First night on my machine

Well I just had my first night on my new machine. It was interesting, but not as dramatic I was hoping. I kept having issues with my mask leaking periodicaly during the night. Is it normal for there to be a continuous stream of air coming out by the nose? Im not sure why but the mask kept leaking around the bottom. I tightened it up and it would seem to fix it only to have it happen again. I also had a problem with my mouth being really super dry despite having the humidifier. Im not sure how to adjust it but ill try tonight. Its set on auto with the air temp at 73. Another issue I had that im sure will get better, is im really not used to sleeping on my back so it was hard to get what I felt was a really deep sleep. I had an almost uncontrollable urge to rip the mask off my face a couple of times during the night. It was strange but it almost felt like I was having a panic attack, and that I was being suffocated. I resisted the urge to rip it off and a few minutes later the feeling subsided. So for the most part I would say I slept ok. One unusual thing for me is I didn't get up even once to go use the bathroom. I didn't have any dreams like I was hoping I would. I was hoping id wake up bursting with energy, but I still woke up feeling really sleepy. I felt sleepy but much better than I usually do. I usually wake up feeling like ive been hit by a truck. Most remarkable is I didn't wake up with my daily headache, and I feel more rested than usual. My wife remarked that I didn't snore at all! That blew her away! I used to be able to wake the dead with my snoring! In fact she had a hard time sleeping cause shes so used to me snoring, and having to wake me up so ill breathe again. She kept waking up wondering if I was still alive because I was so quiet. One thing that absolutely floored me about my first night was my blood pressure! When I took it last night before bed it was 168/110. This morning it was 136/85!! Absolutley remarkable! I couldn't believe what I was seeing. I took it 3 times and still got the same reading. Amazing! So even though my first night wasn't as mindblowing, and totally life altering like I was hoping it would be, all in all id say it was a good first night. Hopefully as I get more used to sleeping on my back, and having a machine attached to my face, ill sleep deeper, and the dreams will come back. Im so happy I did this. I feel like im finally on the road to recovery.

Hi - first of all, why do you think you should sleep on your back - it actually provokes a lot more apneas. Most of us try hard to not sleep that way, putting things behind us, etc! If they asked you to back sleep when tested, that was so they could get a 'baseline' worst scenario for future testing... to see what results they found when you did that, but you're not meant to sleep that way otherwise.

And if no one explained it to you, that 'continuous stream of air' is actually CO2 being vented from a small patch (take a look) of tiny holes, and you don't want to rebreathe that, so make sure you don't cover it with bedding, etc., because it's unpleasant to rebreathe and certainly not good for you.

Hello from another relative newbie -

Congratulations on making through your first night without ripping off your mask. My DME assured me I'd find mine on the floor more than once. Hasn't happened, but seems to be common. You're just not used to it yet! When your brain figures out the mask is good for it, it will stop pitching a fit. So hang in there.

Ask anyone here - Getting the right mask and adjusting it properly can be a long process. Another thing you just have to stick with it to accomplish, but the rewards are great. Mine leaked a lot the first few days too. But I got SleepyHead, so I could see how I was doing, and reassure myself that the leaks weren't wrecking my therapy. So I could concentrate on the comfort aspect of making minor adjustments until they stopped.

Dry mouth - a number of people here use some kind of oral jell to help that. If you have to breathe through your mouth, that's a possible answer. Humidification is another thing that you tinker with until you're happy with it. Auto may not work the best for you - you may need more (or maybe less, who knows?).

If your mouth falls open, try a chin strap. I've got a Ruby. I feel like a horse getting bridled at night, but it works well. Also helps stop leaks, I find, because my face is moving less. Yes, another thing to get used to, but it's comfortable, so it didn't take long.

By all means, stay off your back. There are any number of pillows designed for side-sleeping xPAP users out there, from memory foam with cutouts to buckwheat husk. So you can accommodate your mask, stay in a position that is more comfortable and gets you fewer events, and have a better sleep.

Good luck !

Check out this blog about fitting the Mirage Quattro
https://maskarrayed.wordpress.com/tamin ... e-quattro/
No, it shouldn't leak into the eyes. Something is not right....either fit or size.

Congratulations on surviving the first night. It will get better but taming the mask is probably the hardest part of this therapy and if you can't tame it...try a different mask. Make use of whatever mask swapping allowance your DME equipment supplier has and try other masks.

On the plus side...even with a leaky mask you see some improvement. No, you didn't wake up wanting to run a marathon but you know even without OSA when we wake up all night for other reasons we don't feel so great. When we wake up a lot during the night we just don't feel so great no matter what the reason.

I know people want to wake up with the miracle and fell amazing and a bundle of fire in terms of energy because we read that others do....I was the same way and I just knew I would have that miracle but you know what? Those miracles aren't the norm...they are actually not common especially the first few nights when we are getting used to have the mask on our face and waking up with leaks and just the idea of this alien sitting on our face. For me it wasn't an overnight miracle but more of a gradual improvement in how I felt. Some things like the absence of the killer headache....and the absence of the getting up every hour to pee...and my husband not complaining about the snores....were pretty immediate but the elusive "energy" thing...that one was much harder.

Give it time...work through the mask issues and yes, there will be mask issues and things will get better.
This mask stuff is probably the hardest part to all this therapy.

Mr_Adrian70 wrote:Well I just had my first night on my new machine. It was interesting, but not as dramatic I was hoping. I kept having issues with my mask leaking periodicaly during the night. Is it normal for there to be a continuous stream of air coming out by the nose? .

mask liners (search on the forum, or google) made all the difference for me when using a full face mask.

they don't prevent all leaks, but they do diffuse them so they're much less disturbing, if at all. and they help prevent the problem that occurs if your face gets oily or sweaty at night, because if that happens, the mask won't seal.

Julie wrote:Hi - first of all, why do you think you should sleep on your back - it actually provokes a lot more apneas. Most of us try hard to not sleep that way, putting things behind us, etc! If they asked you to back sleep when tested, that was so they could get a 'baseline' worst scenario for future testing... to see what results they found when you did that, but you're not meant to sleep that way otherwise.

I have slept on my back all my life. Sometimes at night I might sleep on my side but sleeping on my back is by far the most comfortable position for me. I don't try hard to sleep any other way because I wouldn't be able to.

So for myself, I am "meant to sleep that way."

"Hopefully as I get more used to sleeping on my back" is what you said in your first note, so I felt that you were trying to do it rather than already used to it...

Julie wrote:"Hopefully as I get more used to sleeping on my back" is what you said in your first note, so I felt that you were trying to do it rather than already used to it...

Julie, the first poster hasn't replied back so you may still be right.

I used to sleep on my stomach, so sleeping on my back or my side will take some getting used to. I take it sleeping on my back is not advisable so for my 2nd night ill try sleeping on my side.

I have always slept on my stomach and I find I have no problem sleeping on sides and stomach with the P10. If you have no trouble breathing through your nose this may be a possibility down the road. Have you down loaded Sleepyhead where you can monitor your leaks and data? If not here is a link that can help you. https://sleep.tnet.com/resources/sleepyhead

I kinda wondered, but ...

Mr_Adrian70 wrote:I used to sleep on my stomach, so sleeping on my back or my side will take some getting used to. I take it sleeping on my back is not advisable so for my 2nd night ill try sleeping on my side.

It's fine to sleep on your back, or on your side, or on your stomach. Do what works best for you.

Just check your data to figure out whether your apnea is under control.

Back sleeping makes apnea worse for some people, but with the right pressure, you can probably eliminate apenas even on your back. Your pressure was probably set based on sleeping on your back, and your auto machine should adjust up or down as needed.

Stomach or side sleeping may make it harder to keep your mask from leaking, but many CPAP'ers make it work.