Need Help Psychologically With CPAP

[ecohen]

I just started using my CPAP two days ago. Yes, I know it hasn't been very long, but suffering from anxiety and depression makes two nights of not sleeping a big issue. I want to believe the CPAP machine will work for me, but I don't have any buy in. I tried for 2-3 hours last night and eventually gave up. I fell asleep right away (unlike with the CPAP machine) but woke up feeling as if I hadn't slept. I believe that I need something to help me get more efficient sleep, but I don't know how to tell myself that CPAP is the way to go. I read many posts about persevering but I don't know how to do that when it's 2 am and I'm lying in bed, anxiously thinking over my life. I don't know if it's the mask. I've been a stomach sleeper for my entire life, so I think part of it is adjusting to lying on my back. I had a problem with leaking last night when I tried to turn my head to the side, but then I tightened the mask more and had indents on my face.

Help! How did you guys adjust?

[Tatooed Lady]

What mask? Nasal pillows allow side/back/face sleeping...I use the resmed swift fx as my main mask...occasionally I need to adjust to stop leaks, but it works GREAT for me.

Try sitting up in bed or in a recliner while using the equipment. Watch tv. Listen to soothing music. Read a book. Whatever you can manage while geared up that can help you relax. I and others have used scented oils on cotton balls placed near the air intake. Aromatherapy is great to destress.

[Julie]

Back sleeping provokes more apneas than anything so you should find a way to side sleep, possibly using this - PapPillow.com. And please say what mask you have as masks can make a big difference in how well you adjust. If yours is uncomfortable, can you describe just what aspects don't feel right?

Have you tried wearing the mask while watching TV just to get used to it?

I realize you're feeling lousy about the whole thing, but two days isn't a fair trial for something that may save your life and we've all found ways to deal with it.

[Wulfman...]

I just started using my CPAP two days ago. Yes, I know it hasn't been very long, but suffering from anxiety and depression makes two nights of not sleeping a big issue. I want to believe the CPAP machine will work for me, but I don't have any buy in. I tried for 2-3 hours last night and eventually gave up. I fell asleep right away (unlike with the CPAP machine) but woke up feeling as if I hadn't slept. I believe that I need something to help me get more efficient sleep, but I don't know how to tell myself that CPAP is the way to go. I read many posts about persevering but I don't know how to do that when it's 2 am and I'm lying in bed, anxiously thinking over my life. I don't know if it's the mask. I've been a stomach sleeper for my entire life, so I think part of it is adjusting to lying on my back. I had a problem with leaking last night when I tried to turn my head to the side, but then I tightened the mask more and had indents on my face.

Help! How did you guys adjust?

What made you think you have to sleep on your back? Lots of users sleep on their stomachs and sides. Go up to the search line and put in "Falcon"......and start reading about the "Falcon position".
Bed pillows can make a big difference on this therapy, too.

Please join the forum and put your specific equipment information in your profile, including your pressure and humidifier settings, exhale relief, etc., etc.

This therapy is "baby steps"......one night at a time. We were all in the same place as you when we were starting our therapy. "Education" and taking control of one's own therapy is the key to being successful at this.


Den

.

[BlackSpinner]

Find an exciting movie on TV, strap on the mask, turn on the machine and watch it.
Teach your mind it is safe to do this weird stuff.

[Nick Danger]

Have you had issues with anxiety in the past? If so, what worked for you then? How can you adapt those coping skills to using CPAP?

I don't think it is a good idea to use long term, but if you continue to have problems with anxiety after trying some of the things people have mentioned above, talk to your doctor. He might prescribe a low dose anti-anxiety medication for a short period of time. Anti-anxiety medications frequently make your apnea a bit worse, but if they help you adapt to using the machine, they may be worth a try.

If you can't fall asleep in 30 minutes, try turning on the light and reading a book or watching television (preferably while keeping the mask on) until you feel good and sleepy and then try again. Lying in bed ruminating about the past is going to make it harder for you to fall asleep. I know it seems counter-intuitive, but many people find that this approach gets them to sleep faster. Don't give in to the temptation to take the mask off - that is a hard habit to break. That is not going to solve your apnea problem and the symptoms that convinced you to be tested for apnea will still be with you.

Are you seeing a therapist about your anxiety and depression symptoms? If so, enlist the therapist's help - he/she may not be knowledgeable about sleep apnea (but they might just surprise you), but they are experts at helping people figure out how to adapt to change.

[archangle]

Welcome to the forum.

Please sign up for an ID and fill in your equipment on your profile. There's a link in my signature line about how to do this.

What does it say on the top of your machine? This will help us figure out what machine you have.

[jagzoo]

I'm here to agree with everything already said: wear mask for a while while awake to get used to it ( but try not to watch tv or computer screen that has blue light); maybe try small amount do anti- anxiety medication for a while; make sure your lower pressure is high enough that you don't feel like you are suffocating; try a therapist for cognitive therapy which works well for panic type attacks. But mostly, I want to assure you that you can sleep in whatever position you choose ( though preferably not on your back unless propped up recliner- like). I use nasal pillows. Have used with success both the Fx pillows, tap pap, and my present favorite is the P10 nasal pillows and I routinely sleep on both sides and on my stomach each night. Although I have a few leaks, they are way below what the xpap can contend with ( no large leaks ever).

Hang in there, you are in good company and the great people in this form will help make xpap work for you!

[Ecohen]

Thanks for all the advice. I guess I figured I had to sleep on my back because of the sleep studies where the guy kept telling me to not be on my side.

I'm already on anxiety meds. I guess I'll just have to keep trying. I have the full face mask because I'm a mouth breather and easily congested and when I tried on one of the nose masks I almost passed out because I couldn't get enough air in.

It just seems hard to see the benefits of something when it is having such a detrimental effect presently.

[jagzoo]

What are your pressure settings? Are you sure air hunger from too low settings/ ramp aren't causing problems that can easily be corrected?

Please sign in with your machine, settings and mask so members can help you better.

[VictorC]

I'm new here myself. I remember having a very emotional reaction when I was first diagnosed. Like you I thought that my life was over, or at least put on hold while I dealt with this issue. I blamed myself for being fat and lazy, and allowing myself to reach this point. When I left the sleep lab the next morning I swore to myself that there was no way in hell I'd actually get a CPAP machine. But I did. I won't lie to you and tell you that it is easy. There are big adjustments to make. I'm still making them, and I've been on CPAP for 11 days. I can tell you that you can make it through this period of adjustment. Everyone here has, and we're all willing to answer your questions or offer any advice we can.

[zoocrewphoto]

PLease tell us what machine you are using, what pressure settings you have, if you are using ramp, if you are using any pressure relief (usually listed as epr, c-flex, or a-flex). Also, which mask.

And then tell us what kind of problems you feel. Do you feel like you can;t get enough air? Maybe you feel like you can't exhale. Leaks - where are they, what do they sound like (hiss or fart sounds?). A lot of these issues are common problems that the doctors don't tell people about, so you either have to figure it out on your own or find a place like this where we have been there, done that, and have great suggestions for you.

Tell us as much as you can, and we can help you work through these adjustments. It DOES get better with practice.

[kteague]

First of all, you shouldn't have to suffer to use this treatment and sleep in reasonable comfort. If I'd been told I had to sleep in a different position than accustomed, I'd have had an even harder time. You can find a way to sleep on your stomach, whether in mask adjustments or sleeping pillow changes. I have a friend who wears a full face mask and is a stomach sleeper. Please do let us know if being able to sleep on your stomach ends up helping you fall asleep. I'd just like to encourage you that what we go through in those early times of CPAP use doesn't mean those problems will always be there. The rewards for me have been so very worth the effort put into making it work. Who knows, maybe once you master this and begin getting healthier sleep, your anxiety and depression may even improve. It's amazing what sleep can do for a person. Hang in there, so you can find out what a regularly rested body and mind can feel like. Good luck.

[Julie]

You were made to stay on your back at testing so they could see how your body reacted in the worst position, to get a baseline picture for future comparison, and it happens all the time and they never explain to patients that they shouldn't do it in future - you're not the first to assume that you should!

[SleepGuy]

Hey there--

Waking up at 2 am is exactly what happened to me. I never slept past 2 am for the first year of trying and I gave up.

Then I discovered the power of aromatics quite by accident and I have turned that into a product--

Watch the video posted below.

If you are interested, PM me a mailing address and I will send you some product free of charge. I want to know if it helps you as it did me--it was really too good to be true. Not looking to spam you--happy to give away some free product to help.

Bret

VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u_7qgoF ... pbR6p9NgB8