Poll: Senitive/Hyperarousable Sleepers

What? For years you were a Nonentity too??

I checked "always slept soundly and still do." When I first started at the Fire Department, I woke (WIDE awake) every time the buzzer went off (you hear it if it goes off for ANY of our eight stations). But after a few weeks, I got to the point where I would not "consciously" wake up unless I heard MY unit number announced (ie "Engine SIX"). Over the past few years (before xPAP) I had actually gotten to the point that I did not wake up at ALL when the buzzer went off (even when our unit), especially if it was during the first 1-2 hours after I had laid down. Now, I routinely wake up in the morning, look at my pages, and see where there were several runs during the night/early am that I don't recall even hearing (as long as they weren't "us").

Years ago, and before getting diagnosed with OSA and on xPAP, my wife asked me one morning if I remembered her hitting me during the night. I told her I vaguely (I mean VERY vaguely) remembered something like a dream about maybe somebody hit me once or twice. She then told me that she had a dream I was "trying to bite her nose off" and it was so vivid that it seemed real. In this dream, she had pushed me off of her and onto my back, held her left forearm over my neck as I lay there, and hit me repeatedly in the chest and abdomen with her right fist. I will point out that she is 5'0" and small frame, while I am 6'2" and (was at that time) about 200lbs. She then told me that she awoke from her dream, leaned over me hitting me as she had dreamed, with me still asleep with my arms behind my head and making "O!" and "AH!" sounds as she hit me. LOL

I always used to be a very deep / sound sleeper. In fact, I find that when I'm having more problems with central or obstructive sleep apnea, I do NOT sleep well. When I don't sleep well, I often use headphones (with easy listening music) to try to mask out lots of outside sound. It helps. But the real fix is to get me apnea under control. I'm doing somewhat better with my ASV unit.

Muse-Inc wrote:

brain_cloud wrote:...how good they are at knowing why they just woke up...

I'm totally clueless...first thought I was desatting but doesn't appear to be the case (using borrowed pulseox every night), might be too little thyroid meds, at this point might be astrological alignments and/or the phase of the moon

Perphaps your dresser is staring at you. I've heard a good hard stare can wake people up. You may have to turn it around to face the wall.

I also have an application on my iPhone called "WhiteNoise" that has a large catalog of sounds like rain, beach, rainforest, air conditioners, wind, all the different colours of noise, etc. If I don't have my noisy air conditioner running I find brown noise very helpful in sleeping.

After my daughter went to college, my husband kindly moved into her room with the dog, his beeper, his cell phone and I shut the door so the cat couldn't come in and cry all night. It worked wonders! I do sleep better since CPAP, but I'm still an incredibly light sleeper. CPAP helped me most with not needing to get up to pee. I went from 2-4 times a night to zippo!

echo wrote:To elaborate: I just have a hard time staying patient with people I feel are ... oh gosh this list could get long. Bottom line I am very impatient with people. Actually I'm just very impatient in general, always have been. Is that related to sensitivity , I don't know! Probably, it just means my tolerance for things isn't very big.

Irritability?

I sleep with two noise machines and a fan on high just for the noise of it (I point it away). In the morning if others are up and I don't want to be, I put a pillow over my head. My bedroom lets in too much light, and it bothers me. I sleep on a mattress that minimizes movement, with a body pillow (and as of last night, a wedge), splints on my wrists, and a nightguard in my mouth. (And that's when I'm off CPAP!) My husband's heartbeat wakes me - j/k Seriously, if he even rolls over or moves the sheets, it wakes me. Everything wakes me. The Princess and the Pea has nothing on me.

Last night I woke up after 3 hours and thought of this thread, as I was living an example. Last night my headgear was irritating me to no end, specifically the right side. Tried pulling the straps below my ears, above my ears, over my ears. At some point in yanking things around I was straightening the stretchy headband I use for a bit of extra stabilization. It just didn't feel right. Then in the dark my fingers identified the issue - I usually put it on inside out so the tiny seam is not next to me, but not this time. And I absolutely could not tolerate that seam me. To flip it would mean either taking my mask off or disconnecting the hose. Not necessary. I was wide awake so it was over for me. I now relate to the Princess and the Pea story even better.

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I experienced a monumental change in my sleeping pattern after using cpap. Used to thrash about all night long, taking 1-2 hours to finally get to a fragmented state of sleep, but still turning over continuously from side to tummy to back to side....and up 3-4X every night to go pee. For me, it was not as much a sensitivity to any noises or sounds, but inability to feel comfortable, ready to rest. Since using my cpap I have found the sensation of the air and the white noise of the machine to be very comforting. (It was my attitude from DAY One that this little machine was going to be my life saver). I'm asleep within 15-20 minutes. I never need to get up to pee, but I do wake each time I need to turn over from one side to the other---No more back or tummy sleeping, so I have to turn every couple of hours when pain or discomfort wakes me, and then need to adjust the hose and mask after rolling over. In between, I am getting sound and undisturbed sleep. Yay!

experienced a monumental change in my sleeping pattern after using cpap.

Me too! my husband can let the dogs in to jump on the bed to sleep with me every morning now, and I DONT WAKE UP!

(these are dobermans on a queen size bed mind you..)

I think things are finally changing!

I have always been a hyper-sensitive person, even as a small child, and being told your TOO SENSITIVE, and called "MISS SENSITIVITY" as a child created extreme anxiety, and a low self-concept.
I was always an extremely light sleeper, and suffered with terrible allergies to everything, both inhalant and contact related.
Parents installed wool carpet throughout our home and the rash and breathing problems exacerbated, hence, Miss Sensitivity became the "Problem Child." Accommodations made were resented, and mostly did NOT fix my problems.
The only time I could breathe was when travelling in the car with my head resting on the open window edge, getting yelled at to close the damn window. Should have been a clue to folks, ya think?
Never required too much sleep until I hit 50, began falling breaking arms or hands to catch myself, 3 significant car accidents, then doc decided it was time to find out why I couldn't walk down my 10 foot hallway without hitting the walls. They were sure it was MS, but turned out to be OSA.
Treatment and some success was slow in coming, two auto machines, Respironics Auto for 7 years just wasn't helping, changed to Resmed 3 months ago and the improvement is very significant, however despite very low AHI's the nights with the pie graph showing mostly central events produce a "bad" day for me.
Still with the Resmed machine, I can breathe through my nose for the first time in my life in the daytime as well as the nighttime. I can get about 2 or 3 hours of straight sleep before I wake while turning over due to spinal pain.
Cpap had definitely been good for me.
Some things that help significantly, I have a SOLID LATEX mattress, no memory foam, so it is always cool, and absolutely no pressure point pain. I found a great pillow with a Cool Gel Core, that adjusts to the room temperature and then cools the core to a cooler temperature, stopped the massive headaches and neck surgery site, but it is somewhat firm so mask strap marks are always a problem.
I do believe however, CPAP treatment has saved my life!

None of the choices fit me.
My biggest sleep disturbance was OSA--but not the only one.
My requirements are minor--not too noisy, bright or toxic.
I could sleep spontaneously when I was tired enough--especially before CPAP.
I still can--I just don't want to without my machine, because that is NOT restful at all.

I would give anything to be able to sleep with my machine but I cannot. Believe me I have tried so hard and I am still trying but everything about it wakes me up all the time.
I have tried everything that I have read on this forum since 2006 and it just doesn't work for me.
I can get everything settled and perfect and after 2 or 3 hours I am always awakened with the air leaking somewhere.
I am a very light sleeper and once I have been awakened that is it for the night.
I have tried all the masks out there,all the labrat tricks and nothing works,but I am still trying.
I pray that someday I will be able to say,I love my c-pap but at this point I still hate it!
GOD BLESS YOU ALL!