CPAP for Sleep Issues

[Loli]

I just came out of a sleep lab for sleep issues and was diagnosed with sleep apnea. They recommended a CPAP machine. I am really hoping this is the antidote for my fatigue and bad sleep.  Does anyone have the machine? What say you? I get set up with the machine next week. Is it all its cracked up to be?

[Anne Bonney]

A friend of mine has one but that's because he was gonna die without it.  He'd stop breathing completely, so now the alarm wakes him up and he starts breathing again.  He's brought it along on boat trips and it scares the crap out of us when it goes off so, for that at least, it works.  Don't now about actually helping you get a good night's sleep.  Good luck!

[Whooter]

Loli, It may change your life, but you have to stay with it for awhile.  You may have to try several different types of masks until you find the one that works for you.  Many people feel claustrophobic at first trying to sleep with a mask on their face.  But once you wake up after having a full night’s sleep (REM) you will want to put it on every night.  A neighbor of ours was waking up 26 times an hour (without realizing it) and was so tired everyday he couldn’t read the paper or read to his kids, in the afternoon, without falling asleep.  This guy didn’t have one with an alarm that I was aware of, though.  It was a BiPAP (Bi Pressure) machine which is the same as CPAP with the only difference being that the pressure varies from inhale to exhale (lower pressure) to allow for easier exhaling.  If you tend to breath through your mouth and your nose you may need a chin strap to keep your mouth closed at night or switch to a full face mask which covers your mouth and nose.  But typically most people can get away with a nose mask.

Like I said the key is to find the right mask and to use it every night for at least a month before you decide to use it or not.  Don’t give up after a few nights like many do.  
Good luck Loli and let us know how you make out.



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[try another castle]

Im on an APAP (same thing as a cpap, with wider range). difference is huge. now I can actually stay awake during the day. losing weight helps, if they are overweight.

sleep apnea sucks. I love my machine. it's a resmed apap, with humidifier and a resmed swift mask. My range is set to 12 - 20 or something like that. I recommend talking to others who have sleep apnea. http://www.talkaboutsleep.com/

[Loli]

So I have my machine, and I am really having trouble sleeping on my back with a Darth Vader mask on. (It's not my sexxxiest look, but wth)  I am trying to stick with the commitment. It is hard. It has been about a week or so. Sometimes, I wake up at 4 am and pull it off. It doesn't hurt, it just feels confining. Will I get over it?  Any suggestions? Also, I feel I don't get enough air.

I tried the less cumbersome one that goes directly in my nostrils, but that pinched, thus the Vader mask. Suggestions welcome.

[Whooter]

So I have my machine, and I am really having trouble sleeping on my back with a Darth Vader mask on. (It's not my sexxxiest look, but wth)  I am trying to stick with the commitment. It is hard. It has been about a week or so. Sometimes, I wake up at 4 am and pull it off. It doesn't hurt, it just feels confining. Will I get over it?  Any suggestions? Also, I feel I don't get enough air.

I tried the less cumbersome one that goes directly in my nostrils, but that pinched, thus the Vader mask. Suggestions welcome.

It's not my sexxxiest look, but wth, I need goood rest!

Loli, It will take at least a month for you to get use to it.  Sometimes you may feel you cannot breath because you are not use to breathing entirely totally though your nose.  Call your doctor and ask if you can get a prescription for :Fluticasone Propionate nasal spray.  This is a steroid that will open your nasal passages and allow you to breath easier during the night.  The good thing is that after a month or two you may not need to use the spray anymore.

Taking the mask off in the middle of the night is natural.  They say you should have it on at least 4 hours per night.  Eventually you will wear it all night or most of the night.  The main thing you should look for is if you are feeling like you have more energy during the day.  If you do then it is working.

Don’t give up on it until you speak to your doctor.



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[try another castle]

So I have my machine, and I am really having trouble sleeping on my back with a Darth Vader mask on. (It's not my sexxxiest look, but wth)  I am trying to stick with the commitment. It is hard. It has been about a week or so. Sometimes, I wake up at 4 am and pull it off. It doesn't hurt, it just feels confining. Will I get over it?  Any suggestions? Also, I feel I don't get enough air.

I tried the less cumbersome one that goes directly in my nostrils, but that pinched, thus the Vader mask. Suggestions welcome.

I use nose pillows, and they are quite comfortable. They dont invade your nostrils like  the soft plugs do, and they arent a cumbersome face mask that is prone to leaks. (I personally think that the full face masks are the absolute worst. It's really difficult to maintain positive pressure.)

Resmed just released their new mask, the swift FX

http://shop.talkaboutsleep.com/cpap-nas ... -cpap-mask

I use the LT, but Imma gonna be calling my DME now that I see this one. Im overdue for a new mask anyway. You're supposed to order a new one every three months, but Im terrible about that.

Another option is an oral mask.

http://shop.talkaboutsleep.com/oral-cpa ... -cpap-mask


Ive never used one, so I cant vouch for it. It would be nice if it does work, cause my mouth tends to drop open if I sleep on my back, and chinstraps dont help. Fortunately, with the resmed swift line, I can sleep on my side, which is what I prefer.

Resmed on the whole is a pretty awesome company. My apap is that brand, too.

The swift mask comes with pillows in three sizes, too.

Also, most DMEs are pretty flexible about swapping out masks if one doesnt work.


As for taking the mask off in your sleep, I tend to do that too. There are devices that will sound an alarm if the mask is taken off, but that doesnt prevent someone from sleepily leaning over and turning off the alarm without putting their mask back on, so I personally think it's a waste of money.

Try sleeping with socks on your hands. It doesnt always work for me, but sometimes it does. Just experiment with different kinds of socks.


Just out of curiosity, did you find out what your RDI is? I think mine was like, 47 per hour at 20 seconds, which is obscene. (15 minutes of not breathing per hour.) Although Ive lost weight since then, so it's not as bad anymore. Sometimes I dont even use the machine.


Here's to better sleep.

[Loli]

I am HATING the vader mask and keep waking up to throw it. It has some weird gurgling thing, and I never get enough air. I feel claustro and can't move, and I need to feel free. Containment is a scary feeling for me. I'm not a back gal either. I sleep fetal. I am going into the sleep doc next week to discuss.
I did look at the site, Castle. The nose pillow mask looks promising. Why didn't they offer it when they came? They only told me about full Vader and the pinchy ones.
I'm not sure what my RDI is.

[try another castle]

Why didn't they offer it when they came? They only told me about full Vader and the pinchy ones.

Not sure. Since they offered you nose ones, it's doubtful that the mask prescription was for any mouth breathing issues.

It's possible that your particular DME (the equipment supplier) doesn't carry the masks I mentioned. I believe you can talk to your doctor about switching dmes if they dont carry what you need. As we all know, a cpap mask that is not being worn is 0% effective.

Resmed gear, from my experience, is pretty pervasive. Most, if not all DMEs will carry the line, I would think. The company makes one of the two main lines of CPAPs on the market. (the other being respironics) Those two companies are the "giants" of the industry.

The other possibility is that the masks that were offered to you are the only kinds your insurance covers. Im not too sure how that would work. I know that pretty much anything I need from my DME, if I have the prescription, my insurance will cover, so it may simply be a supply issue on their end.

As for the mask, I got my swift FX last week and it is sooo much better. The swift masks on the whole are nice, but this model is great. The mask is basically engineered around the nose pillows unit. There is a hell of a lot less hardware, and the hose assembly from the nose pillows has been totally revamped. It's the first mask Ive had where I've experienced little to no leakage at night when I toss and turn.