Tips for waking up/getting out of bed

Hi all

I'm a bit of a new comer to CPAP. Diagnosed Feb this year on CPAP ever since (first S8 Autoset, then RemStar M Series, both on loan from sleep study centre and finally S9 Autoset from USA).

Have felt much much better since being on APAP. Still feeling tired for a fair bit of the day, but far less and to a much lesser degree (generally only during training seminars which most people recognise as being a good time to catch up on sleep).

Got a quick question about waking up. Have you got any questions on how to do it best. When my alarm clock goes off, I often hit snooze... and again... and again etc. And when I finally get out of bed, it is painful, I'm just as tired as I would been pre-CPAP. This is despite AHIs going down from 17+ (sleep study no) to under 1 and the amount of sleep I've gotten on average going from 5-6 hours a night to 7-7.5 hours per night.

So, how can I wake up faster? Any tips?

Thanks
TedE

Put the alarm on the other side of the room so you have to GET OUT OF BED to shut it off.

Personally, I don't believe in hitting the snooze button. I set my alarm for the time that I have to be up. When it goes off, I throw off the covers, stand right up, and get on with my day. I want to get as much undisturbed sleep as I can. WHY would I set the alarm to get me up before I really HAVE to get up? I'd much rather get a straight 8 hours of undisturbed sleep than 7 1/2 hours plus 10 minutes, plus 10 mintes, plus 10 minutes.

I have to get up at different times as my work schedule is erratic, I found I usually wake up before the alarm since being on cpap. The best thing to do is just get up and go on with your day because your body has had its required amount of sleep.

If you can't just get up then I agree with putting the alarm on the other side of the room at the foot end of the bed. If you put it on the other side ( partners side) It will not do you any good because you'll just end up rolling over and hitting the snooze again.

cobra4x4 wrote:If you can't just get up then I agree with putting the alarm on the other side of the room at the foot end of the bed. If you put it on the other side ( partners side) It will not do you any good because you'll just end up rolling over and hitting the snooze again.

Well that's only half the problem. Any tips on how to make the waking up on time process less painful (ie feeling less shitty about waking up).

TedE wrote:

cobra4x4 wrote:If you can't just get up then I agree with putting the alarm on the other side of the room at the foot end of the bed. If you put it on the other side ( partners side) It will not do you any good because you'll just end up rolling over and hitting the snooze again.

Well that's only half the problem. Any tips on how to make the waking up on time process less painful (ie feeling less shitty about waking up).

Hi Ted

Give it time.

Keep on using cpap.

Accept that recovery does not happen to your time schedule.

Then see a Doctor to find out if anything else needs attending to.

As for getting up - a loud alarm at the other end of the room, and a bowl of water and face cloth for you to use on your way there. And do not turn off the alarm until you have freshened up, and turned the light on, and the kettle is heating for your morning cuppa.

cheers

Mars

I like to give myself 5 minutes to wake up before i head out of my warm bed. I will lay there after i shut off the alarm until i feel oriented then i shut of the machine. Pull off the mask and chin strap i wear hang it up. Rub my face a little then head out to start my day. I cant just hit the floor running myself. I do have more energy. Not as much as i hoped yet. Way better than i was doing though. A lot of people stress that you need to have good sleeping habits if you want to feel better. I am working on that. Trying to go to bed earlier etc. Watching what you eat before bed and when. Once you make some improvements on those areas as well as getting good therapy i think your condition will improve over time. If not then visiting a health care person probably would be in order to make sure you dont have any other underlying issues that need to be adressed.

I agree with posts above, that it does take time to begin to feel rested & ready (or willing) to get up when the first alarm goes off. I trained myself early on (21 months ago) to stretch hard in bed in every way possible on the first and only alarm, then get up and moving without agonizing. Just move your body forward and immediately! It has worked. After about the first 9 months, I was blown away by the fact that for the first time in my life, I have been waking a minute or two every single morning before the alarm goes off! I believe it's a matter of deliberately changing your habits. Don't give in to the "Snooze" bit.

Since being on CPAP, I've found I have sort of the opposite problem. With OSA, some of my "best" sleep was the last few hours of the morning, and it was very hard for me to wake and get going on my day.

Now I tend to wake before my alarm, but I feel so great when I first wake that I'm reluctant to move and get up and lose that incredible feeling. However, I don't fall back to sleep as I would have before CPAP and it's realatively easy to get moving once I convince myself I have no other choice.

I'm still tired during the day, but the mornings are so much calmer and more pleasant! It's my favorite part of being on CPAP.