Keeping the mask on

I have been using cpap since Sept 10, ironically my 50th birthday. I have a mirage aptive mask and a cpap setting of 15. My doctor prescribed Ambien as I could not fall asleep with the mask on. I find I am only sleeping between 2 to 3 hours a night with the mask on (according to the timer on the machine) and and then in my sleep I turn off the machine and remove the mask and chin strap. I have no recolleciton of doing this in the morining. My husband says I usually pull at the mask for a while before removing it. We have tried having him tell me to keep it on but he says most of the time I don't listen or he is asleep when I do it. I actually feel a little better even with a short time with the mask then I did when I had a cold and did not wear it at all. I apparently was a mouth breather according to the sleep study so they ordered a chin strap to keep my mouth closed. Do you think a full face mask might make a difference. I also seem to sleep on my side somewhat with my face into the pillow and think this may be part of the problem that I am breaking the seal and the that makes me take it off. Any suggestions from a pro would be welcome.

I am having the exact same problem. When I raise the problem at my sleep clinic they do not seem to have an answer. Has anyone found a way of stopping this.

I apparently open my mouth whilst asleep which could have something to do with this. I have tried a chin strap with little success.

I apparently was a mouth breather according to the sleep study so they ordered a chin strap to keep my mouth closed. Do you think a full face mask might make a difference.

Yes, I do think a full face mask might make a difference - for the good!

Although I could breathe fine through my nose while awake, I had developed a lifelong habit of breathing through my mouth during sleep. Probably that was my body's way of trying to get more air in during my other lifelong habit - horrendous snoring.

During my first months of using a borrowed cpap and borrowed mask, thankfully the nasal mask was a bit too big for me....I was able to pull it down over my mouth and continue my usual mouth-breathing-while-sleeping. If I had had to breathe only through my nose at night, I might not have had as positive a response to this kind of therapy.

A few months later, when I bought my own autopap, I got two masks - a full face mask and a Breeze with nasal pillows. I found myself using the full face mask almost all the time so I could mouth breathe easily. The only way I could wear the Breeze was by taping my lips closed to prevent air leaks. A chin strap would not do anything at all to prevent air leaking from between my lips. My mouth was determined to revert to the old "mouth breathing" habit.

Gradually, I've been able to find far more comfortable ways than tape to stop my night-time mouth breathing, and can now wear either of my nasal pillows interfaces - Breeze and Swift - as well as any covers-the-nose mask, like my favorite - the Activa nasal mask. I still reach for the full face mask (ResMed Ultra Mirage FF) on any nights that I have nasal congestion (like a cold) and want to mouth breathe comfortably.

I'm not a health care professional, but if anyone has difficulty breathing through their nose, feels suffocated using a nasal mask (check first to be sure the low pressure or the ramp is set at least at 6...less pressure than 6 can feel very suffocating to many people) or has problems controlling air leaks through the mouth, I wholeheartedly recommend a full face mask. Throwing a chin strap at the problem seems to be the way of DME's and sleep labs - probably because it's cheap and easy to hand out. Or maybe the infernal things work and satisfied chin strap users don't even need to read message boards. heheh