Nightmares and Night Terrors on the CPAP

[Boston CPAP]

A few years after I started CPAP therapy I started having bad nightmares - like you, I had them before, but never so bad. I wake up, shouting, running to the door to see if "they" are here yet (the people who are here to kill me). I think that my pets are going tortured, check if my BF is breathing, write farewell letters to my family. It's harsh.

I went in for another sleep study this month at my doctor's suggestion to see if I wasn't getting enough air, causing my nightmares, and when they increased my air, I apparently fell into a deep sleep, they let me sleep late because I was in deep REM activity, which I'm not sure I had been getting. I get my new equipment and settings tomorrow, in fact. I am VERY hopeful that this new, higher setting will solve the nightmares. I had put on weight in the three years since I was first sleep tested, things may have changed for you since your first testing also. Talk to your doctor, you shouldn't have to live that way.

Best of luck!

[OSA victem]

I spent years jumping out of bed with pounding heart and short breath thinking that I overeat or I eat bloating food. I was finally diagnosed with OSA and Narcolepsy, and was using a CPAP. All the symptoms were replaced by terrifying nightmares that made my life measurable and forced me to wake up after short sleep to avoid the sleep terror. This resulted in daytime sleepiness and tiredness worse than not using the CPAP.

[oak]

OSA victem, this is a three year old thread. please start a new thread.

[okitoki]

I agree on the nightmares not directly related to your CPAP treatment....
My gf doesn't have sleep apnea... she does, however, have had lots of dreams...
when I first met her, she was not in a good place in life then, had lots of personal issues and baggages to carry, she was also into the clubbing scene, and was using recreational drugs and heavy drinker... and she would have lots nightmares and night terrors;

After 7 years together, she has made peace with her past.. no longer use drugs or drink excessively and have a steady career, and of course, a loving partners surrounded by 3 cats which she adores...

she can sleep easily, no snoring, and wake up fresh... all she ever complains about her dreams are weird ones which made no sense... maybe once in awhile, she would have a nightmare or two, but not as bad as before...

judging by how you chose your username, WhoCouldLoveThisHosehead , I would also suggest seeking some counselling, as it does sound like you have some emotional issues you should talk to some one about it... either professional counceler... I had a talk with my church priest when I was in a very bad state of mind before, and I found that it did help take the burden off me slowly...

All the best

[oak]

THIS IS A THREE (3) YEAR OLD THREAD. PLEASE START A NEW THREAD.

[ReadyforRest]

THIS IS A THREE (3) YEAR OLD THREAD. PLEASE START A NEW THREAD.

Oak, dear ... who made you the old thread police? This is the third time in two threads that you have said this in the same day. There is nothing wrong with people resurrecting an old thread if it's pertinent to what they are going through. In fact, for those who are new here, it's a good thing.

Lighten up, sweetie.

[oak]

readyforrest, most of the regulars have asked that people start new threads when a thread is 3 years old. there may be old information that does not apply anymore, so that would not be helpful to newbies. also i have found that many of the regulars simply do not read old threads. also, i personally find it cumbersome to go through a thread and try to figure out who the "current" poster is and respond if i am able and can help. newbies can do a search and read old posts if they want to look up some previous responses, IMO.

i don't claim to be the "thread police:" i am going to ignore that remark, sweetie.

[ReadyforRest]

I'm a regular here, and I am happy to read older threads when people post new things in them. You just have to look at the dates and be aware that the thread started a lot earlier. That doesn't mean the new posts aren't important or relevant to the older ones. Of course it depends up on the topic of the thread. Threads about old masks that are out of production would certainly be irrelevant. But there are subjects that are timeless. And with no sectioning to this board, they can slip away, never to be heard about again, especially when so many new threads and posts are made every day. There is nothing wrong with adding to the body of an old thread if it's still relevant.



I stand by what I said.

[Pugsy]

I don't think it hurts a thing to have the old threads resurrected but if someone is asking for specific help in a 3 year old thread that is multi pages long it would be better if they start their own thread. If someone is just making a comment then that's one thing but if someone is wanting or needing specific help they will get better help if they start their own thread so that we can offer ideas tailored to their specific needs or wants. It gets confusing when 5 different people are asking for help in one thread and advice is flowing all over the place and we don't know who is supposed to get what information.

That didn't appear to be the case in this thread from what little I read....and no I don't always read old thread thoroughly.
I focus on the new stuff first and if I have time then I will look at the old threads and I almost always check the date of the original posting before I go any further. If it's got some age to it I will bypass it and only come back to it if I have the time.
Most often people commenting in old threads are just making general comments like the person did who resurrected this thread.
Sometimes newbies don't know how to start new topics...so I take that into consideration.

Almost every CPAP problem anyone has ever had has been discussed in these threads many, many times and the answers are already available in multiple threads. I do admit that sometimes the search function on this forum does make it a bit difficult to find the answers though...so I try to give newbies some slack in that regards.

So in some situations starting a new thread is preferable when someone is having problems and wanting help.
If they are just commenting in general there is no need for a new thread ...I don't think and it reading old threads can be educational. A lot of questions already have answers in some of those old threads and there's a lot of good reference material in some of them. When I first started cpap therapy I spent hours and hours and hours reading old threads just to increase my knowledge base.

[Bill44133]

I wonder how the Orignal poster resolved the issue. That is the thing with 3 year old threads, and they dont come back and tell how they resolved the issue. You are like left hanging in the wind.

[chunkyfrog]

You do wonder; if it is a particularly acidic rant, with nothing to follow;
could it be a lost lamb or a bored bozo without a date?

[TheUglyTruth]

I wonder how the Orignal poster resolved the issue.

Wilted away.

[bevjok]

I personally have no problem reading all posts - old or new. As a newbie - I find them all interesting.

[smithfatboy]

Since starting CPAP I have been experiencing, not nightmares,but very intense,often unpleasant dreams.It seems to me that even with the apnea I feel like I am sleeping better without the CPAP.Recently these dreams have become so intense and seem so "real",that I often have trouble getting back to sleep after them.I was happy to find out upon checking this site,that others have experienced the same thing.

[Wulfman...]

Since starting CPAP I have been experiencing, not nightmares, but very intense,often unpleasant dreams. It seems to me that even with the apnea I feel like I am sleeping better without the CPAP. Recently these dreams have become so intense and seem so "real", that I often have trouble getting back to sleep after them. I was happy to find out upon checking this site, that others have experienced the same thing.

What mask are you using? What machine and pressure settings?
I believe the primary cause of "nightmares" and unpleasant dreams is ineffective XPAP therapy.
Most people who have posted here over the years about their dreams have experienced "good/better" dreams and dreaming if their therapy is optimal.


Den

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