New to cpap machine still waking up every 2 hours at night

Hello,
I just received my cpap machine 1 week ago. I have used it and found myself still waking up every 2 hours and i was doing before cpap. Is this normal to still happen? Am i still to new and adjusting to the machine and this will eventually go away? Also I start to get claustrophobic right before bed thinking about wearing the mask. Is this a normal thing that happens early on as well?
Thanks

To use the forum features fully, you need to register and log in. Once you do that, your username will be in blue and be clickable. Until you do that, you are very limited in what communication can transpire between you and other members.

Please take a minute to go up to the User Control Panel (under search, top left) and then to your Profile and then Edit Equipment. Choose your gear from the pull down menus and the choose to show those in TEXT, not pictures. This will put your equipment at the bottom of every post your write automatically, like mine below. Those with the same equipment can help you better than having to constantly ask you what you use!

Once you are registered and we know what you are using, we can help you figure out the issues and resolve them. Please also let us know your pressure setting(s) and if you are using ramp or exhale pressure relief feature (if available).

sphin16399 wrote:Hello,
I just received my cpap machine 1 week ago. I have used it and found myself still waking up every 2 hours and i was doing before cpap. Is this normal to still happen? Am i still to new and adjusting to the machine and this will eventually go away? Also I start to get claustrophobic right before bed thinking about wearing the mask. Is this a normal thing that happens early on as well?
Thanks

Hi sphin

Do you know what is causing you to wake up? For instance do you wake up needing to go to the bathroom? I think that should go away right away - it did for me anyway. Is it discomfort from the mask? Or something else entirely? It does take a bit of time to get used to this - how much varies from person to person.

Is your mask uncomfortable after you put it on or is the anticipation the worst part of it? I hated the idea of it but I wasn't really uncomfortable or claustrophobic so I adjusted very fast. Other people here have found it harder. One thing that did help me ironically was to focus on the feeling of the mask and of my breathing when I put it on rather than trying to ignore it. I'd guess this might be absolutely the worst approach for other people.

Other times the mask may be misadjusted so it's actually uncomfortable. That doesn't go away with time. But if that's the case you'll find plenty of tips here for fixing it. Or, in extreme cases, replacing the mask.

There are different kinds of masks so if you can't adjust to yours you might find one of the others helpful. The three main types are nasal (goes over your nose), nasal pillow (goes in your nose), and full face which covers both your mouth and nose. Which type you're using is probably more useful information for posters here than the exact brand and model unless you get down to very specific problems.

Probably things will get easier in time no matter what you do. Posting about your specific problems however may get you tips that will speed the process up.

By the way you do not HAVE to register here. You are welcome to post without registering and most people will be happy to answer your questions. The main advantage to registering is that you can choose to send and receive private messages with other posters. That can be fun but you're usually better off getting your practical advice on the board anyway where other posters can correct any accidental errors one person might make. That said, I haven't regretted registering here and I've never had any problems arise out of it or received any unwanted emails.

Midnightowl

sphin16399 wrote:still waking up every 2 hours and i was doing before cpap

I'm sorry, but I don't understand if you were waking up every 2 hours before cpap? If so,it really depends why you woke up before cpap. Some problems are apnea related, some problems are not. Cpap doesn't usually have an affect on non-apnea related problems. I had insomnia before cpap, and still have insomnia now. *sigh* My doctors and I had hoped the insomnia was apnea related, but alas not.

I wish you all the best in adjusting to cpap and benefiting from its use. You've come to the right place for support and help.

sphin16399 wrote:Hello,
I just received my cpap machine 1 week ago. I have used it and found myself still waking up every 2 hours and i was doing before cpap. Is this normal to still happen? Am i still to new and adjusting to the machine and this will eventually go away? Also I start to get claustrophobic right before bed thinking about wearing the mask. Is this a normal thing that happens early on as well?
Thanks

As to waking up, like other mentioned, you might want to register and list your equipment in your user profile so folks have an idea what you're using. You might want to provide some details regarding what was causing your wake ups.

As for the claustrophobia, you're not alone. I think that fear and paranoia and claustrophobia are very very common, it's good you raised the issue to deal with it because you don't want to give up CPAP for it. I felt that fear when I did my titrations, and before I got the machine I told myself that I was not going to have that problem. I convinced myself that if I ever felt that, that it was ok, it's not going to kill me.

Some other things you can do are try to wear the mask around the house without the hose. Consider this to be 'practice'. Perhaps sit around and watch tv with it, or read for an hour or two. The day I got the machine, I took two naps with the mask and machine on to help me get used to it. When I went to bed, I put the mask and machine on about 30 minutes before I wanted to fall asleep and I played angry birds on my cellphone (which I still do before I go to bed ). So, it's just a matter of acclimating yourself to it as well as telling yourself that the claustrophobia is all in your mind and that nothing will happen to you with the mask on.

Give this lots of time, our bodies have to adjust to breathing consistently at night. All you have said is very normal, as time goes on you will maybe try different masks or settings on your machine but be patient and keep asking questions you will get allot of support and help in this forum.

I have the same problem and I have had it a long time. It is most likely a brain defect for me. Cpap won't fix it and maybe just makes it worse.

How long have you had that problem in your sleep pattern where you wake up every 2 hours? Do you go right back to sleep or do you feel wide awake? Do you feel tired and fall asleep alot at all the wrong times during the day?

sphin16399 wrote:Hello,
I just received my cpap machine 1 week ago. I have used it and found myself still waking up every 2 hours and i was doing before cpap. Is this normal to still happen? Am i still to new and adjusting to the machine and this will eventually go away? Also I start to get claustrophobic right before bed thinking about wearing the mask. Is this a normal thing that happens early on as well?
Thanks

I also had fragmented sleep before CPAP and for 3 months after starting, when I got up to urinate and change my wet T shirt every 2 hours. Now after 9 month I wake up only once. But I took sleep medication while starting CPAP to help me falling a sleep.

To find out if I was waking b/c the need to urinate (such as prostate problems) or just from a sleep apnea event, my Doc gave me to try tablets of Flomax which supposed to help during normal (non OSA ) conditions. But I have been postponing taking this Rx. I don't mind getting up once or twice during 7 hours sleep. BTW, I am retired.

Also check this conersation:

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=16275&st=0&sk=t&sd= ... +urination

I hope you hang in there until you get used to PAPpy. It is not normal to sleep with air rushing through your nose & down your throat. It takes some getting used to. And, you have to deal with getting the right mask (I got it on the second try), the right pressure, the right humidity. . . It takes time to get it all right.

And, I agree that your waking may not be due to the apnea. Mine is due to fibromyalgia; I take meds to help me sleep, but I still get up to go to the bathroom. Still, I am beginning to sleep better. My husband is sleeping better due to the lack of snoring.

I urge you to register with this site and add your machine, mask and humidifier. That way, the folks who use the same equipment that you do will be able to give you first hand info and advice.

Welcome to the club.