Why do some folks take to cpap so quickly and others do not?

elena88 wrote:Im wondering if there are things that people who take to cpap quicky have in common?

Quark, strangeness and charm!

Cheers,

Bill

I was lucky that I found a mask that I liked on the second try and I like my machine. During my second sleep study (with my mask) I was able to sleep straight through the night (with an Ambien - I only got about 90 minutes in the first sleep study so accepted the sleep aid offer the second time). Sleeping with the mask on wasn't a problem for me from the get go.

I have never had a problem falling asleep with the mask on and when I went in after the first month my data showed that my average use was 6 hours a night which is evidently great for a newbie. However, my problem is I wake up about 1:30 every night ( I did before the mask) and then tossing and turning can't go back to sleep with the mask on so I am using 1/2 an Ambien right now to help me sleep through the night.

Because I was successful so quickly I was able to see immediate results in how focused I was during the day, wasn't as sleepy etc which helped to reinforce using the mask.

Not sure why I aclimated so quicky but am glad I did.

Plus, my spouse is so much happier
Kim

I took to it my first night. Had to try a few different masks to find the right one. It has been such a long process to get a good night sleep without medication that I will not miss a night. I have multiple medical problems including GERDS and depression. Just want to feel better and more energetic.

I too was very lucky and took to it right away. When I went in for my sleep study I knew nothing about sleep apnea but I was hoping they would just give me a pill and everything would be better. When the lady said I had severe sleep apnea and here let me try this mask on you I almost freeked out. The thought of having to wear a mask to bed and what would my wife think and and.... But I put the mask on and during the test I actually got a couple hours of sleep w/o apneas. I woke up so refreshed that I was completely sold on it. I was actually afraid to go to sleep until I got my machine. Even though the first machine and the masks were a problem I still felt better then before. Now with the right mask, machine, and setup, I almost can't imagine sleeping without it.

I considered myself being lucky, before I got my machine, I found this forum. I kept reading and reading and read a lot successful stories and what problems some people are facing. I was prepared and ready to accept the challenge.

I waited for several weeks for the new machine to come to the market. And tried on the relatively new release Swift FX. All very comfortable. I have been on it for about 5 months never skip a day.

I accept the fact that I have this condition and it can be controlled and need to be controlled. It will affect the quality of my life and the love one around me.

Some times there are issues, however problems can be solved and will be solved with the right attitude and determination.

All being said, I think finding the right mask is foremost important for a successful treatment. If it is not comfortable, it will be struggle. And then able to control your machine and monitor your progress.

Always good to visit this forum. Thank you for sharing ideas and knowledge.

It took about 2 weeks for me to stop taking off my mask and that only happened after I learned how to control the rushing air that I was fighting. Once I learned the control then that was it for me. I can NOT sleep without my CPAP now. Not even for a nap. It has made such a difference for me. But, that first 2 weeks was a mess for sure.

I would completely disagree with you. When you talk about Compliance and the "100% attitude" you have about it, I think you are confusing "attitude" with "discipline". You said you bitch and whine about it so obviously, you are not 100% in love with it. It's good that you have discipline though cause good things eventually happen to people who stick to something.

I'm curious about what you do to overcome phobias though. I'm somewhat versed in psychology so that part interested me.

For me, I took to it the first night. I'd say that it's because I'm usually thinking about all the good things that CPAP will do for me. Ok, there are some times when I think about the bad aspects, but I'd say it's 95% good thoughts, 5% bad. Even when I was bleeding and growing blisters on my nose because of my mask, I was still enjoying sleeping with it. Some people here have mentioned that knowledge helps, but I'd say the only knowledge I needed was that I had been at a handicap for most of my life and I can finally do away with that handicap.

Prevail

snuginarug wrote:Being a newbie I am finding this discussion interesting. I am seeing two things that are being wrapped up into one. There is compliance and then there is tolerance.

While some of the tolerance problems are psychological, there are other factors as well. And just because something is psychological, doesn't mean that having an explanation cures the problem. I worked with myself on the claustrophobia thing, not from the standpoint that OK I have a psychological problem, and now I am going to apply a good attitude, which will solve my psychological problem. Instead, I worked with knowledge of how to overcome phobias. A good attitude without this information on overcoming phobias works less well. Which makes achieving tolerance more difficult, makes the road quite a bit more rocky. So it is lack of knowledge that makes tolerance harder to achieve in this case, not attitude.

Compliance, however, is something totally different. When we talk about compliance, it is 100% attitude. I have a really good attitude towards compliance--- come hell or high water, I AM going to do this, I will let nothing stop me. As many times as I am thrown off the horse, I will get back up again. I bitch and whine, yes, but I keep on trucking no matter how I feel. People use tolerance problems as an excuse to not comply, which has to do with attitude.

Prevail wrote:I would completely disagree with you. When you talk about Compliance and the "100% attitude" you have about it, I think you are confusing "attitude" with "discipline". You said you bitch and whine about it so obviously, you are not 100% in love with it. It's good that you have discipline though cause good things eventually happen to people who stick to something.

Yes those were the words I was hunting for - the difference between discipline and attitude! Discipline will get you back on the horse but and attitude of letting go of your fear will allow you to actually ride it.

Great analogy! As an example of what's happened to me lately, I'm one of those who HATES to drive and always depended on Mike all these years. Now that he's less willing and less able, that task is falling on my shoulders. I was able to "discipline" myself (with some resentment and anxiety) to take over that "chore" out of necessity, but I've since changed my "attitude" and now feel a sense of "freedom" in being able to get behind the wheel and take us where we have to go. It's also great not having to be a "backseat driver" anymore. Now I just resent that he's a much better passenger than I was!

Have you ever gone to the ER in pain?
Please give me a shot for the pain, please.
That's how I was with OSA. No pain, just no sleep or memory.
If they told me I needed to drag around a 100 pound ball and chain all day to sleep at night I would have done it.
Maybe it depends on how much you need it.

One reason some people take to xPAP therapy is their extreme need for it. When diagnosed, I was VERY sleep deprived. I would have "micro dreams" when I blinked. When I first got my machine (almost 20 years ago), I found that I had better sleep than I had in years. It was easy for me to see the need and benefit from the use of xPAP.

The same thing happened most recently when I switched to an ASV unit. That unit makes HUGE pressure changes to help support breathing during my central apneas. Some people find this very disconcerting. It was not a problem for me. I was once again desperate for sleep.

Of course that's an over simplification. Some people with severe need have problems adjusting. And some people with mild symptoms adjust readily. And the final slice of the puzzle is that some people just hang on until their bodies adjust.

Trying to understand compliance - why some people have problems and others do not - is an area of study for several researchers. You can find their papers by using Google's Scholar search.

Prevail wrote:
I'm curious about what you do to overcome phobias though. I'm somewhat versed in psychology so that part interested me.

I can't remember the technical name of the process, something like "desensitization." You gradually introduce the feared object or event in a controlled situation, allowing the person to disengage whenever they feel fear beginning. Then come back to it when the fear subsides and repeat procedure. The idea is that when the subject is exposed in this way they can go a little further each time and learn that the feared object or event is actually safe. The textbook example is almost always snakes, but it works for almost any phobia. My own phobic reaction to the mask was pretty mild, and by disengaging BEFORE full panic, I was able to condition myself in the course of one night.

Prevail wrote:I would completely disagree with you

There seems to be a consensus on this topic. I don't understand what you guys are really saying here. I feel like people are saying my attitude is not reaching the mark, and that I should be doing something different. I don't know HOW to do anything different, other than doggedly slogging through tough things in the beginning. (I just finished week 2.) But you guys are older and wiser heads than me, on the topic of cpap. Maybe I'll come to understand what you are talking about in time.

I however do insist that tolerance and compliance are two VERY different things, and feel that the two are being wrapped up together. I am totally compliant (I have not laid down on my bed without the mask since I brought the machine home) but I still have problems with toleration.

I had been sleep deprived for so long that after just four hours or so of sleep during the titration phase of my sleep study, I felt incredible.

It was like a drug, and I wanted more!

Despite having to overcome claustrophobic feelings, even with nasal pillows, and the hurricane of 14 cm/H20 blowing up my nose, I was determined to stick with it come hell or high water.

I used ramp for about two weeks, and, strangely enough, also had a fan blowing on me, which for some reason seemed to mitigate the claustrophobic feelings.

After two weeks I turned off the fan and the ramp. That was seven years ago and I've never felt better.

Yeah, I am definitely one of the lucky ones.

All of you are talking about acceptance, attitude, all of this is correct I think, but I'm going to go with something more prosaic:

Think back to a time before you had sleep apnea. Let's say your childhood. Were you a light sleeper or a deep sleeper? Most likely you still are this way. If you were/are a deep sleeper, you are less likely to be bothered by the mask , less likely to awaken in the night, more likely to achieve compliance than a light sleeper. I was a very deep sleeper, still am, and the mask rarely bothers me once I'm asleep. Compliance has been easy for me, so far, and the treatment is effective.

OMG, I was such a light sleeper when I was a kid.. so was my mom.. and my dad, total insomniac

I remember staring at the ceiling for hours trying to get to sleep.. and I was a very active child, in the pool in the summer eight hours etc..

My brother knew I stared at the ceiling, so he painted a monster face with glow in the dark paint up there one night..

Now, that really helped!