Machine causing insomnia

In case you are having a hard time finding the sticky message here it is. I do understand the frustration and brain fog you are probably experiencing. Just try to keep a positive outlook.

Sticky: Newbies PLEASE READ BEFORE POSTING
Post by Pugsy » Fri Jul 27, 2018 5:36 am

Welcome to the forum.

Here's a link to some common questions that people come here with that we see all the time.
Before starting a new thread with your question you might take a look and see if it is already here.
Cpaptalk FAQs
wiki/index.php/Cpaptalk_FAQs
It's a current work in progress so we will be adding more to it.

Below is a list of hints that will help us help you better/faster/more targeted advice if you will do these things in your post if you are needing help or wanting someone to evaluate your software reports.


1...Add your equipment to your profile. Helps us help you better and faster.
If you are using a ResMed AirSense or AirCurve machine and you don't see it listed up in the "A's"....look down in the R section...some got put down in the R's.
PLEASE USE TEXT OPTION and NOT ICONY option when adding to your profile. The ICONY images for profile make it work work for people to see what you are using. Using text words is much less work for people.

2...Start your own thread about your own specific issues/questions or problems...don't piggy back it onto someones else's thread because it gets confusing when we start offering different ideas to different people in the same thread.
Even if you just have a lot of different questions specific to you and there will probably be many of them...keep all your various question in one thread for a while. Don't make a new thread/topic with each new question. It helps us help you better if all your jumble of questions is in one thread. Even if the questions are widely varied in topic.
The whole idea is to keep as much as possible in one thread so that we don't have to go back and read half a dozen threads you started to see what might have already been said. We often don't have the time to do that...anything that you can do to save us time will mean we can help you better and faster.

Now once you have been here for a while and have a new question come to mind...like 3 months or so...yeah, start a new thread.
If you have a thread and think of a new question 3 days from now...go ahead and post it in the old thread. It will move the thread to the top of the main page and we will get a little notice that there is a new unread post in that thread...then we can go read your new question and answer it. It won't be missed if you put it in a thread that was started last week even.

3...Hopefully you will have a machine that offers full data an easily available software (free) to use if you are wanting to know how you are doing or if you are having a problem.
See here for information on the software available.

OSCAR https://www.sleepfiles.com/OSCAR/
http://www.apneaboard.com/wiki/index.ph ... stallation
http://www.apneaboard.com/wiki/index.ph ... rpretation

4...If you want member input on your detailed software results...and want to share images of your reports
PLEASE read this thread.
This thread explains how to turn off the pie chart and hide the calendar....read it.
viewtopic/t158560/How-to-post-images-for-review.html
Use the format I have shown in the examples. Don't do snippets unless requested...Don't include a gazillion graphs either.
Just do the basics...and if someone needs or wants another graph they can just request it.
Don't make the graphs tiny...we can't evaluate tiny graphs...don't shrink your report images...it blurs the num6bers any my eyes are bad enough without trying to squint to read blurred numbers.

Also...please include how you think you slept and how you feel if you post a copy of your report. We can't read your mind.
Along with what it might be that you need help understanding. The more information you give us up front...the faster and more complete answers you will get.

5... If you are needing help and someone asks some questions in an effort to get a better idea what is going on with you then please take the time to answer ALL the questions. Pet peeve of mine...I ask 3 questions and get answer to only one of them. There's a reason I take the time to ask questions...it's because I need that information to help you better.
I don't ask them just because I like to spend time typing.

6.....Don't go asking how long is it going to take to notice improvements...we don't have a crystal ball and we have no way of knowing. It can and will vary widely but in general...it is certainly not going to happen quickly for most people. A few lucky souls get overnight miracles but most people not so lucky. It can take weeks and months sometimes.
And it isn't going to happen if your sleep quality is crappy no matter how good the therapy looks on paper.
4 hours of sleep...not enough to expect to see improvements.
Highly fragmented sleep from lots of wake ups during the night...it's going to mess with sleep quality no matter how many hours you are in bed.

7...If you are new to forums in general and lose your own thread...go to your profile and on the right is a link to all your posts. Easy to find no matter what page the thread might be on...It says "search users posts"
You can also use the "quick links" drop down menu feature. Top of the main forum page...for me on the upper left but might be on the upper right for others. See attached image below.

8...Read the FAQ page especially for ins and out of the forum itself...
app.php/help/faq
Use the search function when possible...there's a good bet that what you might asked has already been asked before a gazillion times. How to use the search function...on that FAQ page. Hint...won't do well with any searches where just 3 or less letters in the search box.
And yes...I know the search engine is far from perfect because of the filters...but at least try to find the answer to your question. You never know what other good stuff you might learn.
Or do like I often do...use Google but site specific search
site:cpaptalk.com and then whatever you want to search for
like
site:cpaptalk.com soclean

So that's a starting point for newbies...what did I miss? Send me a private message if I missed something. I don't want this to be a discussion thread with a lot of questions so no posting in this thread...read only.

Mummmz links are broken....these aren't


OSCAR https://www.sleepfiles.com/OSCAR/
http://www.apneaboard.com/wiki/index.ph ... stallation
http://www.apneaboard.com/wiki/index.ph ... rpretation
http://www.apneaboard.com/wiki/index.ph ... ganization organize and how to do screen shots.
wiki/index.php/Oscar:organize Wiki

http://www.cpaptalk.com/viewtopic/t1585 ... eview.html

I have an appointment for another mask fitting in 3 weeks. I am trying to decide if I continue torturing myself with sleep deprivation until then, but lowering the pressure might let me fall asleep and hopefully won't result in air sputtering out of the sides of the mask.

I had strongly suspected that Inspire is what I need, but after reading more about it here, I am having second thoughts.

I am also trying to figure out how to handle the insurance issue. They will take the machine away if I don't use it 4 hours per night (I have only done that once). I can't toss and turn for that long, I usually give up at midnight and turn the machine off since I have to get up at 5:15am. I don't know if the insurance would THEN pay for Inspire on the grounds that I can't use a CPAP or if they would say I don't qualify since I didn't try enough to use the CPAP. Even if it would, I do wonder if Inspire is a good idea or not? Constant electric shocks seem like they would wake me up and can't be healthy.

Oops...sorry about the broken links. I would sure try to adapt to a CPAP before heading to surgery to implant a device. What happens when you don't like that either?

I just noticed you have the Elite model with fixed pressure. Mine is an Autopap. During my sleep study it was determined I needed autopap. Did you have a sleep study done?

The Inspire procedure isn't an automatic approval to have it done just from the Inspire people let alone a person's own insurance approval.

People doing the Inspire procedure have certain guidelines that must be met before they consider a person a good surgical candidate. These are physical guidelines and not just "can't do cpap" excuse. I had a friend (RIP 49er) who actually tried to get the Inspire procedure done but she failed the test that the Inspire people do to make sure that the type of OSA and where the blockages were would be an indication of potential success. I am not sure exactly what all she had to do but I think part of it was an actual sleep study with some sort of device in the airway to figure out where the collapse was occurring and the Inspire thing only works on airway collapses within a certain area...and her collapses were NOT in the designated areas so they told her she wasn't a good candidate and wouldn't do the surgery.

So just because someone wants the Inspire procedure doesn't mean they can just request it and get it done.

If someone is seriously considering getting the Inspire procedure done then I suggest that they start now with the evaluation process (WHILE CONTINUING TO TRY TO USE CPAP) with the Inspire people and go through those hurdles first.
It's not a quick process. Find out for sure IF you are a good candidate first and then decide what you want to do.
You may not even be a "good candidate" and the Inspire procedure isn't even an option to choose from.

Honestly my concern is very narrow- Can I fall asleep using a CPAP machine? What tricks can I use to get there? I could care less about about everything else, since if I can't sleep, then it is not a solution.

If I can't sleep with the CPAP then I have to decide if I try messing around with BIPAP (I have ZERO desire to go do another sleep study, and I suspect that I would still have trouble sleeping or at least staying asleep with it). I don't know if the dental option would keep me up or not. That's probably worth trying before surgery, but getting appointments and missing work is such a pain.

If the surgery doesn't work, then I live with snoring and my wife and I have to decide if we sleep in separate rooms. I don't want to do that, but she hates my keeping her awake. I hate her constantly waking me up. I hate waking up with a headache, but so it goes.

joepublic23 wrote: ↑

Tue Jul 12, 2022 11:20 am

I hate waking up with a headache,

Just so you know....the waking up with a headache is not from the snoring itself...it's from whatever is causing the snoring is also causing significant drops in O2 levels in the blood...your brain is being starved for oxygen and that's what causes the headaches.

I bet your wife would hate it if you ended up like Reggie White.....simply not waking up. It's a very real risk.

No...it won't be easy for you at all.

Talk to your doctor about your inability to even fall asleep with the mask and machine. I really, really think you are going to need significant help from them beyond a minor pressure adjustment.
Short term RX help is likely what you will need....get your medical care team involved.

I had a pretty bad time adjust to cpap and the mask. I found laying propped up with pillows and reading or watching tv until I felt like rolling over to go to sleep helped. When I'm ready then I put the mask on. I'm relaxed and about to fall asleep by then. You have an advantage in that you can ask your wife to remind you to put the mask on in case you doze off. She can gently wake you and hand you your mask when she hears you snoring. I will say watching tv before bed is not good sleep hygiene but it helps me get my mind off other things. Once you are used to using cpap then put the mask on when you lay down. You may want to ask your doctor about an anti-anxiety med to help with the frustration. Hey, maybe you'll be able to wear your wedding ring eventually too.

I find a lot of these doctors are of limited help.

I saw an ENT specialist for my snoring back in 2005. He told me to lose weight (I am 5'8" and 157 lbs, in other words thin) and to drink less. Although drinking DOES make me snore more, it still happens a lot without any alcohol. In other words he called me a fat alcoholic.

I told the pulmonologist about my concern about not being able to use a CPAP at all, he didn't seem to believe that this was a VERY real issue for me.

In terms of the health impact of sleep apnea- I am actually in really good shape and run a lot so I assume that the negative health effects are unlikely to do more than give me a headache and make me tired. Like I said I would much rather have low quality sleep than have NO sleep or less low quality sleep.

Yeah, I was in my early 20s and about 130 pounds. My 300+ pound doctor told me I should lose weight. I think sometimes they just say it to everyone. Doesn't matter if you're in good shape.
Skinny people have sleep apnea too although obesity and alcohol can be a factor. I think you said you had a sleep study which verified you have sleep apnea. So you should use the prescribed treatment just like when you are prescribed medicine. I think your pulmonologist so used to hearing new cpap users complain about getting used to it he tunes it out. They prescribe it and it's up to the patient to figure out how. Sometimes you can get help from their nurses or the DME. And online user groups can help

So long as you keep taking it off, then going to sleep, you will never get used it.

I struggled terribly when I started. But I would not sleep without my mask, nor would I nap in the day.

I lied in bed exhausted, but couldn't sleep. Eventually, I would sleep for a bit, not well, in and out of sleep. The trick was getting exhausted enough where you have no choice. Then while exhausted your body will start getting used to it.

So you should use the prescribed treatment just like when you are prescribed medicine.

That's much easier said than done. Hence my post.

I lied in bed exhausted, but couldn't sleep. Eventually, I would sleep for a bit, not well, in and out of sleep. The trick was getting exhausted enough where you have no choice. Then while exhausted your body will start getting used to it.

The problem is that I have to get up and go to work the next day.
When I get exhausted, it actually makes my insomnia worse.

Also the mask leaks and makes more noise than my snoring.

Everything that has been suggested to you has been met with a response of why it won't work.

Decide to make it work, or stick your CPAP in your closet and wait for the effects of sleep apnea to catch up with you.

Suck it up, buttercup.

joepublic23 wrote: ↑

Tue Jul 12, 2022 8:00 am

I have a ResMed AirSense 11 (my profile says 10, since 11 is not an available option to pick.

I can't change the settings, the support company autoset it to do what the doctor prescribed. I asked for lower pressure, they lowered it a little, but nowhere near enough for me to actually sleep.

Oh for peats sake anyone can change their own settings just press the big button and the home button and hold them down for a bit. If thats not the secret handshake for your particular machine google or you tube it. Take some freaking responsibility. If an old lady like me can figure it out a younger younger person should have no problems. The cpap police aren't going to come knocking on your door. Take control of your own life. If you came here for sympathy think again. We've all figured it out. The snoring isn't the problem the lack of oxygen to your brain is. It will kill you eventually. It seems like its already impacting your cognitive abilities.