How to sleep deeper with cpap

[tiredandscared]

I have been able to successfully use CPAP now, now that ive figured out how to handle nasal congestion and all the other stuff that makes CPAP usage difficult. But I still have an issue of waking up several times due to CPAP interrupting my sleep. The only thing that seems to work is ambien/zopiclone, but that impairs my cognitive functioning and has its own undesirable effects. Does anyone have any tips or tricks on how to sleep better with the cpap and not wake up 4-5 times a night?

[cub4bearin]

thank you for posting this question. I’m just getting ready for work and have the same issue. I try to get at least 7 hrs of sleep. Have to be up by 5:30 am.
But during the night I wake up 4-5 times because of CPAP. Not sure what is exactly causing this. I don’t hear any major leaks or noises. It’s more the whole mask- tube thing than anything else. I’ve only been 1 month on it.
I rather avoid taking medication to help me sleep without disruption. Hope to hear from anyone here. Thanks again.

[Mikebear]

Well, my comment would have to be that IF cpap therapy was really working well for you, you would NOT be waking up 4-5 times per night. So, something is still not right with your setup, and needs tweaking.

You are going to have to post some charts to use to figure out why you are waking up so much. On Sleepyhead, there's a "Notes" section you can use as a daily diary, and denote any changes you make each and every night. Then by looking at your charts of that night, and correlating what changes you made, you can tell if they HELPED or HINDERED your actual sleep.

[ChicagoGranny]

Does anyone have any tips or tricks on how to sleep better with the cpap and not wake up 4-5 times a night?

4 to 5 times per night is not bad if you don't let it worry you, and you fall back to sleep quickly.

For better sleep ------------------>

The Oft Overlooked Part of Good CPAP Therapy

- Practice good sleep hygiene (Google it and read several sources; ignore extreme advice.)
- Eat a good diet
- Have a regular, moderate exercise program
- Try to avoid daytime naps
- Practice total abstinence of caffeine including sources like chocolate (sigh)
- Review all medicines, vitamins and supplements you are taking to make sure none are interfering with sleep
- Use the bedroom for sleeping (and sex) only, and make sure the bedroom and bed are comfortable.
- Learn to appropriately handle emotional stress in your life
- Do not listen to your breathing or the sound of the machine as you are falling asleep.
- Distract your mind by thinking of a pleasant, relaxing activity that you enjoy. Thinking of sitting under an umbrella on a quiet beach with a warm gentle breeze works for me.
- If you are awakening at night, do not be too concerned. It is actually a normal part of sleep. (It does become a problem though for people who, when they awaken, become frustrated and have difficulty returning to sleep.)
- Use CPAP software, such as the free SleepyHead, to make sure your therapy is optimized
- If you still don't feel or sleep well, make sure you have regular medical checkups to confirm there are no other medical problems

This is a checklist. Some of the things you already do. Some are easy and can be done right away. Others you can work at over time.

CG

[chunkyfrog]

I accept the fact that I will wake up at odd times during the night,
and I do not always know why. As long as I do not let it bother me, I fall back asleep.
Acceptance is not an easy habit to cultivate, but it works.
Granny's list contains great advice--start with the easy ones, and add as needed.

[nicholasjh1]

An unfortunate side effect of CPAP I think is it lowers hyponea's "too much" and I think you become more easily arousable.. but to me it's easily far better then my brain slowly dieing, as well as the host of other damages the apneas cause. as others have said you can still get back to sleep if you're able to just let it go, and sleep hygiene etc really helps.

[Pugsy]

Some wakes ups are normal...like it's normal to awaken after the end of REM stage sleep.
It doesn't mean that the OSA is necessarily been sub optimally treated when we have a handful of wake ups. Doesn't hurt to verify that apnea events aren't slipping past the defenses though...so use the software to make sure in that regard.

People often think that the "ideal" is lights out and go to sleep and 0 remembered awakenings until we get up in the AM...and that's really an unrealistic goal.

More importantly is what happens when we do wake up...how long does it take us to get back to sleep? That type of thing.
Are we waking 4 to 6 times a night and going right back to sleep or are we waking 20 times?

Not all awakenings are related to OSA...wish they were because it's easy to eliminate the OSA stuff...not so easy to eliminate other possible causes...
like the REM normal awakenings...or the cat walking on you...or pain issues...or dog barking or whatever.

Sometimes medications are needed when the awakenings are excessive and not OSA related. Been there myself but my issue was pain for the most part.
Unfortunately those meds come with their own baggage and a person has to decide which is worse..the baggage or the wake ups from the whatever the cause if that cause isn't easily eliminated.

[Lucyhere]

Nice to know I'm not the only one. Most of the time I fall back to sleep quickly but it does make me wonder why I wake up when there is no specific reason. I'd rather avoid meds to keep me asleep though. I know that if I eat anything within two hours of going to bed, I wake up more often. I think that's a Gerd issue even if I'm not feeling discomfort.

I worried about it more when I had to get up early to go to work. Now that I'm retired, I can sleep that extra hour so waking during the night isn't as concerning as it once was. My guess is that worrying about it makes it even worse.

[45011ohio]

I am a 55yo male and have BPH as well as Complex Sleep Apnea. I wake 2-5 times per night for toilet trips most nights and using a artificial sleep aid is out of the question for me. Personally I think its a bad idea to use chemical sleep aids with any form of SLEEP APNEA, but to each there own.

[ajack]

I found it was a matter of time, it took a good 3 months to get use to cpap.

[Rob K]

The big question would be how do you feel?

From what I've read we sleep less deeply and wake more often as we get older. So far I would agree. I'm 45 years old. xpap therapy is good. I wake around 3-5 times per night and go right back to sleep. Sometimes it's the mask that causes it, but often I don't know why I wake. It is annoying, but I feel so much better now that my machine settings are dialed in. I just glad things have improved markedly at this point. Like you I also wonder how I would feel if I could sleep through without waking. Seems I can only dream of the deep sleep of my youth.

[ChicagoGranny]

Uhhh, 45 is a little early to be speaking of when you were young.

[Rob K]

Uhhh, 45 is a little early to be speaking of when you were young.

Before you all helped me dial in my pressure settings I felt about 180 with one foot in the grave. I was looking at all these people around me that were in their 50's, 60's, 70's and even 80's that were more active and healthy and having a much better time in life. That was hard to deal with. Now thanks to you all I can sit here and complain about my middle aged problems. lol

[ChicagoGranny]

middle aged

Well, if you think 45 is middle aged, do the math - you will live to 90. Not so bad, and with technological advances, you should make 110.

[Rob K]

middle aged

Well, if you think 45 is middle aged, do the math - you will live to 90. Not so bad, and with technological advances, you should make 110.

I don't have any family that made it to their 90's. Sorry this is getting off topic. Need to get back to helping Tiredandscared. This is not my thread. Sorry.