I was diagnosed with Sleep Apnea after a sleep study.  I guess I stopped breathing 22 times in one hour.  I'm not sure if that's alot or not.  Anyhow I was having these scary hallucinations upon waking.
I would wake up, but the dream that I was having was running in my mind, even though I would get out of bed and move around.  It was really scary.  Since I started with the C-pap, it has stopped.  I love my C-pap, it has really changed my life!
Has anybody here had hallucinations upon waking?
Vi

Hi Violet!

There was a thread posted a while ago describing something similar and I personally have similar experiences.  I have been at this for six years and have had the time and experience to try to objectively understand what happens to me with this stupid disorder.

We remember dreams when we are awaken during one.  Each apneic event is physiologically the same as being suffocated.  Our bodies' fright and flight response kicks in.  When I fall asleep without my CPAP on   , I will begin to dream that someone is trying to suffocate me or that I am suffocating for some unexplained reason.  Obviously, my dream is mimicing what is really happening.  I do not have these dreams when I use my CPAP because the suffocation is not occuring.  I imagine that yours have the same cause as mine, a lack of oxygen and/or an increase in carbon dioxide.  When you use your CPAP, the physical conditions that precipitate the hallucinations are no longer there.

Another motivator to use our CPAPs!

To answer your severity question:
5-15    events/hour     Mild Obstructive Sleep Apnea
15-30  events/hour     Moderate OSA
>30     events/hour     Severe OSA

Vicki


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That which does not kill you makes you stronger-Friedrich Nietzsche
Friedrich must of had apnea.

Been there, done that.

It seems to be a side effect that most information sites fail to talk about, but when I was first diagnosed 17 yrs ago, it was one of many indicators that pointed towards OSA.


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Everything, but green

Quote:

I would wake up, but the dream that I was having was running in my mind, even though I would get out of bed and move around.  It was really scary.  Since I started with the C-pap, it has stopped.  I love my C-pap, it has really changed my life!
Has anybody here had hallucinations upon waking?

 

Hmm, thats funny, this didn't start happening to me until after i started using CPAP.
But the dreams aren't bad, they just seem to linger in my mind for a while after I wake up, keeping me disoriented for some time.

I *think* it's because I wasn't getting to the dream stage of sleep before.

Glad to see a topic on this subject, i tell people about this happening but nobody understands or gets it  

i have had strange dreams after i had got on my cpap. i never use to dream at all before. i've fallen out of bed a couple of times too. it's scary without a doubt but i started keeping track of what went on during the day and whether or not it was stressful. and they have calmed down a lot now. janey

Different Strokes - Different Folks.
My very active and vivid dreams disappeared after being on the machine. Each of us reacts differently I guess.
Hang in there.  

I just wanted to clarify that people with untreated OSA are REM deprived.  Therefore, after beginning CPAP therapy most people report abundant and vivid dreams.  What I am talking about here are nightmares which occur during times when a CPAP is not in use.

Vicki


_________________
That which does not kill you makes you stronger-Friedrich Nietzsche
Friedrich must of had apnea.