Premature Awakenings

[quote="Justin_Case"]I am exploring the possibilty that the CPAP machne may be contributing to sleep disturbance in respect to magnetic field exposure as any electronic device can cause it. It may be nothing, but who knows?

SNOREDOG: whew!!! What a terrific, in-depth read!

Thank you SO much for all of that information; you are a wealth of unique information! I'm especially thankful for the info on PLMD, and will make good use of it.

As a caregiver in my 2nd 'career', I've taken care of a man in his 40's who had a MASSIVE cereral hemmorhage, and lost use of his left side, and of course, was left-handed. Although he got immediate care, he has permanently lost arm mobility, peripheral eyesight, and needs a leg brace. It also affected his 'personality' - unpredictable mood swings, so I needed to be prepared for those. Luckily I got to attend a dr.'s meeting with him and learned some of what you stated re the first 18 months being the critical 'window' for improvement. He had brain surgery due to massive swelling, thus loss of peripheral vision and most likely the limitations of recovery. He's come a long way, with an immense amount of therapy - in all areas, minimum 3x weekly. I'm sorry about your stroke, but it seems that you have had FULL recovery? Certainly no brain damage. Thanks for sharing that experience.

The PLMD information is most useful to me,and I'll be looking at the site you mentioned. I've received so many vague responses from the medical community! It HAS gotten better lately, and I don't know why. I do know that exercise relieved a great deal of it, and cpap therapy has lessened the frequency and severity. I even checked myself into local hospital one night - was so very desperate for relief. Wasted time - alone in a screened rom, with leg flailing, getting bruised from hitting the bed, and no one around to either witness or help. I eventually went home with some Ambien. They are now trashed. Tylenol PM did as much good. I even took one of my husband's Parkinson's medications, which I know was wrong, but when a person is in that condition, I at least will try about anything for relief. Don't dare keep a gun in the house...too messy, anyway. Pain and sleep deprivation really play horrible games with us.

You really have me thinking about this, since the brain (again, as usual) is sending these signals. I guess it gets bored, and I'm just 'handy' for it to pick on. Not knowing WHAT is causing this chemistry to go haywire is disturbing, because without that full info, we cannot do much about it. I'm sure that your source will be a big help - at last.

You're a 'walking encyclopedia', Snoredog. I've enjoyed your posts most recently, and am amazed with your wealth of information on various topics. Please keep teaching us, I for one have SO much to learn - and am not always getting it from the drs., especially with such detail.

Snoredog wrote:

Justin_Case wrote:I am exploring the possibilty that the CPAP machne may be contributing to sleep disturbance in respect to magnetic field exposure as any electronic device can cause it. It may be nothing, but who knows?


How well did you sleep before the cpap machine?

AMEN! I used to peruse the Parkinson's Forum; a member wrote me asking if "I" would be willing to participate in a theory he had. His theory, in short, was for the person with PD needs to stand outside, on the 'ground' for a period of time, in order for ___?___ to drain the misfirings from his system. Of course, husband wouldn't agree to that simple request. But I never heard from that guy again - may be selling snake oil now, don't know. But I'll admit that I HAVE wondered about some of these 'all to simple' solutions!

I know that I take up too much room on the forum by geing wordy, but I also want to relate an experience I remember when I was a child. I remember actually hearing the power line between our house & the one next door "BUZZ". And 'today', with all of the satellite signals bouncing off everything in sight, what could be affecting our brains as a result? I don't like the thought, but it's there...is our skull that impervious to all of these goings on?

Offerocker wrote:

rooster wrote:Hello Snoredog and anyone else with good information,

My problem is premature awakenings and both my good sleep doctor and myself are frustrated because we cannot figure out what causes them. If I have a "good sleep hygiene day" I will fall asleep quickly at night and sleep five hours. Then I awaken and cannot go back to sleep even though I usually feel comfortable.

I am treating this with .5 mg clonazepam when I prematurely awake. This will put me back to sleep in 30 to 60 minutes and I will continue to sleep until the alarm sounds. So I am getting 8 hours of sleep minus the 30 to 60 minutes it takes for the clonazepam to kick in. I sure would like to sleep 8 hours straight.
Any ideas on what causes premature awakenings? I am drawing a blank.

rooster

ROOSTER: I underlined part that I'll address second.

First, do you limit caffein in the afternoon? That used to be a 'biggie' for me - I 'thought' I was sleeping OK, but not a deep sleep (this before cpap therapy). My neuro Rx 2mg clonazepam, which helps with a deeper sleep and my PLMD. Instructions were to take it at LEAST 8 hours before I wanted to awake.
Exercise of any kind is also a sleep aid. Mine is gardening. Will have to do REAL exercise now that winter is approaching .

Second, You are LOSING an hour's sleep by waiting on that .5 mg of clonazepan to aid you in getting back to sleep. Have you tried taking that same dosage before you go to bed? (after eliminating caffein, if that's a variable).

Clonazepam is a controlled substance, and it's most likely why your dr. is limiting it to .5mg, but I would ask him. What concerns me is that you are losing an hour, waiting on it to take effrect, when you could be sleeping.

rooster wrote:Hello Snoredog and anyone else with good information,

I just read Snoredog's comments on the thread "Naps vs. Nights". I did not want to get that thread off track so I am starting a separate thread.

My problem is premature awakenings and both my good sleep doctor and myself are frustrated because we cannot figure out what causes them. If I have a "good sleep hygiene day" I will fall asleep quickly at night and sleep five hours. Then I awaken and cannot go back to sleep even though I usually feel comfortable.

I am treating this with .5 mg clonazepam when I prematurely awake. This will put me back to sleep in 30 to 60 minutes and I will continue to sleep until the alarm sounds. So I am getting 8 hours of sleep minus the 30 to 60 minutes it takes for the clonazepam to kick in. I sure would like to sleep 8 hours straight.

Any ideas on what causes premature awakenings? I am drawing a blank.

rooster

Rooster,

I had identical problems. I have finally solved the problem and hopefully this may work for you too. A touch of background:

I have had sleep problems for over 20 years, just never did anything about it. I figured it was normal. About 2.5 years ago my wife got scared because of how long the Apnea events were so I went to a sleep doc that was a pulminologist. Sleep study showed borderline Apnea, mostly Hypopnia. He prescribed a mouthpiece but not CPAP. That did very little for my sleep quality, and I was still waking often at night. He prescribed Klonopin (clonazepam). The clonazepam helped me sleep better for a couple months then I developed a tolerance to it and I was back to frequent awakenings.

He also tried Lunesta with no positive result (nasty side affects) then he finally gave up and sent me to a cognitive sleep doc that is a psychologist to work on sleep hygiene. I zoned out in the middle of a discussion with him and it freaked him out. He thought I had a siezure. He sent me to a
sleep doc that is a neurologist. She is fantastic. I was zoning out so often during the day she suspected Cataplexy. Did more sleep study and MSLT. No Narcolepsy signs She put me on CPAP this past summer along with Provigil to keep awake during the day. CPAP has helped a lot with quality of sleep, when I slept, but still have the problem with awakening a couple times a night, Provigil used to keep me awake during the day due to still bad sleep.

Tried Rozerem for the sleep with no affect.

Just last week we started Ambien CR 12.5 mg. BINGO. I sleep through the night with no wakeup. I used to get 5 hours maybe 6 if I was lucky, with 2 wakeups in the midst of it all. For the past 9 nights I'vs slept 7 hours solid and wake with no ill side affects in the morning. I am a happy happy camper. I feel like a human again.

Final answer for me is CPAP at 10 and Ambien CR 12.5 mg. I am not needing the Provigil anymore either We did an overnight pulsoximeter test a few nights ago and there were ZERO de-sats, so the CPAP is doing it's thing on the apnea and letting the Ambien CR do it's thing on sleep maintentance.

You can get a free 7 day trial of Ambien CR. Go to their website: http://www.ambiencr.com/ and download the certificate. Get a prescription from your doc, and you are set.

I tried a 6.25 mg sample from the doc and that was not enough, did the 12.5 mg 7 day trial and that worked like a charm. And this stuff is long term prescribable where Ambien is not.

Give it a try and let us know if this works for you too.

Joel

mtsarpilot: Thanks for your 'history' - shows that each of us reacts differently! I'm very happy that you FINALLY found the answers and are not sleeping so well. GREAT! Perseverence paid off.

Snoredog and Rooster:

I picked up some GNC Melatonin 3mg/B6 2mg. I am going to still take the .25 Mirapex mid afternoon for awhile, but replace the .5mg dose at night with the 3mg Melatonin.

I'm hoping to relieve my system with Rx drugs.
Will pickup the Mega Minerals also; forgot about them.
My Dr. also suggested at least 1000mcg B-12 daily.

I also use the inversion 'table', Snoredog - feels terrific, after those first few 'cracks', or in my case the releasing of scar tissue T9-L5 and then some.

By the time I get better at understanding what's going on with body and brain, and the best way to treat them, it will be time to 'turn it in'!

I too will wake up in the area of 3 am. Don't have to take a bathroom break, but when I am able to sleep with the machine the longest I have slept is 5 hours. So I don't know what 8 hours would be like. Since I get up at 5 am every morning the mask comes off and I fall right back to sleep. I tried keeping it on but took to long to fall back asleep.

new to the forum and new the the elite 8 unit witht he humidifier

been on the cpap for 8 weeks.

i have the wakeups too..early.....

my tech says i may not be at a high enough setting for pressure...and am oxygen deprived..since i wake up tugging at the mask to get it off...at 4 am.....i put it back on a couple minutes later...but the full on sleep is gone for the night..

just my two cents...im still workinng on it..

I have been on cpap for 2 1/2 months. Sleep for about 3 hours with it and then begin waking up. Cannot go back to sleep with it on, so i have felt no benefits yet. I have tried different masks and am on the nasal pillow now (Opus). Very frustrated. I had the wakeups before cpap too.

I'm guessing that both of the last two posters are using nasal masks and leaking therapy air out of your mouths and/or your pressure settings are not optimal.

Try mouth taping and/or Polident adhesive strips......OR a full face mask.

Also, please fill in your profiles (machines, masks, pressures, etc.) so we'll have more information to go on.

If you don't have copies of your sleep studies......I would also urge you to get them.

Den

I see there have been more entries for this topic....this is more of an update on my situation.....since getting the Auto Cpap in Nov, I have steadily felt better and am getting such better sleep, it's incredible. The only thing I can attribute this to is the auto cpap....I have it set as follows: low is 9, high is 20. These last few months, my AHI's are 2.0 or below, today I had a 0.4 AHI! I have NEVER felt better. Almost all of each night is spent at pressure of 9. I STILL sometimes wake up after 5 hours, but I turn over and go back into a deep, restful sleep for the next 3 hours....this NEVER happened when I had straight CPAP...never. I am also on a diet and have lost at least 20lbs....that is helping as well. Now that I have more energy during the day, I am more active!

Sometimes, I have problems with my mask and leaking.....that's the only major problem...when that happens, my AHI's go up, but rarely above 2.0. Most of the time, I take the over-the-counter sleeping pill from Costco..that's it...no prescription sleeping pills...and chew 2 Tums extra-strength Calcium. I tried every pill out there before I got this Auto Cpap...nothing helped...I felt worse actually....hope that helps someone with the same problem, waking up after so many hours.