u/MinaMina700

My main problem is waking up at night; not a single night goes by without me waking up to go to the bathroom. I feel very tired during the day, have very little energy, experience brain fog, headaches, dizziness, etc.

I had a polysomnography a while ago, which revealed a mild form of sleep apnea and hypopnea; an AHI of 13.1, composed mostly of hypopneas (11.8) and 1.3 central apneas per hour. My detailed report is in pictures; it's in French, and I'm not sure if it will be very useful to you, but I decided to include it anyway and have summarized the key points in this text so you can better assess my condition and its real severity.

Nearly all of these apneas and hypopneas result in desaturation that remains above 95%, which is the least severe outcome.

At first, my sleep doctor prescribed me a sedative that was supposed to help me sleep more soundly. Not only did it not have the desired effect, but I was also ten times more exhausted during the day - it was unbearable.

So he asked me if I wanted to try CPAP, and I agreed. Here’s the problem: I can’t fall asleep with it on, even though I’ve been trying for five months. Not a single night, even when I try to wear myself out. I have hypersensitive skin; I can’t stand being touched by anything remotely unusual. I’m so sensitive that I have to sleep naked because even the slightest contact with clothes suffocates me and keeps me awake all night long without getting a wink of sleep. So you can imagine what it’s like with a mask. They had to give me a very strong sedative so I could sleep during the sleep study.

I can also only sleep on my stomach with my head halfway down on the mattress, which isn't possible with any mask. No other position seems comfortable enough for me, not even on my side.

We’ve tried all sorts of settings and different masks, and nothing works. The clinic just tells me to keep trying. The worst part is that I don’t even feel stressed. I have no obligations, I can sleep at any hour without worrying about waking up, and I allow myself naps if really needed. So I don’t have that internal clock ticking away that can cause stress as wake-up time approaches.

I wear it just as often during the day, whether I'm doing other things or just relaxing without planning to sleep. But I just can't seem to get used to it when it comes to sleep.

I also tried using a sedative, but even that didn't work. But it's not a viable long-term solution anyway; I just wanted to give it a try.

So I’m starting to wonder: is CPAP really the right solution for someone like me? Since my symptoms are mild, so much so that the doctor didn’t even consider CPAP as a first-line treatment. I’m wondering if it’s really worth putting myself through such a struggle. I’ve spent so much time in bed this year unable to sleep that it’s started to affect other parts of my life. Yeah, it’s just not feasible to sleep 8 hours a day AND spend a few more hours trying to fall asleep before that with a machine on my head. It takes up way too much of my day.

Thank you for your time, your feedback, and any advice you may have.

My main problem is waking up at night; not a single night goes by without me waking up to go to the bathroom. I feel very tired during the day, have very little energy, experience brain fog, headaches, dizziness, etc.

I had a polysomnography a while ago, which revealed a mild form of sleep apnea and hypopnea; an AHI of 13.1, composed mostly of hypopneas (11.8) and 1.3 central apneas per hour. My detailed report is in pictures; it's in French, and I'm not sure if it will be very useful to you, but I decided to include it anyway and have summarized the key points in this text so you can better assess my condition and its real severity.

Nearly all of these apneas and hypopneas result in desaturation that remains above 95%, which is the least severe outcome.

At first, my sleep doctor prescribed me a sedative that was supposed to help me sleep more soundly. Not only did it not have the desired effect, but I was also ten times more exhausted during the day - it was unbearable.

So he asked me if I wanted to try CPAP, and I agreed. Here’s the problem: I can’t fall asleep with it on, even though I’ve been trying for five months. Not a single night, even when I try to wear myself out. I have hypersensitive skin; I can’t stand being touched by anything remotely unusual. I’m so sensitive that I have to sleep naked because even the slightest contact with clothes suffocates me and keeps me awake all night long without getting a wink of sleep. So you can imagine what it’s like with a mask. They had to give me a very strong sedative so I could sleep during the sleep study.

I can also only sleep on my stomach with my head halfway down on the mattress, which isn't possible with any mask. No other position seems comfortable enough for me, not even on my side.

We’ve tried all sorts of settings and different masks, and nothing works. The clinic just tells me to keep trying. The worst part is that I don’t even feel stressed. I have no obligations, I can sleep at any hour without worrying about waking up, and I allow myself naps if really needed. So I don’t have that internal clock ticking away that can cause stress as wake-up time approaches.

I wear it just as often during the day, whether I'm doing other things or just relaxing without planning to sleep. But I just can't seem to get used to it when it comes to sleep.

I also tried using a sedative, but even that didn't work. But it's not a viable long-term solution anyway; I just wanted to give it a try.

So I’m starting to wonder: is CPAP really the right solution for someone like me? Since my symptoms are mild, so much so that the doctor didn’t even consider CPAP as a first-line treatment. I’m wondering if it’s really worth putting myself through such a struggle. I’ve spent so much time in bed this year unable to sleep that it’s started to affect other parts of my life. Yeah, it’s just not feasible to sleep 8 hours a day AND spend a few more hours trying to fall asleep before that with a machine on my head. It takes up way too much of my day.

Thank you for your time, your feedback, and any advice you may have.