Day four, Arggghhh, cheer me up.......

One thing - can you get comfy and relaxed in your bed and then have your mask ready to slip on? I find relaxing is the key for me. You seem terribly stressed and if you could work on that, you may feel better. Sometimes we make ourselves crazy .... and that's not a good thing. Best of luck to you.

On my first night of C Pap I put the machine and mask on and let it run on ramp for a very long time, probably 3 hours before bedtime. Just to get used to it, that helped a bit.I just kept hitting ramp. ( I think that I did that routine for the first week or so) Now I wait to put it on when my eyes are very hard to keep open, then I slip it on and due to having to hit mask check, that kind of wakes me back up a bit... so I just lay there for a while with the mask on until I pass out. I just ordered an anti leak strap from pad a cheek with a mask liner.. can't wait to try it.

Thanks, i am actually handling the air and pressure fine now i think, the first couple attempts i didn't but now i have no issues really with the forced air or its pressure. Last couple of nights have just been Insomnia caused by having a mask and hose clamped onto my normally naked head! And last night did seem to be first time i had real mask issues with leaks and hisses a plenty. I might take the advice and go see doctor (normal GP) for advice regards the Insomnia part of this..

I think a lot of my problem maybe fact since childhood i have been a stomach sleeper? And now i feel i cant do that masked up (even on side mask seems to hiss madly). And i think my body just doesn't want to "go to sleep" on its back I mean every time i have "given up" and took the mask off, i rolled over onto my front and dropped straight off to sleep, even on my 1st sleep study i only eventually slept in the last 15min when i rolled over onto my stomach, much to the Sleep Techs disgust! So it follows that maybe i cant "relax" until i get on my stomach? hmmm

Ramp is typically set to start at 4. That is very low. You should be able to set it higher, maybe 6 to start. You have to experiment and find a comfortable level and timme frame for you.
I don't know if you ever said if you are on straight cpap or an auto range but that might be another option for you to explore. Even if you set your pressure lower than prescribed it would be better to wear the mask at a lower pressure for awhile than not at all.

Pressures not bothering me as i said, all good with that.
Well night six, same old same old. Worried i am going to get into mental habit of "get in bed, mask up, stare ceiling two hours....... mask off, go to sleep" as thats been past six nights.
Time to go see doctor about it today i think (normal doc, not my sleep doc)

try this for sleeping on your stomach
http://www.uarsrelief.com/sleeppositions.html

I'm only a month into this and had a horrible time with insomnia and getting used to the mask also. But 10 days into it, I started trying melatonin and it definitely helped me. I only sometimes take it now and am able to sleep well, most nights. You sound like you have long time insomnia though and possibly, as another poster suggested, you might need some sleep aide at least for a while. It gets better, I hope your visit to your dr today gave you some advice for or change to your therapy. Read more about insomnia also and take a look at Robysue's postings on the subject. Good Luck. We all are pulling for you.

retrodave15 wrote:My sleep doc also recommended I take 10mg of melatonin and 50mg of benydryl about 1 hour before bedtime

Nice if it works for you! Melatonin pretty much does nothing for me, having tried it and nearly everything else for insomnia, for years.
Benadryl works great, but tell that to my prostate!

I ended up in Sleep/Pulmonary on GP's recommendation for probably sleep apnea. After the home sleep study, the Pulmonary staff lecture emphasized, "You're all here because you have Sleep Apnea, putting you at risk of heart attack or stroke. That's what we are here to prevent. We don't care how well you sleep, or if you sleep at all!"

Thanks for the support, Nurse Ratchet!!

Dave - 6 days into CPAP.

Sadly work meant i didn't get time to visit Doc today, hopefully tomorrow i can. But i did manage to drop in a Pharmacy and grab an "over counter" sleep aid, who knows might work.
Hear goes.... Good night!

Winjas wrote:Last couple of nights have just been Insomnia caused by having a mask and hose clamped onto my normally naked head!

I'm not sure here whether by "clamped" you are just emphasizing your discomfort or whether you have the mask too tight. What's uncomfortable about it?

Winjas wrote: And last night did seem to be first time i had real mask issues with leaks and hisses a plenty. I might take the advice and go see doctor (normal GP) for advice regards the Insomnia part of this..

I don't think anyone can sleep with hissing leaks. Don't try to tough it out and get used to them when they occur. Try jiggling the mask around, loosening the straps, and washing your face before bed (removes oil). I still get leaks sometimes when I toss around but with practice I can now adjust the mask while half asleep so it's less of a problem.

Winjas wrote: I think a lot of my problem maybe fact since childhood i have been a stomach sleeper? And now i feel i cant do that masked up (even on side mask seems to hiss madly). And i think my body just doesn't want to "go to sleep" on its back I mean every time i have "given up" and took the mask off, i rolled over onto my front and dropped straight off to sleep, even on my 1st sleep study i only eventually slept in the last 15min when i rolled over onto my stomach, much to the Sleep Techs disgust! So it follows that maybe i cant "relax" until i get on my stomach? hmmm

I don't sleep on my back either and trying to nearly ruined my sleep study too. I'd stop trying to do that and work on getting the mask to work in the position that you already find comfortable. I call myself a side sleeper although it often looks a lot like the so called falcon position linked to above. I found the right pillow is critical to making it work. I use a fairly thin pillow which I can fold so that the part of my face with the mask hangs off the edge. And a nasal mask so that there's less of the mask to hit the pillow. (A Fisher & Paykel HC407 by the way but I doubt the model matters so much as the general style).

There are other stomach sleepers here who have made it work and can give you more specific advice. You can search for their advice or post a question with a clear subject line along the lines of "How do I sleep on my stomach with mask on?"

Good luck.

I did not think it possible to sleep on the stomach with the mask, but boy was I wrong! I tried it last night and so far is the best sleeping position that I have tried masked up! It really worked well for me and I love love love stomach sleeping. YAY!
I use the Quatro FX mask, don't know if there are other people who stomach sleep with other masks.. This mask is growing on me the more I get used to it..

I struggled in the beginning too with panic and all that. I soon gave up on the ramp up feature, works better without. Someone on here told me to work on the comfort issues so that's what I've been doing. I'm just coming up on 3 months on the therapy. Like you I have a basic machine set at 9. I bought a gel pad for the bridge of my nose and a chin strap. I've had the most success sleeping in a chair with an ottoman for a leg rest. I was always a tummy sleeper as well.

Keep working at it and check back in here often. The folks on this site are very supportive and helpful. You'll get there!

Progress....

The "over counter" sleeping aid has helped, the last two nights i actually fell asleep masked up still, albeit i think i only slept for about 3 hours but its progress for sure.

Winjas, have you tried sleeping on your stomach? I just tried the other night for the first time and was stunned at how comfy it is... I thought it was not going to work, so I never tried it. Try it, you will love it. It was great!

Winjas wrote:Anyway they sent me home in the morning with my own new CPAP machine and mask (F+P 608) and said see how i get on and use it daily of course.

Your treatment is being done wrong. You need a machine that records data during the night. I don't know if your healthcare provider is at fault or if it's your national healthcare system. This is doubly important since you didn't get a good sleep test. The machine you have is like treating a heart attack victim by taking his pulse instead of hooking him up to an EKG.

However, you still need to wear the machine all night every night. Or you're going to die. Probably slowly.

Be careful about getting into the habit of taking the mask off and going back to sleep. This can very easily become a habit you have a hard time breaking. You might even find yourself taking it off and not remember doing it. If you simply MUST take off the mask, get up and do something else until you can face the machine again.

You might try sleeping with CPAP in a recliner or chair if you have one. Sometimes that can help. Maybe even in front of the TV, although that's a bad habit.

I'm irritated that more doctors don't prescribe a sleeping pill for sleep tests for you to take "just in case." You'd rather have the test without a sleeping pill, but it beats not sleeping.

Are you trying to sleep on your back? This isn't necessary at home if you can make the mask work. I find it helps me to get a body pillow and grab it between my legs and hold it with my arms to keep me on my side.