Wake Up After 2 Hours

[Beachmeezer]

My doctor gave me a limited supply of Ambien to get me through what he calls the "honeymoon" period. That helped me adjust a little better. It took probably 3 weeks before I stopped ripping the mask off in my sleep but I have done great the last several nights. It's also great for insomnia! Short term use only, of course.

Same here. Made a HUGE difference. I can now sleep through the night with the mask no Ambien. - Kim

[napstress]

Wow, thanks, archangle. Is it customary for sleep doctors not to let patients know about the Encore Viewer Software? It seems like a good idea to have immediate feedback about it's working. I keep a journal, but only see the sleep specialist every month or so.

Thanks, also, robysue, about asking the doctor to bring the insomnia in as a factor when addressing compliance issues. The insomnia is what brought me to her office in the first place!

[Sleepless Sap]

I have only had my machine for 1 week but haven't gotten more than 2 hours of sleep in a row. The first two nights I kept my mask on the entire night and my machine registered less than 4 hours on both nights. I have been ripping my mask off during the night and find when I wake up in the morning the mask is not on. The first two nights I felt like I only got 2 hours of sleep but I stuck it out. I am exhausted and it's starting to affect my functioning. When I have kept the mask on, I wake up feeling like I'm suffocating. It's a horrible feeling. I know I'm sleeping with my mouth closed as my mouth is not dried out when I wake up and my spouse has said I am. My prescription is a set number - not variable. What have others' experiences been with variable versus fixed number of pressure?

[zoocrewphoto]

I have only had my machine for 1 week but haven't gotten more than 2 hours of sleep in a row. The first two nights I kept my mask on the entire night and my machine registered less than 4 hours on both nights. I have been ripping my mask off during the night and find when I wake up in the morning the mask is not on. The first two nights I felt like I only got 2 hours of sleep but I stuck it out. I am exhausted and it's starting to affect my functioning. When I have kept the mask on, I wake up feeling like I'm suffocating. It's a horrible feeling. I know I'm sleeping with my mouth closed as my mouth is not dried out when I wake up and my spouse has said I am. My prescription is a set number - not variable. What have others' experiences been with variable versus fixed number of pressure?

What is your pressure, and are you using the ramp feature. Sometimes, if the pressure is too low, we feel like we are suffocating.

If you register and add your equipment, it will be a lot easier for people to give you specific advice.

[lectrond]

All the solutions to CPAP induced insomnia in the above instructions, work towards treating the insomnia as being caused by some other outside influence. Sleep hygiene makes sense if one of those influences are to blame, but in my case, the insomnia started with the machine and now, one month later, it is at full rage. Has it occurred to anyone that the treatment itself is causing the problem. I mean, not the mask, or the sound, but the fact that air is being forced into your lungs. My test said that I stopped breathing 100 times an hour, with the CPAP, its now supposedly, 2. It that to much of a change. If the doctors are specialized in sleep disorder, why swap one disorder for another. Why is the CPAP treatment more important than actual sleep. The insurance company's have put in the 4 hour thing because people in the past were getting the machines and giving up. I want CPAP to work, but I want our medical field to create solutions and stop dumping it all on the patient. No I don't think going to strict Sleep Hygiene will do anything. I think the industry should look into CPAP Induced Insomnia as a real thing, as a side effect of the treatment and not a function of how I relate to bedtime. I hope for more research.

[Pugsy]

Has it occurred to anyone that the treatment itself is causing the problem. I mean, not the mask, or the sound, but the fact that air is being forced into your lungs.

The machine isn't forcing any air into your lungs. It can't blow that hard to force air into the lungs. You are inhaling as always. The only thing that has changed is that when you inhale the air is no longer being blocked by the collapsed airway tissues.
The machine can't even blow up a balloon at max pressure....it's that mild.
Now could the overall situation itself cause insomnia...sure it could but it's not because the machine is forcing anything into your lungs.

[palerider]

Has it occurred to anyone that the treatment itself is causing the problem.

No.

I mean, not the mask, or the sound, but the fact that air is being forced into your lungs

Like pugsy says, ordinary cpaps do not force air into your lungs. If they did, you'd blow up and explode, think about it.

My test said that I stopped breathing 100 times an hour, with the CPAP, its now supposedly, 2. It that to much of a change.

Not at all.

[gabagoo]

Good info here..... I am now into my 3rd month and I have some nights for whatever reason I have to take the mask off, but for the most part I am doing at least 5 hours or so... I was curious about one thing. When I wake up after an hour or an hour and a half the first thing I do is glance at the time on the pvr and most of the time I am shocked that it has been such a short period of time, because I feel like I am ready to get up and get ready for work. Is this normal?

[Pugsy]

Good info here..... I am now into my 3rd month and I have some nights for whatever reason I have to take the mask off, but for the most part I am doing at least 5 hours or so... I was curious about one thing. When I wake up after an hour or an hour and a half the first thing I do is glance at the time on the pvr and most of the time I am shocked that it has been such a short period of time, because I feel like I am ready to get up and get ready for work. Is this normal?

Yes, fairly normal. Your body is getting so much better quality sleep now that it tends feel more rejuvenated with shorter hours than it used to with longer hours of poor quality sleep. Hopefully with time and experience the wake ups will lessen and you will eventually work up to more sleep time. It's a gradual process though. I think for me it was about 6 months before I started inching up from 5 to 6 hours of sleep to a little more. Up to about the 6 month mark I had a lot of wake ups from just my brain poking me to alert me to the alien on my face thing. No real problems with anything ...just wake up feeling the mask or wake up checking to see if the machine was on or not kind of thing.

[chunkyfrog]

" . . . air is being forced".
You can test this with a stretchy party balloon.
The cpap CANNOT inflate a balloon.
It pushes less air than a dog enjoys when you let it hang its head out the truck window.
Channel your inner mutt, and enjoy the breeze.
Try not to slobber on the paint job.