Having a lot of difficulty falling asleep.
I've been using my cpap for about a week and a half now. I've gotten more comfortable wearing the mask and the air pressure but I'm having a very difficult time relaxing to the point where I can fall asleep for any considerable length of time. The few times I was able to fall asleep was due to exhaustion around 5/6am after getting in the bed around 7pm. But then I have to get up shortly after and drive to work exhausted. Most days I just use it for a few hours and give up due to it not being safe for me to drive to work exhausted. The longest I've been able to sleep thus far was an hour and a half. But during that hour and I half I had less than 4 AHI so it seems to be working well when I can get to sleep. I have taken high doses of melatonin and other herbal sleep supplements but they have not helped. I think if I could just get a few full nights sleep my mind would see its ok and calm down but whenever I put on the cpap my body seems to go into high alert. I've tried listening to calming music, whales, white noise, progressive muscle relaxation but none of it has helped. Anyone have any suggestions?
RE: Having a lot of difficulty falling asleep.
Congratulations on starting therapy for your sleep apnea. Two thoughts. One is to use the machine during the day while you're doing something enjoyable, like reading or watching TV. This helps to get your mind acclimated to the weird experience. Another thought is to ask your doctor for a prescription sleep pill for just a few days. I've read posts from some newbies who say that really helped them get going.
When you have a chance, could you fill out your profile so we can see your equipment and settings? Also, while having your AHI under 4 is good, I'll bet some fine-tuning would get it lower and help you sleep better. For that, the next step would be to download Oscar and use it to generate reports from the SD card in your machine (assuming your machine is data-capable). Here's the link:
https://www.sleepfiles.com/OSCAR/
Keep us posted -- we want to help you make this work.
11-16-2019, 11:35 AM
(This post was last modified: 11-16-2019, 11:36 AM by Big Guy.)
RE: Having a lot of difficulty falling asleep.
It's not normal to wear a mask while you sleep. I take some OTC sleep aids, and have been now for quite a while. Taking them has nothing to do with having sleep apnea though.
I've been on CPAP therapy for over a year now. From the 1st night of therapy, I didn't have any problems or issues wearing the mask. I tend to be a bit claustrophobic at times, usually dealing with small enclosed spaces. I was surprised that my CPAP mask didn't bother me.
Anyways, give it some more time for you to adapt. For what it's worth, I wear a FFM, an AirFit F20. I also use an AirFit F30 at times, when I feel like a change.
I'm a mouth-breather and sleep on my side. The F20 mask is a robust mask and doesn't seem to move around a lot while sleeping on my side. You may have to do some experimenting with different types of masks if that is allowed in your case.
Best of luck to you, and don't give up!
RE: Having a lot of difficulty falling asleep.
I've been there, and despite not being a newbie I still have trouble falling asleep. Granted, I've got several other chronic issues, the biggest of these being my severe chronic back pain. It's borderline impossible to get comfortable while trying to sleep, even with a scripted hospital bed and air mattress. I'm still on a script sleep aid that is also used to reduce stress. During my untreated apnea time and while on BiPAP, I'll assume due to high central apnea events, my mind counted sleep as dangerous and went into fight or flight. These feelings are difficult, but not impossible, to get over. Retraining your body takes time. Maybe discuss this with your doctors and see if they can help with this.
Mask Primer
Positional Apnea
INFORMATION ON APNEA BOARD FORUMS OR ON APNEABOARD.COM SHOULD NOT BE CONSIDERED MEDICAL ADVICE. ALWAYS SEEK THE ADVICE OF A PHYSICIAN BEFORE SEEKING TREATMENT FOR MEDICAL CONDITIONS, INCLUDING SLEEP APNEA. INFORMATION POSTED ON THE APNEA BOARD WEBSITE AND FORUMS ARE PERSONAL OPINION ONLY AND NOT NECESSARILY A STATEMENT OF FACT.
RE: Having a lot of difficulty falling asleep.
Any suggestions on which meds to ask the doctor about? I don't know much about the current sleep meds. Any of them work well but do not make you feel like a zombie when you get up?
RE: Having a lot of difficulty falling asleep.
The way I discussed this with my doc was to state the history of years of undiagnosed apnea, something like this:
I am on xPAP therapy now after being untreated for who knows how many years
but I've got trouble falling asleep with the machine
possibly because I'm not used to the machine, it complicates the inability to fall asleep issue
Can you script something with minimal side effects that'll help me fall asleep?
That's the way I did my discussion with my primary/GP Doc.
Mask Primer
Positional Apnea
INFORMATION ON APNEA BOARD FORUMS OR ON APNEABOARD.COM SHOULD NOT BE CONSIDERED MEDICAL ADVICE. ALWAYS SEEK THE ADVICE OF A PHYSICIAN BEFORE SEEKING TREATMENT FOR MEDICAL CONDITIONS, INCLUDING SLEEP APNEA. INFORMATION POSTED ON THE APNEA BOARD WEBSITE AND FORUMS ARE PERSONAL OPINION ONLY AND NOT NECESSARILY A STATEMENT OF FACT.
RE: Having a lot of difficulty falling asleep.
For what it's worth, I've been taking over-the-counter Diphenhydramine HCI 50 mg. soft gel caps. I've been taking them now for a few years. A bottle of 100 soft gel caps @ Walmart is $9.87.
RE: Having a lot of difficulty falling asleep.
(11-16-2019, 02:02 PM)17WRX Wrote: Any suggestions on which meds to ask the doctor about? I don't know much about the current sleep meds. Any of them work well but do not make you feel like a zombie when you get up?
I like Trazodone. I take one pill when needed, probably averages out to only a few times a month now. Used to be a few times a week I think when I first started taking it. That was several years ago.
Sleepster
INFORMATION ON APNEA BOARD FORUMS OR ON APNEABOARD.COM SHOULD NOT BE CONSIDERED AS MEDICAL ADVICE. ALWAYS SEEK THE ADVICE OF A PHYSICIAN BEFORE SEEKING TREATMENT FOR MEDICAL CONDITIONS, INCLUDING SLEEP APNEA. INFORMATION POSTED ON THE APNEA BOARD WEB SITE AND FORUMS ARE PERSONAL OPINION ONLY AND NOT NECESSARILY A STATEMENT OF FACT.
RE: Having a lot of difficulty falling asleep.
I agree, I have now been on CPAP for 10 days after having sever apnea for God knows how many years...It is a strange thing to have a mask and forced air being thrown at you/us..Doesnt feel right at all but I fully understand what it is doing for us. Im not sure I will be "used" to it 10 months into it. I know it is getting easier but I am right there with you and I have good and bad nights right now and wait for the time when they are all mostly good. I can say machine settings and the right mask will make all the difference in the world. I am not impressed at all with the support I have been or not been getting from those involved with my therapy. I felt like I was presented a machine, a pat on the butt and now have a follow-up Dr.'s appt 3 months from now. Got a call from a "coach" last week but it was useless, he couldn't answer any of the questions I had to include what my insurance was going to actually pay for?
RE: Having a lot of difficulty falling asleep.
I took some xanax and slept like a baby. The next night I took some valerian and magnesium and also slept pretty well again. I posted my results on another thread and a poster said my flow rate was way to high so I increased my pressure from 6-12 to 10-16 and my numbers looked better last night for the time I slept with the cpap on, but I took it off in my sleep. I suspect the additional pressure irritated me. But overall I'm moving in the right direction. At first I didn't think I would be able to tolerate any of this so I'm very pleased with the steps I've made thus far. My last two days data here when i get home later.
|
