Hi there....newbie with questions--of course

[Mist]

Hi.

My name is Melissa and I have OSA.

I was very recently diagnosed and began therapy right away.

I want to be compliant. I want to feel better.

But.....

I keep taking off my mask in the middle of the night and not realizing it till morning! I use the Mirage Swift II - medium pillows.

Help!!!!

My RT from the DME is coming out tomorrow to demo a chin strap (I have issues with my mouth dropping open and then feeling like I am suffocating). Will the chin strap make it more difficult for me to remove the mask?

Also does the Sandman Auto turn itself off. If not I am turning the machine off too.

[Kiralynx]

Welcome to the board, Melissa! You'll find that you're not the only one who pulls her mask off in the middle of the night -- lots of people here have fought that issue!

If you aren't already a member of the Forum, you might want to register. (It's free.)

Filling out your profile help us help you. It also saves you from having to tell us what machine you have every time, and cuts back on us having to ask you before we can answer your questions. Once registered,

1. Look for the User Control Panel, just below the Search box, which is, in turn, just below the CPAPTALK.Com logo.

2. Click on the tab just below the black User Control which says, "Profile."

3. Look to the left, and click on the bar which says, "Edit Equipment."

4. Fill in your equipment, and select "Text" as the display method.

This will help us help you... I don't know anything about the Sandman Auto, but I'm sure someone will be along who does, and can offer suggestions.

[Julie]

Hi, there are definitely more effective options to chin straps so try doing a search on them here and look into full face masks and taping. And do fill in your profile as suggested so we can have a better idea all round about what you have in order to help you.

[Mist]

I have filled out my profile earlier. Maybe it takes a while to show up.

A full face mask makes me clausterphobic. They tried it on my for my sleep study. Drove me crazy.

Someone (on another forum) mentioned that the hybrid might be a good mask for me. I have an appointment with the RT tomorrow and plan to talk to her about it. I would be willing to try a FF mask in my home and see how it goes. Maybe it would be different.

It just freaks me out to wake up and my mask not be on. I have no recollection of taking it off. My hubby sometimes notices it. I have asked him to wake me so that I can put it back on.

Thanks for the kind welcomes.

[rested gal]

Welcome to the board, Melissa.

Taking the mask off in one's sleep without realizing it, or remembering having done it, happens to quite a few people.

You're doing right to ask your husband to wake you any time he notices you're asleep with the mask off:

My hubby sometimes notices it. I have asked him to wake me so that I can put it back on.

As you get more and more accustomed to sleeping in this crazy new way, you'll probably start leaving the mask on more. Right now it's probably a rather normal "half-awake" but "not-awake-enough-to-remember-it" response to SOMETHING'S ON MY FACE! It's normal to try to brush off something off one's face.

You might try a little chant over and over to yourself as you're drifting off to sleep each night:

"This mask is saving my life."
"I'm going to keep it on allllllllll night."

I have issues with my mouth dropping open and then feeling like I am suffocating

Sounds like you're mouthbreathing in your sleep when your jaw relaxes. That certainly could cause a person to feel a need to get the mask off. Mouthbreathing is a problem for many people. A Full Face mask would allow you to get therapy pressure either way, through nose or mouth.

If a chin strap doesn't solve the mouthbreathing problem, or if you try FF masks and don't find them as comfortable as your present mask, here's a link to many ways people have dealt with preventing mouthbreathing:
LINKS to: Mouth leaks - Air Leaks - Tape - DIY Guard
viewtopic.php?t=8011

[Mist]

Thank you for the link!

I appreciate the help. I actually do love how I feel when I get a decent amount of time on the machine. I know that this will be worth it.

I got 5.5 hours last night. I am very excited.

I actually had my hose over my headboard and I am wondering if turning at night might have helped with taking off my mask. Maybe it wasn't me at all...I took the hose off the headboard last night and it didn't happen.