trouble sleeping and on the cpap??

[jimgreg]

i wont go to bed till i know that i can sleep..im on disabilty so i dont have any times to be any place..so i go to bed at 3:00am..i put the mask on and mess with it so it wont leak..once i get it taken car of,..i fall asleep within 15 min or less..if ur apnea then you know that the 1st 90 min is ( rem) sleep..then within 2-3 hrs you get to level 3 stage..then stage 4..


well i never seem to get to stage 4..i never did on my sleep study..about 30 min there..ur suppose to get at  least 4 hrs in the deep stage 4 sleep is the deepest sleep..thats were you really get rested..then you start to move back to 3.2. rem sleep before you awake...

so this means that you should get at least 6-8 hrs a night..sure you sleep even though you dont get to stage 4..but its not a restful sleep..if you only get to stage 3  then stay there 3 hrs isint bad..buty i dont think im either getting the correct oxygen levels or im not getting to stage 3 either..its like im sleeping on the covers and not beneath them.


my weight was 310pounds then when i had my sleep study..i lost 55 pounds..so i dont even know if im consider apnea..i guess i need to measure my neck 17" or more than you couyld  have obstructive sleep apnea..

i cant explain it but sometimes wile im waiting to put the mask on,i fall asleep without the cpap..and feel more rested..but dont like to do that..cuz in my study i had 300 apnea's..and 200 hypo apneas!!  thats scary..but you dont even know it unless you wake up gasping for oxygen..


so please  correct me on anything that i have wrong please..i need to get more sleep...1 thing i need to go to bed before 3am..cuz in 4 hrs from then the sun rises..and once i wake i never get back to were i need to be..so if i would go to bed at 1am..then mabey get more quality sleep..the thing is that i,l be up at 8am im in for a long boring day..

so please give me the best  info.....james

[KatEyes]

Late last night I posted a lengthy reply and got a message that the site was undergoing upgrades, and I see my post was did not survive that transition. Some of what I said I see is in the prior post, so I'll spare you a wordy repeat of those points.

Since you asked, here's how I see it:

1) Find out if your treatment is adequate. a) You could talk to your doctor about ordering an overnight recording oximetry study for a maybe even a few nights, but at least one, to check your oxygen levels with your current treatment. b) Confirm your current pressure needs by either having a data capable machine, getting your doctor to order a 2 week trial on an autopap, or a repeat sleep study.

2) Goggle sleep hygiene and implement the principles. Getting earlier regular sleep just may help you enough that you'll have the energy to break out of the usual boring daily routine.

3) Stand beside your bed to put your mask on to prevent falling asleep without it. I had to do that for months because sitting down was too risky.  Are you using a full face mask? If not, consider if you could be opening your mouth during sleep and losing your therapy out of your mouth.

Let us know how you fare.

[strictlyforpain]

I've had sever apnea since 1999 and at the time I weighed 264 pounds. I'm now down to 177 pounds and guess what? I still have severe apnea. Until you go in for another sleep study you have no idea if you do or don't have apnea unless you can talk someone into watching you sleep all night. But that's a "broadside-barn" technique certainly not a sleep study analysis.

How long have you used the CPAP mask? I recall it took me more than a month to fully adjust but I wore it all night long every night. Now I love sleeping with the cpap and I can sleep 12 hours with it on if I need to. 8 hours is cake.

How long have you been using CPAP? Have you talked with your prescribing doctor about it. Your pressures and titration might need adjusted. There is just so much involved in this. You really need to involve your doctor.