I started cpap in sept 2008....did good sleeping till about june 2009 and started having alot of trouble at that time getting into deep sleep. Started at that time to have alot of trouble falling to sleep and wake up frequently. Started Ambin 5mg each night and did well for about 2 months. Now I am not falling to sleep well or sleeping deeply at all with sometimes 10mg ambien a night. My AHI usually is around 4-5 but I do not feel like I sleep at all and take several hours to feel alert in the morning. I was really feeling pretty good just after starting cpap and even at times had an AHI of 5-8 and felt ok...now feel terrible and can not go to sleep on my own without ambien. Have used tylenol pm and seem to really not sleep well at all. I used to use melatonin and may try it again. I really am frustrated. Also since about july 2009 I have gained about 10 pounds and I am not sure if it has something to do with lack of sleep. Thanks,
Jen

I too was having problems getting into REM and deep sleep. I was on regular Ambien for over a year, and yes, you can get a type of drug rebound where you can't sleep without using the Ambien. You don't get a true addiction, but you won't sleep deeply without the drug.

My sleep doctor said two things: one, that if you don't use Ambien for 3-4 nights in row, you won't get much sleep, but the rebound issue will go away after the 3rd night. Second, I was told that if you rotate sleeping aids in a week, like Ambien 2-3 times a week, maybe Lunesta another 2-3, that your body won't become acclimated to any one drug. Also, according to the literature I have read, Ambien CR doesn't have the rebounding properties that regular Ambien does.

I know for me due to the SDB I wasn't getting much REM sleep which doesn't help in day to day functioning. I am rotating sleep aids and I know I am having much better sleep, and after four months of being on APAP I have started feeling much better. The way I see it, I am getting some help with some sleep aids for now. I don't know if I will be using them forever, but they are what I need for now not to have insomnia or trouble sleeping.

Anyone else have any ideas....chamolie tea and one tylenol pm sure didn't help! Making it hard not to grab the ambien!
Jen

Hey Jen,

You don't say your age, but sleepless nites are quite a common problem with peri-menopausal women. Same is true for weight gain. That said, it's always wise to review the symptoms with your physician.

I am 34. Dr that prescribed cpap is just my endocrinologist/internal medicine. He really has no clue about cpap. Ambien prescribed by psychiatist. Really I am kind of on my own with my sleep.
Jen

The rebound insomnia after quitting Ambien is rough but as mentioned, it passes in 2-3 days. I quit over a holiday weekend and made it thru. Don't expect to get much done those 3 days. Someone turned me on to Dr. Thompson's Delta Sleep System and brainwave entrainment. Basically it's music that is for lack of a better term 'encoded' to slow your brainwaves down and help you fall asleep. I have a Sansa Clip MP3 player that I loaded Dr. Thompson's CD onto along with a few other similar MP3's. I put it inside my pillowcase, run the ear buds out and plug in. The ear buds fall out during the night after I'm asleep. Most nights I'm out within 30 minutes which is the same result I'd get from the Ambien.

If you've ever listed to channel 73 SPA on Sirius or Hearts Of Space, it's very similar music. I want to find some titles & artist from HOS to load on the MP3 as well. Might be worth your while to go to hos.com and see if a radio station in your area carrys the program just to see if it might help.

I've been on CPAP for just a week. Panic attacks prior and during. I've been taking Valerian Root, Kava Tea before bed time and sometimes tylenol pm to help me doze off. I'm still trying diffrent things, but panic attacks are gone. And, good sleep is a hit and miss. I'm just a boot in training, but trying to stay off the strong stuff. Not sure if this helps, but thanks for allowing me to share on my road to rem sleep

Has anyone tried counting backwards from 100 by sevens?
Works for me most every time. Apparently, it occupies the part of the brain which is preventing sleep and lets the "want to sleep" part of the brain take over.
Last night I needed to run through it 3 different times, getting a different final answer each time, but it worked.

I have been using a perscripation drug called Traozdone for many years. Puts me to sleep and keeps me there. Ask your MD about it. I also take Provigil for those groggy mornings. I believe this is safer than the OTC stuff.

I suppose everybody's different, but I find I acclimate to sleep meds quickly and have to switch between 3 or 4 every few days to get my sleep. The best I've found is Sonata 5mg. It's a light weight 4hr dose that just gets me to sleep quickly. Funny but a 10mg dose really knocks me out for 4 hours but then I'm wide awake. So I often take it with one pill of Advil PM, or Melatonin, or Tylenol PM depending on how sleepy I am. If I'm in pain I may take a Tylenol + Tylenol PM.

This is what works for me but YMMV.