How Long Before You Slept Through the Night?

Guest wrote:I keep waking up three or four times a night. My sleep doctor said I'm making too big of a deal about it as most people wake a few times in the night. He says it is "normal" and sleeping all night long isn't a necessity

I think the sleep doctor is correct.

I wake up four or five times during the night that I'm aware of. Usually to turn over. I'm able to go right back to sleep. I feel fully rested and refreshed every morning.

Of course the effect could be different for others. And certainly would not be pleasant if the wakeups caused a person to remain awake for long periods.

I stopped using my CPAP for six months because I couldn't get used to it, but am so tired all day long that I tried it again last night. I only lasted for two hours and have been discouraged all day long. The comments about our brains having to get used to being tethered to a machine at night and having air blasted into our noses gave me some encouragement. Hopefully, I'll have a better night tonight. Wish me luck!!!

I've been using CPAP for just over 14 months now. I'm one of the lucky ones who had positive results from the start -- heart palpitatations disappeared, I stopped falling asleep in my chair while watching TV, brain fog cleared up, and starting a month into treatment there were no more nightly bathroom trips. For many months, I did wake up several times during the night, usually because I felt like I had to turn over (joints felt very stiff!), but I would go right back to sleep. After having untreated sleep apnea for 15+ years, I think my body was used to constant arousals throughout the night.

But starting at around 9 months into treatment, I started sleeping solidly through the night. I rarely even turn over. My joints aren't stiff at all anymore. My head hits the pillow, and I'm out for 7-8 hours! At around that time, I switched from an S8 Elite II to the S9 Autoset. I didn't do well on Auto mode, but I think I've found my set-pressure sweet spot.

Dreamon....I love to hear testimonials like yours! It still gives me hope for those solid hours of sleep without frequent wake-ups.

Something tells me it's gonna happen SOMEDAY! Thanks!

Stopped my 8-10 pee trips the first night! Hurray

First 4 nights were from hell, I only slept in the 45 mins ramp periods because every time it hit my full pressure I woke up .

Night 5, I slept 9 solid blissful hrs!!! Most nights following I slept the entire sleep period without waking. That lasted about 13 months, pure bliss, then I started occasionally waking up every 90-120 mins, likely when a sleep cycle ended. That lead to consistent nightly wakeups and then to my 6-month backslide into apnea even tho I was 100% compliant -- I was so clueless (can ya say fat, dumb, and happy? using a no-data CPAP) that I didn't know I was losing precious therapy air via little puffs of air escaping via my loose lips...took joining here to get educated about apnea and self-care. Took a little longer to get my mask changed and begin my fight (and eventual loss) with my insurance company to get the APAP I needed when I became intolerant of straight CPAP pressure. It's been an adventure that's for sure

Oh yeah, I still wake up, usually once or twice a night, sometimes more often, but I immediately fall back to sleep so I don't stress out over this.

I just passed the 3 week mark and I wake up to turn over from joint pain, fiddle with the mask or hose, or who knows what. But before I got my CPAP, I would wake up after 1-2 hours and then not be able to get back to sleep. Sometimes for the rest of the night. I would stay in bed later in the morning and keep trying. I would get so angry and frustrated.
Now I go right back to sleep. I can't make note of what wakes me. I have no idea. Last night I apparently took my mask off, turned the machine off, then put my mask back on without turning the machine back on. I don't remember much, and that's a good thing! I'm still having some issues with humidity, leaks and such, but I look forward to going to bed now!

I slept like a log without moving the first night. It was on the 3rd week I suddenly started waking up thinking I was not getting enough air but that was just psychological. A lift of a corner of the mask to prove to me that the air was still moving and saying to myself "There was enough up to now so shut up and go back to sleep"

Just like others, I went through this. The first two weeks were heaven. I hadn't slept like that in I don't know how long. Then like others here, I started waking up in a panic, and started to dread putting the mask on at night. I was a little sad, but I realized it was psychological, and started self talk-that this was a normal response, and that my body was resisting out of subconscious instinct to keep breathing.

Then I started to ritualize my bedtime prep even more. I made sure I had my fave blankie on the bed (yeah, I have one ), and went through all of the recs for setting my machine up. Because I was using the neti pot, I did that as part of my evening ritual, and keeping the attitude that this was healthy for me and I was taking care of myself.

Things became easier after that and now I'm sleeping seven to eight hours straight. I can't believe I'm not getting up to whiz every hour to ninety minutes (and I really had to in the "olden days"). Even on days when I don't have my full seven or so hours of sleep, I'm able to tolerate it so much better.

For those having trouble, I hope things work out. It has to be so frustrating.

Best, Rjaye

Thank you so much everyone, for your responses. It is nice to know I am not the only one struggling, and also nice to know that others have passed that hurdle and are now sleeping well. This give us all much needed encouragement to keep working at it!

jangram wrote:I stopped using my CPAP for six months because I couldn't get used to it, but am so tired all day long that I tried it again last night. I only lasted for two hours and have been discouraged all day long. The comments about our brains having to get used to being tethered to a machine at night and having air blasted into our noses gave me some encouragement. Hopefully, I'll have a better night tonight. Wish me luck!!!

Good luck, Jan! If you continue to have problems, you might want to register (free) here on the forum and then fill in your equipment profile. Registered or not, do keep posting and asking about things that bother you. You'll get plenty of support and maybe some suggestions that might help make this crazy new way of trying to sleep go easier.

jangram wrote:I stopped using my CPAP for six months...... Wish me luck!!!

Tell us more about your situation. Suggest you edit your profile and add your equipment. If you have data to share, post it. Tell us about some of the problems you encountered? We're all here to help you out!

I think the critical idea is whether those "waking ups" to turn over or whatever bother you---in other words, subjectively interrupt your sleep enough to make you feel like you've got insomnia. And I think part of whether they bother you has to do with how quickly you get BACK to sleep.

So for me, it's not the fact that I wake up 3 -- 6 times in a (good, non-Ambien) night that's a problem per se

It's the fact that it typically take me around 10 to 15 minutes to fall back asleep EACH TIME I wake up that's the problem. You can do the math so see how much sleep I'm losing .... each night

It's no wonder I don't feel "refreshed" when I wake up.

I've been using my Cpap nightly for 7 or 8 years now.

Before the machine, I slept every night, but I was tired 4 hours after getting up.

After the machine, I usually sleep 4 hours with the machine and struggle with getting any more time on the machine. If I can sleep 6 hours, it's a good day. I have more alert times now than I did before the machine. I can actually have a pretty good 8 to 10 hour day. Unfortunately, I struggle with getting sleep.

I used to be exhausted, now I live with effects similar to most people's 'jet lag'. I have more coherency, but less than 'normal' people.

The machine really helps, but no way can I fall asleep at full pressure. It's stupid that the ramp button is so hard to find half asleep. 'Please wake up and find this hidden button and after hitting it, quick fall asleep. If not, please wake all the way back up and find it again.' Clearly, the designers do not have sleep apnea.

You will have better luck making your own topic, rather than dragging up a tjread over two years old.
Oh please update your profile with your equipment, that way people will have a better chance in helping you.

My ramp button is very easy to find, big button in the middle of the machine, great when I'm half asleep

I went through many months of 3-4 hour usage nights (6-7 hour nights were rare) - mainly due to leaks developing through the night, being a very active/restless sleeper. I tried all manner of masks, and then the Tap Pap nasal pillow mask came on the scene, so I gave it a try thinking this was going to be just another one to add to the long list of "been there, tried that masks" But no it turned out to be a winner - a game changer really - and now I have had 3 months of averaging 7-8 hours usage - only limited by when I put the mask on until when I remove it the following morning. There has been the occasional night when I have fiddled with the pillows in my sleep (I think maybe when I have an itchy nose or something like that) and dislodged one out of place and it wakes me up until put back in its place. I fully recommend trying the Tap Pap. So for me the thing that made CPAP work was finding the right mask. I hope you can get on to whatever can make it work for you too.

For me it was about 6 months. If it wasn't for waking up gasping when I wasn't using the machine, I might have given up. Now I don't even notice it.