C-pap nightmares

I have been on my c-pap for 10 years and get monitored regularly through the VA and I have nightmares because of the c-pap. My pressure is fine and I don't feel suffocated, so I googled c-pap +nightmares and came across this forum. I think that for some reason, this machine does cause nightmares. Don't know why, but I never had them before I was on the machine.

Samiam1014 wrote:I have been on my c-pap for 10 years and get monitored regularly through the VA and I have nightmares because of the c-pap. My pressure is fine and I don't feel suffocated, so I googled c-pap +nightmares and came across this forum. I think that for some reason, this machine does cause nightmares. Don't know why, but I never had them before I was on the machine.

my experience is the opposite.

Before I started cpap, there were times I'd wake up and be scared to death, not able to breath, heart pounding, terrified....

hasn't happened once since I started cpap.

maybe your nightmares are from some other source.

Samiam1014 wrote:I have been on my c-pap for 10 years and get monitored regularly through the VA and I have nightmares because of the c-pap. My pressure is fine and I don't feel suffocated, so I googled c-pap +nightmares and came across this forum. I think that for some reason, this machine does cause nightmares. Don't know why, but I never had them before I was on the machine.

My experience has also been the opposite.......similar to what "palerider" described. I had reoccurring "dark", mysterious dreams.....although not many I'd really classify as "nightmares".

Just because you've been using CPAP for 10 years doesn't mean that your therapy has been "effective". Do you have a data-capable machine? What specific make and model do you have? If it's data-capable, have you been monitoring your therapy with software? Maybe your pressure setting is not optimal. If you're using a nasal mask, maybe your mouth is falling open during the night and allowing your therapy air to escape......thereby nullifying your "effective" therapy. This is why we strongly advocate for users to get fully data-capable machines.


Den

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What machine and mask are you using? At what pressures? It's possible you're not being fully treated and might need to tweak something. Are you using Sleepyhead software?

Wulfman... wrote:
My experience has also been the opposite.......similar to what "palerider" described. I had reoccurring "dark", mysterious dreams.....although not many I'd really classify as "nightmares".

Den

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My experience exactly. Not sure if I miss those dreams! Some were very elaborate and strange - a product of oxygen deprivation perhaps?

My pre-cpap nightmares were all about being chased. Running and hiding. I also had a few dreams after my sleep study where I was angry that I did not have my machine yet.

Perhaps it would help to know the general theme of your dreams? Are you having trouble breathing? Maybe your machine isn't set well enough, and you are still having apnea events. Or perhaps you have pressure changes that are bothering you and causing bad dreams. Most people don't remember their dreams unless they wake up during them. So, you must be waking up due to something.

Here's a study indicating that nightmare frequency decreases with increased OSA severity.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2823279/

I was surprised to come across this, because for me, like others here report anecdotally, my dreams were rather unpleasant prior to CPAP treatment, and this has almost completely resolved.

However it might explain why you're having more frequent nightmares since your OSA is treated, in other words, prior to CPAP you simply weren't aware of your nightmares due to your OSA, or you weren't having any because you never got into REM sleep.

Now here's a more recent study indicating that CPAP resolves nightmares in many subjects. So these findings are a little contradictory ...

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22959148

What are your AHI numbers like on CPAP?