Son of sleep notes

[bruceb]

 I came home from the appointment at the sleep lab for data and follow-up a couple weeks ago...and promptly started having CPAP problems. It took me a while to figure out why it was suddenly much more uncomfortable to wear the mask and why it kept leaking so much more, but eventually Frances and I sussed it out together. Two things. First, the

Comments

[greenlion]

I have a brand new CPAP machine at home. I'm managing 6 hours a night with it, so far, getting my poor nose used to it (one night was just not happening at all courtesy of allergies). I'm having a little bit of a hard time with it because my apnea isn't that bad -- only during REM sleep. But I need to keep blood pressure under control, so I stick it up my nose every night...

[bruceb]

Mmm, yes, that actually sounds trickier than in my case, where the problem is so huge. How is that working out for you?

(And I also have some nights where I can't use the thing much, or at all, for all kinds of reasons.)

[greenlion]

Honestly I have no idea. I don't actually notice a benefit, but I suppose I might once the mask doesn't wake me up by itself. We'll see!

[timgray]

If you get boring enough you can help other people to sleep!

[bruceb]

Ooh, there's a thought...

[doctorcaligari]

I'm pointedly not looking in the direction of persons I know who do not use their CPAPs.

It's a pain in the ass to use, more for some people than others...I suppose that's why there's not as much compliance as one would hope for.

[bruceb]

Hmm, there's that. There's also the benefit for those of us who came in late in advancing technology. The machine Dad used wasn't nearly as good as what I've got, in a lot of ways, and the technician who worked with me in mask fitting commented that when she got started, "There were nine fixed sizes of masks, and none of them fit."

[dhw]

I pretty much cannot sleep without one.

More specifically, I will actually wake myself up in apnea episodes, rather than sleeping through them.

(That being said, if I do wake up during the night when wearing the mask, I usually need to adjust the headstrap -- drawback of long hair means that it can slide)