Can Using A CPAP Machine Cause Nightmares?

Can Using A CPAP Machine Cause Nightmares? (Answered!)

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Some people certainly do experience heightened nightmares as a result of using a CPAP machine. The CPAP can interfere with a restful night’s sleep, and can cause nightmares that way. It can also have the opposite effect, though, so it very much depends on the person.

 

So, the simple answer is yes it can—although there’s no guarantee that it will.

Indeed, it doesn’t even seem to be especially likely.

That said, if you are having problems with your CPAP machine causing nightmares, there are many things you can do to combat this.

Let’s take a look into this.

Can Using A CPAP Machine Cause Nightmares?

 

Related – Can Sleep Apnea Cause Nightmares? (Answered!)

 

Does using a CPAP machine cause nightmares?

It certainly can, though there’s no guarantee of this.

Given that CPAP machines are designed to treat a condition that can, in itself, often cause increased instances of nightmares, it’s often difficult to say what exactly is the cause.

But CPAP machines certainly can take a lot of getting used to, as they are fairly cumbersome things.

At first, it could often lead to nightmares or at least increased dreaming as you take time to get used to it.

Indeed, one study actually showed that the use of CPAP machines decreased the instances of vivid dreaming in patients by around 20%.

So, it’s really not entirely clear.

While we can say for sure that CPAP machines could cause nightmares in some people, overall, it seems more likely to have the opposite effect.

Especially if the patient is using one as a treatment for sleep apnea, which very often causes nightmares.

Let’s look at exactly why this could be, then.

 

Why can using a CPAP machine cause nightmares?

The simplest explanation is to do with the deepness of sleep.

Sleep goes through cycles each night, the deepest of which being REM sleep.

This is where most dreaming occurs. If REM sleep is disturbed, dream recall is much higher—this is often what we mean when we say we have had nightmares or dreams.

CPAP machines, while they will eventually help with sleep apnea and make sleep easier, can be irritating and uncomfortable at first.

In this stage, where the patient is just getting used to the machine, it could disrupt the ability to get into deep sleep, and thus dream recall will be higher.

At the same time, the study I mentioned showed that, while dream recall was the same, the emotional intensity of the dreams was indeed stronger in those CPAP patients that did have dreams.

This is, theoretically, because our dreams also become more vivid when we are in deeper sleep.

For sleep apnea patients, this is hard to achieve without a CPAP machine.

It’s a bit of a tricky one, then, but the basic answer is that they disrupt our sleep or make it deeper.

Is there a way we can stop CPAP machines from causing nightmares, then?

 

How to stop CPAP machine causing nightmares

The best piece of advice I can give you is that it will almost certainly get better with time.

If you have just started using your CPAP machine, and are having nightmares, they will almost certainly pass as you get more used to it.

That said, there are many simple, lifestyle choices you can make to improve your chances of a good night’s sleep.

A strict routine is perhaps your best bet.

Going to bed and waking up at the same time every day is a great way to get your body into a good rhythm, and give yourself the best chance of falling asleep soundly.

Other than that, with your doctor’s advice, some light exercise a few times a week will use up your body’s excess energy, preventing it from keeping you awake late at night.

If your CPAP machine does not stop giving you nightmares, you should consult your doctor.

 

Does a CPAP machine cause night terrors?

It’s very unlikely.

If you aren’t already a sufferer of night terrors, then it’s very improbable that a CPAP machine would cause night terrors.

They’re vanishingly rare in adults.

Children who suffer from sleep apnea, though, who may also be required to use a CPAP machine, could experience night terrors as a result.

Again, it usually won’t be the direct cause, but there could certainly be an association between the two.

If your child seems to be having night terrors when using their CPAP machine, you should consult a doctor as soon as you can.

 

So, it can really be a mixed bag.

The basic idea of a CPAP machine is to make sleep more comfortable and restful, but it doesn’t work this way for everyone.

For the majority of people, though, using a CPAP machine shouldn’t cause nightmares.

Changes in dreaming, perhaps, more vivid and stranger dreams, but there is no link shown between CPAPs and nightmares, as such.

 

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