Greetings from New Member!
Hi all! Dione from Indiana, USA. I have a family history significant for sleep apnea related to these small airways! Interesting to me! I thought we were just a bunch of snoring fools!
I just got my CPAP this week and have 3 nights with it so far. That first night was rough trying to get used to it!
I even tried a sleeping pill doc prescribed- don't think I will do that again. I was even more tired than usual all day!
I have the Dream Station CPAP machine that does some automatic adjustments, fancy stuff! Then I asked for, am wearing, and I'm already pretty comfortable in the DreamWear nasal pillows. My husband says it looks like a cross between the breather they use in the Star Wars movie when they go underwater to Jaja Binks home... And a Snork- 80s cartoon character.
In my sleep study I had 97 episodes in the 6 hour time, a drop in oxygen several times, and zero REM sleep. This funny thing is that I had taken some Benadryl to make sure I fell asleep and I thought I had a pretty good night's rest! I would hate to see what my "normal" night of sleep was! The average of 16+ episodes per hour and they diagnosed me with moderate obstructive sleep apnea. My machine averages for me too and when wearing mask I am already down to 5-6 episodes in the first week! I'm saying that is good results!
Let me tell you some features I like so far-
Ramp option has been very helpful. It cuts the pressure all the way to minimum and gradually increases over 20 minutes. I understand that is programmed in by RT and can be adjusted. It just helps me because I get startled and pretty anxious when it turns on to full prescribed pressure!
Humidifier is good plus the tube even has some warming to it so there isn't condensation in the tube. I am a nurse and see plenty of the water in tubes- it doesn't hurt anything but I cannot tolerate seeing it there or the noise it makes bubbling around.
I like the nasal pillows- they do not go up my nose, they are soft, it doesn't fit tight and still has 100% fit. My uncle and brother have the whole mask and I felt like That would be more chlaustraphobic for me (just me!). I like the reassurance that I could breathe thru my mouth- my anxiety is not rational because the masks are removable so it is not like I would suffocate but there is a bit of insight to an anxious brain!
I am looking forward to a day that I wake up feeling refreshed after a good night sleep!
I just got my CPAP this week and have 3 nights with it so far. That first night was rough trying to get used to it!
I even tried a sleeping pill doc prescribed- don't think I will do that again. I was even more tired than usual all day!I have the Dream Station CPAP machine that does some automatic adjustments, fancy stuff! Then I asked for, am wearing, and I'm already pretty comfortable in the DreamWear nasal pillows. My husband says it looks like a cross between the breather they use in the Star Wars movie when they go underwater to Jaja Binks home... And a Snork- 80s cartoon character.
In my sleep study I had 97 episodes in the 6 hour time, a drop in oxygen several times, and zero REM sleep. This funny thing is that I had taken some Benadryl to make sure I fell asleep and I thought I had a pretty good night's rest! I would hate to see what my "normal" night of sleep was! The average of 16+ episodes per hour and they diagnosed me with moderate obstructive sleep apnea. My machine averages for me too and when wearing mask I am already down to 5-6 episodes in the first week! I'm saying that is good results!
Let me tell you some features I like so far-
Ramp option has been very helpful. It cuts the pressure all the way to minimum and gradually increases over 20 minutes. I understand that is programmed in by RT and can be adjusted. It just helps me because I get startled and pretty anxious when it turns on to full prescribed pressure!
Humidifier is good plus the tube even has some warming to it so there isn't condensation in the tube. I am a nurse and see plenty of the water in tubes- it doesn't hurt anything but I cannot tolerate seeing it there or the noise it makes bubbling around.
I like the nasal pillows- they do not go up my nose, they are soft, it doesn't fit tight and still has 100% fit. My uncle and brother have the whole mask and I felt like That would be more chlaustraphobic for me (just me!). I like the reassurance that I could breathe thru my mouth- my anxiety is not rational because the masks are removable so it is not like I would suffocate but there is a bit of insight to an anxious brain!
I am looking forward to a day that I wake up feeling refreshed after a good night sleep!
