Does anyone have any relaxation tips please?

[Tigers Fan]

I wonder .....

Hey! Berneta

Do you have an APAP or a CPAP, I can't remember? I suspect you have an APAP, not just because you are in America, but because I think that sudden rush of air has little to do with your ramp function and a lot to do with you having an apnoea when, or very soon after, you fall asleep. I don't know how algorithms vary machine to manufacturer - or what yours is - and whether the auto response is higher in the hierarchy than the ramp or whether it is disabled, even, during the ramp period (to do with whether or not you would get the rush if you had an apnoea during the ramp peroid).

If you have a CPAP, that theory is blown (ha ha) and I suggest the machine needs servicing.

If you have an APAP, you could overcome or reduce the effect of that blast of air by setting your maximum pressure closer to your set pressure or your 90% pressure - or ask your CRT to do it. If the difference between your 90% and maximum pressures is large, I definately recommend it - always subject to your CRT agreeing.

There is no point in a sleep enhancing machine that wakes you up!!

As regards that suffocating feeling during the ramp period - I bet you can fix that by increasing the ramp start pressure. Not only will that help overcome feelings of not having enough air but it will also help make the mask more comfortable/easy to adjust. Ah! that last is true for full face masks, which you don't use, and maybe for nasal masks/pillows/prongs - I don't have experience.

Good luck and sweet dreams. I'm supposed to be doing yesterday's ironing, not posting here!!

TF

[Berneta]

Cpap

Hi TF--- I have a CPAP--Phillps Respironics --RE Master PRO w C--Flex +---with humidifier and nose pillows.

I don't think there is anything wrong with my machine--just with me, LOL. Can't stand the ramping feature and am thankful that I can turn it off. I just feel better starting right at full force which is 8 for me. It can auto ramp higher if I should need it. So far I don't think it has gone any higher. But have not talked to my CRT about that and will be calling her Monday. My sleep study showed that 8 would keep my airways open. I have discovered one thing. If I run the humidifier at 0 or 1--then my nose does clog up sometimes--so I run it at 3 most of the time, and don't have that problem. (NO nose sores either at 3) I think humidifiers make all the difference! Since I don't feel like my eyeballs are going to pop out and roll around at full force--I am not having a problem without using the ramp. I sometimes wonder if we all don't have different tolerances, and just have to creep our way along until we find what is right for us! But this forum is worth its weight in gold. Most of us come into it almost ignorant of what its all about--and the incouragement and answers we get here help us so very much. I think it would be very hard to deal with this stuff, without the help we get here! Always, Berneta

[shuckie]

Hi Berneta

I think you're probably right in that humidifiers make all the difference. Having had my CPAP for over a week now I'm definitely more accustomed to wearing the mask than I was at first. I could probably do with my starting pressure being a little higher when I'm using the ramping feature, however the main problem I'm having at the moment is my mouth drying out. As I've already mentioned previously I was unable to persuade my technician to provide a humidifier with my CPAP, and the problem I have now is that either; a) my mouth dries out before I fall asleep, which distracts/annoys me so much that I end up removing the mask, or b) I am able to fall asleep, but wake up a while later with a dry mouth. Again, the annoyance/discomfort causes me to remove the mask before I can get back to sleep!

I called my clinic this morning and have an appointment booked this afternoon to collect a humidifier. I'm really hoping that this will make a significant difference as I have my first follow-up appointment with my consultant next month and I'm waiting to hear back from the DVLA regarding my licence. The sooner I'm compliant, the better!


shuckie

[Tigers Fan]

Two tips

Hi Shuckie

One tip is literal! Don't ask me why or how it works, it just does! Put the tip of your tongue on the roof of your mouth. You should be asleep before your mouth dries.

If you wake with a dry mouth - first, wet it, obviously. Then a drop of 'Biotene' will take away that awful afte-taste.

Biotene - Oral Balance Dry Mouth Liquid. Restores the Ph balance.

I use liquid because that's all my chenist sells but there are other forms available.

TF

[Berneta]

Hi Shuckie

I agree with TF-- a mouth moisturizer couldn't hurt . There are many kinds on the market--just as there are drops for dry eyes, and sprays for noses and for sore throats too. Even with a humidifier it may take you awhile to get away from the dry mouth syndrome. I am a nose breather--but now and then I did take a few breaths through the mouth. I have learned in the past 2 months not to breathe through the mouth at all. To bad there isn't just a magic pill that takes care of everything for everyone. Just deal with one thing at a time--you say you are feeling better about the mask now. That is a great start! It just takes time--and it is so worth it to finally get a good nights sleep. This didn't happen to you overnite--and its going to take time to straighten yourself out. Just stay with it, and in the end-- it will all be worth the trouble and misery you have gone through. I no longer have problems with the nose pillows or head gear, none with my mouth, nose, etc. My problem is that I sleep so well, that I wake refreshed and energetic and ready to do things that I haven't done in a long time. All the new exercise is making me have sore muscles. My Dr said don't over do it--just do a little more each time till the strength is built back up. Who would have thought that Not Sleeping could cause so many problems. We actually have to learn to sleep correctly all over again. And then, if you are like me, you have to learn to live all over again too! LOL, Hang in there, Berneta

[shuckie]

Distilled water, arggghhh!

Hi again everyone!

Well, the good news is that I was able to get a humidifier to go with my CPAP, despite me having to deal with another technician who seems to have a slight attitude problem in my opinion. He wasn't convinced that a humidifier would make much difference and was also telling me that "everyone is a mouth breather when they start treatment". He tried to persuade me to switch to a nasal mask despite the fact that I'm currently comfortable with my full face mask. At the risk of sounding like I'm on a high horse, shouldn't what I want be more important than what the technician thinks?

Anyway, having been advised by the technician to go to Boots to obtain some distilled water, I did so only to be advised by the store I went to that they don't have any and it is "expensive to order in"? I also tried the local Wilkinsons, Co-Op and Lloyds Pharmacy stores and Sainsburys petrol station without success. I then went to my local pharmacy only to be met with blank stares and was advised to try Wickes who didn't have any either. I then rang Halfords and was informed that they had 1 and 5 litre bottles in distilled water stock - hooray! - only to drive across town and find out that they meant deionised because "it's the same thing" (no it isn't!) In desperation I went to Tesco Home, Argos Extra, the large Boots store, B&Q and Morrisons on the same retail park only to find that none of them had it in stock. As a last resort I ended up boiling and cooling some tap water last night as I was desperate to use the humidifier.

I know there have been various discussions on these forums about whether or not it is necessary to use distilled water, but what I'd like to know is where are those of us who want to use it supposed to buy it? I've looked online at various options, and when shipping charges are added distilled water seems to work out prohibitively expensive.

Is the main reason for using distilled water to prevent the humidifier from furring up or is it because distilled water is more sterile than tap water? If the former could I just get away with having a filter jug in the fridge and using that water instead of straight from the tap? If the latter I have considered setting up a small system using an aquarium/pond UV steriliser. In theory this should kill any bugs in the water and in the long run should work out cheaper than buying 10 litres of distilled water at about £20+ a time.

Any thoughts please?


Thanks

shuckie

[James @ Intus]

As you've already experienced with the sleep tech's comments, his way of doing things isn't very much in line with reality. On paper, all of that may be best but can they really expect people to visit 20 shops to track down distilled water? Do the costs and efforts justify the benefits? Indeed, in many threads we've all conlcuded no.

Get a bottle of water and empty it in a standard Brita type filter. That leaves very little to scale up your humidifier. Some choose to boil it, in case any bacteria etc. are in there but unless you also suffer from lung problems, that's usually over the top.

If we'd do a survey amongst 1000 CPAP users with humidifiers, I'm sure that 50% put tap water in, 40% bottled water and 10% would be a mix of people having their own water distillers, sterilizers, boiling etc.

[Tigers Fan]

How?

Hi James

How can I bookmark your post in order to be able to quote it next time someone asks the distilled water question?

TF

[Tom @ Intus]

Hi James

How can I bookmark your post in order to be able to quote it next time someone asks the distilled water question?

TF

http://forums.cpap.co.uk/showthread.php?p=10007#post10007

[shuckie]

Hi James!

Thanks for your feedback. In the end I decided to buy a fridge filter jug and used that filtered water in the humidifier. I think I need to change my approach slightly as I didn't take the jug from the fridge until shortly before going to bed so the air was passing over cold water. I had tried adjusting the dial to increase the humidity, and when I woke at about midnight I felt choked by the warm, humid air

I think I'm going to fill the humidifier water chamber when I get home from work which should allow the water to reach room temperature by the time I go to bed. Hopefully it won't take long for the humidifier to warm the water to the correct temperature before I fall asleep, and with any luck I'll have a nice, long sleep as a result!


Cheers

shuckie

[James @ Intus]

http://forums.cpap.co.uk/showthread.php?p=10007#post10007

Yes, just right click the post number (top right of each individual post) to copy the link.

The CPAP FAQ will soon get a much needed spring clean too, we'll make sure it'll be featured there too as indeed it is a very frequently asked question indeed.

[shuckie]

Hello again everyone!

Well, on the plus side, using filtered water seems to be working OK for me at the moment. I disassemble & wash the water container each morning and haven't seen any white deposits yet. I also try to pour the water from the chilled filter jug a few hours before bed time and this seems to help the water warm up a bit before I turn the CPAP on.

However, on the downside, I haven't slept well for several nights now. As I've mentioned on some of my replies to other people's posts I did manage one night where I slept most of the way through wearing my mask. Now, for some reason I can't fathom, for the past several nights I can usually fall asleep wearing my mask, but I wake up only an hour or so later and end up taking the mask off before falling back to sleep. Obviously I'm not sleeping properly due to the apnoeas, as when I wake up I look and feel absolutely shattered.

I don't know why I'm doing this as I was slowly making good progress (able to fall asleep with the mask on, mouth less dry thanks to the humidifier etc), but there seems to be something in my subconsciousness that takes over when I'm half awake which makes me take the mask off. It's as though my brain is telling me that I can't breathe while I'm wearing the mask, even though logically I know I can.

I've been giving serious thought to having a session of Nero Linguistic Programming as I know a practitioner who is on holiday at the moment. I emailed her just before she went away and she has offered to give me a 90 minute session of NLP for £70. The thing is I've never had NLP before so I don't know how effective it is likely to be, and I'm reluctant to spend £70 on something which may or may not work.

Has anyone else had NLP to help them cope with CPAP therapy or do you someone else that has? If so, how effective was the treatment? If you don't mind my asking how much did it cost and do you think it was worth the money?

If anyone else can recommend a (preferably cheaper) alternative to NLP such as hypnosis or similar I'd be happy to hear from you!


Regards

shuckie

[Tigers Fan]

Not everything is due to ....

Hi Shuckie

Just because you are on CPAP does mean all your sleep problems are due to CPAP! I expect many of us have had a tough few nights recently - hoseheads and non-hoseheads alike - because of the high humidity. Now that low pressure area has passed to the east and the humidity has tumbled (was 66% here, now 40%) with the arrival of high pressure, we can expect some good sleep - tonight at least and CPAP permitting!

NLP practitioners will tell you NLP can help with most everything but I suspect you have found your own solution - mask removal and hypnosis seem a better match to me. Mind, I think walking the dog would help with subconscious mask removal more than NLP - would help with anything more than NLP, in fact.

Before you spend any money, have you thought of meditating on your mask and on sleeping wearing your mask. All these methods are aimed at your subconscious and achieving 'mask acceptance' at that level. Meditation and hypnosis will also help hugely with your quest for relaxation techniques - which NLP will also claim.

TF

[shuckie]

Hi TF

I know that not all of my sleeping problems are due to the CPAP. I didn't sleep well in warm, humid weather before getting the machine so I didn't expect to sleep any better after getting it.

Last night I had a better night's sleep in that I managed to wake up in the morning a few minutes before my alarm went off with the mask still on my face. That said I did wake up a few times having to fight the urge to take the mask off even though I wasn't suffocating (do you hear me, subconsciousness? ).

I haven't committed myself to the NLP yet so I'll have a look into the hypnosis and meditation alternatives. Can anyone recommend a good book or DVD about meditation which may help me?

Here's hoping that we all sleep well once the long, hot, balmy summer is behind us...


Cheers

shuckie

[Tigers Fan]

Big question

Hi Shuckie

There are more styles of meditation than there are CPAP masks and thus more difficulty finding the right one for you.

Anything on meditation - and other things - by Osho is good (though he was homophobic it only came out when he spoke/wrote specifiaclly about homosexuality - fortunately, not often).

Find a quiet place in your home where you will not be disturbed - no phones, pets, partners, etc. Sit comfortably in an upright position, back straight. Silence or very low volume gentle music in the background. Close your eyes.

'Watch' your breathing - feel the air rush gently into your nostrils and follow it down into your lungs. Feel them fill and your chest and belly expand. Observe the pause between the in breath and the out, then feel the exhale, the deflation of your lungs, the air rushing out through your notrils. Notice the pause between the exhale and beginning a new inward breath - and so on.

Every time you notice that your thoughts have wandered, notice that you have noticed and let the thought drift away, it is not important at this time, gently bring your attention back to your breathing, in and out, in and out. Gradually, your mind will relax and empty and you just watch your breath coming in and going out.

'Empty mind' may take you a few weeks or years to achieve but relaxation may come quickly. Try five minutes morning and evening to begin with and build up ten, fifteen, twenty and even go to thirty if you derive benefit.

Is now a good time to tell you? Once the long, hot, balmy summer is over, Shuckie, we move into rainout season and the need for hose sheaths and heated hoses and light boxes. It's a way of life, is CPAPing!

TF