I'm glad I finally posted and thank you all for all your great advice and words of encouragement.
TorontoCPAPguy, I started taking the Clonazepam because I told my sleep doctor that my body was programmed to wake up at exactly 3:30 every night to go to the washroom and he said I should take them every night to un-programme it and it worked. I am able to sleep through the night now so I only take the Clonazepam when it's really important that I get enough sleep for the next day. Being unemployed now, there's not much of that so I haven't been taking them very often. I am also afraid of becoming addicted to them.
I did manage to fall asleep with the Swift nasal pillows on last night, with the help of my Ipod playing my favorite show (The Big Bang Theory) but after checking the card the mask only stayed on for 1 hour and 20 minutes. I don't know if I am taking if off or if it falls off because the headgear isn't secure enough but when I wear the standard nose mask is when I get the feeling I can't breathe and I need to take it off to get a breath. By then I'm thinking about if I'm breathing properly and wondering if I could actually hyperventilate myself! Added to the fact that with the nose mask, if I move my head a little to get comfortable, it starts leaking. So I lay there, trying to keep my head still, trying to make sure I'm not breathing funny, and start thinking "I'm not supposed to be thinking these things" and then I start laughing to myself!
I keep hoping that eventually I will overcome all of it and be able to sleep a night with it on but I'm still waiting. I did wake up with it on one morning about 6 months ago, and I was so proud and excited, but apparently, that was a one time thing. Unfortunately, I have a lot of stress right now too so that's not helping at all.
But I will try the suggestions you have all posted. Something's gotta work, I hope.
Thank you!