HELP!

I have not slept in 3 years! My husband has a CPAP machine- the mask is always leaking; and the air is always blowing on me---sometimes the machine whines, and the leaking makes it sound like a serious storm or something----

I have purchased sealing gel, those mask covers; extra head gear so that if he is stretching it out he can use a new one every week! I really cannot afford this financially; and I really must get some sleep as i work in a very intense job that requires my 100% focus as it is in a chaotic crisis / forensic environment-

Anyway-- there must be something I am missing--is the mask too small? Wrong brand? Wrong style? He said he had this whole thing fitted when he first got it; is the entire set up wrong? there has to be something that I can do. We do not have enough room in the house for me to take a separate bedroom.

play one of these on your phone. white noise may be the answer
https://www.youtube.com/user/RelaxingWhiteNoise

I run a fan in our room to drown out noise. The machine and mask vents are somewhat noisy. You sure one of you can't move to sleep in another room?

Sheriff

Noise-canceling headphones/earbuds.
Or just earplugs.
I suspect you are sensitive to sounds that others rarely even notice.

I don't know about all the leaks you describe, one however is designed into every mask. These holes, usually by where the hose attaches are used to make sure there is always fresh air inside mask as they don't want a build up of Carbon Dioxide and whatever else gets exhaled.
If your bed partner sleeps on their side facing you, this air will blow on you.

Some CPAP masks have many holes which diffuse the air (Resmed Airfit F20) instead of having all the air shoot out one hole. (Resmed Mirage line)

What I do, I'm the hose head, is sleep on my side pointing away from them. Nope not as intimate to turn my back to them.
When I do sleep towards them, I bunch the sheets up to create a wall. Take note, This can make noise as well, when the sheets, or pillow get too close to the vents I talked about.

Last, I/we don't know what machine he has, older machines are louder than the newer ones. Mine is relatively quiet, but I don't hear it at all when it is under the bed.

Hope this is a start to helping you.

PS I wear earplugs because my bed partner snores.

BBachmeier wrote:I have not slept in 3 years! My husband has a CPAP machine- the mask is always leaking; and the air is always blowing on me---sometimes the machine whines, and the leaking makes it sound like a serious storm or something----

I have purchased sealing gel, those mask covers; extra head gear so that if he is stretching it out he can use a new one every week! I really cannot afford this financially; and I really must get some sleep as i work in a very intense job that requires my 100% focus as it is in a chaotic crisis / forensic environment-

Anyway-- there must be something I am missing--is the mask too small? Wrong brand? Wrong style? He said he had this whole thing fitted when he first got it; is the entire set up wrong? there has to be something that I can do. We do not have enough room in the house for me to take a separate bedroom.

Hi... even though your husband was fitted that doesn't mean he was fitted correctly. When a person is leaking as much as you suggest, many times it means that therapy isn't optimized. Since it's been 3 years, I would suggest he look into getting a different mask. It doesn't make sense that he needs new headgear every week. Most use headgear for months at a time. It's very possible he isn't using the best mask for him.

Also, what machine and mask is he presently using? Do you know his pressure(s)? The machine shouldn't be whining. If you give us more information, I'm sure you'll get more useful responses so that both of you can get some restorative sleep.

BBachmeier wrote:I have not slept in 3 years! My husband has a CPAP machine- the mask is always leaking; and the air is always blowing on me---sometimes the machine whines, and the leaking makes it sound like a serious storm or something----

I have purchased sealing gel, those mask covers; extra head gear so that if he is stretching it out he can use a new one every week! I really cannot afford this financially; and I really must get some sleep as i work in a very intense job that requires my 100% focus as it is in a chaotic crisis / forensic environment-

Anyway-- there must be something I am missing--is the mask too small? Wrong brand? Wrong style? He said he had this whole thing fitted when he first got it; is the entire set up wrong? there has to be something that I can do. We do not have enough room in the house for me to take a separate bedroom.

Maybe it's his bed pillow. For this therapy, if the pillow is too soft or the users head sinks too deeply into it, that can push the mask out of alignment and leak like crazy. It could also account for a machine revving up to try to maintain the pressure it's supposed to be delivering.
But, first you need to identify where the noises are coming from. Could be "anything".
You could also try putting a barrier (like another pillow) between your pillows to minimize the air or noise from hitting you.

The other option is to find another place to sleep...........


Den

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If you have not slept in 3 years you could make a lot of money writing about how this affected you, or go on talk shows and tell your story. I am in awe of your ability to survive this experience. Do you need an agent?