frustrations getting started

[sleeplessBoston]

I am new at this and have only been using my CPAP for 9 days but so far it has been a very frustrating experience. I have always had trouble falling asleep and using a CPAP is not helping. I was diagnosed with Sleep Apnea & it seems to run in the family. I am using a ResMed S8 AutoSet II with the Swift LT nasal pillows with the humidifier and feel like I am sufficating. I put the pillows on, set the "settling" for 45 minutes, read & try to relax. 2 hours (and sometimes 3 hours) later I am still awake, tossing and turning, & finally pull the pillows off. So far I have only been able to fall asleep 3 nights out of 9 using the CPAP. Even on those nights I only slept for 4 hours before waking up. I have moved out of the bedroom until I can get adjusted to this so at least my spouse can get some sleep. I'm headed back to the technician in a couple of days to talk about changing to a mask to see if that helps my feeling of suffication. I don't breath through my mouth & don't feel I need the full face mask. I am also considering asking for meds to help me fall asleep. I am tired, cranky, & frustrated.

[Gerryk]

Welcome aboard.
You don't say what your pressure is set at. Sometimes if the pressure is set too low you will get that suffocating feeling. It happened to me and I couldn't do anything about it except turn the pressure up some.

Gerry

[brazospearl]

What are your settings? I'm newer than you are at this hosehead business, but I know that's the 1st thing these good people will ask you to share! I'm using the same machine you are--do you know how to check/change your settings and view your results?

[sleeplessBoston]

The "settling" starts at 6 & goes up to 10.5. This is preset by the technician & I can't change it. After a few minutes I try to adjust myself and calm down my breathing but the whole idea of having something that close to my face is driving me nuts.

[packitin]

deleted

[Muse-Inc]

The "settling" starts at 6 & goes up to 10.5. This is preset by the technician & I can't change it. After a few minutes I try to adjust myself and calm down my breathing but the whole idea of having something that close to my face is driving me nuts.

It's your therapy; you can change the settings. Do you need the manual? What exactly do you mean by suffocation? Too little air (sucking air in, breathe extra deep) or too much air (ie, the hurricane)? A setting of 6 might not be enough pressure, raising it to 7 might work better for you -- what pressure were you titrated to? What are your overnight numbers? Leak, AHI, AI, 95thcentile pressure? Logging all this data every morning helps you identify what works and what doesn't. It also tells you how effective your treatment is...after you get acclimated.

I have claustrophobia and must wear a full face mask; as a result, finding a FFM was a challenge until I saw the RespCare Hybrid, it covers the mouth, has pillows, does not cover the nose, does not touch the forehead, so it does not trigger my claustrophobia.
http://www.mergenetsolutions.com/hybrid ... _image.jpg

[BlackSpinner]

You may need some sleep aids for the first week or two. You are not suffocating, you know that. Your subconscious doesn't know it. It has been working over time for many years try to keep you alert while asleep to keep you alive and it is not giving up just because you stuck some weird thing on your face! Sleep aids will show it that you won't die with this thing.

Once you have verified the levels that bother you and made the adjustments suggested you need to look at these things to help you:

Relaxation techniques, meditation, affirmations, NLP, aromatherapy, music or a combination of these are some ways to "reprogram your operating system" Do not reward your subconscious by taking it off, if you must take it off, talk to your self how good it is for you and put it back on. Sometimes you just have to put it through boot camp and take some time off to be tired.

[Gerryk]

I would only use sleep aids as a last resort. You did say one thing that really popped out "having something that close to your face is driving you nuts." Have you ever had a problem before with claustrophobia? Perhaps this may work for you as it has worked for many others, it doesn't help everyone but it's worth a try.

Take your machine and mask and set it up where you watch tv. Find a program you want to watch or that will really get you engrosed in the show. Start watching the show and put your mask on and turn the machine on. This will hopefully help you become more comfortable with your mask. Moving out of your bedroom will not help, it will probably make things worst for you as your changing too much. Adding a cpap machine which adds noise, adding a mask which you are uncomfortbale with adding the hose, adding the stress of all of this going on and any problems that may pop up then leaving your spouse in bed and going someplace else in the house to sleep. Those are all stessers and will work against you, and you may have other things too. Try to remove as many of those stressers as you can.

Wearing that mask with the machine running will help you even if you don't notice it at first. You will get more comfortable with the noise of the machine, the hose bumping into you and hopefully the mask and the little tugs on the mask that you occasionally get from the hose.

Best of luck.

Gerry

[riveredge1]

Sleepytime tea was my big helper as i was same as you and still have my moments of 'why me' but last night no tea first time and 6 hours only 1 break--i couldnt even read about all this or look at the pics of masks and machines and blew it all off for some time--took my sweet time getting machine ---like these experts on this cpap talk say --it will come together once you start feeling good-and it does take baby steps and backwards steps and pauses and all that stuff for some of us--hang in there. I make sleepytea 2 bags and mix with decaf rasberry touch of homey and drink 1 hr before bed--relaxing and no side effects like the sleeping pills had. over counter sleeping aids dry sinus bad--be careful----

[mipookiebear]

Welcome sleeplessBoston,
You sound just like me in the begining of my therapy. Except I started with a nasal mask and felt like I was sufficating after a few hours of sleep. I knew it was my mind playing tricks on me & I had to overcome this feeling. So I took my mask off for a couple of minutes & then put it back on. I also switch between a full face mask & nasal mask. I tried the nasal pillows, but have not figured out how to stand the pressure on nose yet. Hope this helps. Christine

[sleeplessBoston]

My thanks to all of you for your suggestions. I read at night (tv doesn't help me relax but reading does) for 45 minutes - 1 hour with the pillows/CPAP on so I have been trying to become accustomed to it before turning the lights out. Tonight I will add the relaxation CD & see if that helps. Thanks again I'll let you know how it goes.

[Reddwarf]

I too had 9sometimes still have) trouble getting to sleep with the CPAP. I tried using the nasal pillows and it did not help me at all. I would wake up feeling like I couldn't breathe, yet air was being pumped in?! I gave up on the nasal pillow and went back to the nose mask. I recently had nasal surgery and the ENT says I should be able to tolerate a nasal pillow after I'm healed. We will see. You may want to try a different mask.

Some things that have helped me get to sleep with the CPAP:
- changing mask
- sleep aid (ambien)
- meditation

Good luck!