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apnea and anxiety
#1
apnea and anxiety
Hi,

I've been using a machine and a full face mask for roughly 4 months with mostly good results and a few teething problems.

The biggest one currently is mask leakage, seeing a new vendor tonight so hopefully they can help.

But I also find ill have 2-3 quite good nights, then when I'm rested I really struggle to get to sleep with the mask on, mostly from an awkward standpoint. Not because its uncomfortable just unnatural. which then makes me quite anxious... In turn I wake up extremely anxious and will typically toss and turn, have big mask leaks wake up with VERY puffy eyes and it takes a couple nights like this before I'm sufficiently tired to just fall asleep with the mask on and the cycle starts again.

I've never slept on my back (I now suspect I've always had apnea to some degree) and my sleep sturdy said 80/hour when I'm on my back so I'm assuming sub consciously that's part of why.

Has anyone got any tips for minimizing these issues and learning to sleep in my back/side?

When I settle on a mask I like and can purchase a machine rather than be at the mercy of health 'professionals' who care more about their sale and commission rather than my health it'll help too as ill be back in control.
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#2
RE: apnea and anxiety
Wear the mask with the machine on during the day. This will help you to get used to it.

Why do you need/want to sleep on your back? Unless it is your preferred position, it's not a good position to sleep in for those of us who have sleep apnea.
PaulaO

Take a deep breath and count to zen.




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#3
RE: apnea and anxiety
we can give you better ideas if we knew what machine you are using and what mask you are using. Without that information, it is hard to help you. Are you using a cpap, vpap, asv. Is it an autoset, etc. and is it a Resmed or Philips Respironics, etc.? There are a lot of machine types and a lot of mask types so it makes it hard to help without that information. It would also help if we knew what your pressure is. You can download Sleepyhead software (or Rescan if you have a Resmed machine) and look at your data and tell us what it is. Others will be along with some thoughts soon hopefully. I don't really know how to help without a little more information.
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#4
RE: apnea and anxiety
Wearing a mask during the day is great idea.

Was using a fisher and paykel icon+ and airsense? Mask.
Tonight I've swapped providers and testing a resmed s10 and airfit mask. Trialling it in the clinic it was better.

I'm typically stomach sleeper, but that knocks my mask badly so that's the thinking to go to my back.
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#5
RE: apnea and anxiety
Hi shakes,
WELCOME! to the forum.!
Use your machine and wear the mask during the evening as you watch tv or read. This will help you get used to this fairly new way of sleeping.
Hang in there for more responses to your post and much success to you as you continue with your CPAP therapy.
trish6hundred
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#6
RE: apnea and anxiety
Small update.

Couple of nights after using the resmed machine and mask on a constant 9 rather than the fisher and paykel auto.

Better mask fit for me, but need to run it a little tighter than I would like.
I'm also a big fan of the sleep review screen so I can see how long unused it for. Much more convenient than having to download data.

Also found out that the rental.machine I had from the initial place had multiple patients data on it and mine was getting confused. Glad I changed!
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#7
RE: apnea and anxiety
hopefully when you decide what machine you want for a permanent one you will get an auto. I would definitely insist on that if I were you. There are a lot of benefits to having an auto. I am glad I insisted on the auto.
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#8
RE: apnea and anxiety
I need to do some more homework on it.

Aside from a little more condensation in the hose, and a few hundred more in my bank I don't see a real reason other than comfort.
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#9
RE: apnea and anxiety
Interesting results.

40l leak with the resmed. Fixed pressure of 9cm
24l leak with f&p. Auto range of 5-16.

Ahi on f&p = 3.2 compliance 4.2 hours
Ahi on resmed = 0.9 compliance 5.9hours.

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#10
RE: apnea and anxiety
(06-23-2015, 08:25 PM)shakes Wrote: I've never slept on my back (I now suspect I've always had apnea to some degree) and my sleep sturdy said 80/hour when I'm on my back so I'm assuming sub consciously that's part of why.

Has anyone got any tips for minimizing these issues and learning to sleep in my back/side?

I was a belly sleeper as a child and as a teen. As a young adult, once I got a good mattress, I became a very contented back sleeper. Then in to my early 30s, I changed back to being a side sleeper. My back suffered. Over the next 5-10 years, I tried back sleeping, but just was never able to go to sleep. After a couple of sleepless hours, I would finally give in, roll over and immediately go to sleep. Then the sleep study, then the CPAP. Still unable to go to sleep on my back. This went on for about ten more years, on and off trying to sleep in a supine position but failing, until a couple years ago, after a new sleep study and getting an auto, I started having some consistent back/hip pain, and I was able to resume sleeping on my back. It is still harder to go to sleep on my back, but when I can, I am always more comfotable the next day.

I am left to assume that my inability to sleep on my back was an instinctual defense to sleep apnea. I am so very grateful, even though it took more than a decade on CPAP, that I have acclimated my body to once again sleep on my back. Doesn't work every night, but when it does, boy does it make a difference. Some folks will get all up in arms and say that someone with apnea should never sleep on his back. BS. Yeah, you may be more prone to apenic events, but so what? That's what the machine is for - dealing with those. And if back sleeping makes a positive difference in quality of life, that's what it's all about.

OMMOHY
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