Hi;

I have had the CPAP machine with humidifier since 11/3/05.  The usage meter indicates that I have used it 34 times > than 4 hours.  The original pressure setting was 8, but I was getting a dry mouth every night.  

I have insomnia and need to take a sleeping pill to fall asleep and stay asleep.  The dry mouth was waking me several times during the night.  For a few days, I stopped using the CPAP machine and the dry mouth also went away.  My health care provider said that I should see the sleep specialist that diagnosed my sleep apnea.  My appointment was on 1/5/06 and we talked about insomnia, sleep medication, sleep apnea and CPAP.  I was taking 100mg of Trazadone each night before bedtime.  He suggested that I try to fall asleep without taking sleep medication by staying out of bed until I felt tired enough to fall asleep and waking up at approximately the same time every day.  I have tried this before without success.  Without taking sleep medication, I will fall asleep for a few minutes and wake up.  He also suggested that I take 12.5mg of Ambien CR if necessary.  I went through 5 miserable days without taking sleep medication.  I finally gave up and started to take the Ambien CR before bedtime.  I sleep for 8 hours.  

The sleep specialist also suggested that my health care provider change my pressure setting on the CPAP to 6.  I have not had the problem with dry mouth.  I have been using the CPAP every night since my appointment, but I wonder if I am getting any benefit from the CPAP at the lower pressure setting.  

The sleep study last September diagnosed me as having sleep apnea, but I did not experience the symptoms associated with sleep apnea.  I am usually in bed between midnight and 8 AM and do not get tired until I taken the medication.  I have taken other medications for high blood pressure for several years.  Some mornings, I wake up and the mask is on the pillow.  My humidier setting is on 3.      

Dragster

I would carefully review the results of the study. I too am wondering if I have the Apnea they claimed, since I'm on CPAP for 6 months now without substantial positive results.


_________________
Soli Deo Gloria

I agree - review the results so you are clear in what is going on.  

What sort of mask are you using -- full face or just nose mask?  I know that if you are just using a nose mask without a chin strap, you could be breathing through your mouth at night which would also contribute toward dry mouth.  If that is the case, it might be worth seeing if you can still keep the pressue at 8 if that is truly better for your sleep apnea.  Is going down to 6 a bit of a compromise?  I would find that out.

Just because you don't think you are waking up at night doesn't mean you are not waking up at night or that you do not have sleep apnea.  Perhaps the medication you are taking does keep you in a deeper sleep or somehow impacts your awareness of waking at night.  ???  

Sometimes I wonder if my sleep apnea contributed toward my having insomnia.  I wasn't diagnosed with insomnia, but then at the sleep study I was very sleepy and they were not looking at that issue at the study.  I think waking up so much at night because of sleep apnea eventually led to me being used to waking up a lot.  I would get so frustrated at always feeling awake and never getting into good sleep.  Now, I am using the CPAP and I don't seem to wake up as much.  When I do wake up, I feel groggy -- as if I have been in a deep sleep whereas when I used to "wake up" before, it wasn't as if I was waking up but more as if I never really fell asleep.  Not sure if that makes sense.  

I would definitely speak to your sleep specialist and discuss your questions.

Hi Pinkmommy;

I am using a nose mask.  I did try a chin strap and still experienced the dry mouth.  The sleep specialist gave me a prescription to have my CPAP provider change the pressure setting on my CPAP from 8 to 6.  I am unable to change the pressure setting on my CPAP.  One time, I remember getting the dry mouth before I fell asleep.  I have difficulty falling asleep and staying asleep without sleep medication.  The sleep specialist said that Trazodone will cause dry mouth.  I am now taking Ambien CR.  I wish they would make a nose mask with a chin strap.  I noticed on this forum that a lot of people experience dry mouth with the CPAP.  I seem to be sleeping OK now with the CPAP and medication.  I am now wondering if a pressure setting of 6 is helping my sleep apnea, if I have sleep apnea.  I have had insomnia for two years.  I was hoping the sleep study would determine the cause of my insomnia.  Instead they diagnosed me as having sleep apnea.  Before last September, I never gave any thought about sleep apnea.  I had two sleep studies, one without CPAP and one with CPAP.  They said the CPAP showed a significant improvement in my sleep efficiency compared to the first night.  I have not noticed any changes since I have been using the CPAP.        

Dragster

Dragster,

I somehow can relate to what you are saying about the insomnia but not the dry mouth.  I was waking numerous times prior to going to see a sleep specialist and I didn't know I had sleep apnea.  The main reason I had the sleep study done was to find out why I was waking so much but I don't have an answer still.  The doc said that my few events (7 per hr) looked like they were caused by my breathing but now I am on CPAP I am still waking and still on sleeping meds.  I wonder too sometimes if I really have sleep apnea because I have none of the symptoms and my # of events per hr are so low.  My pressure is 5 which is low.  However, having said that I am sleeping better now when I do sleep.  I too have tried Trazadone, Ambien.  The Trazadone was before I had the sleep study.  The Ambien did nothing.  I started trying Sonata a week and it is working really well.  I go to sleep at 10, wake at around 12:30, take the pill, then sleep until 5 (when my husband gets up).  The Sonata is keeping me asleep for 5 hrs but if you read about it it's not meant to.  It's just meant to work for the onset of sleep.  

How many events did you have?  If it was low like mine then it is hard to say.  It's all so confusing but if you haven't noticed a difference since using it then I would have a hard time sticking with it.  I would be interested to know what your nights are like, how times do you wake up?  I was waking about 5 until I started the Sonata a week ago.  I just don't like taking it though.  I am beginning to think that there are no reasons why we wake up so many times.  I have racked my brains trying to figure out why I wake up and it seems like it's for no reason.  

That was more information than you asked for but I just wanted to say that you aren't alone in waking up so many times.  It's a royal pain.

I hope you find some answers.

Take care,
Wendy

wendyj.usa

Hi;

Thank you for your quick reply and comments.  I don't really know how to compare sleep lab reports, but my report from last September indicated that my overall arousal index was 24.5 events per hour.  The overall arousal index was 10.3 events per hour during my second sleep study in October with the CPAP.  The sleep lab suggested that I use a CPAP with pressure setting of 8.  I got my CPAP on 11/3, but had a lot of problems adjusting to it.  I was taking Trazodone then and was waking several times a night due to dry mouth when using the CPAP.  I have been taking Trazodone since March 2004 because I cannot fall asleep and stay asleep without sleep medications.  I have had this insomnia problem for two years.  The Trazodone seemed to be effective and I would sleep for approximately 6-8 hours.  I do not remember waking during the night, but they say that the body goes thru the 5 sleep stages every two hours.  I had an appointment with a sleep specialist earlier this month.  He suggested that I take Ambien CR instead of Trazodone.  For me, it seems to be effective and after I fall asleep, I would sleep for 6-8 hours without waking.  The doctor also suggested that I have the pressure on my CPAP changed from 8 to 6.  I have been using the CPAP everynight since 1/5 and the dry mouth has gone away.  I am wondering if the pressure setting of 6 is helping the sleep apnea.  I was diagnosed as having sleep apnea, but did not experience the sympoms associated with it.  I honestly don't see any significant changes in my sleep with or without the CPAP.  The doctor wanted me to get off the sleep medications.  During the last two weeks, I was off the sleep medications for 5 nights in a row, but I was not getting much continious sleep and had major difficulty falling asleep.  I am retired.  I finally started taking the Ambien CR.  Last night, I tried to go to bed without taking the Ambien.  I was awake most of the time beteen midnight and three and finally took an Ambien and was out until 9 without waking.  I do not get tired during the day.  Maybe, I should stay up longer.  In a nutshell, I cannot fall asleep and stay asleep for several hours without  taking the medication.  I would like to hear from others that may have the same problems.    

Dragster