Only had mine about 2 weeks now ( the mask ) and it too seemed hard to get apart to clean PLUS, many times as I rolled around in bed the hose would swivel and the plastic would squeak. SO............ while it was apart I smeared a little vaseline on to the outside on the swivel and presto. in/out mu...

I use foam earplugs, been sleeping with them for years. When I first started on CPAP 9 months ago, I noticed that they kind of amplify my breathing sounds. But I'm a light sleeper, so earplugs are good for me. But no problems combining the ear plugs and CPAP machine.