Anyone know what is happening?

I've been on a CPAP unit for about 2 years now. In the last two or three months I go right to sleep and wake up one to two hours afterwards and I'm not able to get back to sleep. I get up and watch TV or work on the commuter for an hour or two then I'm able to go back to sleep until morning. This happens every night without exception. My equipment is a Remstar plus and my mask is a Mirage Quattro if that is of significance. It has been a while since I have been in to see my sleep doctor and for them to read my card as money is a bit tight and my co-pay is high. Has anyone encountered this? Anyone have a clue what might be going on? I don't think the mask is leaking.

Which Remstar Plus? Probably is the one that only shows hours of use, wouldn't help much to see that anyway.

There are any number of reasons why you might be waking up? Mask leak? Some general insomnia problems? Pain? Bathroom needs and be wide awake? Uncomfortable bed? If your machine is the Plus that doesn't offer any data at all we can't tell if it is leaks, events or what that is maybe a factor.

When you have time could you go to the User Control Panel and add your equipment to your profile equipment page. Please use text as images all look a like and we have to click on the link to see your equipment. Pay special attention to the Remstar choices as there are many. 2 years on the machine? M Series machine maybe? or the older Remstar Plus.

nightsoncpap,

As its honorary president, I bid you a sad welcome to the CPAP & Insomnia club.

nightsoncpap wrote:I've been on a CPAP unit for about 2 years now. In the last two or three months I go right to sleep and wake up one to two hours afterwards and I'm not able to get back to sleep. I get up and watch TV or work on the commuter for an hour or two then I'm able to go back to sleep until morning. This happens every night without exception.

The timing of the wake might indicate that it might be tied to the end of your first REM cycle---at least sometimes. Any unusual stress in your life that you might be dreaming about in some fashion? Do you wake up anxious or just wake up feeling alert, but not overly stressed out or anxious? ---at least until you start worrying that "I'm awake yet again and I don't want to be."

It sounds to me like you are doing one thing right: Getting out of bed when you can't get back to sleep in a timely fashion is a standard insomnia-fighting guideline.

And you're doing one thing wrong: Watching TV or getting on the computer for an hour or two is usually counterproductive in fighting insomnia.

Why? The light that TVs and computer monitors emit is capable of disturbing sleep cycles---it has something to do with the fact that it is inherently "blue light". And both the TV and the computer are probably stimulating your mind to stay awake far longer than necessary. And if you are enjoying the tv shows or the computer stuff in the middle of the night, you may unconsciously be training your mind to wake your body up in order to have some "fun".

So you might try doing something less stimulating when you get up in the middle of the night. Instead of watching TV or getting on the computer, you could try:

• Reading a boring book or a very familiar book in a room other than your bedroom until you get sleepy
  
  Working a crossword or a soduko ON paper (not the computer)
  
  Play some solitaire with REAL cards (not the computer's virtual cards)
  
  Make yourself a cup of warm milk or some herbal, non-caffeinated tea.
  
  Sit in the dark or semi-dark listening to quiet music

These activities may be less likely to stimulate your mind into staying awake than the tv or the computer. So you will likely be able to return to bed sooner (and get more sleep) and you may find yourself less likely to wake up in a few weeks.

And then there's another more radical idea you might want to try: You could simply stay up an extra hour or two (on a trial basis) and see if that lets you sleep through without waking up. Of course, this is only practical if you are getting enough sleep even with the long wake up in the middle.

Do you wake up with dry mouth ,if that is the case than you are probably opening your mouth and losing the pressure in which to keep the airways open and that could explain your frequent awaking .you could try few things : place your tongue against the roof of the mouth to stop it from opening ,a chin strap or find out about mouth taping .