How long did it take you to get used to the machine?

[ImaSurvivor]

Eight hours on 6th night I would say is great progress! I had to go on a mild sleep medication after a couple weeks because I had a lot of trouble getting to sleep. And that is when my mind worked on me ... "I have to do this the rest of my life?". They could see during my sleep studies that I may have an insomnia problem and told me to let them know if it persisted. That turned things around for me. I started getting solid 8 hour nights. I sleep very sound when I do get to sleep. I still do have trouble going to sleep some nights and work on my sleep hygiene in the evenings. When the alarm wakes me up in the morning and I have to get right up, there are times I have been sleeping so hard it feels like I was knocked out. To the point I am wobbly when I get up and not wide awake. The fact that I was sleeping so soundly makes me think I was getting some serious deep sleep. Something I denied myself for many years because I didn't want to face up to my sleep problems. My husband finally made me get it checked.

It will take your body some time to heal from OSA. If you had it for many years, you won't feel better right away. It takes some time to reverse the ill effects. Just know that internally your organs and body are thanking you for taking the right steps. When you start identifying you are actually feeling the results, you will be thanking you too.

[vig1116]

i never thought of the "healing" period of all the years i never got checked (and my wife was nagging me for years to get my snoring under control). I'm very pleased I'm able to keep the mask on all night though, because in the sleep study i got very claustrophobic with the mask on, but i think it was also all the wires and thingamajigs on me plus the mask that made me crazy for a short period...

[ImaSurvivor]

I snored for many years. I learned of it first in college when my roommate mentioned it. I was mortified to think I snored. My husband has told me for many years that I snored too but it wasn't severe. He could usually poke me, I would roll over and it would be the end of it. Only in the last 4+ years did it get to the point where it was a problem even for our daughter in the room next to us. It drove my husband from the room. Sharing hotel rooms on vacation became a disaster. I have been on post cancer medication for almost 5 years that has caused a significant amount of weight. I was really trim before the cancer and I am a regular in the gym. Have been for many years. Although I did snore during the time I was trim, the severity of it came following a lot of weight gain.

When our daughter went off to college, my husband would borrow her room. There were nights he would come in to check on me because he said I was making noises that scared him. He thought there were times I was gasping for air. He hinted for a long time to get checked. The hints didn't work. He had to really get harsh with me about it. I had already been reading up and studying and knew either surgery or breathing with a machine for the rest of my life was going to happen. I have had many surgeries from cancer (twice in the last 15 years) and other smaller surgeries. Surgeries were wearing me down and I didn't want to go through more. The idea of the machine was not thrilling me either.

NOW, I am more aware of what sleep apnea does to the body. It was just a term to me for many years that I didn't know anything about. I presume lack of deep sleep, where replenishing and healing takes place in the body, could have played a role in some of my health issues along the way.

[jcarerra]

...The weird thing is, it was my worst night, but my numbers were the best so far. AHI .9 (.1 AI, .8 HI) and mask fit was good for the most part..

That is the same thing I have noticed. When I think I have had a bad sleep night my AHI is low and conversely.

My GUESS (but see next paragraph) is that I only apnea when trying to be in deep sleep--thus am getting SOME deep sleep. When deep sleep stays away, no apnea, but bad sleep also. I don't know; that is a guess.

Problem with that theory is that if apnea'ing, you are awaking--so should not be getting good sleep. So it is a pretty big mystery.

[PollCat]

Hmmm, this is an interesting question. Not sure when my normal sleep changed to sleep apnea. First off, my wife started complaining that I'd stop breathing during the night and she'd have to poke me to get me to start breathing again; then I noticed that I had a tendency to get drowsy on the way home from work in the evenings. Late in 1994, the doc at the sleep center stated that I needed to start using a cpap asap; something that finally occurred after my second nasal polyp surgery, in 1995.

I realize from reading all the posts on this site, that many people have a hard time adjusting to sleeping with something strapped to their face/head forcing air into their nose/mouth/lungs. I never had that problem; from the very first time, I've slept comfortably with the cpap machine(s). Given my facial hair, I've always used nasal pillows, starting with an Adams Circuit, and gradually changing to the Optilife and Aloha.

As I've stated elsewhere on this site, the sleep doc's prognosis was all the incentive I needed to be able to sleep while receiving the therapy.

[kfujioka]

I am having a hard time. It will be two weeks next Wednesday. It is really hard. The pressure is what is difficult for me. I use the machine two times during the day, as practice. Today I a
"Almost" fell asleep. I use it twice at night but can't fall asleep. So them intake it off and just sleep with apneas, of course. I sleep about 4 hrs. ( I am so miserable. You would think I would just pop that baby on and just go to sleep. But I can't yet.)
I felt I was making progress today when in"almost" fell asleep. I didn't sleep because the stupid idea came into my mind that if one side of my nose is clogged I will suffocate on the machine if I let myself fall asleep. (Crazy idea. Because I wake up all night long with apneas.)
Today I talked to my husband and decided that I won't suffocate on the machine because of one side of my nose being stuffed because many nights I sleep with only one side open. And of I can't get air of course I will open my mouth. (I haven't got a chinstrap yet. I am looking for one online now.)
When I read your posts I feel better that other people need some time to adjust too.
I have only had sleep apnea since the beginning of July. Less than two months.
I am worried that if I don't get using it at night I won't get the number of hours in for compliance for the health insurance. I guess if that happens I can pay for the machine myself by making payments. But it would cost so much more. (I noticed that my machine brand new, online, only costs $1,500. But through the home health company it is over twice that much. If worse comes to worse I can ask my doctor for another prescription and buy it online, if I don't meet compliance. However it is two months away. They give me 90 days to use the machine for 21 says straight for 4 hrs. Each day. I think I can do it.)
I am so grateful for this board. I am on here everyday reading. It really helps me.
Kim

[retired_guy]

Kfu, at this point based on our earlier discussions I think you are at a point where you have given your nasal mask a good try, and need to go to something else. I suggest you try a pillows mask. They are much less "invasive" and should allow you to feel more at ease when wearing it.

Your attitude is good, you're willing to work with the therapy, you just seem to be having a difficult time adjusting to having something taking up your face. So seek ye out a Resmed P10 pillows system and go to bed.

[Terry]

I just finished night 3 and even though I am wearing the mask all night, I'm not getting a full nights sleep. Waking up 4-6 times to make sure seal is good, or to turn without compromising the mask. The bags under my eyes are the worst I've ever had, but yesterday I didn't feel like I needed a nap. I'm assuming the sleep I am getting is the good kind?

So, how long did it take you to sleep "normal" again??

That's a really difficult question. Some people take a really long time.

It took me one night to "get used to it". I woke up in the morning and didn't feel like someone had been trying to choke me all night, and though, "wow, this is really cool!" It's not hard to choose between choking to death and having a small chunk of plastic on your nose.

However if you're waking up tired, it's probably not adjusted correctly yet. When the pressure is right, you should pretty much sleep through the night, and not toss and turn or wake up much.

[Terry]

...The weird thing is, it was my worst night, but my numbers were the best so far. AHI .9 (.1 AI, .8 HI) and mask fit was good for the most part..

That is the same thing I have noticed. When I think I have had a bad sleep night my AHI is low and conversely.

My GUESS (but see next paragraph) is that I only apnea when trying to be in deep sleep--thus am getting SOME deep sleep. When deep sleep stays away, no apnea, but bad sleep also. I don't know; that is a guess.

That's pretty much it. If you look at your data in SleepyHead, I'm willing to bet that you wake up when you start to get some really good sleep, but then have apneas.

Not sure if you have an auto machine or not, but even the auto machines aren't usually fast enough to stop an apnea before you start to wake up, or even if they are, the increase in pressure sometimes wakes you up.

If you can set your minimum pressure to be closer to where you stop getting apenas, you'll probably sleep better.

[Sleep2Snore]

I got used to the machine very quickly, in fact I got used to it the first night.
However, getting used to masks that didn't fit right, leaked, were noisy and uncomfortable was another story!