Does anyone have any relaxation tips please?

[shuckie]

Hi everyone

I thought I'd start a new thread here rather than let my "introduction" one keep growing.

I'm in the early days of my CPAP treatment and wondered whether anyone had any tips on inducing a relaxed state of mind both before going to bed and when waking up in the middle of the night?

Thus far I've only managed one night where I slept from about 10:30pm to approx 1am, as other times I struggle to get to sleep before the CPAP starts to ramp up and feels uncomfortable. When I woke up after the 1.5 hours sleep I experienced a half asleep, panicky, smothered feeling and had to take the mask off before I could go back to sleep.

I know that once I am able to sleep with the mask on that I should feel better for it, but I'd like to know if there's a way to; a) relax myself enough to fall asleep before my 45 min ramp time expires and b) help me fall asleep quickly if I wake in the night?

Sorry if this is all a bit vague but I'm waiting to hear back from the DVLA regarding my medical questionnaire & have my next appointment with my consultant in early September, and I'd like to be able to let both know that I am complying with the treatment sooner rather than later.

Thanks everyone!


Regards

shuckie

[Berneta]

Two Hoots

Hi Shuckie, I have developed a routine that works for me. Get ready for bed (Warm shower) and a warm snack (like mac and cheese) and relax in bedwith the light on for awhile. (reading, soft music, a good movie is good) Get a drink of water and apply lubrication to my nose, then I turn out the light and turn on a flashlight. I do some stretching exercises on the bed (full body stretch, knee bends side to side. and knee to chest.) The execises help to relax me, and I am no longer waking with back pain after sleeping in one position for hours. Then I turn on the CPAP "before" I put on the mask. I used the ramp button only a few times, before I found out that I was laying there awake, just waiting for the machine to ramp up and hit me with a full force gale wind. I just decided to stop waiting, and get it over with. So now I don't use the ramp at all. I just turn the CPAP on, and put the nose pillows on. I adjust my breathing to the machine very quickly. I turn out the flashlight and lay back in a comfortable position and make whatever adjustments feel right on my head gear. When its comfortable I just think about some pleasant things and drift off to sleep. I seldom take longer than 5 minutes to drift off--unless a noise in the house (or one outside) disturbs me. The key I think is to relax. Don't take a nap in the day time if you can get by without it--that way you will be tired and ready to sleep. When I wake 4 or 5 hours later, I go to the bathroom and take a blood sugar reading. If its low, I eat a snack by flashlight. (Diabetes) Then a cool drink of water. After that I lay down and do the exercises again, put on the headgear and make the adjustments if needed. Same as before. Each night I am usually asleep 4 or 5 hours with a break, and then back to sleep for another 4 or 5 hours. Since I started the bed exercises I no longer cramp up at night from not turning over. Backaches gone! SO--that is my routine. Maybe you will come up with one completely different. But I do think a routine helps. If you can't drop off to sleep for a long time, ask your Dr if some mild pills might help you relax, Now and then I take a couple aspirin--like the night a month ago when two Barn Owls were singing to each other just outside. Good luck on finding a routine that works for you! Best Wishes, Berneta

[tonybrentwood]

Hi Shukie,
Try this:
Lie flat and fix your gaze on a spot or mark high up above you on the ceiling. Fix your gaze until you feel your eyes getting tired and heavy, then allow them to close and allow yourself to become comfortable. Think how comfortable you feel now that you have allowed your eyes to close.

Think the word 'relax'

Think it again drawing out the word 'Reeelaaax
Then again

Then say to yourself slowly and gently ' I am allowing myself time to relax, just for a while, nobody wanting anything, nobody expecting anything, absolutely nothing whatsoever for me to do but relax'

Repeat thinking 'relax' and 'Nothing whatsoever etc' until you drop off.

I qualified as a Hypnotherapist some years ago, and although I don't practice now I use the above whenever I'm stressed or having trouble dropping off. Hope it works for you, believe it will and it absolutely will!
Regards,
Tony

[shuckie]

Hi Berneta and Tony

Thanks for both of your replies. The tip regarding the ramp button is quite handy as I'm sure that I'm probably laying there waiting for the CPAP to ramp up rather than entirely focussing on falling asleep. Given that the exhalation relief seems to be working - and feels more comfortable than the diagnostic CPAP I had without the feature enabled - I'm thinking that I may not need the ramping feature anyway.

With regards to the relaxation techniques themselves I may need to try them alternately or possibly even combine them until I find something that works for me. Thanks again for the suggestions, I look forward to hopefully getting a good night's sleep soon!


shuckie

[Tom @ Intus]

Hi Shuckie,

I know it's a bit of an odd suggestion, but this works for some:

Try rinsing the inside of your mask with something with a familiar smell. The most obvious thing is something like mouthwash. It only needs a splash - you don't want it to overpower you. Once you've done that just rinse the mask thoroughly so there's no residue but the subtle fragrance remains. Some find having that familiar smell helps them to relax, and feel less like they're in a new environment.

The ramp advice was also very good. When you know something's coming, you wait for it. I find it's a bit like when I set a timer on the TV - I know it's going to switch off so it keeps me awake until it actually does go! So having the machine going full blast from the off may actually allow you to get to sleep a bit more easily.

I've no doubt eventually something will just click, and your brain will come to accept it and you'll drift off as quickly as you did before hand - but anything that can be done to speed up that process though is always going to be a bonus!

Tom @ Intus

[shuckie]

Hi Tom

Many thanks for the suggestion, I'll certainly give it a try. Am I best doing that just after I've washed the mask in the morning? I'm thinking that if I've already washed and rinsed it I may was well give it a quick splash of something then rinse it again before leaving it to dry? I use a non-alcoholic mouthwash so hopefully that in itself will be better for the mask?

I have to admit, the sooner something "clicks", the better! I feel so tired these days that I don't know what's keeping me going at work. I was thinking of getting some herbal sleeping tablets just to help me for a few days but I don't know if I should? I've read that sedatives and the like can make OSA worse, but that said shouldn't the CPAP keep my airways open anyway?


shuckie

[Tom @ Intus]

Hi Shuckie,

Yes it best to make it part of the cleaning routine. Once you've done your regular clean, give is a quick splash of whatever you want it to smell of, rinse it off and then dry. It's worth a try if you're still not used to having the mask on.

Regarding sleeping tablets... herbals ones tend not to work, you'd be better off with the ones you can get over the counter in places like Boots. That said, I would strongly dissuade you from using any kind, as they're only intended for occasional sleeplessness. As yours is regular, it would be very easy for your body to then become reliant on the tablets for you to sleep, and then when you stop using them you still won't be able to sleep because your body needs the tablet. So I would just persevere as sleeping tablets can become a problem if used regularly. As far as the effect they have on sleep apnoea, I'm not sure. I've not read anything about the relationship between the two but I'll certainly look into it.

Edit: Having looked into it, it is not advisable to take sleeping tablets if you have sleep apnoea, as they makes the muscles in your throat relax and lead to more frequent and longer apnoeas. I guess if you're using an APAP machine you could argue that it could compensate for that but really it would not be an advisable move. If you're using a regular CPAP machine then there's a good chance your prescribed pressure will not be able to handle the extra weakness in your throat, so you'll still suffer apnoeas during the night even with your mask on - which would defeat the object really! I hope that info helps.

Tom @ Intus

[shuckie]

Hello again Tom

Thanks for comfirming my cleaning plus mouthwash plan, I'll give it a go.

I'm glad I read your reply now as I was going to go to the shop in a moment to pick up some sleeping tablets of some sort! To be honest I had a feeling that I was going to be advised against taking them.

Oh well, never mind. I'm absolutely shattered and hope that I'll just pass out (in a good way) when I go to bed tonight and feel the benefit of my new best friends (aka Mr Mask and Mr CPAP) in the morning!


shuckie

[Tigers Fan]

A slight detour

I have read a few times recently of the ramp 'kicking in' and such like, suggesting to me that the user's experience is of a sudden or quick increase in pressure at the end of the ramp time - and this doesn't make sense to me.

Surely the idea of the ramp is a timed, gradual increase in pressure from a lower start setting up to the set pressure. That's how mine works, anyway, giving me a seamless ride up to set pressure - no 'kick' anywhere.

TF

[James @ Intus]

It may inded be worth extending the ramp time. Most poeple don't get OSA badly in the first minutes of sleep anyway.

Pur-Sleep is exactly designed for one thing only: to relax with CPAP! Consider that if you continue to struggle.

Also find ways to make the mask your new best friend. Wearing it before hooking it up to the machine has done wonders for some, just watch TV or listed to the radio, or meditate, whatever floats your boat. Others who continued to struggle with mask anxiety needed just one or two NLP/hypnosis sessions to sort them out.

Just don't give up, there's too much to gain. There will be a way, you may have to get there through trial and error.

[acebass]

It may inded be worth extending the ramp time. Most poeple don't get OSA badly in the first minutes of sleep anyway.

Despite being an old style machine, mine has three ramp settings 5, 10, and 20 minutes, I always use the 20 minute one no matter how tired I am...

As for relaxation, I would not watch tv in bed or listen to music as they stimulate parts of the brain and do not separate you from daily life, and your bedroom should be where you go to sleep. As for reading, I do do this in bed but with a reading light, and only once I am tired.

Sometimes I sit in the front room and watch tv, use the computer or read, but I try not to go to bed until I know i am tired enough to drop off, when the book starts to feel heavy the mask goes on, the ramp is set and the light goes off....

Hope this helps

[James @ Intus]

Good point, it can work counter-productive for sleep. BBC Parliament could work though.

Modern machines have ramp time as long as 60 minutes, with 5 minute increments. Time for na upgarde!

[acebass]

Time for na upgarde!

I asked for one after attending SATADay last year and hearing someone ask about replacing their old machine with a newer lighter one receive the reply, Just Ask. I did exactly that and was told I couldn't have one as I hadn't had mine for at least 7 (yes seven) years!!!

[shuckie]

Hi everyone

I'm not sure how the ramp feature works on my CPAP in terms of whether it's a gradual increase or several large increments over the time period. I do know that the diagnostic CPAP had a 30 minute ramp period which had expired before I was able to fall asleep, and the technician configured my current CPAP to have a maximum 45 minute ramp period (which you would think would be long enough for me to fall asleep). However, whether I was just laying there awake for 45 mins or kept dozing off briefly only to be woken up by the CPAP ramping up, I often find myself still awake 45 mins to an hour after trying to go to sleep!

The Pur-Sleep certainly sounds like a good idea. I wish I'd had something like that right from the start as there was a strong smell of something the first few times I used the machine. It's nowhere near as bad as it was but I agree that the smell distracted me from sleeping.

Hmm, BBC Parliament. That might be boring enough to put me to slee... zzzzzzz


shuckie

[Berneta]

Kick IN

HI, TF--Maybe all ramps don't work the same--maybe machines different or "set" different? Mine will ramp slowly for 20 minutes going very slowly up--then at 20 minutes I get a big blast that wakes me, if I am asleep. I solved the problem by just not using the ramp button. In fact, when I tried useing the ramp--I felt like I was being smothered. Just couldn't seem to get enough air. There are so many things to get used to with these machines! One night I woke up with the hose wrapped around my throat dreaming of pythons--so I tried looping the hose over the top of the bed last night like many have suggested. I woke up with the whole head gear off--and blowing away in my ear. LOL . I hope I didn't have it off long--but I did feel kinda groggy at the time. One thing is for sure the mild exercises do help with the backaches I was getting. So I am sleeping a full 8 hours again--but still adjusting to the little things. I guess it just takes time for each of us to figure out what works for us. Stick with it Shuckie. Wouldn't the mouthwash thing, be about the same as brushing your teeth before bed? You would still have the smell that lingered for awhile. Good Luck and perservere. It does get better.