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Beware: It's possible to have sleep apnea AND insomnia
I thought that once my sleep apnea was diagnosed and I went on CPAP, that I would then -- finally! -- be rested and feel well.
Wrong.
It took a while. Things are beginning to turn around for me now thanks to a clue I found when I noticed a link on Dr. Park's website; it fingered a problem I was having: The inability to sleep through the night. The item led me to look into the problem of sleep maintenance insomnia, which has been vexing me since my 2011 diagnosis.
In short, despite nightly use of my beloved CPAP machine, I was still tired and, with the accumulated sleep deprivation, really was not functioning well. I simply could not get much more than about three to five hours of sleep per night; I need more like eight or nine. Quite a deficit.
Fortunately, I read a very good book on insomnia: SOUND SLEEP, SOUND MIND by Barry Krakow, M.D. (BTW, Dr. Park interviewed Dr. Krakow. If you signed up to listen to the interview and haven't listened yet, may I recommend that you do so? Excellent interview.)
I'm now following the guidelines in SOUND SLEEP, SOUND MIND. Little by little, I'm getting through the night.
Yes, I still wake, but I'm finding it easier to fall back to sleep, where before, I couldn't. With more sleep, I'm beginning to function better -- better mental focus with better clarity of thought, etc., etc. Again, this is thanks to getting an increase in my "sleep nutrient". It's wonderful!
So if you're not feeling well even though you're using your CPAP properly every night, consider the possibility that you have an overlapping sleep disorder. That's what I found out for myself.
If you discover the same for you, it might make a big difference for you if you can treat the additional sleep problem. It has made a big difference for me.
Views: 237
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Terry Vella on
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Well said ZolliStar, I think people think that CPAP will help you sleep, it doesn't, it helps you breathe while your asleep, so in theory you should sleep better as a by product but not necessarily sleep for 8 or so hours or all the way through the night. It could be other sleep issues like illness's or poor sleep hygiene or we have just got into patterns of waking at certain times. Glad your starting to sleep better.
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Permalink Reply by ZolliStar on
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Wow! Thanks for that clarification, Terry. So now I know how to think about this: I have a breathing disorder AND a sleep disorder.
Why didn't I think about it all by myself?! ;)
Terry Vella said:Well said ZolliStar, I think people think that CPAP will help you sleep, it doesn't, it helps you breathe while your asleep, so in theory you should sleep better as a by product but not necessarily sleep for 8 or so hours or all the way through the night. It could be other sleep issues like illness's or poor sleep hygiene or we have just got into patterns of waking at certain times. Glad your starting to sleep better.
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ZolliStar, no I think you have a sleep disorder AND a breathing disorder :) maybe we all have.
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Permalink Reply by Mary Z on
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My sleep center has a message board on the street that says "trouble sleeping? Call our sleep lab". I think that is misleading. As Zollistar found out you not only need to use the machine 100% of sleep time, but you also need to get good quality sleep. CPAP doesn't help with sleep maintenance insomnia. That's where sleep hygiene comes in. Though sleep hygiene sounds simple it's not. Some of us have to read whole books to learn how to sleep. And then there's practice, practice, practice...
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Yeah, Dr. Krakow on a YouTube video addresses insomnia while on CPAP. Some people just do not for many reasons adapt to CPAP and may have numerous arousals during the night. These people don't feel rested in the morning or that they are not benefitting from their machines. I used to think use the machine 100%n of sleep time and work through problems for months before accepting your therapy is a failure. Now I know you need the right machine that you use regularly, and good quality sleep, which I used to think were always separate issues. Now I think if after several months you have no good results, request a different mode of machine until you find the one that works for you
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