Anxiety/Claustrophobia Help Needed

Hi Everyone,

I have had my equipment for close to two years now, and all has been going great.

The help/advise I need is not for me, it is for my wife who just got her first APAP (Autosense for Her). She is claustrophobic and is currently dealing with high anxiety and is having a really hard time adjusting to having something on her face. I had picked up the Resmed F30 for her, as she wears glasses initially when she goes to bed, and she also liked my F30 over the F20 that I have as well, when I had her test masks out before picking her equipment up.

How can I work with her on adjusting to wearing the mask?

Open to any/all recommendations.

Thanks everyone.

Wifes equipment:
Resmed Autoset for Her
APAP 6-16 (Sleep Study AHI of 9)
Resmed F20 or F30 Mask (She hasn't decided her preference yet)

Can she try just wearing the mask while awake, watching TV, etc.?

I’m pretty new to CPAP and was worried about claustrophobia, and I’ve been very happy with the Dreamwear Nasal Mask. Not sure if that will help but I hope your wife finds something that works.

Or try nasal pillows--least intrusive mask of all.
Or the Bleep--gotta run this by my DME again--maybe I can finally get lucky.

Hi kjvh2004,

If the primary presenting problem is anxiety, and you are genuinely open to all suggestions, I suggest you look at Havening.

Havening is a new therapeutic method, one which has been developed in the last 10 years by two American researchers. It uses some of the more recent discoveries in neurology.

It is highly effective. And it is quick. A handful of sessions rather than months or years.

Here are some web links:

https://www.amenclinics.com/blog/the-si ... Bnjg3gdMug

https://bottomlineinc.com/life/emotiona ... bkIqc3l0R0

If travel or cost make getting to a practitioner difficult, you can apply this method to yourself. Here is one of several sources covering self-application. If you go to this web page and look at it, and also the links on the right.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IQXbZmuSbFs

RB.