Why do we still wake up?

[jmcsmomma]

Is it normal to wake up four or five times a night? I think I am doing that, not really certain why though. I try to be in bed by 9, (I have a son who lives a few minutes away, and drops by whenever, so last week I was up till 11 sometimes) I'm careful to not eat a lot before going to bed, and keep a drink next to the bed so I don't physically get up, but I am aware of laying there for 15-20 minutes. Just curious

[BlackSpinner]

Some times it takes a while for your mind to trust the machine. You maybe waking up during REM when many people have more apnea episodes. You mind is probably used to waking you up at that time to keep you alive pre-cpap. Or maybe the REM apneas are not being caught by the machine. If you can check your data then check what was happening just before you woke up.

[Pugsy]

Check your software reports just to make sure nothing seems obvious like a leak or something. If nothing exciting there it may be just that your body needs more time to adjust to this thing on our face. Also take a good look at anything else that might affect sleep. Meds? Pain? Stress?

[robysue]

Ok, checking my insomnia logs for the past two and half months reveals the following rather common (for me) causes of wake ups after getting to sleep for the night listed in no particular order:

• * aerophagia issues (largely addressed and blessedly absent since the reduction of pressure in February)
  * needing to turn over and getting caught in the hose
  * racing mind---worrying, anxiousness, stress about day's events or upcoming events
  * clearly "I was dreaming" wake ups
  * cat or husband distrubs me wake ups (hubby at least apologizes when his trips to bathroom wake me up)
  * exhaust flow bothering eyes
  * chapped lips hurting
  * chapped lips getting more chapped by exhaust flow bouncing off the covers
  * headaches (and a very bad episode of vertigo one night)
  * waking up hot or cold (usually, but not always related to cover problems---I threw them off when I was hot and now I'm cold or I buried my head too far under the covers and now I'm hot)
  * suspected apnea clusters (sometimes, but not always borne out by looking at encore data)
  * sore nose due to nasal pillows not being quite set correctly and need to tug on them
  * dry nose---need to turn the humidifier up a notch
  * wet nose---need to turn the humidifier down a notch
  * congestion
  * need to cough (and can't seem to do that with the mask on without getting aerophagia
  * itchy nose and upper lip

As for (additional) things that can (still) make it hard for me to get back to sleep at times:

• * noise from the machine bothering me
  * neck and head not quite comfortable on pillow, but moving them causes mask problems
  * pressure from the machine tickling the back of my throat
  * trouble finding the sweet spot for the humidifier
  * sore lips, sore nose, sore back (our mattress has problems if it's not turned frequently enough)
  * worries, worries, worries
  * husband moving around because I'm restless and I can't curl back into him
  * problems making a proper robin-nest

Basically I think there's a tremendous amount of additional sensory stimulation that comes from using a CPAP every night. And it leads to sensory overload (for me) which, in turn, makes me notice all kinds of other sensory input. And it takes a while to get to where you can ignore all this additional sensory stuff. I'm almost 6 months in, and I'm making progress: Most of these things are no longer capable of keeping me awake for 30 or 40 minutes or more on most nights. But they do still cause 3--4 wake ups of about 10 minutes each on most nights.

[Guest]

I never sleep through the night. I wake up from dreams, or with mask leaks, or sometimes for no reason that I can identify. During my first sleep study in August the tech came in to check on me because I'd been awake for 45 minutes in the middle of the night - he thought perhaps I needed to go to the bathroom but was too embarrassed or something to ask. Nope, just a normal night for me.

[Brenpbb11150]

Hello,
I have been on Cpap for a year now...I cannot even imagine sleeping through the nite with no wake ups...not even on my best nites.
If there are people on this forum that can acutally say they have no wake-ups at nite...then please let me know how you do it. I probably wake up at least 5 times a nite and generally go right back to sleep. I have tried all the things that I need to do to get a good nites sleep but still have the wake=ups. I think it is someting I will always deal with. I feel pretty rested during the day and seem to be doing well on my cpap for the most part...I would like to do better with it but guess this is the best I will get. I know everyone is different and some people require more or less sleep than others so its a person to person thing with the wake ups at nite. Hope you can find some ways to better your sleep.
Bren

[Janknitz]

I don't wake every night, but I do wake many nights.

Before CPAP I think apneas were waking me (I thought it was hot flashes, but now I know it was apneas and reflux). Now I wake sometimes for no apparent reason, occasionally a mask leak.

The difference is that when I woke before it would be 2 hours of heart pounding, mind racing frustration. I'd often give up and get up---seemed like if I could get myself really cold I could jump back in bed and get back to sleep, often at 5:30 a.m. or 6 when my wake up is 6:30.

Now when I wake, I just dial up a new podcast on my iPod and I'm back asleep in minutes. Sometimes I don't even have to do that. Just cinch the mask and I'm back asleep.

[Geminidream]

I also wake up quite a bit some nights for no obvious reason. In the beginning of my CPAP therapy, I slept like a baby with no wake ups...I think mainly because I was soooo exhausted and needed had a lot of sleep debt. But once I was past all that and felt my normal energy and sleep patterns come back, I found that there are nights that I wake up a lot and its easier to for things to disturb me than there used to be. Its rarely related to my machine. I have been very diligent about keeping the same bedtime, not eating too soon before then and no caffeine too late either. The only thing I can figure is I work full time and go to college full time and maybe I have so much on my mind that it wakes me...especially the fear of not getting up on time for work. I do have nights where I never wake and its totally restful so I am not real concerned with this yet. It seems you are pretty normal and maybe it is sensory overload for you. The key to CPAP is this question...."how rested do I feel?"

[Samba]

I used to wake & get out of bed 4 times a night. Since CPAP I almost never get out of bed even if I wake up 2-3 times a night, usually because of a large leak
or apnea but it's still a huge improvement.

[Cindy Lou Who]

Is it normal to wake up four or five times a night? Just curious

I used to wake up that much pre cpap. Now it's once or twice to visit the bathroom, or (I'm guessing here) because the machine increased pressure to higher than I am used to. Sometimes I'm awake enough to check and the pressure is 10 cm or higher. Hopefully both of us will get used to that and sleep peacefully through such changes.
Wishing you sweet dreams
Cindy

[Lizistired]

Because the cpap does nothing to relieve joint pain.
Because there is a leak blowing cold air on my upper lip and I need to fix it.
Because I turned over and the hose is under me and I need to move it.
Because the mask vent is blowing an arctic blast on my wrist.
(I don't know how I'm going to sleep in long sleeves in the summer!)
Because the mask vent is blasting into the covers because I tried to pull them up where I like them.
Because...

The good thing is, I go right back to sleep, and barely even remember waking. I don't lay there for hours fighting to sleep.

[kteague]

I still wake up several times a night. If it's not my hands going numb or hurting from carpal tunnel it's my knees hurting, or potty trips because my sugar is up or I drank too much too late, or my legs aren't as calm as they need to be, or my straps shift on my mask... you get the idea. Thankfully my wakeups these days are brief. I think I set a record a couple nights ago - 7.5 hours sleep and not sure but I think I might vaguely remember turning over once or twice, but if so, didn't wake up enough to be sure. That was the night I changed my TENS Unit configuration a bit and my legs were unbelievably calm. I just keep addressing those things I can, and after years of horrid sleep, I try to remind myself how much better I'm sleeping. Going to bed now and try to recreate that record breaking night.

[Guest]

I still wake up several times a night. If it's not my hands going numb or hurting from carpal tunnel it's my knees hurting, or potty trips because my sugar is up or I drank too much too late, or my legs aren't as calm as they need to be, or my straps shift on my mask... you get the idea. Thankfully my wakeups these days are brief. I think I set a record a couple nights ago - 7.5 hours sleep and not sure but I think I might vaguely remember turning over once or twice, but if so, didn't wake up enough to be sure. That was the night I changed my TENS Unit configuration a bit and my legs were unbelievably calm. I just keep addressing those things I can, and after years of horrid sleep, I try to remind myself how much better I'm sleeping. Going to bed now and try to recreate that record breaking night.

Hi, My legs jerk, when you said you changed your TENS unit configuration, what is that? What type of machine do you have? Mine is a remstar plus c-flex, just started using it. Thank you for your help.

[Chris 1967]

Code: Select all

[quote][/quote]

I wake up half way through the night panicking for breath I have a nose mask,but it works ok when I first go to sleep , it has done it for a few nights now and I worry about it happening again

[LSAT]

Code: Select all

[quote][/quote]

I wake up half way through the night panicking for breath I have a nose mask,but it works ok when I first go to sleep , it has done it for a few nights now and I worry about it happening again

Without more information it's impossible to help you. It's like calling a car dealer and saying my car is acting funny, what's wrong with it.
How about telling us what machine you are using, what pressure it is set at, what mask you are using, how long you have been on cpap...etc.
Register and fill in your equipment profile.