Getting started
- My wife has had her machine for ten years and swears by it. I was diagnosed this year and have had the machine for about two months. Still struggling with the mystery of how I manage to remove the mask while asleep (probably going to have to use a video camera for that...) One of the real problems is that my wife "monitors" me while I sleep and wakes me up or puts her hand over my mask to make sure that its working and I'm still breathing. THAT's worse than her having night-starts when she's taking a nap beacuase I go from deap asleep to emergency wide-awake... Gradually getting better and longer sleep but sometimes wake up feeling sleep deprived.
- —Guest byrocat
big problemes
- I have OCD andthe mask headgear is a problem to put on when i repte everything plus I need my glasses and that hurts my face
- —Guest norma
New CPAP user
- I am on my first week of using a CPAP. It's been difficult getting use to it, but I know I need to give it more time. My doctor prescribed a sleep medication to help me get use to it, I have tried it a few nights without and don't sleep well at all, but when I use the medication I sleep much better. I am worried that I will get use to sleeping with the medication that I won't be able to tolerate the CPAP without the meds. So I am trying a night here or there with the meds and then a night or two with meds. Just trying to trick my brain into getting use to falling asleep with my CPAP.
- —Guest April
5 th week of using cpap
- i was diagnosed with OSA about 2 months ago and now been on cpap for 5 weeks now. the first 2 weeks it was real bad, did not get much sleep at all, 3rd week was better and the 4 th week was so good, slept good , did not take very long to fall asleep , slept sound and felt rested , thought cpap where have you been all my life ? . this week i am having problems with my mask sealing so have problems with leaks , problems falling asleep . don't know if there is something wrong with the mask or me. i guess i need to take my mask to my sleep lab to get them to check it out and go from there . have a followup appointment with my sleep specialist next week as well so am looking forward to that so i can talk to him about my ongoing sleep difficulty .
- —gismos
lower humidity
- When I first got my CPAP I ran it with too much humidity. The oil on my face and the water in the air made it impossible for the mask to seal all night. The medical people just said tighten it up more - it was crushing my face - couldn't tighten it up more. Eventually my face and the mask got used to each other, and lowering the humidity really helped. Now I have minor readjustments when I turn over, and I'm all set. After about 2 years (pressure 13), I had lots and lots of troubles with bloating. I switched to an auto-titrating CPAP and things are much much better. I still get occasionally a little bloating - but it doesn't wake me up so I can belch for 5 minutes - so huge improvement!
- —foolmeonce
4 days so far
- wow, I haven't slept this well i10 years. As others have said, getting the mask to fit well really makes a difference. The funny thing is now my wife can't sleep. She checks me 10 times a night to make sure I'm not dead...as the gags, sputters, and wheezes are gone.
- —Guest Maitin
Love CPAP!
- I was diagnosed with really severe apnea (I have one every 30 seconds). It was causing me to gain weight for no reason. Unlike most of you guys I've had it for a week now and my God its good. I also have severe allergies so I use a neti pot several times a week. Since starting to use the CPAP, even in the short time frame, I am losing weight, have zero fatigue and I am enjoying a level of mental clarity I haven't had for years. It's like a fog's been lifted...amazing. I use a full-face mask. Using a neti pot before sleeping really helps with the dryness. I also sleep at a slight incline and it has almost eliminated several problems including leakages and mouth breathing plus I can shift around without it coming off. Finally, I can't stress the importance of good habits: watch your intake during the day (esp caffeine, sugar), exercise and maintain a very consistent schedule, sleeping at the same time in the same place everyday, even on weekends.
- —Guest The Masked Sleeper
1 year anniversary on CPAP
- I cannot say enough about my CPAP. It has stopped me from having to urinate during the night and I feel well rested. I sleep my 8 hours and have energy during the day without feeling sleepy. Not pretty but it's a life saver. Better to feel good than to look good.
- —Guest loy66
Simple Solution
- I'm at a high pressure, 18, and have been doing this for many months. Buy a 2" elastic type Ace bandage and cut it so that you get two wraps around your head, over the mouth and slightly above the neck. It's easy to put on and take off, and you can adjust the tension to your needs. My upper lip folds over the lower and my mouth stays shut. You can also breath or cough through the bandage. I also use a chin strap but I don't have to have it tight. The chin strap has an extra strip which attaches with a Velcro fastener behind your head so it doesn't slide off your head. I use a nose mask now after trying many nose/mouths which always made noise when they leaked with any slight movement. My current set-up has worked very well for many months.
- —Guest Adman
Pressure sores on bridge of nose?
- Hello, Patrick, and others. I couldn't use a nose-and-mouth or full-face mask either (pressure sore within first 4 hours ... after which, things don't improve). In my case, CPAP improved nasal function enough that I could use nasal pillow (I'm breathing thru nose for first time in years -- pretty cool). Dream on, you say? Other options include mouth-only mask or "combi" / "hybrid" mouth-plus-nasal-pillow mask. Both options eliminate the nasty rigid thing pressing against the bridge of the nose, and either one is less claustrophobic than the nose-and-mouth or full-face masks. (See cpap.com -- or one of the many similar retail Web sites -- if your medical supplier doesn't carry masks like that.) For that matter, if one brand of mouth-and-nose mask doesn't fit you, another brand might. But that's more of a long-shot, and a lot harder to figure out by mail-order. Don't let anyone persuade you -- as my sleep tech attempted -- that a mask that gives you sores "just needs getting used to."
- —Guest Ginny
BLOTING
- PLEASE TELL ME HOW TO STOP THE BLOTING. IS IT CAUSE BY THE USE OF THE CPAP . HELP I HAVE ONLY BEN USEING IT ABOUT A MO.
- —Guest TAYLOR
Mouth Breathing
- I use the Duck brand tape, not duct, and before going to sleep I lick my lips and apply 2 strips over it, done!
- —Guest Gerard
Must be a better way
- I've been a cpap user for about 3 years now. It has helped me tremendously, however I am starting to experience more pain, discomfort, than I can stand. I have a deveated septum which makes using a nasal pillow very hard to use without using afrin. So that has left me limited to a full face mask. When I use it it leaves my nose red and scarred. I have learned a neat trick for someone trying to keep your mouth closed without using tape (was tempted to try, but never did it), I took one of my wife's stockings and used it to tie up my chin, try it it works well. Now for the problem with the nose I can't solve. Iv'e tried band aids but they don't help.
- —Guest Patrick
Another open mouth problem
- I find that when my mouth opens when I sleep I end up swallowing air. This doesn't seem to affect my sleep (I NEVER sleep without my CPAP now that I have it), but can lead to an uncomfortable couple of hours when I get up. Just using the CPAP has cut down on an open mouth about 95% or more, but the pressure still will open my mouth enough for the air to go in and then I automatically swallow unless I'm awake enough to realize it.
- —Airycat
Don't jump to conclusions on mask choice
- It is a fact that nasal pillows are far more comfortable than any other. They are light and unobtrusive. Unfortunately those of us who have sever apnea at our titration are used to breathing through our mouths just to be able to breathe as our air passage via our nostrils is closed. Thus we are usually prescribed a full face mask which we then struggle to come to terms with and many quit out of frustration. I found that the cpap machine after opening my nasal passage allowed me to breathe through my nose with no problem and I have used a nasal pillow mask fro one week after starting cpap with much greater comfort. So my advice is be prepared to change mask design to one that is the most comfortable and ignore the numbers for the first few weeks. You will not be sorry. A CONTINUOUS CPAP USER
- —Guest Ron H
