Help!

[sleepy6]

I have mild sleep apnea, around 10 apneas/hour. I am currently 5'4, 170 pounds and have been on an 1100 calorie diet for weight loss. I have also been working out slightly - moderately. I have been more tired than ever and I contribute some of that to weight gain, but would like to start wearing my cpap again and would like your advice!

I was diagnosed with sleep apnea around 5 years ago and have never slept through a whole night using the CPAP. I have a Resmed Elite II and have a nasal and nostril mask. I usually used the nasal one but end up feeling claustrophobic. It has always been so uncomfortable that I have never made it through a full night and end up taking it off. I am not even sure if I should be using the same setting (was set at 4 when diagnosed).

Does anyone have any tips/tricks/advice on how to use it regularly to see the benefits or any book/reading recommendations on how to learn more about how to better your life and get better sleep?

Any help is greatly appreciated! Thank you!

[cbramsey]

Welcome to the forum!!! We are glad you joined us!!!

What brand and model of nasal mask are you using? You may be better served by another brand and/or model of nasal mask or a different type of mask.

You can check out this Wiki page that shows various types of masks.

Hang in there.

[Sleepster]

Hi sleepy6. I'm glad you found Apnea Board. Welcome!

The thing you can try is wearing your mask, with the machine on, while you're awake. Do something that you enjoy doing that requires no movement. Read, watch TV, listen to music. Anything to relax and get acclimated to the mask.

Without CPAP therapy you will find it harder to diet and lose weight. You will raise your blood pressure and increase your chances of heart disease or a stroke. You will feel tired and emotionally unstable.

Keep these things in mind.

Keep reminding yourself of the benefits you'll receive when get adapted to the CPAP machine.

The human body is capable of adapting to just about anything. You just have to give it the chance and have patience.

[zonk]

First make sure the mask still in good condition, especially the cushion not worn out also have everything washed up and filter changed

APAP would be an ideal choice in your situation. 4 is too low pressure for most people but you might that all you need
I would recommend see sleep specialist as been too long since you've ben diagnosed

Regarding tips, this would help "Tips for new CPAP users"
http://www.apneaboard.com/wiki/index.php...CPAP_users

The most important tip is attitude and patience to work out solution to problems and never give up, own health and well being is paramount

[trish6hundred]

Hi sleepy6,
WELCOME! to the forum.!
The only thing I would say is that 4 is a very low pressure, some say that it feels like they are suffecating at that low of pressure.
Maybe that's why you pulled it off after a while.
I would echo what Sleepster said a couple posts above this one. Wear your mask while you are watching tv or reading during the evening before you go to sleep. This will help your body get use to it.
Best of luck to you.

[Dest]

Sleepy6's boyfriend here.

Her insurance won't really even take a dent out of the cost of an additional sleep study, so we are trying to avoid having to do another one. I am sure that eventually we will be able to find a mask that will be fine enough to make it through a nights sleep with some practice/patience.

My main concern is having the appropriate pressure for the machine. Some have mentioned that 4 is probably way too low. I also remember when she had her initial study she was in the range where some doctors may not even consider her as having sleep apnea at 10/hr.

Does this still hold true or have there been changes? Also it is clear if not sleep apnea something is wrong. She is 23 and can barely make it past 9:30-10 PM most nights, often falling asleep on the couch watching TV. She is tired whether she sleeps 7 hours or 13 hours and she really loves sleep.

Any advice would be great. If the overall best option is to just bite the bullet and pay for another sleep study we will. I would really prefer to avoid it though as I doubt much has really changed since the last one. She was not diagnosed with any other side effects so I am really just concerned with pressure at this point.

[sleepy6]

Thank you all for your suggestions. I will definitely try using it while not sleeping to get used to it. Like my boyfriend said, I want to avoid having another sleep study done as much as possible, so I am going to try using the mask at a setting of 4. If I do not feel any difference, is it okay to increase the pressure without being advised to by a specialist?

[Ugly]

I have mild sleep apnea, around 10 apneas/hour.

When I get the AutoSet I'll find out how often it happens.

I am currently 5'4

A giant. I envy you.
Is EVERYBODY taller than me?

but would like to start wearing my cpap again and would like your advice!

I do so dislike giving advice but now's the time to give it:
Use your CPAP.

I was diagnosed with sleep apnea around 5 years ago and have never slept through a whole night using the CPAP. I have a Resmed Elite II and have a nasal and nostril mask.

An S8 I presume. Nothing wrong with those.
I used an S8 on a temporary basis and liked it.
You really can get used to it. Sometimes messing around with the settings, getting the right pressure, the right humidity, etc. will help matters.

I usually used the nasal one but end up feeling claustrophobic. It has always been so uncomfortable that I have never made it through a full night and end up taking it off. I am not even sure if I should be using the same setting (was set at 4 when diagnosed).

It's a start. My wife tried my mask on. She was really weirded out.
Relaxing helps. She also got claustrophobic during an MRI scan. I found the best way was to relax, close your eyes (unless they tell you to open them) and wait for it to be over. I do so regret actually giving advice but..... trying to relax helps. WITH the knowledge that it's not going to hurt you and at any given moment you can rip it off your face - you're not trapped there. As I recall I was given the option of "nasal pillows" but I found THEM to be so uncomfortable I actually welcomed the mask. You may prefer the nasal pillows though. Everyone is different and there are options.

Does anyone have any tips/tricks/advice on how to use it regularly to see the benefits or any book/reading recommendations on how to learn more about how to better your life and get better sleep?

Discipline. And I'm not talking whips and chains or anything. I mean do it enough times and hopefully it will feel like something's "not right" if you forget to put on your mask. Of course I'm not one to talk. It took me a LONG time to get to that point myself. I know it's not easy.

Good luck with your efforts. Remember always: YOU'RE WORTH IT!
So is everyone else here.
[/u]

[Sleepster]

Sleepy6's boyfriend here.

Welcome!

Her insurance won't really even take a dent out of the cost of an additional sleep study, so we are trying to avoid having to do another one.

If her machine is data-capable, and I think it is, you can monitor her leak rate and AHI on a computer. That's better, in many ways, than a sleep study.

[JudgeMental]

Hi Sleepy...Here is my opinion about your malady.. First off, it has been a long time since your last sleep study, and yes they are very costly, but a lot of water has run under the bridge since then. The 10 apneas per hr at that time may have changed considerably by now, and then again maybe not. Only another study could ascertain that. The pressure of 4 is not much more then what we breath normally and I suspect that is indeed the cause of claustophobia. It is very common with low pressures such as that. If you can't afford another test, then we should just deal without and try something else in the meantime. If you are having so much trouble with the mask ,and losing sleep over it so much that its causing you to fret over it, I would put the CPAP in the closet for the time being. 10 apneas per hour (more or less) is not going to kill you and I doubt that it is even making you lethargic or tired. Two thumbs up for the weight loss efforts!!!
A lot of rhetoric is produced about how over-weight caused sleep apnea or the loss of weight is not going to correct apneas.. One thing that we all agree on is that over-weight in not good for us. Mild sleep apnea is not as big of a threat to our well being as being over-weight. I suggest that you put your heart in it, and intensify your weight loss efforts and see if that doesn't help with your energy level. Do the weight loss program earnestly, down to your proper weight, and then do a re-analysis about your sleep apnea if it is indeed still there or relevant. The idea of trying to increase the pressure in the blind just so you can keep the mask on is a bad solution. Way too many un-knowns.
GoodLuck in your efforts and " kudos" to your boyfriend for his valuable support.