Newby - Second Night In

[Pneulyphe]

Hello all,

I was recently diagnosed with mild OSA. Most of my sleep patterns seemed to be quite normal until it comes to the REM portion. During REM my iha was 28 so I was not getting any REM sleep. I've been miserable for some time, by evening most days I'm grumpy and not much fun to be around. A friend talked me into going for the sleep studies. He's been on cpap for a few years & is a firm believer in the therapy.

Last night was my second night with the cpap. I am quite conscious of the mask and breathing even though the nasal pillows are not uncomfortable and the unit is almost silent. I still have to take a Lunesta to go to sleep. Last night I tried to forego the Lunesta, but ended up taking one after laying in bed for a couple of hours unable to go to sleep. I hope I can stop taking Lunesta at some point in time. I still find myself rousing several times during the night.

From what I read it seems that it will take me a week or more to become accustomed to the cpap. I am so looking forward to a solid night of sleep...

I am so glad that there are forums like this so that people can connect and be encouraged. Thanks all!!!

[EyesWideOpen]

Keep trying. You're right it'll take a little while before you get used to the therapy. You have some of the best equipment on the market, so at least you have that going for you. You may wish to consider Melatonin instead of the Lunesta. It is an over the counter supplement that helps induce drowsiness without any ill effects. It may help at reducing the Lunesta usage.

Good luck with the therapy. You'll soon see the benefits.

[Moriarty]

.... I am quite conscious of the mask and breathing even though the nasal pillows are not uncomfortable and the unit is almost silent. ....

Hi Pneulyphe

I found it really strange to be suddenly aware of my breathing. Its something I had been doing without thinking for 58 years - yet when I found myself on CPAP, breathing suddenly became all I thought about for the first few days when going to sleep.

It is easy to obsess about it....

I got used to it fairly quickly though - then focused on it a bit again after a couple of months while I trained myself out of mouth breathing so I could go off the mask and on to Nasal Pillows.

You have chosen a positive nick for the forum (I read it as New Life?) Take encouragement from the great people here and look forward to improvements in your lifestyle that will almost certainly follow....

Cheers

David

[Pneulyphe]

Thanks EyesWideOpen but melatonin doesn't work for me. It kind of wires me & flashes lights when I close my eyes, very strange.

That's right David, new life. I used pneu, an abbreviation for pneuma, Greek meaning wind, breath or spirit...

Thanks

[PaulaO2]

From what I read it seems that it will take me a week or more to become accustomed to the cpap. I am so looking forward to a solid night of sleep...

Not to scare you, but to show you reality: for the vast majority of folks, it takes more than a week. Some people take a year to get used to not just the mask, the air, the machine, but to catch up on their 'sleep debt'. Your body will need time to adjust to the new normal.

Keep at it. Everything will fall into place and you'll start sleeping like the Normals.

You have the Autoset which is one of the best machines. Download the ResScan software and the SleepyHead software. You can start viewing the data now but don't believe much of it for the first two weeks. Don't mess with anything other than the mask until then. After that, you should start noticing trends. You can still watch the leak rate until then, though.

"Secret" clinician manual here: http://www.apneaboard.com/adjust-cpap-pr...tup-manual

Software (both of them) here: http://www.apneaboard.com/forums/Forum-P...-and-Links

[Pneulyphe]

Thanks PaulaO2 for all the info you have provided. If I have to pay off my "sleep debt" it could take me years... I've only been sleeping 3 to 3 1/2 hours of good sleep per night for years. My sleep study tech told me that as soon as I hit REM sleep I would lose all muscle tone, including the soft palate, stop breathing and wake up. I don't ever get into the restorative REM sleep. I'm not a quitter, so I'll gut it out.

As for the software you mentioned, the data on the smart card wouldn't be lost would it? I need it for proof of compliance.

Thanks again

[trish6hundred]

Hi Pneulyphe,
First, WELCOME! to the forum.!
You have a GREAT attitude and that will help you a long ways with CPAP therapy. Just stick with it.
Best of luck to you.

[zimlich]

The data on your smart card should not get erased, but just in case take your machine in also for your check up- the data will be in the machine, too. I would not worry about the lunesta for a month or two. In fact I take it routinely. You can ask your sleep doctor about sleeping meds. I think it's more important to relax and sleep for the first month, two, or however long it takes.
Good luck, welcome to the forum.

[Pneulyphe]

Two weeks in now and I thought I'd give a brief update.. I've used the machine every night, all night. It was somewhat awkward the first few nights but I really am not aware of it at all now unless I roll on my side and the nasal pillows start to leak. My ahi is less than 1 most of the time and has not been over 2. Instead of waking up the first time between 11:00 & 1:00, I get through until about 2:30 most nights (I go to bed between 8:30 & 9:00).

After I wake up I'll tend to be restless until 3:30 or 4:00 when I'll doze back off again until about 4:30. I've actually remember having some dreams which I haven't had in years. Bottom line is something is going on, my sleep patterns are changing slowly. I look forward to the first night I sleep 7 or 8 hours without waking!

Thanks to all for your advice and encouragement.

[zonk]

Thanks PaulaO2 for all the info you have provided.

As for the software you mentioned, the data on the smart card wouldn't be lost would it? I need it for proof of compliance.

Thanks again

No data wouldn't be lost. every time you put the card in machine .. machine first read card and write compliance data on card.
this morning had an appointment with sleep doc .. download the data on my computer, put the card back in machine, took it out and the doc downloaded on his computer. card store 365 days of compliance data