Not going well

I don't have my account and password at the moment.

I was diagnosed with moderate OSA in Sept 2015. Still massively fatigued and still not able to treat the OSA. I cannot tolerate CPAP due to removing my mask in my sleep. I get 1-2 hours then, I remove it (3-4 hours at best). I tried tape and oven mitts, but I will defeat anything. The best mask for me thus far are the nasal pillows (Airfit P10). Currently I am using an oral appliance, but will take more adjustment to bring my lower jaw forward to the range where I may be effectively treating my apnea.

I still have not given up on CPAP. Every night I fill up my tank with ice cubes and water, and put an ice pack on the side. The CPAP air normally feels stuffy and warm to me, so this helps bring the air closer to how room temperature air feels. I also experimented with ramp and pressure ranges and EFR, but it doesn't make a difference to me.

One thing I have not tried is the suggestion of an alarm clock - on the other side of the room -- to wake me up after 4 hours of sleep. That could give me the opportunity to rearrange the bedding, hose, readjust the mask, and get comfortable again. However, I'm not sure an alarm pulling me out of sleep is a good idea. The machine itself should have an alarm (RESMED 10 APAP) to go off when the mask comes off but mine does not. Unfortunately, I can lay immobilized despite the sound of whooshing air.

Do some of you feel cpap discomfort when you drift out of sleep? With regards to the mask and the air. I think the only way this can be a long term success is if the air pressure and the mask pressing against the nose are not noticeable, like the way the oral appliance disappears from my notice until morning. In other words, it should be fairly comfortable.

Since it is not comfortable, I look to the restraints option. Would wearing BOXING GLOVES work?

What kind of tape did you try? I would try a strong tape: there is no way you would tear this off without waking up: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00ZV ... UTF8&psc=1

Also, wear the P10 pillows during the day or when doing something at night. Get used to them. The P10 is probably one of the most, if not the most, "can't tell they are even on my face" masks possible on the market. You may have anxiety issues that you need to address.

If you're using a heated humidifier and/or hose, have you tried turning the heat down/off? However obvious that might sound (people do forget).

No, no humidity. Air needs to be as cool as possible.

I use a strong 3M tape, obviously I wake up enough to peel it off and drift back to sleep. At the moment I'm removing it, I feel like I MUST remove it, either that , or I think its time to rise and I will get up in a few minutes.

JF9NUYRP wrote:No, no humidity. Air needs to be as cool as possible.

I use a strong 3M tape, obviously I wake up enough to peel it off and drift back to sleep. At the moment I'm removing it, I feel like I MUST remove it, either that , or I think its time to rise and I will get up in a few minutes.

With the humidity turned off, the air you are getting from the mask is the room air. It may feel warm but it is room temp.

I know the air is room temp, but going through the hose/mask , it feels warm and stuffy. Perhaps its picking up a plastic/silicon scent.

Not sure of your history. Have you already checked your data to see if something is going on, like a prolonged event, that precedes mask removal? Soemtimes mask removal can be due to a need for pressure increase, if one feels they are not getting enough air. As far as removing the mask, it seems the tape you used is not enough to cause pain upon removal. I wouldn't want you to put on anything that will do skin damage when removed, but something a bit stronger seems in order. It is not the intricacy of accomplishing the task of removal that matters. Folks have told stories on here about what all they managed to do with no awareness. Pain upon removal is the key to waking.

The tape removal is painful enough - When the I wake up just enough to remove it, then drift back to sleep.

ONCE IN A WHILE I am lucky, and the air feels cool and fresh, and when I wake up, I secure the mask on my face, and drift back to sleep.

Last night I got 1 hour 17 minutes when this happened. Though the AC was on, It was warm in the room. The air felt awful (suffocating feeling) My pressure typically use is 12 CMH2O , but I have set it to something like 10 - 15 auto recently.

I generally cannot find any significant event preceding these. It might be a spontaneous arousal which does not get recorded.

I tend to feel best on Thursday (today) regardless of my sleep stats. The rhythm of my schedule is playing a large role as well. I have to monitor my sleep schedule and avoid sleeping in on the weekends. I just came across a bunch of articles that say to do just that.

Yeah - research suggests that the most important parts of sleep hygiene are: (1) getting up within 30 minutes of the same time every morning (including weekends) and (2) not taking naps. Then just go to bed when your body tells you it is time to go to bed. After a few weeks of this, your sleep patterns should be reset and your sleeping and waking times should normalize. After your sleep patterns have normalized, you don't need to follow the regime quite so strictly, but significant changes may require you to go back through the reset cycle.

Nick Danger

davep7000 wrote:I don't have my account and password at the moment.

I was diagnosed with moderate OSA in Sept 2015. Still massively fatigued and still not able to treat the OSA. I cannot tolerate CPAP due to removing my mask in my sleep. I get 1-2 hours then, I remove it (3-4 hours at best). I tried tape and oven mitts, but I will defeat anything. The best mask for me thus far are the nasal pillows (Airfit P10). Currently I am using an oral appliance, but will take more adjustment to bring my lower jaw forward to the range where I may be effectively treating my apnea.

I still have not given up on CPAP. Every night I fill up my tank with ice cubes and water, and put an ice pack on the side. The CPAP air normally feels stuffy and warm to me, so this helps bring the air closer to how room temperature air feels. I also experimented with ramp and pressure ranges and EFR, but it doesn't make a difference to me.

One thing I have not tried is the suggestion of an alarm clock - on the other side of the room -- to wake me up after 4 hours of sleep. That could give me the opportunity to rearrange the bedding, hose, readjust the mask, and get comfortable again. However, I'm not sure an alarm pulling me out of sleep is a good idea. The machine itself should have an alarm (RESMED 10 APAP) to go off when the mask comes off but mine does not. Unfortunately, I can lay immobilized despite the sound of whooshing air.

Do some of you feel cpap discomfort when you drift out of sleep? With regards to the mask and the air. I think the only way this can be a long term success is if the air pressure and the mask pressing against the nose are not noticeable, like the way the oral appliance disappears from my notice until morning. In other words, it should be fairly comfortable.

Since it is not comfortable, I look to the restraints option. Would wearing BOXING GLOVES work?

Get one of those belts like they put on convicts to control them, lock your hands to your waist, but then you lose the option of saving yourself if you need to. Best thing is learn to control your actions, so they will automatically do what you need.

\It's a case on Mind over Matter, If you don't control your mind, little else Matters. Jim

When you body does something that's not in it's best interest, don't let it get by with it. If it was a dog, I'd sleep with a rolled up newspaper.

Have you considered different masks? I've only ever used the Dreamwear, where the hose comes out of the top of the head, is dropped down behind the bed and routed to the machine. For me, simple, easy and very comfortable. At this point I can't imagine having a mask with a tube in front. I believe it would get all tangled up in my arms, blankets, etc.

I have that mask . I might try to go through my collection of masks again to find if it makes a difference.

It's possible that I pull off my mask because I don't have as much executive control coming out of sleep that I do before going into sleep. But there is something telling me this should be more comfortable. Then, in that case, I need to experiment some more.

The four-hour alarm clock is not ideal, but perhaps a good idea in your case (until you get used to CPAP).

Also, make a rule that the mask goes on at night and does not come off until morning. If you need to use the toilet, simply remove the hose from the mask, and place it back when you return.

If you're using the ramp and find that you remove the mask in the first hour, try disabling the ramp. If that doesn't work, try raising the the pressure a bit.

Also, blow your nose thoroughly immediately before putting on the mask, whether you think you need to or not.

I got a full night of usage last night I set my air conditioning temperature to 68 and put the remote sensor next to my bed. The external temperature sensor gives a more accurate reading of the room temperature.

I do have troubles with the air temp because my body likes the room to be warm, but my nose does not. In winter I had tried running a tube from the window with a fan on one end, to bring cool outside air to the CPAP intake, but the air did not smell clean.