Newbie with headaches

Back to the sleep doctor today for the first time sense getting my loaner CPAP machine a week and a half ago. He'll be reading the information from the card and hopefully I'll be getting a mask that fits better and setting me up for an auto PAP test to get further information.

One question I have is that while I've slowly been getting used to the machine and sleeping with it, and in some ways I feel MORE rested (though I have yet to sleep soundly with it), I am waking up with headaches. These are a very different quality than the OSA headaches I had - the almost double-vision-hungover-axe-splitting headaches that I used to have. The new (and improved!) headaches are more garden variety - a pressure in the temples, maybe even a stiff neck - but definitely more persistent and regular than the OSA headaches.

Is this common? I realize that I've had NO testing done since getting the loaner CPAP, so maybe this is a question of the pressure not being high enough (I'm at or too high or something, but if you guys have any ideas of what I should tell my doctor this afternoon, I'd appreciate it.

AHI: 48
O2 desaturation: 85%

jon k wrote:The new (and improved!) headaches are more garden variety - a pressure in the temples, maybe even a stiff neck - but definitely more persistent and regular than the OSA headaches.

What kind of a mask are you using and are you sure it's not too tight? That's particularly relevant if there are any straps that cross your temples or cross the area of the stiff neck.

Also---while you say you're not yet sleeping particularly soundly with the mask, it's also important to ask this different question: Are you moving around significantly less in your sleep and/or when you are trying to get to sleep? A lot of newbies think that they've got to remain really still to prevent leaks (when they're awake and trying to get to sleep) and a lot of the time once the body does get to sleep, it tends to be a lot more still while on CPAP than it was before CPAP. The lack of movement while in bed can lead to stiffness, and if you're holding your head in a semi-awkward position in an attempt to minimize leaks, that can explain the stiff neck symptoms.

You should definitely report the change in type of morning headaches to the sleep doc's office.

Evaluate your bed pillow and how you are positioning your head while sleeping.
If your cervical spine gets sort of in a "bind" or you sleep in a weird position it can sure cause muscle tension headaches.
Also like RobySue mentioned...strap tension can do it too.

I have a really bad cervical spine in terms of arthritis and while those killer morning headaches from lack of oxygen have gone away with effective cpap therapy I find that if I sleep in an "off/weird" position that my neck doesn't like that I will wake up with what I call a "neck headache". They can still be ugly headaches though....those muscle tension headaches.
I found that any mask with a lower strap that comes around the base of the skull to the jaw/mouth area (like your Mirage FX or any full face mask) really made my neck hurt and caused headaches and that's one of the reason I use a nasal pillow mask.

So...consider changing masks, which I know you were thinking of doing anyway, and evaluate your bed pillow and sleeping position.