12-18-2020, 10:10 AM
Help Please-CPAP But Still Exhausted..
Hello All,
I'm new to this forum and have stumbled upon it because I'm having a miserable year for sleep. I know - we all are - but I can barely make it through most days and can't seem to figure out what's going on. I would sincerely appreciate any useful input.
Background:
I had issues with day-time sleepiness starting in my 20's but was not a classic Apnea profile so just used caffeine to power through. Finally, a sleep study with CPAP showed improvement and my first CPAP in 2011 was a game-changer. But, the benefits started to diminish around 2016-2017. At that time I got a newer auto-CPAP and started taking Modafinil for wakefulness.
2020 Misery:
Starting in January (before the pandemic) I kept waking up wide-awake around 2 or 3am. EVERY night. Each morning I would wake with cloudy head and ratchet up the stimulants but by 3pm it felt like the middle of the night. In the evenings I've tried everything to fall asleep including all kinds of melatonin, Trazodone (prescription), magnesium, Tylenol PM, Valerian, Lemon Balm, CBD-THC. Nothing seems to work consistently. It got so bad in the Spring and early Summer I would need a nap in the afternoons. Weekend de-stress in August seemed to help somewhat and a naturopath suggested ashwaganda which helped somewhat but by Sept. the misery returned.
Medical Advisors:
My Primary Doc seems to think it is just a matter of tuning the CPAP. I've tried and can't get it down. I've been in touch with a nurse/sleep tech at Lahey Hospital and her input has always been adjust the pressure upward. She's done that remotely and I've done it myself hacking into my Philips Dreamstation and adjusting fixed or auto, different pressures and ramps, etc. but can't figure out the right mix.
I also hired a supposed sleep expert PhD who helped me craft a nightly wind-down protocol but my waking in the middle of the night issue persists.
I'll sleep from around 10:00am to 2 or 3am and feel wide awake or toss and turn and have awakenings. Sometimes I have to get up to pee - or have the urge to pee - and then have real difficulty falling back asleep.
I can spend 9-10 hours in bed and still not wake refreshed. It's misery. Fortunately I have a flexible work schedule but my productivity and mental health is way down.
Any input or ideas?
I'm new to this forum and have stumbled upon it because I'm having a miserable year for sleep. I know - we all are - but I can barely make it through most days and can't seem to figure out what's going on. I would sincerely appreciate any useful input.
Background:
I had issues with day-time sleepiness starting in my 20's but was not a classic Apnea profile so just used caffeine to power through. Finally, a sleep study with CPAP showed improvement and my first CPAP in 2011 was a game-changer. But, the benefits started to diminish around 2016-2017. At that time I got a newer auto-CPAP and started taking Modafinil for wakefulness.
2020 Misery:
Starting in January (before the pandemic) I kept waking up wide-awake around 2 or 3am. EVERY night. Each morning I would wake with cloudy head and ratchet up the stimulants but by 3pm it felt like the middle of the night. In the evenings I've tried everything to fall asleep including all kinds of melatonin, Trazodone (prescription), magnesium, Tylenol PM, Valerian, Lemon Balm, CBD-THC. Nothing seems to work consistently. It got so bad in the Spring and early Summer I would need a nap in the afternoons. Weekend de-stress in August seemed to help somewhat and a naturopath suggested ashwaganda which helped somewhat but by Sept. the misery returned.
Medical Advisors:
My Primary Doc seems to think it is just a matter of tuning the CPAP. I've tried and can't get it down. I've been in touch with a nurse/sleep tech at Lahey Hospital and her input has always been adjust the pressure upward. She's done that remotely and I've done it myself hacking into my Philips Dreamstation and adjusting fixed or auto, different pressures and ramps, etc. but can't figure out the right mix.
I also hired a supposed sleep expert PhD who helped me craft a nightly wind-down protocol but my waking in the middle of the night issue persists.
I'll sleep from around 10:00am to 2 or 3am and feel wide awake or toss and turn and have awakenings. Sometimes I have to get up to pee - or have the urge to pee - and then have real difficulty falling back asleep.
I can spend 9-10 hours in bed and still not wake refreshed. It's misery. Fortunately I have a flexible work schedule but my productivity and mental health is way down.
Any input or ideas?
