Last night was my sleep study. Long story short I had a panic attack. After trying three different masks and a very frustrated technician I lost it. I started sobbing and he couldn't get those wires off of my body fast enough. I am mortified that I couldn't make myself pull it together long enough, but three hours seemed like the end of the world. I was extremely claustrophobic.

What can I do? I absolutely cannot wear the CPAP. I am terrified that this will delay my surgery date. Can I pursue natural rememdies?

I have sleep apnea. Have for a couple years. I don't wear my mask. I should but don't have an updated rx to get new parts and can't get in to see that doc til september and I'll already have surgery before that. I have just been dealing with it. I take ambien at night because I can't fall asleep and wake up exhausted cuz I'm not getting the right sleep. My surgery is on the 12th so I'm hoping that the weight will come off somewhat fast so the apnea will slowly disappear.

Go back in and ask the tech to let you wear the mask without having it hooked up to anything...and no wires on you. Once you put it on, make yourself concentrate on breathing with the mask on you. Once you're confident you can breathe with the mask on, it will be much easier to wear the mask hooked up to the machine.

I prefer the full face mask, but others like the nose only masks. Whichever one you choose, try using some Biotin gel in your mouth to help with dry mouth. When my mouth gets dry, I have bigger problems with clausterphobia.

You will feel so much better using the cpap that it's worth the effort to get used to using the mask.

This may sound crazy but look for a dentist specializing in sleep apnea. The FDA has approved a dental appliance called TAP 3 for severe OSA. It is very easy to get used to. More than 90 percent of people who try these keep them, compared to 50 percent with CPAP. the only problem is that it is hard to get insurance to pay. It has. A Dental Code and it is used for a medical condition. That creates havoc with our insurance systems. I paid cash and would do it again.

I want to add to Lissa's advice. If you go in, and you wear the mask for a while without any pressure, you should then ask the techinician to 'ramp up' the pressure. This means that they will set the machine to slowly build the pressure to where it is not as noticeable of a change. A lot of the newer machines will do this automatically to help you fall asleep before the full pressure begins.

You can also ask for a consult with the person who does mask fittings before your sleep study. Go in during the day and get fitted for a 2-3 masks that you find comfortable that would fit your life style. Bring the list of masks with you to your sleep study to reduce your stress.

Patients tend to prefer a dental device, and studies show that CPAP/APAP machines are often more effective. ULTIMATELY, no appliance is going to work for you if you can't use it due to claustrophobia so be honest with what you feel you can handle. I work in pulmonary medicine and spend half my day with sleep patients. The biggest issue I see with CPAP therapy is patient compliance. I tell people to start off wearing their mask while they are awake watching television to try to ease the transition. I know it has to be hard to get used to wearing the mask. Personally, I brought one home to try for a week to understand how people feel.

Some natural things you can do to reduce sleep apnea include losing weight, quit smoking, avoid caffeine and heavy meals a few hours prior to bed, avoid sedatives (alcohol & sleep aids)(because they relax your throat muscles during sleep), sleep on your side, keep a regular/routine sleep schedule, lift the head of your bed 6 inches, use nasal spray to keep your nasal passages open. You can also Google "throat exercises to reduce sleep apnea."

Just to throw this out there - Sometimes sleep apnea is cause by another underlying condition. Also, there are surgeries which can help correct apnea.