Wearing a sleep apnea mask?

[doxford jim]

Thought I would mention my concerns for last night - I use the CPAP machine daily.
Last night we had our power go out at around 9pm - no big deal normally. Weather is still relatively mild so I didn't bother firing up the standby generator for heating etc. I figured it would be a short, say 30 min power outage - well I was wrong. I went to bed at around 9.30pm and tried to sleep without using the CPAP machine - couldn't do it. It felt like I was being restricted whilst breathing normally. This went on for three hours until the power came back on about half past midnight. Suddenly everything started working - heat pump started up and the circulating air fan ran - cooled down the (too) warm bedroom. I was able to put the CPAP mask on and get to sleep straight away.

I would never have believed it if I hadn't experienced myself. A person gets so used to the assisted breathing that it is difficult trying to sleep without the CPAP. Least ways, that has been my experience.

 

[Alan L.]

I am about 7 or 8 weeks in to using a CPAP. I am sleeping OK seems like, but I have not realized the benefits of not feeling tired during the day. Some nights I wear it 7 hours, others 4 or less. Sometimes I wake up and the mask is above my pillow and I'm not wearing it. Other times I get up to pee and don't put it back on. My biggest complaint is I can't scratch my nose. Also, sometimes the mask feels like it rubs my face raw during the night and I have to take it off. Some nights my face gets wet inside. Not sure if it is the humidifier causing it or if I am just sweating in it. I have the heat set on 2 out of 5.

In my sleep study I had about 15 events per hour (doc called it moderate). Funny how they measured these events when I didn't even sleep during the test....

Now the machine tells me I have about 1-2 "AHI" per night. On my followup the doc said this is good, that the CPAP is doing its job. I hope I get to feeling the benefit because it is a pain at this point, thought I am starting to get used to it.

One other thing I hate is I have stripes on face every morning that are still there when I get to work. Kind of embarrassing.

 

[Bird]

A person gets so used to the assisted breathing that it is difficult trying to sleep without the CPAP. Least ways, that has been my experience.

Yep, me too.

I am sleeping OK seems like, but I have not realized the benefits of not feeling tired during the day.

Me, too, even after 6 months. I'm OK for a short time early in the morning, but most of the time I feel tired and weak. I guess I'm inclined to attribute that to advancing age, though.

My biggest complaint is I can't scratch my nose.

Yep, I suspect that's common.:laughing:

Sometimes I wake up and the mask is above my pillow and I'm not wearing it.

I've only had that happen twice in 6 months.

Some nights my face gets wet inside. Not sure if it is the humidifier causing it or if I am just sweating in it. I have the heat set on 2 out of 5.

Now that's something I've never had happen. I think my machine was originally set on 3, but when I complained of dry mouth, I was told to turn it up a notch, so mine's on 4. And it does use up all the water in the tank every night.

One other thing I hate is I have stripes on face every morning that are still there when I get to work.

Wow! Never had that happen (or at least I don't think so:laughing. My first thought is that you must have that mask on really tight.

 

[PhysAssist]

I am about 7 or 8 weeks in to using a CPAP. I am sleeping OK seems like, but I have not realized the benefits of not feeling tired during the day. Some nights I wear it 7 hours, others 4 or less. Sometimes I wake up and the mask is above my pillow and I'm not wearing it. Other times I get up to pee and don't put it back on. My biggest complaint is I can't scratch my nose. Also, sometimes the mask feels like it rubs my face raw during the night and I have to take it off. Some nights my face gets wet inside. Not sure if it is the humidifier causing it or if I am just sweating in it. I have the heat set on 2 out of 5.

In my sleep study I had about 15 events per hour (doc called it moderate). Funny how they measured these events when I didn't even sleep during the test....

Now the machine tells me I have about 1-2 "AHI" per night. On my followup the doc said this is good, that the CPAP is doing its job. I hope I get to feeling the benefit because it is a pain at this point, thought I am starting to get used to it.

One other thing I hate is I have stripes on face every morning that are still there when I get to work. Kind of embarrassing.

Hi Alan,
Are you using a full face mask, or nasal pillow masl?

If you are using a full face and can get a nasal pillow mask you may be a lot more comfortable.

I had all the same issues that you do, and they were all negated by switching to the nasal pillow mask (not that it didn't take a couple of nights to get used to).

The straps are on the top and back of my head, so no strap lines, no mask or straps rubbing on my face and no having my mouth covered by the mask.

At first I was concerned that I would try to revert to breathing with my mouth open (like I did during my sleep test with c-pap) which gives you feeling that everything is trying to go the wrong way... But it just didn't happen.

BTW, the feeling of not having slept during a sleep test is very common, but the eeg and other monitors don't lie about what state your brain is in.

I have heard from many patients that they are not even sleeping at home, you know, the "I saw every hour last night" sensatipn, but then you look at objective measures of sleep those people may have microawakenings, they spend way more asleep than they realize.

Thomas

 

[check]

Keep it up, folks - great thread!

 

[PRF]

I finally (after 2 months) was able to sleep all night with the nose mask on, but had terrible gas and nausea all throughout the day.. My machine apparently adjusts automatically so the Dr prescribed a BiPap machine which I should be getting this week.. Evidently the BiPap has a greatly reduced pressure on the exhale stroke where the air gets into the stomach.. Hopefully this will resolve the gas... Anyone else get bad gas??

Never had a gas with my cpap. What do adjust to make that happen ?

Evidently the bipap machine has more adjustability so the pressure can be lowered on the exhale stroke and keep the air from building up in the stomach.. I'm still waiting to get it and will post a report once I try it.. Great thread fellas !

 

[Complete Turf Care]

Got the call from the sleep center yesterday. They said I stop breathing for at least 10 seconds an average of about 35 times per hour. So that means I stop breathing every 2 minutes, and therefore I briefly wake up every 2 minutes to breath again.

I have scheduled another 'sleep over' at the sleep center to determine the settings for my machine.

 

[MNBobcat]

I absolutely love my cpap and would use it even if I didn't have to. I sleep so good with it.

I've almost eliminated sinus infections since getting it. I used to get 4 or 5 sinus infections a year. I believe the moisture fixed my sinus problems.

I have no problems wearing it other than there are times where I get water in the lines and then it whistles through the overflow hole in the mask. Changing the heat setting to reduce the moisture level doesn't seem to help. But that doesn't happen often so all in all I really like it.

 

[Bird]

I absolutely love my cpap and would use it even if I didn't have to. I sleep so good with it.

I've almost eliminated sinus infections since getting it. I used to get 4 or 5 sinus infections a year. I believe the moisture fixed my sinus problems.

I have no problems wearing it other than there are times where I get water in the lines and then it whistles through the overflow hole in the mask. Changing the heat setting to reduce the moisture level doesn't seem to help. But that doesn't happen often so all in all I really like it.

Love it? I don't even LIKE it. It's a nuisance to use and maintain.:laughing: But I do like the results so I'll keep on using mine.

Water in the line? I've never had that happen. Where is your device positioned? The manual with my humidifier says "WARNING: The humidifier must always be positioned below the breathing circuit connection at the mask and the air outlet on the device."

So mine is on a small (low) stool beside the bed; not an arrangement that I really like, but it works.

 

[newbury]

Great thread

Went visit my doctor for my regular checkup last week, and he suggested I have sleep apnea and ordered a sleep study. Well, they called me yesterday (Sept 30) and said they can schedule a consultation as early as November 17. And that's not the study, that's just the consultation!!!!.

I'm not sure I have apnea, but I do snore a fair amount. (At least that's what my wife says). I think I sleep well most nights, except when she keeps slugging me to tell me to stop snoring. I've always been a morning person, and I am most alert early in the morning. I don't remember being sleepy while driving. I do get sluggish after lunch most days.

I'm ready to have the test done and see the results. After reading most of this thread, it seems that almost everyone who needs the CPAP is very happy and relieved when they start using it.

SWMBO has had LOUD SNORING problems since I met her in 1983. When we occasionally stayed at the MIL's I noticed the MIL also caused plaster to fall from the ceiling. I could not convince her to go in for a sleep test because she does not seem to stop breathing.

I have a son-in-law who has had a CPAP device for several years but used it infrequently until about the time I got mine, and he started using it more because his snoring was keeping everyone else in the house awake. Our daughter spent a few nights in the hospital this year and he stayed in the room with her one night and a nurse came to wake him up because his snoring was disturbing other patients up and down the hall.:laughing:

That sounds like my situation until recently. SWMBO used to start lightly around 2 a.m. and by 3 a.m. it would wake people in other rooms. This would occur about 3 times a week or more.

She bought one of those "foam wedge pillows" that effectively reclines her like a hospital bed by elevating her head by about 4". She has been using that for about 2 months now and it has GREATLY reduced the volume of her snoring. I have not been woken by snoring for two months, and I can finally get a full nights sleep. Just wish we could have found that out 40 years ago.

I almost wrote about it a month ago, but decided it needed a longer test. It does not eliminate her snoring but it's the difference between the sound level of my VW TDI idling and driving inside the cab of my E350 7.3L diesel van with the doghouse off, or my little Stihl 021 35cc idling and my Stihl 088 120cc at WOT.

Keep it up, folks - great thread!

Ditto.