I just picked up my CPAP equipment yesterday, Remstar M-Series. Everything fits and works fine, problem is just like the night of the titration, I can't fall asleep. The machine is about as quiet as a dump truck. I also live in the woods, so my "hearing radius" tends to extend beyond the exterior walls...very sensitive and listening to my "tidal volume" in and out along with the whir of the machine drives me nuts. I also can't believe that the 3 huge blue LED's on the top don't turn off. Fixed that by throwing a sock over the top of the buttons.

My buddy suggested that I try to get some Ambien and set my body up for a crash before crawling into bed. Last night went so terribly that I took today off...so very tired, and have final exams for a class I'm taking tonight. I crawled back in bed around 11am and strapped the mask on. I think I fell asleep with it for about an hour and then I woke up again. No success.

How did everyone else manage to get over the "hump" and achieve a deep sleep with their CPAP?

a positive attitude and patience is essential, the CPAP can be placed on a soft rubber pad to quieten the noise but dont cover it with anything as the air intake mustnt be blocked
it may help to leave a radio on for some other noise
earplugs may help
many of us take ambien or similar to help relax us when first using a CPAP


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NO DOCTOR EVER ASKED ME IF I SNORED

Earplugs?

Maybe a white noise source (fans work well) that is louder than the CPAP machine would help ... unless you can't sleep with that on, either.

I'm in the adjustment stage, too. The CPAP at the sleep lab was louder, but it was a fairly constant noise. I thought the fan was still on. The M Series is definitely quieter, but it also isn't a steady noise if you have C-Flex or A-Flex on. Mine seems to breathe along with me.

Just thought of this to deal with the breathing sounds ... pretend you are Darth Vader.  


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Respironics Auto M Series, Pressure: 12 cm
Fisher & Paykel Opus 360 Nasal Pillows
My Sleep Blog

Thanks for the replies. It's not that I'm claustrophobic or can't deal with stuff on my face--I mean, I'd prefer not to, but I can deal. I don't think I'm a "picky" sleeper, either--when the time and feeling is right, I can sleep anywhere. My senses are more heightened because when night falls around my house, it's pretty much silent, so anything that makes noise has its own stage. I can do white noise, except that my box fan doesn't exactly "drown out" the CPAP. I know not to cover the machine with anything, other than a sock, which I put over the BRIGHT BLUE buttons.

It's like the machine is mocking me, constantly making me aware of my breathing. Even despite C-flex, it seems like I can't exhale enough to dump enough CO2--this drives up my heart rate, makes me more alert, and makes me breathe harder. The mask kinda bumps when the blower kicks down as I exhale. There's a piece of me that wonders if this is all worth it...or if I should just become majorly anorexic (except I'm not really even fat to begin with).

Sounds like I have Ambien coming tonight, hopefully that will knock me out.

Hi fivespeedg, I'm a very alert and light sleeper and I know exactly what you're experiencing.  Unfortunately I've taken all the drugs and none worked or used to but don't anymore.  So I've had to resort to other tricks.

One thing I've found helpful is to climb into bed about an hour early, don the mask and turn on the machine, then read a good book, watch tv, listen to podcast or soothing music (my media player has a sleep timer so it will shut off after I've fallen asleep).  Anything that won't get my interest so much that I'll be more alert, but yet will take my mind off the CPAP and keep me from fixating on my breathing.  I also get very accustomed to the 'strength' of the CPAP air during that time, so it is hardly noticeable by the time I'm ready to go to sleep.

Orient your bedroom such that you can turn off media and/or lights right from bed and without having to get up, twist around, or otherwise disturb yourself much.  You want to be able to just lie back and drift off when you're ready.

Hope this helps, Blessings,
--pseudonym

I note that you are using C-flex.  Maybe you would find an even pressure easier to take because the noise wouldn't vary.

Put the machine on a pad on the floor; the pad should be something that won't slide around.  That way, some of the noise would be blocked by the bed.

Others have found those lights annoying as well.  Putting something over them seems to be okay.

Try not to worry about being able to breathe out against the pressure.  You can.  It's like being outside on a windy day; wind or no wind, you can exhale just fine.  Get comfortable and just concentrate on breathing slowly and evenly and eventually the sense of pressure will disappear.  It takes time and practice to make it work.

I'm armed with a 10mg tab of Ambien now, filled the script this afternoon. I've got my box fan to drown out the machine, and after last night--I'm extra tired (and grouchy--zing!) I'm staying up for a little longer to make sure I'm ready to conk out when I hit the bed.

I can't disable C-flex, which is annoying. I can't change the ramp time either. The thing has a smart card, but it's hiding all the data (AHI, compliance, etc). I don't expect to change the pressure setting because that's figured out in a clinical setting. All this, along with the DME provider experience--sorry, why do they feel like greasy car salesmen?--is kind of a pebble in my shoe.

Is the surgery REALLY that bad? If it doesn't work, I can just go back to the machine, right?

If you have Obstructive Sleep Apnea and it is occuring in the place where they do the surgery, then you might be a candidate.  Keep in mind not all obstructions or not always 100% of obstruction occurs in this area.

"Successful" surgery is defined as reducing your AHI by 50%.  You didn't mention your untreated AHI, if it is higher than 10 it is quiet possible you will still need to use a CPAP post surgery.  While it can happen that the AHI is reduced by more than 50% with surgery, for many people it is not, as confirmed by a repeat sleep study after they heal.

(From my own observation of what people post here, many do NOT go back for a repeat sleep study to find out how successful the surgery was.  Instead they hear from their spouse that they are not snoring anymore so they think they are 'cured'.  While a lot of SA sufferers DO snore, not all do.  Snoring and SA are not necessarily related and cessation of snoring is not a reliable indicator that SA has been 'cured'.)

Also well documented is that for some people, the CPAP is not only still needed post-surgery, but the CPAP pressure has to be increased as well.  Some people even have a *higher* AHI  after surgery.  If I remember correctly, Daniel on this board has experienced both of these, you can search his posts or he can tell you more about his experience if he should stop by this thread.

Then there are some other unwanted side-effects from the surgery, even if it was deemed 'successful', such as no longer being able to drink soda or beer or other carbonated beverages because they come out your nose  

I'm not saying don't consider the surgery, but I AM saying please research it VERY thoroughly before you take the plunge.  This board and others have a LOT of posts from dozens if not hundreds of folks that have done it.  You might be willing to take those risks.  Only you can decide.  I just ask that you make sure you know what you could be trading for.

Blessings,
--pseudonym

fivespeedg wrote:

Is the surgery REALLY that bad? If it doesn't work, I can just go back to the machine, right?

Yes...it is.  But why go through all that pain and agony, just to (statistically) be back in the same boat?

Right now, you are anxious about this new thing in your bedroom...
and you are listening to it...
and thinking about it...
and wondering what it's doing...
and a mask is on your face...
and you wonder if it is helping...
and you are thinking about every breath...
and you wonder if the pressure it too high...or too low...
<rinse, repeat!>

When I put a smoke detector in my 7 year old sons room, he couldn't sleep for days because he kept watching the LED blink on and off!!!!!  Now...he doesn't notice.  

Just stick with it, try to relax (have a beer) and breath deep.  When the "new" wears off you will sleep.

Update:

I took an ambien shortly after my last post. I did my nightly routine, crawled into bed, put on my mask around 10pm, and things got very very dark...

I had dreams. TONS of dreams. Good ones, bad ones, one scary one that actually woke me up. My partner said I was warm and dry, didn't move much. I only woke up one other time at 3:30 because I was getting a little water spray in my mask. Cleaned it up, went back to sleep. I woke up under my own power at 6:15am and I could NOT believe how good I felt.

My heart rate was pretty slow (usually is pounding when I wake up), I didn't feel my usual impending sense of doom. I felt rested. The sheets were still on the bed! No headaches, I wasn't STARVING, and I wasn't sweating.

I'm sure that after a few years--or more--of apnea will take more than one night to recharge. If this is just the beginning--or maybe even as good as it gets--I'm satsified. Life is about to get a whole lot better!

fivespeedg wrote:

If this is just the beginning--or maybe even as good as it gets--I'm satsified. Life is about to get a whole lot better!

WOOHOO!!!!  Success!!!!

CONGRATULATIONS! By the way, that water spray in your mask was condensation, or you will often see it referred to in the forums as "rain out". There are several ways to avoid that.

1] Always make sure that your CPAP and humidifier sit lower than the level of your mattress
2] Take as much of your hose under the blankets w/you as is easy
3] Turn your humidifier down a notch
4] Hang your hose above the head of the bed
5] Buy a piece of fleece and make a tube as a cover for the full length of your hose
6] Buy a fleece hose cover
7] Buy an Aussie heated hose


_________________
Some people are like Slinkies... Not really good for anything, but they still bring a smile to your face when you push them down a flight of stairs.
Resmed VPAP Auto. Humidaire 3i, Simplicity & Micro masks, ResScan 3.4, S8 ResLink, Embla oximeter.

Barry, your comments are perfect!  

FiveSpeed, hurrah for you!  Now go back to your DME and demand access to all the information that you've been deprived of.  You may have to get permission from whoever prescribed your equipment.  It's so exasperating to be treated like the village idiot or be told that you wouldn't understand it.

I found a particularly helpful "Provider Setup Guide" for the model of CPAP I am using, so I now have access to the information I'm most interested in (Leakage, AHI, etc). I'm not going to mess with the pressure--I'm not a doc, and I trust that the folks who titrated me knew what they were doing and had high qualifications. But I think it's kind of asinine to hide historical information from the patient--after all, we're giving the machine the answers, we're just not awake for it.

Thanks for the help re: condensation. I thought it was warm enough in the room to prevent rain out, but I guess not. Then again, I've got the humidifier cranked because I'm a n00b and can't take the dry air yet. If I can't get it dialed in, I'll find something to cover up the hose.

Thanks all for the positive comments and all your help!

Fivespeed, I was writing the same things a little over a month ago.  It DOES get better.

The first few weeks, I was more tired than before CPAP.  I was okay with the blue lights, but I was listening to the pulsing of the machine all night, trying to time my breathing to the pulses while the machine was trying to time its surges to ME!  It kept me awake, alert and increasingly agitated.

I eventually got used to it, sort of following what Pseudonym suggested.  I started going to bed earlier because even with CPAP, if I'm not getting enough sleep I'll still be tired and crabby.  I read or watch TV for about 20 minutes in bed, then I find myself getting drowsy, and I can fall asleep easily.  Sometimes I wake up in the morning with the TV still on, but old habits are hard to break -- at least I'm getting more sleep and better sleep.

I still hear the machine but I no longer concentrate on it.  It's in the background, sort of comforting.  And I think about pleasant things till I fall asleep.

by the way, my doc put me on antidepressants a month ago, so that may have something to do with my acceptance of the machine.  

Carrie