How to sleep with mask?

[library lady]

I'm a newbie to this forum, diagnosed 2 weeks ago with delayed sleep phase and sleep apnea. I got my REMstar machine and Quattro air FF mask on Monday. I was quite flustered by the leaks on Mon. night, and 4 hours in, the whole thing started to leak so bad I sounded like a whoopee cushion. I hadn't slept, so pulled it off for the rest of the night. On Tuesday afternoon, I sat and read with the mask for about an hour and turned machine on to try to get over the fear of having minor leaks. Last night I vowed to leave it on all night no matter what. I managed that just fine, but got up to adjust mask a couple times. I did not sleep, but I have no trouble wearing the mask and breathing with head gear in place and the machine turned on. When my alarm went off I took the mask off, turned off the machine, and went back to bed and slept for several hours. The tubes do not get in my way, I am able to toss and turn as I always have, and last night I actually took one of my sleeping pills, which I avoid taking in the first place, but no sleep arrived. I have been going to bed much later than usual now that I've learned about the delayed sleep phase. Can anybody tell me how to actually get to sleep with the mask on?

[Lukie]

It may not be the mask for you. I tried the quattro fx and the quattro air and had horrible leaks and bad numbers. When I switched to a nasal mask with head gear I finally got some good therapy. It is a process of trial and error.

[DEXSUZ]

library lady:

I, too, had problems with the Quattro Air FF and its fart-leaks and forehead pressure. I eventually switched to the Quattro FX (after several abortive trials of nasal masks), fashioned a chin strap to connect the lower straps and the last 11 months have been marked by heavenly sleep. The last 40+ years are in the rearview mirror and fading fast.

I'd admonish you to NOT try a nasal mask because you're having some problems with a FF.

You must be patient with your gear and work into full-night sleeps on a gradual basis. If I'd given up after my first month of fits and starts I'd have never reaped the nightly benefits I now have.

[DEXSUZ]

library lady:

Here's the four-step program I devised. I had a wonderful sleep study at the local krankenhaus but - like you - ran into a granite roadblock as I attempted to get accustomed to full-face masks on my own.

First, back away from trying to do all-nighters with your CPAP equipment. Use my four-step weekly plan WHICH WORKED WONDERFULLY for me:

1) During the first week sit, watch TV, or read with your equipment whirring away next to you. Get accustomed to the sounds, feelings of the moving air, and all the external trappings of the great chance at quality sleep you are nearing. Do NOT go to bed with the equipment.

2) Take the phone off the hook, draw the shades, evict everyone from the house, don't think about any nearby clock, and loosen your clothing as you lie on your bed in mid-afternoon. Turn on the CPAP gizmo, put the mask on your face, and close your eyes. Think peaceful thoughts, whatever they are to you. At some point in the week you WILL fall asleep. After you have this nap, you'll be amazed at what a refreshing experience it was.

3) During the third week have all your CPAP gear ready for action as you go to bed for the night. As you've done so many times throughout the years, you'll awaken far before morning. When you do, slap the mask on your face and turn on the CPAP gear before your groggy brain has any idea what's going on.

4) After successfully completing the first three steps at your pace, decide on a night (mine was March 3rd) when you have full confidence and will retire for the night WITH your mask on. You'll succeed!

My biggest mistake was expecting everything to go perfectly from the first night. One must be patient and keep anxiety as far away as possible. Come March 3rd, I plan on some sort of goofy celebration to mark one year of refreshing sleep I never had - over four decades - before last year.

Best of luck and God bless.

[Pugsy]

How to add your equipment to your profile...
wiki/index.php/Registering_Equipment_in_User_Profile

Is it the mask that is preventing you from falling asleep...or is it something else?
Stress? Worry?

Don't be afraid to try different masks. Most DME suppliers offer a 30 day windows for mask swapping...you need to find out exactly what your DME offers.
Don't use up your entire trial time trying to make one mask work. You can always go back to it later.
The mask trial swapping time is the time where you can try different masks without having to pay for them. Once the swapping time is used up...you are stuck until your insurance allows another mask or you want to pay for one out of pocket and at these prices...use the swapping allowance to your advantage.

[Bill44133]

Make sure you are washing your face really good before you put your mask on. You have to have clean face in order to perfect the seal.

Good Luck!

[Julie]

There are MANY FF masks out there and you can see them in detail, with pix and explanations, on Cpap.com (best variety and price), whether or not you order from them because of insurance issues. Don't 'settle'!

[Sir NoddinOff]

Today I just gave somebody this same advice. Sorry for the cut n paste!

To keep the mask from moving around and especially from riding up here's a tip: It's a cludged together under-the-chin-strap I made from a bicycle cuff strap... works great. You could also cut up an old chinstrap or an old set of headgear and probably make a nice one that way. Note I am using a Padacheek on my Quattro mask:

[HerbM]

Try different masks.

Why did you pick that one? Was it sinus/nasal congestion or some other reason.

I have had really good luck just starting out but last night I tried a different mask -- my DME finally obtained my original choice -- and it was TERRIBLE. I toughed it out two hours, got up and put the Nasal mask used the first few days back on DESPITE my awful congestion and made it work.

Point is NOT what worked for me but you can be very surprised by what works and what doesn't.

As newbies we can TRY to predict the perfect mask but only trying them gives us the necessary information and even then we may need several for different conditions.

(I also couldn't deal with the oral-nasal mask they let me use at the sleep study. It was comfortable enough and it didn't leak but I just couldn't breath through my nose enough or my mouth to compensate. It wasn't for me -- at least not on that night -- and my entire 3 hours was used up just lying there with it on.)

Figure out what your key factors are (for comfort and health, e.g., nasal problems) and explain those to the experienced folks here. Post your prescription settings etc. so they can factor that into the suggestions.

It may take several more tries (many people report in a poll around here somewhere trying 6-7 or even more masks before finding "The One") but the folks in the know can HELP YOU narrow the choices and focus you search until you know more for yourself.

What I thought would be the "only mask for me" turned out to be just shy of worthless. That I kept it on for 2 hours was a near miracle. Had it been my only mask likely I would have taken it off and gone to sleep at some point.

For me (and this is JUST *ME*), my rule is that if I am going to sleep the mask is going to be on. Perhaps one day I will need to break that rule -- last night was a close thing as it took me 30 full minutes to clear my nose enough to use the nasal pillows again -- but circumstances *force* me to change that is my plan.

[library lady]

Thanks so much for some very helpful replies... To answer HerbM's question, I'm using the mask that came with the machine I got from my DME (Mayo Clinic Rochester). They have two with heated humidifiers, per my prescription requirements, and I chose the one that was easiest for my arthritic fingers to manipulate. I'll soon be editing my profile to include my equipment specs (Thanks for that info!) I have REMstar Auto A-Flex System One, System One Heated Humidifier, and Quattro Air FF with headgear.

[bighead]

Thanks so much for some very helpful replies... To answer HerbM's question, I'm using the mask that came with the machine I got from my DME (Mayo Clinic Rochester). They have two with heated humidifiers, per my prescription requirements, and I chose the one that was easiest for my arthritic fingers to manipulate. I'll soon be editing my profile to include my equipment specs (Thanks for that info!) I have REMstar Auto A-Flex System One, System One Heated Humidifier, and Quattro Air FF with headgear.

I started with the Quattro, moved to the Swift LT, tried the Fisher and Paykel Oracle, and have settled on the Swift FX. It took a while to get everything dialed in just right, and there's always tons of variables that you never anticipate when first starting out. After having sinus surgery last year, the Swift FX has been even more effective than it was previously.

It's kinda gross, but if you're a drooler, the Quattro and Oracle are probably not great options. The Swift LT worked well, but it was a little bulky. The Swift FX, for me, is amazing and the only thing I need in addition to it is a chin strap to keep the air from escaping from my mouth at night. The wife says I sound like a broken Darth Vader when I'm laying there with my mouth wide open. She refuses to record a video of it so I can laugh at it, too, though.

It takes a while getting used to having stuff strapped to your face, even if it doesn't "feel weird". When I have a particularly bad time getting to sleep for whatever reason, I use a white noise app to play crashing waves on my iPhone and stick it under my pillow and maybe take a melatonin if I'm leaving work late and know I'll take a while to get down. At this point, even bad nights of sleep are better than the ones without the machine. Looking back, I don't understand how I managed so long without it. I hope you'll be able to agree with that sentiment soon!