Help!! - Sleep Disorders Message Board

Countrygirl1 · 12-15-2006, 07:05 PM

Here is my story. I am a 45 year old white female whose BMI is within the obese range. For the past year, I have been using C-PAP after being diagnosed with sleep apnea (30 events an hour). During the past year, I have lost some weight. However, I know I need to lose more. For the past several months I have had terrible daytime sleepiness-falling asleep at work, at home and in traffic. I am being treated for depression. My pdoc gave me samples of Provigil to try. I can not take the med because it causes me to have high blood pressure. I have low tolerance for excercise. Now here is the main issue-I have so much trouble getting up in the morning. I am always late for work. Having tried multiple alarm clocks, alarm clocks across the room, different types of alarms-buzzer, bell, beeper, music-I bought a Sonic Boom alarm clock with bed shaker. Even this barely wakes me up. I go back to sleep! I do not know what else to do. I am so frustrated. HELP!!

(I know this post is disjointed, but that is how I am feeling)

mkgbrook · 12-15-2006, 10:33 PM

I wish I could help more, but I can sympathize it is very hard for me to wake up as well. I keep breakfast for my son right by my bed so that I can feed him, but stay asleep for a bit longer.
Let see some cruel methods to wake you quickly.. ice cold ball barings dumped in your bed.. they chase you around and you can not get away.. ice water.. all of these tactics require your significant other or a daring family member to be willing to torture you in the morning.
My problem is that I just can't go to sleep that early. When I do go to sleep I sleep well on my CPAP. My husband can be very hard to wake as well.. he is also a sleep apnea sufferer. Normally it takes me an hour of prodding and nagging to get him up and moving.
You can also set your computer up to call your house at set times.. this tneds to wake me quick. Why can one wake up for a phone, but dream of garbage trucks and ignore an alarm clock?
Best wishes to you, I will check in to see what other suggestions people have.

Sincerely,
MG

Countrygirl1 · 12-17-2006, 08:26 AM

Thank you for your response, MG! I appreciate it. Since I live alone, I have no one who could wake me up. But, I really got a kick out of reading you suggestions.

There are so many different types of alarm clocks out there. You would think that one could be invented that would drag a person out of bed or maybe be like a water pistol, shoot water in your face.

btm1 · 12-26-2006, 12:32 PM

Perhaps you should ask your doc to do another CPAP titration study to check that the pressure he/she has your machine set for is correct. After I had problems, despite a CPAP machine, my sleep doc said that my titration study had been ambiguous and he had initially chosen a comfortable low setting of 8 inches of water. So he reset it for 18 inches and I was fine, although the higher setting took some getting used to. More recently, I needed to replace some equipment and my supplier advised another test to see if my level had stayed the same (if I needed more than 18 he said he would have had to get me a BiPAP machine instead of CPAP). That test showed 8 inches again. I've been using that, but occasionally while I am still awake feel like its not giving me enough air, and I sometimes take the mask off to get a deeper breath.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Countrygirl1

Here is my story. I am a 45 year old white female whose BMI is within the obese range. For the past year, I have been using C-PAP after being diagnosed with sleep apnea (30 events an hour). During the past year, I have lost some weight. However, I know I need to lose more. For the past several months I have had terrible daytime sleepiness-falling asleep at work, at home and in traffic. I am being treated for depression. My pdoc gave me samples of Provigil to try. I can not take the med because it causes me to have high blood pressure. I have low tolerance for excercise. Now here is the main issue-I have so much trouble getting up in the morning. I am always late for work. Having tried multiple alarm clocks, alarm clocks across the room, different types of alarms-buzzer, bell, beeper, music-I bought a Sonic Boom alarm clock with bed shaker. Even this barely wakes me up. I go back to sleep! I do not know what else to do. I am so frustrated. HELP!!

(I know this post is disjointed, but that is how I am feeling)

Countrygirl1 · 12-28-2006, 09:50 PM

My next appointment is in Feb. I do plan to ask the doc about the setting on my C-PAP. Also, with additional research I have done I now think that a circadian rhytym disorder is contributing to my situation.