About how long to adjust to sleeping with CPAP?

It was no picnic, but the benefits outweighed the drawbacks--so I stuck with it.
Gradually, miserable turned to unpleasant, which became tolerable, to eventually comforting.
It is still getting better, but 4 months is a rough guess.

My doc says about 3 months. I have been at it now for over 6 weeks. Problem----the mask. Have had a few and now have settled on the one that works best. Leaks--takes a while to know how to control them-if you can. Getting used to stuff hanging of your face----maybe never.
I chose to have a drs help in the beginning (with sleep study )so I knew what was the problem was. Too many AHi-way to many. Cannot imagine just starting on your own, but there are plenty here who do it. Right now i feel I am coming to the end of the struggle and I think I can see the light. May take a while though! It is not a perfect system. Have had some good info from this board, as well as some idiot info.

This trip is harder for some--easier for others. I'm probably some place in the middle.

chunkyfrog wrote:It was no picnic, but the benefits outweighed the drawbacks--so I stuck with it.
Gradually, miserable turned to unpleasant, which became tolerable, to eventually comforting.
It is still getting better, but 4 months is a rough guess.

At 3 months, miserable is still miserable. I have not felt noticeably any better, although without it I get a headache.

I am borrowing a machine that could work work (unlike the one they gave me) but it doesn't work with the only mask that approaches comfortable.

The uncomfortable mask allows the borrowed machine to function properly so my breathing is good. However, it causes neck and back pain and is now causing me to wake up in the night because it's so damn intrusive.

Granted, the uncomfortable mask has only been used 3 nights, so it's a gamble - will my neck or back give out first, or will I manage to feel like I got good sleep before my neck or back gets injured?

I suppose it's a good time to injure my neck or back since I'm already in PT for the first time I injured my neck trying to accommodate CPAP.

So the answer to your question from my perspective is NEVER because it hasn't happened yet.

I finally got good rest and adjusted to everything on the 16th night. But from night one until night 16, I educated myself on the machine and the settings, got help here, tried three mask before I found one that I could tolerate and I found the comfort measures that worked for me and now I have got it down to a routine. I have been on therapy for 3 months now.

It was trial and error, trial and error.

Sleeping Ugly wrote:It was trial and error, trial and error.

Different masks, tons of different pressures, and even different machines. Plenty of trial and error, I would have liked a trial and success somewhere in there....

It took me a good three MONTHS. It was not easy.

But I set some rules for myself--the main one is that I would NOT sleep without the machine.

I listed all the things that were bothering me and prioritized them in order of importance, and tackled them one by one.

I was fortunate that my HMO did not charge for consultations and they gave me lots of different masks to try for free until I found one that worked best for me.

I set reasonable goals. While the long term goal was to just be able to put the mask on and go to sleep and sleep all night (and that probably took 6 or more months, TBH), my short term goals were very realistic--1st was to sleep 1 hour without waking, then 2, then 3. Other ST goals--not to throw the mask across the room when I woke in a panic, but instead to breathe deeply, count to 10 slowly, and only remove the mask if I still felt panicked after that.

It was HARD!!!! No lie. But so is stopping breathing 78 times an hour, oxygen desaturations, and dying slowly of heart disease, at risk of stroke.

One morning I woke up after 8 hours of UN-interrupted sleep. And I felt--CALM, not tense and ready to scream. I remembered when I was a toddler, waking slowly, naturally, peacefully like that. I don't think I had felt that way since (I've probably had OSA since childhood because of my facial architecture). It was wonderful--like the best drug ever. I knew I was still going to have bad nights, and wake in a panic, but my goal then became to have more and more of those good nights, and I eventually did.

Nowadays when I don't have to wake to my alarm I wake slowly, peacefully. I lie in bed and savor the cool, filtered air in my mask. I'm reluctant to take it off. I feel great, have wonderful energy, and love my cpap for giving me all of this. Worth all the hard work!

Janknitz wrote:I was fortunate that my HMO did not charge for consultations and they gave me lots of different masks to try for free until I found one that worked best for me.

The first mask I tried is still the best one for me. I have tried a FFM and an Amara View - they both suck.

Janknitz wrote:Nowadays when I don't have to wake to my alarm I wake slowly, peacefully. I lie in bed and savor the cool, filtered air in my mask. I'm reluctant to take it off. I feel great, have wonderful energy, and love my cpap for giving me all of this. Worth all the hard work!

Ha! I wish I could feel that way, although I may have been able to get there with the Dreamwear - if my mouth wasn't a desert in the morning and I didn't have huge leaks for 30% of the night.

The FFM lasted an hour and came off.

The view I don't have a problem keeping on all night, but by morning it seems stiflingly hot (and if I wake in the night, the same thing) - like I have been under the covers for an hour. Before I am even fully awake, it gets ripped off. Plus the View doesn't allow me to get comfortable, so I wake up with a sore neck and back when using it.

As for energy, pffft, nada.

I have been setting goals for myself (keeping the CPAP on for at least 2 hours at a time, and at least 4 hours a night) and adjusting to some of the issues (feeling like I'm not getting enough air--using a bigger nasal mask and no longer using ramp, mask leaks air into eyes--adjusted headgear and reseated mask after getting into position).

So far I've only tried the one mask (Wisp) but I'm wondering if I should get another before my 30 days is up just to try it. If so, how do I choose another mask when there are so many? When the doctor first told me about it, he described the DreamWear, but the DME therapist recommended the Wisp. Even if I were to get the DreamWear, do I get the nasal mask or the nasal pillows? I'm worried about having that feeling like I'm not getting enough air again.

InnerGlow wrote:I have been setting goals for myself (keeping the CPAP on for at least 2 hours at a time, and at least 4 hours a night) and adjusting to some of the issues (feeling like I'm not getting enough air--using a bigger nasal mask and no longer using ramp, mask leaks air into eyes--adjusted headgear and reseated mask after getting into position).

So far I've only tried the one mask (Wisp) but I'm wondering if I should get another before my 30 days is up just to try it. If so, how do I choose another mask when there are so many? When the doctor first told me about it, he described the DreamWear, but the DME therapist recommended the Wisp. Even if I were to get the DreamWear, do I get the nasal mask or the nasal pillows? I'm worried about having that feeling like I'm not getting enough air again.

I can't help with the mask - they are a crap-shoot until you find the right one. Maybe take a look at the equipment list of the more experienced members to give you a hint (they've probably been through the most).

As far as feeling like you aren't getting enough air - that was me from day 1. It took me a week to find this site and get the help I needed. I'm felt like I was rebreathing CO2. On the advice from members here, I bumped my minimum pressure to 7 cm and that problem disappeared. I've since moved on to using CPAP mode only.

When you get to the point of using the machine for longer periods of time, start looking at your data. The 5-20 cm prescription is kind of a cop-out on the Dr's part (IMO). The narrower the range, the better the results generally speaking

Keep up the good work and good luck.

RD

MaxINTJ said:

I am borrowing a machine that could work work (unlike the one they gave me) but it doesn't work with the only mask that approaches comfortable.

HUH? Which mask won't work with which machine???

Janknitz wrote:MaxINTJ said:

I am borrowing a machine that could work work (unlike the one they gave me) but it doesn't work with the only mask that approaches comfortable.

HUH? Which mask won't work with which machine???

A nasal mask does not work with pressures over 15 or so because my mouth blows open. The mask itself doesn't leak, my head leaks

Chin strap doesn't work (it's too hot and itchy any way), and tape will not keep my jaw from dropping even if I found some that could seal my lips.

There is no way I can wrap my head up to solve the leak problem and still sleep. I can only barely sleep with the Amara View because it gets hot and stuffy. Unlike my nasal mask, the View comes off immediately after waking up so I can feel real air.

MaxINTJ wrote:

Janknitz wrote:MaxINTJ said:

I am borrowing a machine that could work work (unlike the one they gave me) but it doesn't work with the only mask that approaches comfortable.

HUH? Which mask won't work with which machine???

A nasal mask does not work with pressures over 15 or so because my mouth blows open. The mask itself doesn't leak, my head leaks

Chin strap doesn't work (it's too hot and itchy any way), and tape will not keep my jaw from dropping even if I found some that could seal my lips.

There is no way I can wrap my head up to solve the leak problem and still sleep. I can only barely sleep with the Amara View because it gets hot and stuffy. Unlike my nasal mask, the View comes off immediately after waking up so I can feel real air.

Not to be mean, but you sure do have a lot of excuses. XPAP can be difficult until you figure it out. You've tried 3 masks. It took me seven. What are your settings? Are they correct? Hot and stuffy means not enough air flow or a misdialed heated hose. If you address your problems one at a time, you can solve them.

Best of luck,

RiverDave

RiverDave wrote:Not to be mean, but you sure do have a lot of excuses. XPAP can be difficult until you figure it out. You've tried 3 masks. It took me seven. What are your settings? Are they correct? Hot and stuffy means not enough air flow or a misdialed heated hose. If you address your problems one at a time, you can solve them.

The settings are in my sig, and they work very well. I got a smiley last night with the ASV and View, so it seals just fine - eventually.

I know the Dreamwear is comfortable, but it's not working with my setup and my head.

The View is the least intrusive "face" mask out there and it's uncomfortable to sleep in for the reasons already mentioned. It also gets in the way a LOT which is causing me to have a sore neck and back every morning since starting to use it.

I don't have any good choices. If my settings squelch my breathing problems, I have to use a mask that is causing other issues.

If I use a mask that doesn't cause other issues, I have to change my settings to no longer be effective for my breathing problems.

Sore or injured neck or back, or breath properly through the night? I have no idea which is more debilitating...

From out of my doctors mouth--at least 3 months.

You know that you're really adjusting to CPAP when you spend time puzzling over a dirty air filter. You've changed them enough times to notice the dirt nuances. Must be adjusting? Why is there not a bell and whistle for this filter?

...and a sleepyhead score?