Nightmares

The last couple times I was wearing my cpap I had terrible nightmares, most notably I kept dreaming a giant spider was on my face building a nest, etc. Has anyone else had bad dreams when using your machine?

My issues with dreams were before CPAP - somebody or something was always choking, drowning or suffocating. The scary dreams stopped once my CPAP treatment was working well. It seemed to me my crazy dreams were born out of a real physical sensation caused by apnea events. That makes it seem logical to me that the unfamiliar sensations that come with wearing the mask could have triggered a dream about a big spider on your face. By the way - YIKES! Just guessing here, but once wearing the mask is more familiar and your sleeping brain interprets it as normal, your scary dreams will go away.

Can i suggest using your cpap with your mask while you're awake doing something pleasant, so that whatever was trying to tell you to get rid of it realizes that it's okay *smile*? Seriously, I would suggest using your cpap doing something like reading or watching TV for some time, just to get your body and mind in tune with it.

Just a thought, but there's something scary going on there at some level...Need to get past that one.

Thank you

I remember only a little of last night's dream...specifically the part where my mask in the dream had a large leak...not sure why I was masked up, I don't think I was sleeping in the dream. But I'm pretty sure it was me just sleeping through a leak, semi-aware. Weird.

I mentioned this in an earlier post of mine, and several people said it might be REM rebound. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/REM_rebound Apparently if you wake up while in REM, you remember your dreams. I had no idea! So if something like leaks are waking you up, that might be the cause of you remembering your nightmare.

Feel your pain--I have awful nightmares, usually with loved ones in danger, and it's scary stuff.

kteague wrote:My issues with dreams were before CPAP - somebody or something was always choking, drowning or suffocating. The scary dreams stopped once my CPAP treatment was working well. It seemed to me my crazy dreams were born out of a real physical sensation caused by apnea events. That makes it seem logical to me that the unfamiliar sensations that come with wearing the mask could have triggered a dream about a big spider on your face. By the way - YIKES! Just guessing here, but once wearing the mask is more familiar and your sleeping brain interprets it as normal, your scary dreams will go away.

These were my dreams as well. I still have them occasionally, when I really stuffy. I tape my mouth shut at night.

symetrisg wrote:The last couple times I was wearing my cpap I had terrible nightmares, most notably I kept dreaming a giant spider was on my face building a nest, etc. Has anyone else had bad dreams when using your machine?

Keep a mirror and flashlight in the bed. You may be surprised.

well, strange, it didn't work, now it does.

ChicagoGranny wrote:

symetrisg wrote:The last couple times I was wearing my cpap I had terrible nightmares, most notably I kept dreaming a giant spider was on my face building a nest, etc. Has anyone else had bad dreams when using your machine?

Keep a mirror and flashlight in the bed. You may be surprised.

I can see it in my browser. That's funny Granny. I always look for the humor from you.

Have a good 13th!

Your cpap treatment is not working very well. Start troubleshooting what is going wrong. The spider thing is a natural fear programmed in people. The spider thing on your face should bring you out of sleep to wake you up and get your attention. Well it got your attention. Did you wake up and tear the mask off? How did you feel at that time?

Anytime you have nightmares and you are not on psych meds or other meds that mess with you mind or you are not having Schizophrenic issues, then you can assume that you are having some difficulty in breathing. Common themes of nightmares are things that scare the shit out of you. If you dream this stuff all the time you start getting used to the scary dreams and then they are not so scary. If you stay in a scary dream, it can get vivid and fascinating. If you are in a vivid dream, then you are O2 deprived and its not good for you and stressful on the body. Be scared and wake up and evaluate what is going wrong. Cpap use can cause your nasal passages to swell up and close and then you can't breathe very weill. If you can't breathe through your nose, then cpap treatment is pretty much useless.

The other day I was dreaming and started having bad stomach pains. I woke up and I was bloated and hiring from aerophagia

borgready wrote:Anytime you have nightmares and you are not on psych meds or other meds that mess with you mind or you are not having Schizophrenic issues, then you can assume that you are having some difficulty in breathing.

you still spewing that bs?

do you only post when you escape from the mental institution, or are they allowing occasional net access from inside?

But... it was fascinating... so.. scientific, so well thought out...

I'm thinking that the advice to acclimate to the mask is good advice. That dream really does seem like your sleeping brain/body not liking that you have something on your face, and trying to rationalize it in some way that really lets you know it's a "bad" thing .

My very first night of therapy, at high pressure (IPAP 25) and suffering from an unfortunate intestinal ailment, I had dreams of riding a motorcycle with air blowing back my mouth (as it would if you were silly enough to open it at high speed), and looking for a bathroom!

That was the first dream I had in I don't know how long.

I beat the bug, and next day I ordered a chin strap. Mischief managed.