Newby having difficulty with mask and falling asleep

[kiefferfam]

Hello,

I'm a new CPAP user. It's been a week and a half of "hell" should I say. I am on my third mask and while it is one of the best I have had, I still have issues. First off, I am a light sleeper and I am having a very difficult time falling asleep with the mask on. I feel I lay there awake for the 4 hours and then take the mask off and that is when I get my sleep.

The other issue is that at around 13-14 the mask starts to leak and makes an annoying noise that then keeps me awake. I keep trying to adjust it but nothing seems to stop it. I feel like the leak is around the bottom of the mask and about every 20 seconds will make this noise like the air is escaping from the mask.

I just don't know what else to do. I feel like the disruption in my sleep is not helping. Since I am a light sleeper will I ever get used to falling asleep with this mask on??

Any advice would be greatly appreciated from those that have been through this.

I am currently using an F30i mask. I was originally in a medium and went to a small. That did help with some of the air leakage.

[zonker]

Any advice would be greatly appreciated from those that have been through this.

welcome to the zoo!

believe it or not, we have all pretty much been through this. there are exceptions. there are people who put on the mask and go right to sleep. the lucky devils!

for the rest of us, it's a task. and it's not that hard to figure why. your brain is shrieking at you "get this thing OFF OF YOUR FACE! you're gonna die. it's trying to kill us!!". forum moderator calls it "the alien on your face" and that pretty much sums it up.

so, what to do? try tricking your brain. get it slowly used to this alien. wear the mask when you aren't in bed. where it while awake, not hooked to the machine and doing some sort of simple tasks or chores around the house. or while doing some hobby. or reading. you get the picture.

train your brain to ignore the mask while giving it a distraction. before you know it, you'll be used to the mask and you can start wearing it with the machine.

good luck!

[CyberSpiff]

Even at 8+ months I still get spells when it takes me hours to fall asleep, even after weeks/months of dropping off in 5-10 minutes. The most difficult part for me is not taking a nap during the day and avoiding caffeine knowing full well it will just prolong the cycle.

Hang in there. It's a problem many of us face at times.

Regarding the leaks, while I use an F20 not an F30i, quite often we get facial oils on the mask which can cause it to slip. Cleaning it with wipes is very helpful. I also shaved so only have a mustache and goatee, which helped a lot as well compared to a full beard. Check out some YouTube videos from The Lanky Lefty to get advice on properly fitting your mask.

[Janknitz]

When you have an auto adjusting CPAP and you set your mask not to leak at the lower pressure, it may not hold at a higher pressure.

Use the "mask fit" feature on your machine to set the pressure at it's maximum, and fit your mask at the higher pressure. Then reset it for the normal range of pressures. This should help with the leak issue you are having.

[Julie]

Do you take any meds that could have any effect on your not sleeping soon after lying down?

[scf]

I can totally sympathize with you. I could have written the exact same thing. It is hell when you first start in this journey.

This may be of no help but I will throw it out there. The sleep clinic told me I had poor sleep hygiene. So I followed their directions and it made a whale of a difference. I stopped going to bed when I was tired, but not really sleepy. It took 20 mins to 2 hrs to go to sleep. Now I do not go near the bed until I am so sleepy I cannot hold my eyes open. Since the body responds to light and darkness in regards to sleep, I either stay off of my numerous electronic devices with the bright screens or darken the screen way down. Of course no caffeine after 2 pm, and that includes chocolate, cocoa etc. NO rich snacks before going to bed. For the first time in years I fall asleep in 10 mins.

I solved the leak problem by getting a mask liner.

You can do this. Hang in there and there will come a night when you pop that mask on, turn the machine on and go to sleep.
Your health is at stake here, so stick with it.