Taking mask off in the middle of the night

[oceanthrsty]

So... does this happen to anybody else...?

In the middle of the night, I'll randomly think, oh it's time to get up. I'll turn off the device and take my mask off. Eventually I kind of roll over, wake up a little and realize.. hey dummy, it's only 2:30am. Then I put it all back on.

This doesn't happen all the time but it happens enough that I'm starting to wonder what's going on.

I'm about 2 months in at this point. I feel that overall this has been a successful addition to my life. My wife especially thinks so.

[gasp]

So glad to hear you're doing well at two months on cpap. Over the years I've read others say they did this at first. Probably you will soon become more aware and not do this.

I used to sleep in a boat on vacations. Once I woke up needing the restroom and severely bonked my head on the low cabin ceiling. That only happened once and I learned to not do it again

[yaconsult]

It's not unusual. Sometimes we have a dream or something and our mind gets confused. What works for some people is to have an LED clock that can be read in the dark. This makes it easy to tell that it's not time to take the mask off yet.

[Goofproof]

Read the clock first. If you do remove the mask, slap yourself three times put the mask back on start the machine, go back to sleep, repeat as needed. Jim

[Sir NoddinOff]

Slapping? Seriously? Anyway, if taking the mask off becomes persistent and nightly you could put some tape on the straps, looping the tape over to secure to your face... that will help make it harder to remove the mask until you've trained yourself to not take it off. I've never heard of it taking more than a few weeks. Some people have used blue masking tape, others have used Nextcare mulitpore... just about anything but Scotch tape will work. For more results type in the search box at top the phrase: removing mask taping. I got eight pages with that search. T'ry other variations of that too.

[Goofproof]

The Slapping, is positive reinforcement, to get you awake enough to realize you are screwing up! Also wearing it hooked up and on while watching t.v. will help you get used to it. Jim

[curems]

So... does this happen to anybody else...?

In the middle of the night, I'll randomly think, oh it's time to get up. I'll turn off the device and take my mask off. Eventually I kind of roll over, wake up a little and realize.. hey dummy, it's only 2:30am. Then I put it all back on.

This doesn't happen all the time but it happens enough that I'm starting to wonder what's going on.

I'm about 2 months in at this point. I feel that overall this has been a successful addition to my life. My wife especially thinks so.

It sounds like things are going well! I'm only one month in so here's a thought from a newbie (as I understand from your OP, you're just curious about why it is happening, not looking for "solutions").

Have you looked at your reports in SleepyHead to see if there is anything of note happening at that time? Is your pressure constant or adjusting? If it varies, is this happening when there is a pressure change? Are there apnea events, snores, etc. at that particular time? Perhaps something is happening to disturb your sleep just enough to make your body think it is time to wake and your first reaction is to remove the cpap before you realize the time.

I add notes to my SleepyHead data to keep track of any changes, issues, etc. They can be really helpful in seeing patterns of what's going on.

[CPAP Expert]

This is very common. You just need more time to settle on CPAP. If you keep replacing the mask and going back to sleep, eventually you'll break the habit. It's no biggie, it will resolve soon enough.

[Garyjames]

I also took it off , use to find it in the morning on the other side of the room LOL

I finally chained it to my face using a small bike chain and a padlock.

[Svenska]

This will change as time goes by. I have had my cpap for about 5 years and a nasal pillow for about 3 of those. I took my full mask off a lot more often than I do my pillow. I am getting much better sleep with the nasal pillow but occasionally I still take it off. Lets face it, its a foreign object on our face so it is bound to happen. We all have those nights.

[ShelaghDB]

I do the same thing if I drink water or other liquids later than several hours before bedtime.

I used to go through hell with my mask until I figured out what was causing it (unrelated to sleep apnea) and now never have any problems with 0.00 - 0.016 readings nightly BUT if I do take it off at all, its because i have the first "inkling" of my kidneys talking to me. More often than night I don't actually need to get up yet but the inkling is there and my body knows. I invariably wake up just enough to take my mask off although by the time i do, I have fallen back asleep and then feel awful when I do wake up. Fortunately it may happen once every few months and I dont personally have to be concerned about my heart etc, but for those that might, IF that is potentially your problem, I have learned to NEVER drink after a certain time before bedtime.

It seems to be the only reason I will ever wake up now and take the mask off.
Only you know if your body is doing the same.

[Sir NoddinOff]

I also took it off , use to find it in the morning on the other side of the room LOL
I finally chained it to my face using a small bike chain and a padlock.

Are you nuts!!! You're supposed to use a staple gun and window caulk