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Night before last was awful - retired_guy - 07-18-2014
Comparing two nights, night before last was awful. Last night was great. What was the difference?
Night before last I just could not sleep well. My mask knew that too, so it was completely uncooperative as well. My chinstrap? Well, I found it the next morning across the room where I threw it. I'll bet I didn't get more than 2 or 3 hours of solid sleep. My pressures were all over the chart, my leak numbers were high, and my ahi was over 3, which for me is lots. Even my covers insisted on spending the night on the floor instead of on me.
Last night on the other hand was wonderful. A solid 8 1/2 hours of sleep. Everything worked great: Chinstrap, mask, covers.... everything. My ahi last night was zero, and my leak number was below 10. Pressures just where they should have been. A super night.
The point of all this is it doesn't matter how long we've been using this therapy, or how "good at it" we think we are. Sooner or later we're going to have a crappy night or two. And that also says that sooner or later we're going to have a wonderful night or two.
The real game is to work with the machines and masks, and our diets, and our exercise plans, and our social and work issues so that the wonderful nights seriously outnumber the crappy nights.
I know what caused my crappy night. The next day (yesterday) we were to drive to Portland (about 85 miles ((or for you metric types, 1 1/2 plethora)) each way. It's hot up there compared to here, there is a metric ton of traffic to fool with... And to top it all off I had to go there to break in a new pulmonologist. God knows what he was liable to dream up for me to have to start doing. So all the micro-managing of my day to come kept me from enjoying the night I had.
Live in the now, we're told. We should also practice sleeping in the now. It's much more fun.
If you new guys (or even old guys) around here are up to it, let's start some dialog on the side issues that can cause us to defeat ourselves at night. Apnea's a biggie, but it's not the only thing that can keep us from getting healthy restorative sleep.
RE: Night before last was awful - PaulaO2 - 07-18-2014
Going to bed despite my brain not being ready. My brain won't shut up but I go anyway. And it's not that it is thinking/worrying over any particular thing, it just won't shut up. It keeps chasing shinies and squirrels.
Knowing what time it is but drinking that caffeine anyway. Doesn't effect my brain (like in above), but just keeps me awake.
RE: Night before last was awful - retired_guy - 07-18-2014
(07-18-2014, 09:55 PM)PaulaO2 Wrote: Going to bed despite my brain not being ready. My brain won't shut up but I go anyway. And it's not that it is thinking/worrying over any particular thing, it just won't shut up. It keeps chasing shinies and squirrels.
Knowing what time it is but drinking that caffeine anyway. Doesn't effect my brain (like in above), but just keeps me awake.
We need a "Like" button around here. Maybe I'll obsess about it when I go to bed tonight.
RE: Night before last was awful - justMongo - 07-18-2014
We're spraying the skies over Oregon, you know!
Those are not contrails.
RE: Night before last was awful - MAPnea - 07-19-2014
i have terrible nights when I "WRITE THE HEADLINES" for the next day:
Guest Finds Scorpion in Bed. Oh, Crap, What Kills Scorpions? Better Google It NOW… Midnight
Guest Backs Off Deck, Falls to Death. What Can I Do? Build Bench. Better Draw Up Plans NOW … 1:45 AM
New DME Shows Up with a Brick. A Brick? Oh, no! A Brick. Better Get Up and Email Doc NOW … 3 AM.
Guest Finds Spider in Shower, Slips, Breaks a Hip. Why Are Spiders in Shower? Google It NOW… 4 AM
Those kinds of headlines.
RE: Night before last was awful - PaytonA - 07-19-2014
What Paula said. I can't say it any better so I won't try.
Best Regards,
PaytonA
RE: Night before last was awful - JimZZZ - 07-20-2014
(07-18-2014, 09:55 PM)PaulaO2 Wrote: My brain won't shut up...My prescription for numbing the brain is talk radio. I set the sleep timer for 30 minutes and select a station that is droning on and on with "ain't it awful" drivel about politics. My brain always shuts down and escapes into sleep before the 30 minutes elapses. You may have to use a pillow speaker so your partner doesn't have to participate.
RE: Night before last was awful - ImaSurvivor - 07-20-2014
I agree with Paula... I sometimes listen to my mind telling me to go to bed because I know I have to get up at 6 am. But if I am not tired and I go anyway ... I just lay there wide awake and become aggravated. There are times I have gone to bed at what is a reasonable hour but end up getting less sleep than if I just waited up until I was legitimately tired. I don't like wearing CPAP equipment and if I am not properly tired, I feel every little discomfort. They seem magnified. Then I start fidgeting and trying to get everything just right. Sometimes making things much worse and frustration kicks in. Then I try and talk myself out of the frustration and by then it is a lost cause. The twilight sleep all night long is awful. I will admit on good nights when I get right to sleep ... I sleep hard with that machine and all the way through the night which I had not done for many years. It is like a drug that has knocked me out.
RE: Night before last was awful - GrammaBear - 07-22-2014
(07-20-2014, 01:50 PM)ImaSurvivor Wrote: I agree with Paula... I sometimes listen to my mind telling me to go to bed because I know I have to get up at 6 am. But if I am not tired and I go anyway ... I just lay there wide awake and become aggravated. There are times I have gone to bed at what is a reasonable hour but end up getting less sleep than if I just waited up until I was legitimately tired. I don't like wearing CPAP equipment and if I am not properly tired, I feel every little discomfort. They seem magnified. Then I start fidgeting and trying to get everything just right. Sometimes making things much worse and frustration kicks in. Then I try and talk myself out of the frustration and by then it is a lost cause. The twilight sleep all night long is awful. I will admit on good nights when I get right to sleep ... I sleep hard with that machine and all the way through the night which I had not done for many years. It is like a drug that has knocked me out.
I also agree with Paula and with you. I have nights when I don't like being a 'hose-head' and having the mask, hose hanging off my face just annoys me to no end. However, I know that I will feel worse if I don't use it. Sometimes I will drink caffeine or eat a piece of dark chocolate knowing full well that either one will keep me awake for hours. Why I do that - I don't know....just being stupid I guess. I have nights when my brain just cannot seem to shut down long enough to slip into slumberland.
Glad this thread was started. It helps me to know I'm not alone in those "off-nights" I have.
RE: Night before last was awful - ImaSurvivor - 07-23-2014
This forum has been a great place to visit for support and realize we are definitely not alone. I have learned that hose heads are a bunch of great people ... and funny too! We can listen, share advice, ask questions, provide answers, sympathize, and poke fun.