time comes that you can post a screenshot, use a hosting service like Imgur and post the link to your image. The forum can no longer accept uploads, sigh.

Meanwhile, do you think you might start sleeping longer and longer with the machine, the way your sister did?

[onward60]

It’s great that you now have Oscar! When the time comes that you can post a screenshot, use a hosting service like Imgur and post the link to your image. The forum can no longer accept uploads, sigh.

Meanwhile, do you think you might start sleeping longer and longer with the machine, the way your sister did?

I'm not sure. Up until recently, I always lasted about an hour and a half and then slept poorly or not at all after I took the mask off, I think from thinking too hard about what I was doing. Then I just went 2 hours and then 2 1/2 hours and fell back asleep after I took it off. Maybe it's a trend! Knocking wood very hard!

Of course, I am not really sleeping 2 1/2 hours. Will OSCAR show me how much I really sleep?

[Pugsy]

Will OSCAR show me how much I really sleep?

To be clear about what OSCAR reports and what it doesn't report and what it simply can't report.

First of all OSCAR can only show you the data that the machine can and does gather and report.
Your machine has zero way to know if you are asleep or not so OSCAR can't do that either. The machine can only measure the air flow or non flow that it senses.

Now the machine does offer flow rate or breath by breath reporting data points and we can make a fairly accurate assumption as to sleep status by manually evaluating the flow rate or breathing the machine reports but the machine itself (or the software) can't give you a separate statistic as to how much real sleep you had....if that is what you are asking.

With some education a person can learn to spot probable awake vs asleep breathing (flow rate) but you have to manually figure it out. Sometimes it is really evident but sometimes it's not so easy to figure out.
You first have to become comfortable with OSCAR and learn how to zoom in on the flow rate and then learn how to analyze what you see.

I haven't pushed this on you yet because I didn't want to add more stress for you to have to deal with given your level of stress already and the effect it has on your sleep.

So yes the machine/software data can help figure out awake/arousal vs asleep breathing but only manually once you learn to use some features available in the software and also learn to recognize what you are seeing.
The software (or the machine) does NOT have the ability to give you a data point that says...."you slept 2 hours out of the 4 hours you used the machine"....if that is what you are asking.

[onward60]

Will OSCAR show me how much I really sleep?

To be clear about what OSCAR reports and what it doesn't report and what it simply can't report.

First of all OSCAR can only show you the data that the machine can and does gather and report.
Your machine has zero way to know if you are asleep or not so OSCAR can't do that either. The machine can only measure the air flow or non flow that it senses.

Now the machine does offer flow rate or breath by breath reporting data points and we can make a fairly accurate assumption as to sleep status by manually evaluating the flow rate or breathing the machine reports but the machine itself (or the software) can't give you a separate statistic as to how much real sleep you had....if that is what you are asking.

With some education a person can learn to spot probable awake vs asleep breathing (flow rate) but you have to manually figure it out. Sometimes it is really evident but sometimes it's not so easy to figure out.
You first have to become comfortable with OSCAR and learn how to zoom in on the flow rate and then learn how to analyze what you see.

I haven't pushed this on you yet because I didn't want to add more stress for you to have to deal with given your level of stress already and the effect it has on your sleep.

So yes the machine/software data can help figure out awake/arousal vs asleep breathing but only manually once you learn to use some features available in the software and also learn to recognize what you are seeing.
The software (or the machine) does NOT have the ability to give you a data point that says...."you slept 2 hours out of the 4 hours you used the machine"....if that is what you are asking.

Oh, boy. Maybe I should just skip trying OSCAR until I am wearing the mask longer? Zero percent chance I am going to be able to figure any of that out.

[Miss Emerita]

Oh, please do use Oscar. For one thing, we may be able to see what is prompting those premature wake-ups. Or not, but it's really worth trying. For another thing, we may be able to see that your settings need some revision. Again, or not, but it's really worth trying.

You can explore Oscar's capabilities at your own pace, and with our help if you need it.

[onward60]

Oh, please do use Oscar. For one thing, we may be able to see what is prompting those premature wake-ups. Or not, but it's really worth trying. For another thing, we may be able to see that your settings need some revision. Again, or not, but it's really worth trying.

You can explore Oscar's capabilities at your own pace, and with our help if you need it.

I guess I'll ask one my kids to do the tech-y stuff for me. But it might take a bit. I have to go visit my sister who just had her hip replaced. I know I'll hear about her hip, but it will also be interesting to hear what she decided about her OSA. Last I heard she was considering a dental appliance. My other sister is on CPAP and LOVES it.

[Miss Emerita]

Have a good trip. When you post again, just keep using this same thread.

[onward60]

So, last night I wore the P10. Usually when I wake up in the night, I just take the mask off without thinking so I can fall back asleep easily. Last night I decided to pay attention to what was annoying me that made me want to take it off in the night. Other than the pressure being ramped up, it was wet against my face. I have a heated tube, and I have a humidifier. The climate control says auto. The tube temp says 70. My bedroom is about 68-70 degrees. I use a hose system that raises the tubing high above my head and back toward the wall so that none of it rests on my face. I saw very tiny water droplets inside the mask. Is that rainout? I never quite got what that meant. Is it any condensation in the mask? Or is some normal and it's only rainout when it reaches your face? How do I prevent it? Thanks.

[Pugsy]

I saw very tiny water droplets inside the mask. Is that rainout? I never quite got what that meant. Is it any condensation in the mask? Or is some normal and it's only rainout when it reaches your face?

Yes..that's rain out. Condensation in the mask or hose is considered rain out even if it doesn't necessarily reach your face/skin.

How do I prevent it?

You have several options outlined here in this thread posts number 2 and 3.
http://www.cpaptalk.com/viewtopic/t9403 ... -road.html

Easiest and quickest is probably simply increase the hose air temp via controls on your machine.
You have to set the hose air temp temp control to manual (from auto if it is on auto) to a warmer temp.
How much? No way to know for sure but I would try 78 degrees to start with.

[onward60]

Easiest and quickest is probably simply increase the hose air temp via controls on your machine.
You have to set the hose air temp temp control to manual (from auto if it is on auto) to a warmer temp.
How much? No way to know for sure but I would try 78 degrees to start with.

Thanks. I'll try that first.