CPAPtalk.com

Re: Side sleeping and stiff neck in the AM
Posted this to wrong place so re-posting - although you have some much more serious possibilities posted to consider.
Do you use a support system for your hose? I find that mine helps to avoid leaks by reducing, or eliminating pulling.
It might just help to avoid the neck pain by keeping everything supported and out of the way..

Mine is just made form a length 3/4 inch vynal or plastic pipe with a joint and top T on which I suspend
a couple of rubber bands which I thread my hose through. It also needs a the correct bottom pieces to enable it to be stuck under the mattress by way of support for it. It can be cut into shorter lengths to make it more transportable if necessary.
best to punch it into the search system to view it and get proper instructions of course!
OR they have one posted on cpap.com, although some folks say something about one part being more fragile. nothing \fragile
about the piping one

Pugsy wrote:I have documented degenerative disc disease in the cervical spine. The lower strap of the head gear for a nasal mask created such a bind on my neck that it gave me a headache also. It wasn't too awfully tight and it only took about 45 minutes into the titration study for it to hit. Between that and the nasal congestion caused by pressure on the turbinates I had to stop the nasal mask and go to nasal pillows.

Immobility of the cervical spine for any reason can cause headaches and neck pains. I have found over the years that heat applied to the neck gives as much immediate relief as about anything else. Seems to help relieve the muscle tension which is major factor in the headaches.
Brenda

I woke up with a stiff neck after having my strap tight on my cpap and sleeping on 3 pillows now I'm wondering what to do to get rid of stiff and sore neck?

Sometimes I lie very still, especially when I'm having mask trouble, and I wake up hurting all over. I'd call the doctor anyway.

My pillow is a cpap type and I also have a buckwheat pillow. Either one of these after a couple of weeks give me a neck ache . I than switch to this pillow for week: http://www.tempurpedic.com/Contoured-Pi ... Pillow.asp. Prior to the hose this one allowed me to sleep with no neck aches. It isn't compatible full time with any cpap mask.

somojo, if you can (and I am not a doctor) take an OTC pain reliever such as tylenol or advil, etc.. That should help with the pain. The stiffness will probably take a day or two to get better. If it turns out to be a chronic problem, figure out what is causing it- too many pillows, straps too tight in back?

Bobby269 wrote:My pillow is a cpap type and I also have a buckwheat pillow. Either one of these after a couple of weeks give me a neck ache . I than switch to this pillow for week: http://www.tempurpedic.com/Contoured-Pi ... Pillow.asp. Prior to the hose this one allowed me to sleep with no neck aches. It isn't compatible full time with any cpap mask.

Me too - I switch pillow arrangements every few weeks to keep the pain and stiffness managed. I have known disc issues, so that's a complicating factor for me, but I did find that I needed to modify my bed pillow arrangements once I started CPAP.

I use nasal pillows so I don't have a mask strap at my neck. (A neck strap would drive me crazy.) For me, I think there were two contributing factors to why my neck started fussing when I began CPAP. I think that sleeping more soundly and moving less at night, as others have mentioned, was part of it. I also think that it probably takes some time to overcome several decades of holding my neck tightly to try to keep an open airway, pre-CPAP. Now with CPAP, that muscle memory needs to change, and the muscles haven't quite got the memo yet.

I concur that it would be a very good idea to discuss your neck pain with your doctor, to be on the safe side. Necks are complicated things.

[Edit to add: Krazykchan, I just noticed that your signature file says you use the Swift for her - if that is the case, then you may want to have a good hard look at your headgear. The headgear on that looks very similar to mine (I use the Opus 360), and the back strap does not rest anywhere near the neck - it goes over the widest part of the back of my head. Folks who use the Swift would know better than I, but it looks to me as though if that back strap is pressing on your neck, it's not only too tight but is sitting way too low down.]

Hi all

I started getting a sore neck about a year after starting the CPAP.

I am using a RESMED Quatro FX mask.

What had happened was the elastic strap was getting loose, to the point that it was not very elastic at all.

I just kept tightening it more so the mask would fit.

The problem with the elastic getting loose was that the part above the neck( which usually sits about ear level) was working its way down to the base of my neck ( which actually made the mask fit better).

The problem was it was putting constant pressure on this spot and I woke up one day to find that I couldn't move my neck and ended up at the physio.

I figured out this was the problem and just got myself a new elastic strap.

Problem solved.

I have used my c-pap for about 15 years. When I change the elastic strap part for a new one, if I do not cut part of the back off and resew it, I get a very sore neck. If you don't sew, try cutting off the width part of the bottom straps where the sore part is. In other words,make it more narrow. I really helps me.

I sleep on my sides and back during the night and that doesn't have any effect on a sore neck. A too wide strap does tho.

Good luck
Monicatx

You are responding to a post made FOUR YEARS AGO.
In a thread started about 12 years ago.
Fear the walking dead!
Anyway, welcome to the forum.
It is good to check the dates of posts you see, as the forum goes waaaay back.

I know it's been a while since anyone has posted to this thread, but I just got my CPAP last week and have been experiencing the same issues you all have been. Here is what I THINK I figured out. I have my machine on the floor next to the bed. It's not a high bed, but the bulk of the hose is hanging down and resting on the floor. I literally think I'm pulling against gravity with my head all night and that is resulting in the sore neck. As a test this morning I pulled up some slack and just held it in my hand so my head was not feeling the tension and it was immediately improved. I'm going to have to try and figure out some way to keep the weight of the hose from pulling on my head all night because like others have stated...I'm FINALLY resting more, but then this is starting to impact my sleep as well!

Run the hose under your pillow, then out the side to your mask. The pillow will hold it in place.

You can also use a fabric hose cover on the hose and use a safety pin to attach the cover to your bottom sheet (if you use a fitted sheet).

MapGuy77 wrote: ↑

Mon Mar 13, 2023 7:43 am

I have my machine on the floor next to the bed.

IMO, the floor is a poor location for a CPAP.

If you were having trouble with rainout, there are other ways to prevent it.

ChicagoGranny wrote: ↑

Tue Mar 14, 2023 7:39 am

MapGuy77 wrote: ↑

Mon Mar 13, 2023 7:43 am

I have my machine on the floor next to the bed.

IMO, the floor is a poor location for a CPAP.

If you were having trouble with rainout, there are other ways to prevent it.

OTOH a cpap has never fallen off the floor.

IMHO if the cpap is placed inside something (ie. Sterilite plastic container) to prevent it from sucking in dust having it on the floor is not a problem.