Tonight Will Be First Night with CPAP - Advice Needed

I started another thread asking for advice on masks to choose. This one is shorter, all I want to know is what should I know as I start my first night? I don't mean things like "stick with it" or "don't expect instant results", that I know , I've read a ton of threads in this forum. I'm already 100% on board.

Rather I mean what should I be on the look out for operationally and mechanically, or what tips will save me some time? The machine will be ResMed 10 Autoset and I've already used Sleepyhead with an oximeter and will be learning to use it with this as well. If there are other threads I should read on this I'm all for that too.

Thanks!

Don't wait until the last minute where sleep is primary goal.
Instead use the machine for an hour or two while watching TV or reading a book so that you get used to the breathing sensations that you will be experiencing with the mask and machine on.

The more you use it the more natural feeling it will become.

My advice for the first night would be, relax. Just breathe.

It sounds like you might be over-analyzing just a little.

Just strap the mask on and just get used to breathing while watching TV or reading a book (something pleasant, not the CPAP machine owner's manual ). That will help set you up to drift off and enjoy a wonderful sleep.

You have weeks, months, and years in which to analyze your progress.

Good luck!

Pugsy wrote:Don't wait until the last minute where sleep is primary goal.
Instead use the machine for an hour or two while watching TV or reading a book so that you get used to the breathing sensations that you will be experiencing with the mask and machine on.

The more you use it the more natural feeling it will become.

That's the type of advice I'm looking for, great idea!

IDontSnoreISwear wrote:It sounds like you might be over-analyzing just a little.

That's my nature . Kidding aside though, listening to people with experience can save a ton of time over learning things by osmosis, that's all I am after.

Wait until Friday. Take Monday off if you can. Or (if you are American and have a 4 day weekend for thanksgiving), wait until thanksgiving. On the day you start, limit your caffeine intake (1 cup in the morning or less is best). Consider taking some melatonin about an hour before bed.

The best way to start on CPAP is to commit yourself to never sleeping without it from the time you start. This means that if you want to take off the mask, you need to get out of bed and go do something else. This is the technique the worked very well for me. The idea is that if you take off the mask to get some sleep in the middle of the night, your brain will associate taking off the mask with sleeping, and will keep you up until you either take it off or fall asleep from pure exhaustion.

It is 100X easier to fall asleep on CPAP when you don't have the stress of requiring sleep that night. My first night on CPAP, I only got 4 hours sleep, and then, stupidly tried to repair my own $100 Dremel the next day when I could have returned it under warranty. That is when I learned not to do anything important the day after the first night on CPAP (a lesson I can only pass on since I will not have another first night). The next night I got more sleep, and by the time I was back to work on Tuesday after a 3 day weekend, I wasn't getting a full night's sleep, but with the Apneas gone, I was getting better sleep than I had when I used to sleep 8 hours a night without CPAP.

The next thing, is to learn from the first night. What kept you awake? What can you change to make the next night better? Do you need to do something different to manage your hose? Was your mask too tight? Did you have problems with leaks?

As was stated before, between now and then, you will want to try on your mask a few times to get used to it. Play with your ramp settings to see what gives you the closest thing to natural breathing. For me, it was 7cmH20 with an EPR of 3 (later changed to 8cmH20). If it wasn't prescribed, don't use EPR to start for your sleeping settings, and don't change your prescription. You want to start getting the positive effects as soon as possible, and messing with the prescription right off the bat is an easy way to make your therapy non-optimized. Use EPR on the ramp though if it makes it more comfortable, and don't be afraid to go into clinical mode to change your ramp settings. The auto-ramp on the Airsense 10 works very well. Use it. If it ramps before you are asleep, just tap the on/off button twice to restart it. This is rare (although more common in the beginning), and I have never had the auto-ramp miss my falling asleep.

If you have a spouse, have a talk with him/her about what to expect. The CPAP makes very little noise, but the hose sound, while quiet, is a bit like Darth Vader breathing. For some spouses this can cause issues with falling asleep. Assure your spouse that this is something he/she can get used to over time. My wife doesn't have a problem with it any more. Again, this is another reason for starting on a Friday. You don't want a spouse sending you stressed out vibes over not getting enough sleep for work.

Thanks, all excellent advice. The only part I'll be ignoring is waiting, with some of the severe side effects I've experienced I don't intend to wait one more day.