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What do you do besides 'PAP to ensure quality sleep and successful therapy?

I have always touted using the machine 100% of sleep time would solve everyone's problems with feeling better with 'PAP therapy.  A couple of posts recently made me realize that sleep problems aren't cured by 'PAP alone.  We need to have quality, restful sleep.  This can be a lot of work.  Sleeping pills aren't the answer (though some people need them).  We may need to revisit sleep hygiene  and really study it and be sure we're doing all we can to achieve good sleep.  The intervention of a sleep specialist may be necessary.  Perhaps a therapist for a time to deal with stress and worry that keeps us awake at night.  I am studying my sleep hygiene, making sure I go to bed tired.  I've  weaned off lunesta, but still take benadryl because I'm scared not to sleep.  I think I need to wean off the benadryl- perhaps with a cup of bedtime tea and a conscious effort to put worries and concerns of the day behind me.

What are other peoples thoughts?

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As we are owls we tend to take afternoon naps now that we are retired but have also discovered if we use pre-recorded TV options and end with a comedy we seem to go to bed happy and relaxed. Tonite we watched a serious program, however, so now we are both back on the internet!

Well...i think finding the right "deep" sleep formula is always changing and several things have to be taken into consideration.

Knowing how life will throw just about anything at us, achieving sleep fitness seems to boil down to a few things (for me anyweay..maybe it touches on what you might be already doing):

First I am a list person. I make a list of everything I want to be a part of my "downshifting" before bed. It is like a wish list of sorts, so the items on it are many.

I now focus on just a handfull of what I listed.

 

How I arrived at that handful?

 

For the first four weeks, I noticed what choices I gravitated toward the most. The emotional and practical pleasing choices are the ones i like.

 

So a sample of my list:

 

1) no electronic anything after 10pm (no psp, no chat, no cell phone, no phone calling, no tv....)

2) i have worked out in the evening....challenging muscle strength which trips up my need for sleep so I do sleep, muscle grows during sleep...this means brief work out, no endurance work of any kind.

3) Testosterone triggering food (fist size portion of protein, veggies, only) , no dessert) that sends a signal to the body to sleep and recover OR no food at all, which can trigger hunger and the body sleeps (for me it happens) OR a very light meal (salad only for example)

 

4) little or no music (for some reason soft music over works my brain and wakes me up)

 

5) deep meditation (theta and delta wave focus)...i have over 12 ways to do this...i have been doing meditation for two years now and can get a meditative effect under 15 minutes...

 

6) Sometimes I use some natural sleep tablets (at health food stores) if i could not avoid caffeine during the day. I read that caffeine has a half-life, which means it is metabolized twice to three times as long as usual before it wears off..so coffee at 3pm...sleep at 3am...no thanks

 

7) no caffeine  in any form during the day (no chocolate, no coffee, no energy drinks)

 

8) laughing during the day...real belly laughing...find something that really trips up a spastic bout of laughter...not sure why this helps, but it does.

 

9) if a cpap is involved, get super comfy..maximum comfort settings, a nice clean mask, appropriate humidity setting

 

10) a window open at night and socks on

 

11) some kind of light white noise...the aquarium we have has a bubbler..the gentle noise of this is so cool..so is the air cleaner noise

 

12)  if married, ask for a 3-5 minute foot rub on your clean feet...reflexology teaches that stimulating the foot can settle us down for sleep

13) definitely a shower, even if unecessary, it's a routine our bodies naturally relax to

 

14) if married and I am, sex please...really helps

 

15) sometimes sleeping on the couch just for a change of environment, seems to trigger a new comfort level

 

16) read the most boring book you have on a subject that just tortures your senses..does it everytime!

 

17) stretching low back and legs while in bed and then large pillow under knees

 

18) height appropriate pillow ( i sleep on a folded blanket so my neck does not cramp)

 

19) a full body massage in the evening (professional or if your partner will do this, all the better)

 

20) give my wife some of the things I mentioned so I know I made a difference to her for that day

 

I could go on. Now realistically, all steps cannot be had every single night. So i made this list and basically for  a month checked off what happened per night. Over time, whatever was efficient, easy to get to, whatever pattern emerged, etc. mattered the most. And what became secondary now became plan B if boredom with plan A set in.

 

This really is a personal science.

 

Don't know if what i do is typical, but it has been educational.

You've already covered most of what I do.  Had started a sleep schedule long ago for fibromyalgia.  Try to be asleep by 10:30pm and up by 5:45am.  Very sensitive to caffeine as well, so prefer to not consume any after lunch.  On the weekends I may sleep in until 7am or have a very short nap 15-30 minutes, but try to stay on my schedule then as well.  Secondary to the fibro I do take a nortryptline early evening to assist with sleep.  Other things I've learned are sticking to an evening schedule, washing makeup off face, being sure everything from clothing to bedding are straightened and comfortable.  I will either read or watch what I call mindless tv (like HGTV or food network) so I can drift off with my mind at rest & not racing.  If I do find myself rethinking something, I'll get up and write it down, so I can let it go.  The better I find myself sleeping it seems the more difficult it's been going to sleep any earlier.

I have horrible sleep problems, which started coincidentally when I started using my CPAP over 10 years ago. No matter what, I can't sleep more than 4-5 hours a night at one stretch. It would be one thing if I woke up refreshed, but I'm still tired when I wake up. I just can't get back to sleep. On days when I don't have to work, that means getting out of bed for a couple of hours and then going back to sleep for a couple of hours. My sleep doctor can't find anything wrong with me. He's run sleep tests. We've tried sleeping pills which didn't do anything. Even tried medical mj. He even sent me to a therapist to look at my sleep hygiene, but that didn't do anything either. So it looks like I'm stuck with it. He has me on Nuvigil to keep me halfway alert when I have to work. Otherwise I just take a nap or two during the day. He says that some people on CPAP just have problems with daytime sleepiness. Sometimes I feel like the cure is worse than the disease because I had no problem sleeping through the night before I went on CPAP.

Hi has anyone heard about calcium/magnium for a good nite sleep ??

yes...this presumes that you workout OR if you have a calcium/magnesium deficiency OR if you need more calcium/magnesium in your diet OR if your muscles are aching/sore

Too much magnesium and you're in the restroom a lot....

I'd use this on a sub-minimum dosage to test how your body reacts first..

I used them 2 nites and "I think I slept better" and I had dreams ! And yes I know about "the bathroom" thing. I only took 250mg. I'll

 see how tonite goes :-) thanks

Bill BIstak said:

yes...this presumes that you workout OR if you have a calcium/magnesium deficiency OR if you need more calcium/magnesium in your diet OR if your muscles are aching/sore

Too much magnesium and you're in the restroom a lot....

I'd use this on a sub-minimum dosage to test how your body reacts first..

This is a very interesting discussion for me - so much so that I started a business around it and am loving learning about sleep and natural (sustainable and non addictive) solutions!  Regular sleep and rising patterns are very important to get your body clock working in sync with you and your brain! Switching technology off (it's the blue light particularly from screens which impacts melatonin production), we need a bedtime routine just as much as children do to send the messages to our brains that it's time to quieten and get ready for sleep. Great, natural fibre bedding that breathes, is healthy, dry and comfortable is inviting and apart from the obvious health benefits, we look forward to getting into bed! Rich meals and alcohol can create havoc with our digestive systems around 3-4am and replacing these with tryptophan rich foods (in light meals) and a chamomile/sleepy herbal tea can make a big difference to comfort levels. Even small changes in any of these areas can make a big difference. We are also getting great feedback from customers on our natural sleep supplements which are non addictive and very effective.  Sleep Drops contain a unique blend of bach flowers, herbal and homeopathic remedies and will restore magnesium levels to promote better sleep naturally.  http://naturalsleepshop.com/content/sleep-drops-60ml. Turning clocks to face the other way and actively breathing through any stressful throughs about not being able to sleep really works! Movement - exercise during the day (ideally) also makes a big difference. Take a break when you are working (again on a subliminal level this is sending messages to your brain that it's OK to switch off!! In this increasinly stimulating world we are operating in our brains needs to practice this skill!  We have a range of articles specifically on natural sleep solutions - would love to know what you've tried and what works for you and get any feedback or suggestions for new content!  http://naturalsleepshop.com/articles.

I do exercise and was having night leg cramps. Bio-magnesium does help (stopped it).  Also, a dietician suggested years ago for weight control that if it were possible to have one's main meal in the middle of the day and only a light evening meal it would help with sleep and weight control. Now, when we occasionally go out for an evening meal we both have trouble getting a good night's sleep.

Thanks Ellen

     For decades I've been a late night eater. It is really true that sleep is better if I eat early -- like before 7:00 pm. It has been a challenge adjusting to this schedule. I just keep in mind the pay-off. That said, it is surprising to me how much this one change affects (indeed, afflicts!) my schedule. Example, if I have a meeting in the evening, I have to make sure that I eat before leaving. I have to eat really early ("really early" by my lights) if the meeting starts at 6:30 or 7:00. Throws everything off.

      What I won't do for a good night's sleep!

Ellen said:

I do exercise and was having night leg cramps. Bio-magnesium does help (stopped it).  Also, a dietician suggested years ago for weight control that if it were possible to have one's main meal in the middle of the day and only a light evening meal it would help with sleep and weight control. Now, when we occasionally go out for an evening meal we both have trouble getting a good night's sleep.

Stop breathing through mouth while sleeping involuntary by strengthening lip closure and orbicular muscle of mouth to change into nose breathing. 

And prevent air from escaping from mouth (between both lips) like bubble up or whoosh sound by pap. Otherwise air pressure (for user of pap) can't maintain properly to secure air way wider due to uncontrollable various position and movement at hyoid bone and airway as well.

Eventfully it leads to imbalance of autonomic nerves, brain can' take rest in asleep, as a result, either often wake up in middle of night or suffering from fatigue in awake & asleep. Taping on the mouth or sealing by mask for the solution in asleep might not be enough for body structural compensation.

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