I sleep better when I don't wear my mask.

[newname]

Why do I sleep better without the mask? I think it's more comfortable. Sometimes I don't even wake up with a headache. This is usually when I accidently fall asleep not planning it. I watch TV in bed and sometimes fall asleep for about 5 hours and wake up without a headache even though i forgot to use the mask. Does this happen to anyone else?

[Sleepy Boy]

Yes!! I've been having real problems with not sleeping. During this time I fight my mask. I lay in bed waiting for it to leak. I got real sick of the leaking on the Quattro when I had it, so was taking it off after a couple hours of leaking. Now I have the Swift LT and I'm having to make myself leave it on. I would rather go without it. It's a bad habit to get into, and hard to break..

[elader]

At least make sure your will is up to date.

For me, without the mask, i am not actually sleeping with an AHI of 74. What about you?

[harry33]

none of us like using our CPAPs at first, bit its a bit like getting used to wearing seatbelts in a car....

its common for new users to remove mask in sleep....

patience and positive thinking is essential to adjust to CPAP use

[Mimmie]

I can't go to sleep without my cpap, lovingly called snuffle. I can't even accidentally drift off without it. I had to try recently when there was a power outage and I didnt' have a battery yet. What a nightmare that was. I hope it gets better for you and your mask.

[socks349]

I hope you all are looking to the most non-invasive form of cpap support. I'm lucky in being able to use nasal pillows (ie not a mouth breather). I'm hoping that your therapist has opted for most minimal mask....

[BlackSpinner]

Sometimes I don't even wake up with a headache.

It isn't about headaches, it is about depriving your organs of oxygen. The headache is just the tip of the iceberg, the rest of the iceberg consists of heart failure, brain damage, diabetes... All those silent killers hiding behind that headache.

I love my CPAP, my mask makes me feel cradled in loving, healing arms. My mask floods my body with healing oxygen. Some mornings I wake up feeling I could fly. Ok I can only make it half way around the block at a slow trot right now, but I will get there again. I am working on my art work again. My programming is faster and better and that is after only a month on CPAP.

[jrfoster]

I too had problems soon after I was put on CPAP. I would throw the stupid mask on the floor. My AHI without the mask was about 47. With the mask after three years on CPAP my AHI averages 2.4-2.7. In fact, I cannot go to sleep without my mask on! Call me addicted! When the power went out I laid awake for hours until it came back on. I have since bought a battery back up and have had to use it once a month ago when we lost power. I thanked God for that battery back up because as soon as I put my mask back on, to sleep I went!

Sure that are nights that for some reasons the leaks for hell come out and drive me crazy. I fuss with the mask for five minutes or so and then all is well. I actually look foward to going to bed, putting on my mask and going to sleep. Funny how things change if you stick with it! Hang in there. The CPAP will save your life.

Jeff

[Juliebove]

I sleep much better without mine too and wake up refreshed. With the machine, I never seem to fully wake up and am left exhausted. Perhaps it is because my apnea is mild. I don't know.

[riverdreamer]

Prior to my test, I was totally unaware that I was having trouble during sleep. I slept LONG hours, and often was not aware of waking up during the night. Then I had routine echocardiogram, and they found my pulmonary artery was showing elevated pressure, indicating an issue with my lungs. This is potentially a very serious issue, which can eventually lead to heart failure.

My doctor and I were stumped, as we couldn't figure out what might be wrong with my lungs. I don't have asthma or chronic bronchitis, no other obvious signs. So, because I was needing so much sleep, she decided to send me for a sleep study.

My study showed only mild apnea, though MANY arousals. However, the times I was showing obstruction in my breathing (not just the apneas, but hypopneas and flow limitations), my heart rate was jumping, and I was regularly showing a HR of 120 while sleeping. Obviously it was putting some stress on my heart! This was not anything I could feel, or was in any way aware of, nor do I snore much.

Somedays I would like to be able to sleep more simply, without that mask. But then I think about the strain on my heart, and I mask up. You may be lucky now, but if you showed enough to be diagnosed, apnea is having an impact on your body. The sooner you support it, the less damage you are likely to have to live with later.

Are you falling asleep sitting up? That may be protecting you from the worst apneas, as some people have fewer apneas when not sleeping on their back, flat. But if you are having problems getting comfortable, I suggest you try asking for help. There are lots of ideas on getting more comfortable. It is harder for some than others, but most can find a way to make it manageable.

Good luck!

[lebowski8]

to be contrary, from my experience, i sleep much better with my mask & cpap.
I've only been on CPAP for a little more than a month, but I don't ever want to go back to the bad old days when I was afraid to fall asleep because I had fears of choking, gasping, and gagging, during the first hour when I "drifted" off to sleep. My sleep was filled with nightmares of suffocation. Nor do I want to go back to the times when I would doze off in the middle of conversations with clients. Or doze off when driving and nearly have a car accident. I hated having a need for a 5pm to 6:30 pm nap every day. Undiagnosed Sleep disorder delayed my ability to finish university in a timely way--- it took my 15 years of part-time classes to complete my degrees-- that's all i had the stamina for (i was working full-time). And, I hated waking up in the middle of the night and couldn't get back to sleep for an hour or three. Since my first night with CPAP, I haven't experienced any Excessive Daytime Sleepiness. My sleep patterns aren't ideal, yet, but they've improved immensely.
No mask? No thanks. Not for me.
I sleep better when I wear my mask.

[Chris61]

I also had problems with wearing the mask. I think there is a lot more people that have this same problem. I talked to my doctor about it and he suggested that I look into getting a dental device. He sent me to a dentist who deals in sleep apnea and I was fitted with a herbest retainer. It did take a while to get approved by the insurance company but it was worth it in the long run. I had a sleep study done with it and my numbers were real low. I was able to go off the machine and just use the retainer. If you have any questions e-mail me. Also I posted about a year ago my results to the sleep study with the device.

Chris