quote:

Are you guys serious about these violent dreams being related to SA ? I have them so bad I sometimes wake up drenched in sweat. Sometimes I scare myself with this stuff. I don't really know where it's coming from but if it's related to SA,why?

For me yes I'm serious. I don't know why I was having night terrors, but haven't had one since the machine. Thankfully only one resulted in ER visit. One was only $60 to get the wall patched.

Get one with a Humidifier function. It can be used as needed. (no dry mouth)

Mine

mask I use

I really think the key is ensuring you have proper set up. Practice with it prior to actually needing to go sleep. The company that I bought it from had a telephone call coaching for use and / set up.

When I've been off camping and not able to use it I can definately tell.

quote:

Originally posted by 4x5:

quote:

Originally posted by 64dodge:
If you had a sleep study done and they're telling you that you need one, get it and use it. Your quality of life will improve immensely.

In what ways?

First and foremost, you'll actually sleep at night.

For myself, I began to have regular dream cycles and the dreams were no longer "getting chased" or "falling" or "being strangled" or "drowning" variety.

I no longer awakened every hour or so with a racing pulse and breathing as if I'd just run a 1 mile sprint.

My blood pressure lowered both systolic and diastolic.

My mood improved, the issues with fatigue that I had during the day diminished drastically, my memory and mental acuity improved.

It's a pain in the ass when you have sinus issues or a cold, but it's a lifesaver nevertheless.

quote:

Originally posted by Bulldog7972:
Are you guys serious about these violent dreams being related to SA ? I have them so bad I sometimes wake up drenched in sweat. Sometimes I scare myself with this stuff. I don't really know where it's coming from but if it's related to SA,why?

Because you are, quite literally, being strangled in your sleep, your body produces a lot of adrenaline, and you're under constant stress. Your dreams reflect the very real stress that your body is under.

I used one for several years. Helped me feel better rested. Didn't need it anymore after dropping 40 lbs.

While I use a CPAP, I don't believe sleep apnea is quite as deadly as the industry behind it make it out to be. If it were, folks would be dying left and right.

However, in terms of overall health and quality of life, getting enough rest, etc. it is a major improvement. And because of the impact it has, it reduces risks to your health like depression, fatigue, stress, blood pressure, etc.

My sleep was so shite, that I had stopped dreaming. Within 5 minutes of having a cpap mask during my sleep study, I was dreaming in la la land.

If the mask fits and is comfortable, you can get a good night's sleep with it. It isn't sexy, but neither is snoring.

It took some getting used to wearing a nose mask, being attached to a hose, and sleeping on my back but it's been worth it. I sleep better most nights. I feel more refreshed. I don't have headaches when I wake up. My wife has one less thing to worry about as far as I go and frankly it's worth that alone. She was always freaked out whenever she'd hear me stop breathing at night. If you need one please give it a shot if not for yourself then for those you care about. The cumulative long term effects of cutting off your oxygen supply aren't something to screw around with. I don't like the machine but I do like being alive.

I've been using one for about 5 years. I won't sleep without it.

The key is the mask. There are many many different option out there and finding the mask that works for you is critical. If your supplier only carries one brand and you are not happy with it then find a different supplier.

quote:

Originally posted by signewt:
CPAP saved my life. After 10 years no longer needed it.

If you don't mind my asking, how did you get to the point that you no longer need one? Weight loss?

Just started using after an at-home test in December identified "mild" apnea. All the positives noted above are true for me, most importantly being asleep for a solid 8-9 hours and surprisingly not having the 1-2 nightime bathroom calls any longer. Who KNEW that was a side affect, I just thought it was a price of age!

I wasn't so severe that I was falling asleep during the day like some folks, but I do feel much less tired during the day and more alert.

After taking the time to understand the impacts on heart, etc. of even mild apnea (which would presumably increase over time) I decided to stop that in its track now rather than later when I had REAL issues.

After a couple weeks adjustment, easy peasy. And as noted get a unit with humidifier to avoid dryness and one with auto-flow adjustment to avoid having it ramped up to a higher/lower pressure than needed. The newer machines are incredible in their abilities honestly.

Been on a BiPAP for ~10 years, and I'm on my 2nd machine. The Resmed S9 is so much quieter than the old machine and the breathing algorithm was noticeably better too.

My titrating sleep test was the best night of sleep I had in a year. I was shocked to wake up so refreshed despite a video camera watching me, wires everywhere, and first time sleeping in a mask. I was begging my doc for one, and I sleep with it religiously.

I travel so I have a batter for sleeping with it on airplanes.

On one business trip, I lost my nasal pillow when I moved from one city to the next. I didn't have my durable medical script with me (I now travel with it) and nobody would sell me a new nasal pillow. I didn't sleep worth a damn, and I was a zombie 5 days later when I finally made it back home. Fortunately, I gave my management a heads up because I uncharacteristically really looked bad in a meeting due to being so darn tired.

This all sounds very encouraging. Thanks.

Will the doctor prescribe a certain machine and mask, or will he just give you a prescription and let you choose which machine to get?

quote:

Originally posted by Sig2340:
Horrific nightmares that woke me flailing like demons were trying to kill me.

Not fun.

I tried tranquilizers, hypnotics, etc. to no effect.

Gave up on it.

FYI, hypnotics with apnea are dangerous. I had to use xanax to stop the crazy stuff with my cpap.

quote:

Originally posted by wheeler10k:

quote:

Originally posted by signewt:
CPAP saved my life. After 10 years no longer needed it.

If you don't mind my asking, how did you get to the point that you no longer need one? Weight loss?

yes weight-loss does help along with controlling any other factors such as diabetes and any variety of other co-morbidities. Take care of yourself and you will sleep better eventually without the nose hose

poor experience here, too long and involved to write her.
long story short, I did not get the machine

Echoing comments above. Make sure you get a good fit on the mask. It should not be super tight.

IMO, no mask is comfortable. It took me a while (many months) to get use to the mask and to really see any difference. I've now used it a couple of years.

Differences:
I generally sleep through the night. Use to get up to pee once or twice a night. Doctor says it's common. B4 CPAP I didn't get into a deep sleep so I work up easily.

This might sound odd but now I dream. I hadn't had dreams during sleep for years before the CPAP. Again, a sign of deeper sleep.

I have never experienced things that I've heard from others - that now I feel more refreshed or that I lost weight.

quote:

Originally posted by 4x5:

quote:

Originally posted by 64dodge:
If you had a sleep study done and they're telling you that you need one, get it and use it. Your quality of life will improve immensely.

In what ways?

My dad and his siblings all have sleep apnea and heart issues. His dad died in his 50's from heart problems. His younger, twin brothers have both passed because of heart attacks. his older sister has a pace maker and a cpap. My dad has central sleep apnea, and has had 3 heart attacks, but survived them. He's been on a cpap for at least 20 years, maybe more. The heart attacks have all been in the last 8 years.

I don't know if the consensus is still the same, but at one point, they assumed the sleep apnea was a cause of the heart-hardening and other problems in the family.

In my dad's sleep study, his breathing was stopping 50 to 80x a night. The lack of oxygen causes weakening and hardening in the arteries and heart muscle itself, among other issues.

I always wondered how one could sleep better with a mask on, but the sleep he gets is more restful, solid, he's not waking up or his heart isn't getting a shot of adrenaline to wake his brain back up to start breathing again. He became more alert during the day, and happier. I don't doubt that it has saved his life, preventing his heart from getting any worse.

I did a sleep study in December and got a CPAP machine a few weeks later. It takes some getting used to, but the difference is literally night and day.

No more waking up hourly feeling like I needed to pee (Dr. explained that every time you quit breathing you get an adrenaline dump and your body goes into fight or flight mode and your organs don't know what to do and are constantly on alert). My heart rate was all over the place during the sleep study prior to being put on CPAP and was steady as soon as they put me on a machine that night.
No more snoring.
No more waking up in a foggy haze from lack of quality sleep.
I actually dream now.
More energy, less tired during the day, more productive.
Not nearly as grumpy or moody (whole family has noticed).

I wish I had done it years sooner.

One of the early lessons for me was to concentrate on the actual breathing in part of the cycle rather than fighting/resenting the mask/hose apparatus.

I would cycle through the variety of harness gear every few months, as what had been 'least uncomfortable' at first became less so, and changes in various design/fitment improved comfort...for a while.

My own dreams of turbulence and action-packed-adventures gradually subdued into more soothing and .....well....suitably dreamlike....and restful episodes of peaceful sleep.

My anxiety and general lack of being at ease during the day decreased markedly.

quote:

Originally posted by SIG228:
I did a sleep study in December and got a CPAP machine a few weeks later. It takes some getting used to, but the difference is literally night and day.

No more waking up hourly feeling like I needed to pee (Dr. explained that every time you quit breathing you get an adrenaline dump and your body goes into fight or flight mode and your organs don't know what to do and are constantly on alert). My heart rate was all over the place during the sleep study prior to being put on CPAP and was steady as soon as they put me on a machine that night.
No more snoring.
No more waking up in a foggy haze from lack of quality sleep.
I actually dream now.
More energy, less tired during the day, more productive.
Not nearly as grumpy or moody (whole family has noticed).

I wish I had done it years sooner.

The machine I use has a built in humidifier and the hose is heated so no dryness. Everything is user adjustable. I also use nasal pillows, which are about the least cumbersome "mask" available.

quote:

Originally posted by Bulldog7972:
Are you guys serious about these violent dreams being related to SA ?

Mine were related to the damned CPAP and later BiPAP machines triggering the response. I tired full face and nose masks with the same results.

I am fairly certain it is due to something deeply rooted in my subconscious (way to go Sigmund).

When I was four (1963) I very nearly died of Rubeola (common or red measles). I was, according to my parents, "one big red spot." I had red spots all over my body, my eyes, in my mouth and nose, and it was suspected, my brain and lungs because I wandered into a cocktail party my parents were hosting an collapsed onto the coffee table, seriously Cyanotic blue. In case you didn't know, the measles vaccine was released in the US in 1963, AFTER I contracted it.

I spent several days on an O2 mask and another four weeks in an oxygen tent, while they waited to see if I died. The O2 therapy, forced liquids and a protein supplement known as Tiger's Milk probably saved me.

Now its weird, because I've SCUBA dived and worn SCBA as a volunteer firefighter/paramedic with no ill effects, even breathing SCBA down to the last faint ding on the alarm, but I was awake for those experiences. I suspect non-pharmacologically induced sleep releases my subconscious fear of having breathing impeded.