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+--- Thread: New CPAP user. Still occasionally waking up with "panic attacks". (/Thread-New-CPAP-user-Still-occasionally-waking-up-with-panic-attacks)
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RE: New CPAP user. Still occasionally waking up with "panic attacks". - Tcp84 - 05-06-2022
(05-06-2022, 07:51 AM)DaveCar Wrote: There appears to be five gaps, and four in the original post screenshot.
Click and drag the mouse from just inside a gap towards the left for 10 minutes or so, to make a zoomed display of time just before you take the mask off.
Then hit F12 to make a nice screenshot, and attach it.
Sorry, guess I should've specified which gap the panic attack occurred in lol. Its the largest one in the graph and here's a zoomed in pic.
RE: New CPAP user. Still occasionally waking up with "panic attacks". - DaveCar - 05-06-2022
Looks like steady flow and respiration rates in the 4 mins leading up to the mask-off.
Is it worth getting a wearable like a Fitbit to monitor heart rate while you sleep ?
The fitbit app also does a guesstimate on sleep stages based on heart rate changes and arm movement.
There might be better devices, I only mentioned fitbit because thats what I have. Im not too aware of other models.
RE: New CPAP user. Still occasionally waking up with "panic attacks". - Tcp84 - 05-06-2022
(05-06-2022, 08:52 AM)DaveCar Wrote: Looks like steady flow and respiration rates in the 4 mins leading up to the mask-off.
Is it worth getting a wearable like a Fitbit to monitor heart rate while you sleep ?
The fitbit app also does a guesstimate on sleep stages based on heart rate changes and arm movement.
There might be better devices, I only mentioned fitbit because thats what I have. Im not too aware of other models.
Been there, done that. HR would actually look quite normal (50's-70's). Sometimes it'd briefly dip to high 40's or go into the 90's, but the average seems to be around 60. The lofta sleep doc didn't seem concerned about it. Had an EKG a couple of months ago, after a bad episode of sleep apnea and they said everything was fine. Its definitely a panic attack though, because my heart rate will slowly ramp up, then slowly go down as it subsides. All the while, i'm shaking from the adrenaline. Maybe it's just due to my history of anxiety?
RE: New CPAP user. Still occasionally waking up with "panic attacks". - DaveCar - 05-06-2022
Well, note the time or just view the mask-off events, and you should be able to determine if sleep apnea is involved with this. It could be a coincidence that you have a bit of apnea plus an unrelated condition.
Some people swear by CBD to help with panic attacks, others say it doesnt work.
Some people like SSRIs like Prozac, but of course there's side effects.
The main thing is, we need sleep to repair and maintain us. If you're waking up enough to rip the mask off 4 or 5 times a night, you might also be having more minor episodes that also draw you out of deep sleep states ?
I have a family member dealing with anxiety, SSRIs helping a lot but.. side effects.
RE: New CPAP user. Still occasionally waking up with "panic attacks". - Tcp84 - 05-07-2022
Ok I'll just chalk it up to anxiety and try to ignore it. The new settings Gideon suggested did seem to help with the flow limits, so I guess I'll keep those settings. The fact that my AHI is almost always at 0 seems a little odd to me though. Hope I wasn't misdiagnosed with sleep apnea. Always heard good things about Lofta, though. Anyway thanks for all your help guys! I'll take it one night at a time.
RE: New CPAP user. Still occasionally waking up with "panic attacks". - CorruptAlligator - 05-10-2022
I used to get episodes of panic attacks before CPAP therapy. And most recently, I would wake up in the early night with my ear ringing and cannot go back to sleep for awhile, and has me near panic state because my blood pressure would be really high. I look into OSCAR for any clues the next day, and nothing. The machine doesn't interpret everything that is going on. It not exactly precise when it comes to flow limitation definition either.
Now I realize, low AHI doesn't necessary correlate to low blood pressure. There might be instance of not breathing well throughout the night that the machine has not detected.
After awhile of pondering what might be of issues, I suspected that it may have been related to my sinus. Perhaps my sinus gets inflamed due to dry air, and narrow the air intake. This was the first thing I thought about since, my issues started occurring when I started using the air conditioner.
When I check my temp and humidity setting, temperature to was low for get high enough humidity. I set both on auto, and it seems prevent this wake from happening. So, I conclude that it's my sinus, and AHI or the machine data doesn't tell me this.
I believe panic can occur during lack of oxygen intake, and the body is warning you.
RE: New CPAP user. Still occasionally waking up with "panic attacks". - Tcp84 - 05-10-2022
Only thing I've noticed is that flow limit seems to increase a bit (between .10-.30) before before the panic attacks. Then again, I see them go up other times during sleep and I don't wake up at all. When I wake up, I'm already in panic mode and my heart rate is already starting to ramp up, so it's definitely happening during sleep. Anyway, I finally caved and bought a Wellue HR/o2 monitor off Amazon. Tonight I'll know if they're plain ol' panic attacks, or something more. I'll keep you guys posted. Maybe it'll help someone else out somehow.
RE: New CPAP user. Still occasionally waking up with "panic attacks". - fizbinn2021 - 05-11-2022
I was not able to use a full face mask without waking up choking. I switched to nasal pillows and the problem went away. Is a nasal mask or pillows an option for you?
Also, IANAD, but magnesium supplements can radically change your quality of sleep. I use like "NOW Supplements, Magnesium Glycinate 200 mg". You can get it on Amazon.
Good luck with everything!
RE: New CPAP user. Still occasionally waking up with "panic attacks". - Tcp84 - 05-12-2022
(05-11-2022, 11:35 PM)fizbinn2021 Wrote: I was not able to use a full face mask without waking up choking. I switched to nasal pillows and the problem went away. Is a nasal mask or pillows an option for you?
Also, IANAD, but magnesium supplements can radically change your quality of sleep. I use like "NOW Supplements, Magnesium Glycinate 200 mg". You can get it on Amazon.
Good luck with everything!
My first mask was actually a Resmed pillows mask. Its infinitely more comfortable than my F20 mask, but I cannot keep my mouth closed for the life of me. Even though I'm a 100% a nose breather during the day. My jaw relaxes enough for the air to force its way out when I sleep. I've heard of mouth taping but it sounds a little extreme. I'm pretty used to the full face mask at this point anyway. I am kinda curious to try the Dreamwear or F30 masks but don't think they're compatible with beards lol. I'll give the magnesium supps a shot, btw. Thanks for the suggestions!
RE: New CPAP user. Still occasionally waking up with "panic attacks". - DaveCar - 05-13-2022
FWIW, I love my F30.
I found the full masks pressed on the sides of my nose near the bridge enough to slow/stop air and I would mouthbreathe all the time.
I have approx 1/2" beard hair and I dont find it leaks much but I do keep it fairly snug on the bottom (helps keep my mouth closed by pushing on my chin-lower lip area).