is 'rapid blood pulsing' in the head a symptom of OSA?

Hi,
I've had a disturbing symptom in my head for a few years now. Then, about 2 months ago, I was diagnosed with OSA. I am currently trying to get used to my CPAP machine, but I have not yet been able to fall asleep with it on, after 2 weeks of trying. One reason is that the aforementioned symptom is even worse with my CPAP mask on. So, what happens is that at night, I can feel a very rapid blood flow in various blood vessels in my head. It's much faster than my pulse, but if I hold my breath, the rapid beat will usually slow down to match my pulse. It's mostly near the right ear, but when I put a CPAP mask on, I also start to feel it all around the areas where the mask is touching my face. It feels like my face is rapidly pulsating. I have not been able to find any other people's accounts of this type of symptom, so I'm unsure what to call it. an ENT said it was pulsatile tinnitus, but I don't agree, as that is something you hear, not feel, and it's in time with your pulse (i.e. - a swoosh), and mine can happen in various part of my face as well. My pulmonologist and cardiologist both think the blood pulsing could be a symptom of OSA, as they said that adrenaline and epinephrine are released during apneas and could cause blood vessel issues. Well, if that's true, I figure that it would be easy to find other user's reporting this on this website, and hopefully, if true, they would also report it going away once they began therapy.

Has anyone else had an issue like this before?

I haven't had that problem, nor can I recall other people posting about this. Sorry.

But I want to follow up on your difficulty sleeping with your machine and mask. Have you tried using them during the day or evening? Ideally you would do this outside your bedroom while you read, watch TV, or do something else mildly distracting. This can be a very helpful way to get your body and mind to accept the sensations caused by your mask and machine.

If you try this, see if you can notice whether you get the same sensation that you do at night. If you don't, you might try lying down for part of your acclimation to see whether that makes a difference.

It sounds like a symptom of anxiety.
Anybody can get it.
No shame--just get help, please.

I am actually hoping it's an anxiety symptom and does not have a physical cause, such as OSA. I have a history of stress/anxiety chronic symptoms, but this one is just more mysterious to me. I have had tests for cholesterol, had a CTA (head blood vessel scan) and even a heart monitor, and everything has come back negative. If OSA turns out not to the be the cause, I'll have to conclude this is a another chronic stress symptom

I have exactly the same issue. Wake up to very rapid physical pulsating in my head. Did you find out what is causing it?