Newbie - Can't seem to Fall Asleep with Apap on

[JoniBean]

Let me introduce myself, I am in my early 60's and was diagnosed with mild obstructive sleep apnea in November of 2022. However, I didn't get serious and  order and receive my new ResMed AirSense 11 until  2 weeks ago. When I put it on, it felt like I had a tornado (obviously an exaggeration, but wow) up my nose. I couldn't imagine being able to endure that, and I had been so hopeful with all the updated equipment it would be a much easier adjustment.  So... I tried little shots of getting used to it, used the test drive, tested my mask for leaks, tried to educate myself more. 
When I had an easy afternoon, I put it on, started feeling more comfortable with it and just rested and tried to get used to it. 
One night, I laid in bed for 3 plus hours with it on, but never fell asleep (reminded me of my first night of my home sleep test!).  Tried again another night, for almost 2 hours, never fell asleep. Each time I try, I can't seem to fall asleep but shortly after I take it off,  I am able to sleep. I don't have any data to add, because I never fall asleep! It starts out on 4, have seen it get up to 7, but not ever any higher, because I'm not sleeping. I finally had to take a break, because I was so exhausted and frustrated. It took me days to feel like myself again. 
Now that I have to get used to it all once again, it feels like a tornado again, because I had to quit trying. Fyi, normally once I fall asleep, I usually sleep straight through. Although I am a huge night owl, and don't usually go to bed until 2-3 a.m., a very bad habit I know, but its been decades. 

Why is it so hard to fall asleep? I have tried my usual magnesium supplement at night, natural stress relief lozenges, my homeopathy I normally use when I need to "shut my brain off" after a busy day, but nothing works, until I turn that machine off! Anybody else have this issue??

Any Advice would be helpful, although I am going to bed without it again tonight. 

[grubsztyl]

You might need some actual sedating medicine short-term to get used to feeling of falling asleep with the machine. Magnesium or herbal supplements won't cut it. Your GP can help you with that.

To reassure you... it does get better. You will build tolerance to higher pressures with time. I can remember struggling with IPAP of 8-9, now that I've been titrating for a few weeks it's not uncommon for my pressures to climb to 19-20 cm and I sleep just fine.

[JoniBean]

I was hoping to not have to do that, its so strange to be able to sleep once I take it off. So maybe I will have to consider that more seriously. It kind of concerns me to get loopy from sleep medication and have a mask on my face. Thanks for the response. If anyone else has anything else that worked for them, I would appreciate any responses. Thank You so Much Grubsztyl

[JoeP]

Keep practicing with it on before actually trying to sleep.

[TechieHippie]

I'm rather new to this too, but I'm getting the feel of it. I'm going to throw out some ideas and you can see what feels most doable.

You say twice that it feels like a tornado. What that would indicate to me is that it might be easier for you to start at low pressure and not allow the machine to ramp up very much. I wonder if you are getting anxious about the ramp up. In this case you could try a smaller range or fixed pressure.

However, do know that you can get air hunger at too low of pressure, too. For me, it's really the exhale pressure that is the tornado effect. Do you feel the sense of the tornado with both the inhale and the exhale ? I really like EPR for that.
In this case I suggest you try EPR, and increase your minimum pressure the same amount. I can tolerate and even feel supported by higher inhale pressures but breathing out against too much pressure makes me anxious.

Another idea I have is to set up the machine and mask, and then the first time you wake up in the middle of the night, put it on when you go back to bed.

Are you EMF sensitive? If so, use a regular hose, there's another thread about the heated hose being really high EMF, even without the heat turned on. If the sound is bothersome, consider ear plugs.

Magnesium is great for sleep, but it might take a lot more than you think and it's really not a sedating supplement. You could try theanine or valerian or a mix; inositol is very gentle and calming. 5htp or tryptophan help some people. If you have any caffeine ( if you're taking homeopathics you probably don't) consider eliminating or cutting back. Finally, you could try CBD or THC if you don't find anything else.

Lisa