Posted by BC on July 19, 2009 at 09:05:15:In Reply to: BiPAP - 3+ months, still adjusting posted by lotusmaglite on July 15, 2009 at 21:54:57:
Adjusting to CPAP can be hard. I remember praying one night in desperation because I knew I wasn't sleeping well without CPAP, but I was sleeping even worse with it.
In my case, I found that I was thinking too much about the CPAP and trying too hard. I know that you can't just tell yourself not to think about something. But your body does know what to do, and how to breathe. I tended to flare my nostrils (a sign of tension rather than relaxation), and try too hard to fall sleep. When I brought myself to just trusting that I would breathe properly, then I could relax and sleep. Now I can sleep with it one for the entire night and even forget that I have it on.
It took me a long time before I finally really began to feel rested. In my case, I found that I also had GERD, and I believe it was responsible for causing me to wake up at night. When I started treating myself with Zantac, I found myself waking up less often. I think my burping is due to the GERD.
Hang in there! Many people have trouble adjusting; that's why doctors consider it a success if people use it 4 hours a night. But you can get to the point where it no longer bothers you.