I wake up too much

I wake up a lot. 5-15 times a night. Maybe 2 bathroom breaks and the rest I just toss and turn. This has been the case before and after using xpap. Any advice on how to get solid sleep? I have even considered ambien but not sure that is a long term solution to this. I feel amazing compared to months ago but I think if I can wake up just once a night I can feel even better.

first, it's normal to arrouse from sleep, most people don't remember it. don't stress about waking up, roll over and go back to sleep. if you can't, get up and read a book, till you get tired again. no tv, computer, phone or any other blue light.

Can you tell us what all you've already done to try to determine any causes of your fractured sleep? I see in one of your early posts you were getting advice from Pugsy and others regarding your machine settings. Has that been followed through to where your data indicates you are getting effective treatment? There are some pretty standard things to look at for starters when sleep is so broken. A ruling out of possibilities can narrow the focus. If you remember 5-15 wakings you likely have more you don't remember. Hope you can reduce those wakings.
Is sleep apnea treatment effective and equipment fitted well enough to not be contributing to wakings?
Are you on any meds or supplements that are known to mess with sleep?
Any stimulants in evening such as caffeine?
Have possible medical conditions been ruled out such as thyroid dysfunction, urinary conditions, etc.?
Any issues with restless legs or periodic limb movements?
Any issues with chronic pain?
Bed comfortable and room conducive to sleep?

kteague wrote:Can you tell us what all you've already done to try to determine any causes of your fractured sleep? I see in one of your early posts you were getting advice from Pugsy and others regarding your machine settings. Has that been followed through to where your data indicates you are getting effective treatment? There are some pretty standard things to look at for starters when sleep is so broken. A ruling out of possibilities can narrow the focus. If you remember 5-15 wakings you likely have more you don't remember. Hope you can reduce those wakings.
Is sleep apnea treatment effective and equipment fitted well enough to not be contributing to wakings?
Are you on any meds or supplements that are known to mess with sleep?
Any stimulants in evening such as caffeine?
Have possible medical conditions been ruled out such as thyroid dysfunction, urinary conditions, etc.?
Any issues with restless legs or periodic limb movements?
Any issues with chronic pain?
Bed comfortable and room conducive to sleep?

Thank you. With the help of this forum (I never would have found sleepyhead or understood xpaps this well) I consistently sleep and have an AHI of less than 1. I made so many changes and bought so much stuff but finally it is where i need it to be. I feel really good and believe the therapy is pretty much dialed in.

I hated my FFM and finally got the nasal to work with an AHI of less than 1. I had to add a lot of humidity. I think the straps are annoying and if i roll around the hoses can be felt.

No meds.
No caffeine at night. Dont need it like i needed before the xpap
No medical conditions.
I think I can rule out bed comfort because we travel a lot and no matter what hotel it is the same. The common denominator might be the wife hogging the sheets but in all seriousness i cant figure it out.

Maybe it is normal to wake up a lot but now when I wake up I feel the mask or hose and so it is more noticeable to me and this will go away with time? Are there any statistics on waking up?

Doublev wrote:Maybe it is normal to wake up a lot but now when I wake up I feel the mask or hose and so it is more noticeable to me and this will go away with time? Are there any statistics on waking up?

Actually it is normal to wake up some but most of the time the wake up is so brief we have no memory of it. Like it's normal to wake after REM stage sleep completion.
Then of course we have other factors that cause us to wake up...some cpap related maybe...like your issues with the hose and mask.
Or wife hogging the sheets....or in my case if it isn't the dogs or cats it's just general aches and pains.
It's very, very rare that I have a night without half a dozen wake ups from something. Most of the time it is pain and I have to change position to relieve the pain. I do what I can to reduce these but I can only do so much with medications. If I didn't take the meds the wake ups from pain would most likely be 5 times my usual half a dozen wake ups that I remember. To compound the problem my usual pain medication has a side effect that affects a very small number of people...insomnia...and I drew that short straw. Damned if I do and damned if I don't.

Have you tried some sort of hose management system to at least reduce the annoyance with fiddling with the hose?
Lots of them out there from a very simply DIY project to fancy and not so fancy store bought.
Old threads but the information is still spot on.
viewtopic.php?t=10640

Mask issues are just something you will have to sort through and come up with a mask that annoys you the least. That's what I have done. I have yet to find the 100% perfect mask so I prioritize them in how they best meet my own personal preferences and needs.

If you are getting up to pee, then this means your CO2 is rising. Kidney output is affected by high CO2 which stimulates Atrial Naturietic Hormone.
Sounds like you may be desaturating and having hypercapnea High CO2?

Could you be a CO2 retainer?

Could you be a female with REM SDB issues? Don't know enough about your PMH (past medical hx).

NB Desats can happen even with a low AHI or RDI, IIRC.

When I wake up, it is often a mask leak. I fix it and zonk out again.
Sleeping uninterrupted all night is something I have not experienced enough to believe it is normal, usual, or desirable.

Doublev wrote:No caffeine at night. Dont need it like i needed before the xpap... No medical conditions.

Not needing the caffeine is a positive sign of progress. Congrats on that. If your CPAP use is as new as your account here, some of the wakings could self resolve as your brain settles into these sensations being your new normal. When you say no medical conditions, does that mean RLS and PLMD are ruled out? I have noticed if I count all my wakings the number will be alarming. However, when I really evaluate them, the vast majority will be back to back while trying to achieve deep sleep, or when trying to wake up. To protect my sanity I disregard those. The ones that matter to me are the ones after achieving deep sleep and before my pre-wake restlessness. Counting those only makes the number seem not so horrible. If your sleep is repeatedly fractured through the entire night that's a big deal. If the wakeups are between cycles of sleep stages, that should not be as damaging to your ability to be rested and restored as sleep is purposed.