How to handle falling asleep on the couch without xPAP?

Hey guys, women...

Most nights never make it to the bedroom - I either fall asleep on the couch (because I made the mistake of sitting there), or at a desk (in front of a computer for example) or actually find myself at 4am lying in bed with my clothes on.

Typically what happens is that I wake up sometime in the middle of the night and then go upstairs to the bedroom and wear the xPAP mask for 3 or 4 hours until I have to get up for work.

Is this a common problem? I started CPAP about 7 weeks ago, in case it matters.

Any ideas of what to do about it?

One idea of course would be to get a second CPAP and mask to wear every time I sat down somewhere after, say 10 pm. But even with a second machine it would mean carrying it around every where I go.

Or an other idea might be just to simply cancel the TV (which would save me money) and not sit down after 10 pm.
Or (gasp) actually go to sleep before 10pm and not eat dinner and wear dirty clothes the next day if that's what it takes (actually I think that this might be the best answer because hopefully the condition is only temporary!)

What do most people do about this situation? It seems like a "catch-22" to me - if I could get a full night of therapy for a few months, it's possible that
I won't crash suddenly any more. But how can I do this if I'm just starting out and still exhausted?

ahhhhhh larry....sounds like you need to work on sleep hygeine. goggle "sleep hygiene" and start on the habits...i will be doing the same.

I'm just getting started myself, and I'm realizing that because of my sleeping problems i have developed some REALLY BAD sleep habits.

And part of getting well in addition to my cpap therapy will be developing some GOOD sleep habits. So, this is doable and doesn't cost

any money.....i'm going to make a list of rules for myself...stuff i can live with...not PERFECT rules yet, but rules to start aligning my

present sleep habits into better sleep habits....then i'll work on BEST sleep habits. Make the rules for yourself....baby steps if you need

to...you will benefit from it. Good luck Larry!

Well, I think I would stop sitting on the couch, then, if it means that you fall asleep there. When I first started with my machine, I could not read in bed without falling asleep. So I started wearing my mask while reading, even if it was in the middle of the day. Once you are getting better sleep, you probably wont fall asleep so often anymore, and things will be better. I wouldn't put myself in a position to sleep without the machine, though, if I were you.

Junebug999 wrote:ahhhhhh larry....sounds like you need to work on sleep hygeine. goggle "sleep hygiene" and start on the habits...i will be doing the same.

Yup, I completely agree! There are two issues for me - falling asleep involuntarily (which I don't see how sleep hygiene could solve),
and sleeping through the alarm clock. (I already placed two of them in another room, so that I don't hit the snooze buttons). Well I should clarify that.
I do hear the alarms, but despite my intention from the night before to get up early and get to work on time, my semi-consious self does hear
the alarms but decides that there's no way I could get up at this moment.

One trick I read on some web site, and I wonder if it is for real and actually works, is to actually practice getting out of bed
during the day-time! Yes! What you do is, sometime during the day, when you're not likely to fall asleep, set your alarm for 15 or 20 or minutes later.
When it goes off, get out of bed. The idea is that this will train your subconscious mind to get out of bed when your alarm goes off.

Now, take this for what it's worth, because
I have never heard this from a doctor nor any "official" sleep hygiene site. It's an intresting idea though you have to admit.

I have yet to try it. I simply haven't had the time.

At one time

Well I think if you start going to bed at a regular time and sleeping all night with your machine, then eventually you will stop falling asleep involuntarily. It could take some time, though, to pay off your sleep debt.

Maybe you could move the TV into the bedroom, and watch there--hooked up.
I know, they say no TV in the bedroom; but if that's the only way you can SLEEP there, what do you have to lose?
Think outside of the box--some of us don't do' boxes'.

chunkyfrog wrote:Maybe you could move the TV into the bedroom, and watch there--hooked up.
I know, they say no TV in the bedroom; but if that's the only way you can SLEEP there, what do you have to lose?
Think outside of the box--some of us don't do' boxes'.

Good idea, but it's not only the TV - it's at my desk paying bills, at the kitchen table while dinner is cooking.

One thing I think I will try is to set a cell phone alarm for around 11pm.