One thing my husband was always concerned about was falling asleep in the mask and then waking up (still in it) and -- for a moment not knowing where he was-- having a panic attack. For that reason, even though he is somewhat claustrophobic, he stopped taking the Ativan after a few days Even the 1/2 tab made him very sleepy.

What we did was take CDs to play -- usually loud blood-and-guts classical music or rock -- and he would lie there with his eyes closed tightly thoroughout, concentrating on the music. After a few weeks, however, he got used to the whole ordeal and towards the end, actually would fall asleep -- he told me he enjoyed the chance to rest -- and he never had a panic attack.

Maybe give music a try ...

Gail