intense dreams /nightmares

I have been on CPAP for about 6 months--and I am experiencing very intense dreams--sometimes NIGHTMARES---does anyone think this has to do with extended REM sleep provided by my sleeping deeper/longer with the CPAP? I still get up abouyt 2-3 times a night--but this is due to a chronic bladder condition---I awaken --go to the bathroom---put my cpap back on and go back to sleep---I feel much more rested even having slept the 2-3 hours on cpap.

Also - how can you tell if your settings are accurate and doing the job? How do I know if apneas are occuring or not? They prescribed a setting in the hospital after my titration study--but does that hold forever??
Please help.
Bobbi

You really need a data-capable machine along with whatever software and card reader it needs in order to be able to view your data. Over time it is reasonable to expect that physiological changes occur that would make your required settings change as well. For example, putting on a few pounds might make your pressure requirements go up, whereas losing weight could conceivable make your pressure requirements go down. Having said that.... it won't always follow that losing weight helps your apnea. Nor will it always follow that gaining weight makes it worse. Those were just examples of how certain changes can affect therapy.

Dreams are good! Nightmares aren't so much fun. Dreams are an indicator for *me* that my therapy is working. I went a couple of years without dreams. It was one of the things that made that little light go on in my head to let me know something was really wrong. LOTS of things can cause nightmares, even some medications that you may need. And as disturbing as they can be when they happen, try to understand that there's good and bad in almost everything. Dreams included. And we'll just choose to remember the good ones.

Having vivid and even bizzare dreams is often reported as a new phenomenen after going on cpap and getting more REM sleep. Some nightmares would logically be included, however, lots of nightmares could signal a problem. I was having bad dreams and even dying dreams in the early days when my cpap treatment wasn't effective. The dreams all carried a theme of something or someone either choking, suffocating or drowning. The only way to know if your treatment is effective is to have a data capable machine.

Kathy

I am now dreaming A LOT and remembering most of them. Now and again I do get a very frightening or disturbing dream (not suffocating or drowning), but I think I'm having REM rebound now. It doesn't really bother me as I know it's just my subconscious sorting things out. If you are having night terrors or consistent nightmares, I would check to make sure you are getting adequate therapy and also report it to your primary doctor and sleep doctor.