Cpap no dice

[kriminal]

Got my cpap machine 2 weeks ago, respironics cflex and got mirage full face mask, but I cannot seem to fall asleep with it longer than 20 minutes no matter how tired I am.

Any tips really appreciated, I'm very desperate

I end up taking the mask off and to get some amount of asleep and waking up very tired

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CPAPopedia Keywords Contained In This Post (Click For Definition): cpap machine, respironics, mirage, cflex

[bdp522]

You can try wearing the mask with the cpap on during the day, while awake. Just watch tv or read for a while, to help take your mind off it. It will help you get used to it sooner.
It takes time to get used to all of this. You have to decide that you WILL make it work for you. Then you have to give yourself time to adjust to it all.

Brenda

[kteague]

Hi. Getting used to this foreign stuff on one's face does take a while.

One thing you said caught my attention though - the fact that you take the mask off so soon (up to 20 minutes, which I interpret means sometimes less than that). Are you using the ramp on your machine and what is your ramp setting and how long is the ramp period? Too low of a setting can cause a sense of suffocation before one even gets to their prescribed pressure.

That was my case, and every time I took the mask off and stopped the machine, when I put it back on, I hit the ramp again. Repeating this cycle for hours, I never reached my therapeutic pressure. Increasing my ramp pressure and decreasing ramp time allowed me to extend my time into my prescribed pressure. This may not be your issue, just noted your mask time mirrored mine early on.

Best wishes.

Kathy

[Slinky]

I agree w/both Kathy and Brenda. Ramp is usually started a 4cms which is way too low for many. It barely provides as much air as we take in w/the mask off, if that. It didn't take me long before I just turned the Ramp off entirely. But not knowing your set pressure you might find it will work for you if you reset the starting Ramp pressure higher.

And it really does help to run your CPAP w/your mask on during the day and evening whilst occupying your mind w/TV, a good book, a crossword or jigsaw puzzle or whatever.

Check the Mask Fitting tips under the Red Ball w/the Question Mark at the top of the page so that you get your mask fitting comfortably on your face. That should help too. We all seem to want to tighten our masks tighter than they need be making them too uncomfortable.

[stanta]

you may also need to train yourself to breath different with the mask. It isn't that hard to do.

When I started I thought you could breath normally and found myself pushing against the air coming in using muscle power. Wrong move. You need to slightly overextend your chest as you inhale so the air flows out naturally on exhale. Lungs normally do not push, they relax. Several people who I worked with have become comfortible with the CPAP and have had no problems.

Let me know if this is not clear enough.

[ozij]

That's a very interesting point, Stanta.

O.

[DreamStalker]

That's a very interesting point, Stanta.

O.

I have noticed that there are many poeple who do not know how to breath correctly as silly as that may sound. I myself used to be one of them until I began practicing yoga. Many people take short shallow breaths by raising their shoulders (not natural). To learn how to breathe correctly watch a newborn ... you should use your abdominal muscles to draw air into the lungs and then relax to exhale (I think that is what Santa is referring to).

I don't know how incorrect breathing makes its way into our lives or why ... but I do notice many people end up that way.

[stanta]

That's a very interesting point, Stanta.

O.

I have noticed that there are many poeple who do not know how to breath correctly as silly as that may sound. I myself used to be one of them until I began practicing yoga. Many people take short shallow breaths by raising their shoulders (not natural). To learn how to breathe correctly watch a newborn ... you should use your abdominal muscles to draw air into the lungs and then relax to exhale (I think that is what Santa is referring to).

I don't know how incorrect breathing makes its way into our lives or why ... but I do notice many people end up that way.

That is part of it but the real secret is to overinhale just a little bit like you are taking a slightly deeper breath. When we exhale we are actually letting the affects of pressurized air in our lungs out.

I am at 14 and I put the mask on at full pressure, no ramp, and i feel like it isn't even on. Try this while awake for a while and it becomes natural as.........well, breathing.

[Snoredog]

Got my cpap machine 2 weeks ago, respironics cflex and got mirage full face mask, but I cannot seem to fall asleep with it longer than 20 minutes no matter how tired I am.

Any tips really appreciated, I'm very desperate

I end up taking the mask off and to get some amount of asleep and waking up very tired

Have no idea what your pressure is. But when you don't sleep at night you will be tired during the day. Interruptions to your sleep from apnea during the night may not wake you up but they will keep you just as tired as if they did.

My suggestion:

Try to isolate the issues you have one by one.

is it the noise?
is it the mask discomfort?
is it the pressure you are using?

If it is noise, get some foam ear plugs, roll them in your fingers and insert them in the ears.

for mask discomfort; are you cinching up on the straps too much? a little bit of leak is better than not using the machine at all. Only place you should be concerned is with any leaks into the eyes, you don't want that at all. Use the pivot to adjust the tilt on the mask to correct that. If you cinch up on the straps too much you will crush the cushion creating a "crease" where the mask will leak more.

This procedure works with just about every mask out there,

adjust the straps laying down in bed with your head on the pillow, machine On. The forehead straps don't need to be very tight at all, in fact you should have a 1/8" gap between the forehead cushion and your skin with light pressure pulling it away.

With your head on the pillow, find each end break the velcro loose, pull straps straight out on each side, find the setting put back in place, repeat for the bottom straps, but only tighten straps enough to stop any leaks, that's it no more. You may even hear a leak if you move around.

As for breathing with a FF mask, just breathe the normal way you breathe, you can breathe through your nose only or mouth, it doesn't matter with a FF mask.

It also helps to wash your face with soap to remove skin oils from the face, mask will be more comfortable and leak less if you remove those skin oils.

Ear plugs help with mask noise but there are quieter masks but at this point you better stick with the gear you have.

Put the machine on the floor, that can reduce the noise factor.

If pressure is preventing you from falling asleep, then use the Ramp feature, if it is not enabled, enable it, don't know what your pressure is so I can't help you without knowing that.

With Ramp enabled, you put on the mask, turn on the machine (or it starts automatically, probably not with a FF mask). Once turned on pressure should go to set range, when Ramp button is pressed, pressure drops to Ramp pressure and starts the timer. I suggest a minimum pressure of 6.0 cm and a 30-minute time setting. If you are still awake after 30-minutes hit the Ramp button again, it will reset the timer and lower pressure back down.

Using Ramp doesn't impact your therapy at all, in fact it will probably improve it especially if you get to sleep.

Take a TylenolPM, you can take 2ea TylenolPM's every night if you want, that stuff has been used so long now there is no history of it creating a dependency or anything, if it helps you get used to therapy, use it. The one at Costco called Kirkland Sleep-Aid is pretty good, doesn't contain the Tylenol, has same ingredients as Unisom, it has no dependency either.

Do everything you can to use the machine but if you cannot get to sleep in an hour, turn the thing off and sleep on your stomach or side, try again the next night, keep trying and build up longer each night if you can.

So address the noise (use ear plugs, put machine on floor under bed), adjust mask for comfort, don't worry about leaks at this point, loosen the straps up get the thing comfortable and bearable, just don't let it leak into your eyes. Use a sleep-aid like TylenolPM or similar. Costco has Melatonin, get a bottle of that to try, it is cheap.

Use the lowest pressure you can, use the Ramp feature, that is what it is there for.

[Panhandler]

Snoredog:

Great list of steps for troubleshooting!

Kriminal:

You came to the right place! Let us know a few more details such as pressure. There are dozens of small adjustments/changes that can be made, but not all at once, as you can't isolate what works for you. Try to break it down...what's the most annoying? Fix that. What's most annoying now...etc.

The advice you got from the RT or doctor is based on what they've been taught, or what they've heard from other users. You're getting it second hand, at best.

The advice you get here is straight from the horses' mouth. Just remember that what works for one might not work for another, especially suggestions as to one mask over another.

The risks of not getting treatment are substantial. The effort to get effective treatment can also be substantial, but it's a great investment, as the benefits are tremendous.

In my case, I can't say that I've found that huge boost of energy that some report, but the worst of my health issues, heart arrythmia and blood pressure problems, have resolved.

Hang in here with us! We'll do our best to be helpful.