A night without......DOH!

Last night I awoke in a panicked state after only a couple of hours with my mask on. I was only minimally congested.

I tried in a sleepy state to ward off the claustrophobic 'demons'........but after a few attempts was not successful.....could not get over the feeling of not being able to breath...... just took off the mask and shut down the machine.........rolled over and fell asleep.

Tossed and turned, awoke several time from weird dreams.

And today I feel like I did before getting my machine.........like I never had the machine.........eyes burning.........sleepy.....tired........just wanna sleep but can not since I am work.

I hope that was a one time thing and I do not wake up like that again. Hopefully my card reader will arrive today....I already have the software.......and I can look some data.

I knew I needed my machine every night and NOW I know I NEED my machine every night.....hopefully this feeling today will help me trump the feeling I had last night in the future.

Thanks for letting me vent.

Some of the best advice I was given in the begining was to turn the machine and use it as long as possible.
Then take a break, but then put the mask back on.
Sometimes we feel that if we have a glitch, then that's it for the night. Not so. If you think of the night as a series of sleep cycles, then it's a no-brainer to just start over again for the next cycle.

Shari

I am always congested. I lived in constant fear of not being able to use my cpap due to stuff nose. I resorted to sneaking sniffs of Afrin when no one was looking. I then switched to a full face mask and life is much better. Nose stuffy? No problem. Also, the lack of a pressure differential between airway and mouth is a very nice thing. I fell much less 'pressurized'. I frequently wake up at night and feel like 'is the air on, is the mask on', because there is no feeling of pressurization.

Maybe something to try? The claustrophobic feeling for me came not from the presence of a mask but from the feeling that I couldn't get enough air through my nose.

elader wrote: I fell much less 'pressurized'. I frequently wake up at night and feel like 'is the air on, is the mask on', because there is no feeling of pressurization.

That was something esle I had started to wonder about.............later at night and in the mornings when I awake...........I 'wondered' if the machine had stopped working....to the point I have lifted the mask to see if I could hear the 'rush' of air..........then I knew it was on.

I was fine at bedtime and had become a little congested within the 2 hours and then awoke in the panic..........I guess I am learning to keep my mouth closed pretty good. Too good maybe?

ChipsXJ wrote: ..............I 'wondered' if the machine had stopped working....to the point I have lifted the mask to see if I could hear the 'rush' of air..........then I knew it was on.
........

When I have that problem, I just use my finger tips to feel for the rush of air from the mask exhaust ports.