Wake up without CPAP

[valleyJim]

Hi all!

I am new here and have a question about something I have not seen on the forum even after doing a search.....

After going to bed wearing my CPAP I will wake up with it off and the machine turned off.

Has anyone seen this before?

Where should I look first, at a new mask, a new machine, or an adjustment in the level?

Thanks in advance for any advice you can offer.
Jim

[Julie]

It's very common to have that happen early on and as you get more used to wearing the mask it'll happen a lot less often until it stops entirely. For now, you can try using tape over the cheek straps to wake you enough to stop pulling at it and go back to sleep. You didn't say how high your pressure was set to, so it's hard to know whether it's a factor or not. Certainly it's not the fault of the machine, just about mentally getting used to having the mask on your face.

[Sheriff Buford]

This question probably comes up once a week. Yes, it is "very" normal. You are unknownly taking your mask off in the dead of sleep. Place some medical tape on your mask strap and your face. Not much... when you remove the mask (at night) the pulling of the tape will wake you up. Don't use duct tape... it'll take some hide off. Use some of the medical-bandage-type tape. After a couple of weeks, you'll probably be able to stop and you'll stop removing the mask at night.

Your body is trying to get that alien thang' off your face....

Sheriff

[Snufflewrinkle]

Ah yes, I went through stag myself.......I call it the disappearing mask syndrome! I decided to strap the straps together with masking tape, but I left the lower one untapped. So if I tried to take the mask off I'd wake myself up in the attempt!

Work well for me, I caught myself trying get my mask off and woke and rolled on my hands and fell asleep again.

[Snufflewrinkle]

Ah yes, I went through stag myself.......I call it the disappearing mask syndrome! I decided to strap the straps together with masking tape, but I left the lower one untapped. So if I tried to take the mask off I'd wake myself up in the attempt!

Work well for me, I caught myself trying get my mask off and woke and rolled on my hands and fell asleep again.

[valleyJim]

Julie I think my pressure is set to 7 and I don't know if that is considered high or not.

As for everyone else thank you for the replies! It is good to know that I am not the only one with the "disappearing mask syndrome." And I can tell my wife that I am normal, with this at least.

As I said thank you to everyone for the replies and I will try the tape and see how that works and let everyone know the outcome.

Jim

[Julie]

Hi - 7 is quite low actually, almost the lowest comfortable setting we can breathe at (the default machine low is 4, the high 20), so I can't see it as much of a factor at all in your case.

[valleyJim]

I learned something today, Julie! Thank you for taking the time to respond.

Jim