Getting used to your sleep apnea therapy

Waking up after a full night of deep, restful sleep, and you feel like your old energised self: that’s priceless! Reaping the long-term rewards of sleep apnea therapy makes it well worth any initial weirdness that you may feel as you start getting used to your therapy.

While some people adapt to sleep apnea therapy very quickly, many people find that getting used to sleeping with a mask and device takes a little time. Just like wearing eyeglasses or contact lenses for the first time, there may be an adjustment period.

While you're in the initial stages of using sleep apnea therapy, there are a few things to consider:

Your sleep hygiene and bedtime habits

These habits may include food and drink that could be detrimental to your sleep. Caffeinated drinks or foods that are spicy, for instance, within the hours leading up to sleep can easily cause difficulty sleeping.¹

What and how you read in bed

Many people enjoy reading and use it to promote sleep, however, the way you read could be what's crippling your sleep. Blue light emitted from tablets, e-Readers, laptops and mobile phones can suppress melatonin, the sleep hormone,²  in the hours leading up to bed. Reading stimulating novels before bed can also prevent you from falling asleep.

Whether or not you have allergies

Allergies can be another barrier for sleep³ with one study finding that sleep is dramatically impaired by allergic symptoms with the degree of impairment related to the severity of the symptoms.⁴

Reaching out to family and friends for support

Having the support of family and friends can make it easier and more comfortable to use sleep apnea therapy.⁵ Start a conversation and you may be surprised by how many people you know are already using CPAP therapy.

Keep talking to ResMed

Adjusting to any therapy is just that – an adjustment. Be sure to stay in touch with your sleep coach at ResMed. There are many adjustments that can be made to get treatment working for you – especially when you’re on a CPAP Trial.