Removing Mask

bprater · Post by **bprater** » Wed May 04, 2011 9:00 pm

Has anyone dealt with this problem? I have a Swift Lite for her and a Swift FX both nasal masks. Anyway, I have started pulling it off in my sleep in the middle of the night. I even go so far as to turn the machine off as well. I have had some sinus drainage so hopefully I'll be able to leave it on all night once this clears up. It has been rough going though ever since I got started on a CPAP machine. The first couple of nights I cried, then I went thru 3 different masks trying to find one that worked for me. Then I went most of 2 wks without the machine because I was up watching the weather for tornado warnings most of the night and running to the towns tornado shelter. Then FINALLY life got back to normal and I take the stupid mask off in my sleep. Anyone have this problem?

Timothy Lee · Post by **Timothy Lee** » Wed May 04, 2011 9:23 pm

I used to have this problem during the initial stage. I was adviced to switch to the nasal pillow type which doesn't cover the mouth and I'd been using it since.

bprater · Post by **bprater** » Wed May 04, 2011 9:28 pm

I am using the nasal mask. I started out getting 5 hours a night sleep. Now I am down to 3 hours before it comes off.

Lizistired · Post by **Lizistired** » Wed May 04, 2011 9:30 pm

I think most people do this at first. If you have smartstart or autostart/stop, I suggest turning them off. Hearing the air blowing may remind you to put it back on. Other than that, give it time.
How about listing your equipment in TEXT, in the User Control Panel.

bprater · Post by **bprater** » Wed May 04, 2011 9:36 pm

When I wake up in the morning my mask and hose are laid neatly on top of the machine which is on the floor by my bed so I dont hear the air flow and also I am turning the machine off in my sleep. I am working right now on trying to figure out how to add my machine info as we text.

Lizistired · Post by **Lizistired** » Wed May 04, 2011 9:44 pm

You got the images but there should be a place to select text. That makes it easier to tell which machine it is.
You might try moving the machine farther away, or cover the button, so it isn't as easy to turn off without waking up.

BleepingBeauty · Post by **BleepingBeauty** » Wed May 04, 2011 9:47 pm

bprater wrote:Has anyone dealt with this problem? I have a Swift Lite for her and a Swift FX both nasal masks. Anyway, I have started pulling it off in my sleep in the middle of the night. I even go so far as to turn the machine off as well. I have had some sinus drainage so hopefully I'll be able to leave it on all night once this clears up. It has been rough going though ever since I got started on a CPAP machine. The first couple of nights I cried, then I went thru 3 different masks trying to find one that worked for me. Then I went most of 2 wks without the machine because I was up watching the weather for tornado warnings most of the night and running to the towns tornado shelter. Then FINALLY life got back to normal and I take the stupid mask off in my sleep. Anyone have this problem?

Hi. This is nothing new, believe me. Almost everyone has done this, at some point; most when they're beginning therapy. Hard to say why you're taking the mask off, though, with the info here. First things first, please go into the User Control Panel (link at top left of page) and fill in your Profile with your Equipment. Please choose to list the info in Text (not Icons), ans save the changes. Your equipment will then appear at the bottom of each of your posts, so others here will know pertinent info without having to ask.

In the meantime, what machine are you using? And at what pressure(s)? Do you have data (on-screen or via software and a card reader)? Could be you're not at a therapeutic pressure and feel like you're not breathing well enough with the mask. Could be the mask is fitted too tightly and/or is leaking enough to be a problem. (The only reason I ever removed my mask was because it was fitted way too tightly, and my nose got very sore a few hours into the night.)

There are a couple of things you can do right now. One is to set your machine to alarm when it senses the mask has been removed. That'll wake you and prompt you to put the mask back on. Another is to place a few small pieces of medical tape on the mask and tape it to your face. If you attempt to remove the mask during sleep, the tape will pull on your skin and remind you to keep it on.

Can't really offer anything more specific without more info, but I hope that helps.

bprater · Post by **bprater** » Wed May 04, 2011 9:48 pm

Maybe I should try taping my hands together :}

I will try moving it further from the bed. By the way My AHI went from 3.5 to 2.0 in a couple of days but then again I am not able to use it all night yet......

bprater · Post by **bprater** » Wed May 04, 2011 9:54 pm

I am going to try a few of the ideas tonight. Thanks for the tips. I am way past my bedtime - I have to get up at 6:15 Kentucky Time. I dont get much sleep because I have always had trouble going to sleep and staying asleep. I also wake up around 1 or 3 a.m. and stay awake for about 2 hours so I am hoping CPAP helps with this problem. Cant wait to get to know everyone here and study up on the terms and lingo on the msg board. Nighty Night everyone.
By the way how do I find if my machine has an alarm on it?????

snuginarug · Post by **snuginarug** » Wed May 04, 2011 9:59 pm

bprater wrote: I have had some sinus drainage

This may very well be your answer. If you can't breathe easily through your nose, you will take the mask off, awake or asleep. Let this sinus stuff clear up and then see how you do. If you're still taking it off, there are many tips people can give you here, such as the medical tape mentioned.

Bugdude · Post by **Bugdude** » Thu May 05, 2011 6:53 am

Check to make sure your mask isn't leaking: the leaking could be blowing into your eyes etc, annoying you and you're ripping the mask off.

Also tweak your climate settings and see if it helps your sinus issues - your nose might be getting blocked, so you struggle to breath and rip your mask off.

Lastly your pressure might be too high and it's blowing your mouth open, and thus disturbing your sleep and causing you to throw you mask off.

bprater · Post by **bprater** » Thu May 05, 2011 7:08 am

I set my climate control at 70 because I like warm not cold on everything. My AHI was up to 5.4 last night which is the most it has ever been it usually ranges from 1.9 to 3. something at the most. Dont know what this means but EPR is 3. These were all set by my therapist. I tried changing a few things a couple of weeks ago and had every thing so out of wack that I couldnt even use the mask at all until he went back and reset it all. My ramp is 20 minutes.

Bugdude · Post by **Bugdude** » Thu May 05, 2011 7:25 am

Try turning ramp and EPR off (EPR is how much of a pressure drop on exhalation): veterans of CPAP prefer to have these features off.

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