On CPAP 1 Month. Can Only Sleep Half the Night

[Metavirus]

Hi everyone. I'm so glad a friend recommended this site to me.

I wanted to reach out and see if anyone has any advice for me.

I did my sleep test a month ago and they put me on CPAP about a couple hours into it (apparently apnea was indicated).

I received a modern RESMED CPAP device (e.g., with heated humidifier, wireless device to transmit sleep data, etc.) with a couple of CPAP masks (Zest) and pillows (SWIFT LT) to try (see imgs below from http://www.amazon.com/RESMED-SWIFT-LT-P ... B0021MKOII and http://www.amazon.com/Zest-Nasal-CPAP-M ... 064&sr=1-1 )



I tried the Zest mask setup but came to realize that I was too fixated on the sensation of air being blown against the areas of the nose that the mask covered. It was hard to get to sleep and I got leaks when I moved.

I've mostly been using the Swift pillows and have partially gotten used to them. They generally don't bother me when it comes to getting to sleep anymore.

HOWEVER, I am having a problem sleeping through the whole night with it on.

Almost like clockwork, I am sleeping without any issues (from about a 11:30 average bedtime) until 3:30-4:30 in the morning. At that point, I wake up enough to really take stock of my situation, adjust my cpap pillows a few times and try to fall back asleep. I just can't do it for some reason. I can't get back to sleep until I take the mask off. Once I take it off, I can fall asleep until I am normally supposed to get up (7ish on weekdays, 8-9 on weekends)

Has anyone here ever had a similar problem? Anyone know of any ways to deal with this? Am I getting ANY benefit of using the CPAP if I can only use it for 1/2 - 2/3rds of the night?

I haven't had my follow-up meeting with the sleep docs so I would LOVE to hear from you with your experience, ideas and suggestions. THANKS, SO MUCH!

(P.S. Please vote in the poll up above if you have a minute)

[JohnBFisher]

Okay, I'll take a stab at an answer. You're fun poll deserves at least that!

But I'll answer by using a quote from Rooster (aka Roster .. he seems to have lost a vowel recently. He claims it's nothing much, but I suspect some back room card game was involved! )

In response to wlenz, he made a remark that really stuck with me. And there's a lot of wisdom in it:

This forum proved to me that I had the wrong machine, wrong mask, and the wrong settings.

The 3 'W's - that pretty much sums up 90% of what we learn when we are new on the forum!

Even in your post you noted:

I tried the Zest mask setup but came to realize that I was too fixated on the sensation of air being blown against the areas of the nose that the mask covered. It was hard to get to sleep and I got leaks when I moved.

So, we need to find the right combination to help you sleep better. And let's face it. Sleeping with a mask on is NOT a natural thing to do. You are definitely not alone. But you can and will find a combination that works well for you.

[roster]

Also friend, back up for a second and see if you can answer all the questions in this document - viewtopic.php?f=1&t=48056

You won't find many people on the forum who agree with sleeping part time with CPAP. For most of us even sleeping 15 minutes on the sofa we insist on CPAP. We are 100 percenters. But don't get discouraged, it may take some time to get to 100 percent. Often the 3 'W's need to be corrected first.

Don't forget your body has not slept a whole night in years (apneas were waking you throughout the night) and may take some time to adjust. But typically, once the 3 'W's are corrected, you will sleep.

[PST]

Am I getting ANY benefit of using the CPAP if I can only use it for 1/2 - 2/3rds of the night?

Yes, absolutely. A full night is better, of course, and I'm sure no one would suggest not trying for the full night, but getting four to five straight hours of sleep uninterrupted by arousals due to obstructive sleep apnea is a good thing. It allows you to reach deep sleep stages and REM sleep that you may have been missing out on for a long time. It reduces by half to two thirds the time spend in danger of deep oxygen desaturation.

In addition, when you consider the broad range of experiences people report here, getting four to five hours of good sleep with the mask right from early in your CPAP career puts you ahead in the adaptation game.

[Metavirus]

Thanks to everyone who has responded thus far. I am starting to feel less anxious about my adaptation to the CPAP!

[harry33]

try melatonin tablets, also take daytime naps using CPAP

[YawnGirl]

I have this EXACT problem!! I get so frustrated!
Fall asleep as soon as my head hits the pillow, then 3:30 to 4:30, wide awake. Like an internal alarm clock went off.
My doc put me on klonopin. It's a seizure medication that causes drowsiness, quick. It does have some side effects but I have not experienced any of them. I was prescribed .5mg but I actually only take 1/4 of that to get back to sleep once awake. The effects only seem to last about 2 1/2 to 3 hours. I have had success for the last couple of weeks with it getting me back to sleep in about 15 minutes. It was cheap enough to try about $11 for 30 pills generic.

I can't take ambien or anything like it because I can't seem to wake from it at ANY dosage.

[roster]

I have this EXACT problem!! I get so frustrated!
Fall asleep as soon as my head hits the pillow, then 3:30 to 4:30, wide awake. Like an internal alarm clock went off.
My doc put me on klonopin. It's a seizure medication that causes drowsiness, quick. It does have some side effects but I have not experienced any of them. I was prescribed .5mg but I actually only take 1/4 of that to get back to sleep once awake. The effects only seem to last about 2 1/2 to 3 hours. I have had success for the last couple of weeks with it getting me back to sleep in about 15 minutes. It was cheap enough to try about $11 for 30 pills generic.

I can't take ambien or anything like it because I can't seem to wake from it at ANY dosage.

I strongly recommend against benzodiazepines for sleeplessness and insomnia.

Tolerance can develop to their effects and there is also a risk of dependence and upon discontinuation a withdrawal syndrome may occur. These factors, combined with other possible secondary effects after prolonged use such as psychomotor, cognitive or memory impairments, limit their long term applicability. The effects of long-term use or misuse include the tendency to cause or worsen cognitive deficits, depression and anxiety.

Guidelines issued by the UK-based National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) do not recommend use of benzodiazepines beyond two to four weeks, as tolerance and physical dependence develop rapidly.

they worsen sleep quality by increasing light sleep and decreasing deep sleep. Other drawbacks of hypnotics, including benzodiazepines, are possible tolerance to their effects, rebound insomnia and reduced slow wave sleep and a withdrawal period typified by rebound insomnia and a prolonged period of anxiety and agitation

Despite all of this, many doctors prescribe them. I suspect it is to get a frustrated patient out of their office.

Ambien is even worse.

[YawnGirl]

I have this EXACT problem!! I get so frustrated!
Fall asleep as soon as my head hits the pillow, then 3:30 to 4:30, wide awake. Like an internal alarm clock went off.
My doc put me on klonopin. It's a seizure medication that causes drowsiness, quick. It does have some side effects but I have not experienced any of them. I was prescribed .5mg but I actually only take 1/4 of that to get back to sleep once awake. The effects only seem to last about 2 1/2 to 3 hours. I have had success for the last couple of weeks with it getting me back to sleep in about 15 minutes. It was cheap enough to try about $11 for 30 pills generic.

I can't take ambien or anything like it because I can't seem to wake from it at ANY dosage.

I strongly recommend against benzodiazepines for sleeplessness and insomnia.

Tolerance can develop to their effects and there is also a risk of dependence and upon discontinuation a withdrawal syndrome may occur. These factors, combined with other possible secondary effects after prolonged use such as psychomotor, cognitive or memory impairments, limit their long term applicability. The effects of long-term use or misuse include the tendency to cause or worsen cognitive deficits, depression and anxiety.

Guidelines issued by the UK-based National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) do not recommend use of benzodiazepines beyond two to four weeks, as tolerance and physical dependence develop rapidly.

they worsen sleep quality by increasing light sleep and decreasing deep sleep. Other drawbacks of hypnotics, including benzodiazepines, are possible tolerance to their effects, rebound insomnia and reduced slow wave sleep and a withdrawal period typified by rebound insomnia and a prolonged period of anxiety and agitation

Despite all of this, many doctors prescribe them. I suspect it is to get a frustrated patient out of their office.

Ambien is even worse.

I have heard this about this type of drug before but I haven't seen this yet. It's only been about four weeks. My doc doesn't seem to think it's going to be a problem for me as I was on vicatin for 4 months after a back injury and never developed an addiction.

[roster]

I have heard this about this type of drug before but I haven't seen this yet. It's only been about four weeks. My doc doesn't seem to think it's going to be a problem for me as I was on vicatin for 4 months after a back injury and never developed an addiction.

You are taking a very low dose once per day. I doubt you will every have much problem with it, but I also doubt that the net effects are positive for you. The altered sleep architecture probably outweighs any good effects.

I believe that practicing very good sleep hygiene will do more good for you and have no bad side effects.

[WindCpap]

Once I take it off, I can fall asleep until I am normally supposed to get up (7ish on weekdays, 8-9 on weekends)

Your issue and its cause are one and the same. You have trained your body that when it wakes up at 3:30-4:30 in the morning (this is probably at the end of your second or third sleep cycle), more sleep involves taking off your cpap mask. The solution is to refuse to sleep without it. If you must take it off, get up and go do something else, but never sleep without your mask. You have a weekend coming up. I suggest arranging to take Monday off, and starting with new habits tonight. I am sorry that you couldn't get this key piece of information earlier on as you could have saved yourself a lot of headache. It is why I recommend starting CPAP on a long weekend if at all possible.

[SleepingBearDoNtWake]

I don't have an answer, but want to encourage you to keep at it. Wearing it for part of a night is better than nothing, maybe by doing that, you will get used it it and sleep the whole night, who knows. Cpap is very hard for some people, it was so hard for me, but once I got used to it, I can't be with out it.

A different mask my help, I have found the swift fx to be great, see if you can try some on and find one that might feeling more comfortable, that might just help you sleep.
Please keep us updated on your progress.

Peace,

Mike

[OkyDoky]

Once I take it off, I can fall asleep until I am normally supposed to get up (7ish on weekdays, 8-9 on weekends)

Your issue and its cause are one and the same. You have trained your body that when it wakes up at 3:30-4:30 in the morning (this is probably at the end of your second or third sleep cycle), more sleep involves taking off your cpap mask. The solution is to refuse to sleep without it. If you must take it off, get up and go do something else, but never sleep without your mask. You have a weekend coming up. I suggest arranging to take Monday off, and starting with new habits tonight. I am sorry that you couldn't get this key piece of information earlier on as you could have saved yourself a lot of headache. It is why I recommend starting CPAP on a long weekend if at all possible.

I guess you guys are talking to the general public which is not necessarily a bad thing but Metavirus hasn't been around since 2010. I hope he has figured out his answer by now.

[WindCpap]

oops. Didn't realize somebody had bumped an old post.

[OkyDoky]

oops. Didn't realize somebody had bumped an old post.

Yeah. These old polls pop up frequently.