Can't Keep The Mask On!

[SleepMac]

I have been using CPAP for over 6 months now, and still am struggling to find a successful combination. I started with a nasal mask with standard CPAP, but switched to a full face mask because the air rushed out of my mouth and woke me up with the nasal mask. I now do best with the full face mask and an auto-PAP machine with heated humidification, but I still can not get a full night sleep.

Scanning the posts, I seem to have a unique problem: I remove the mask in the middle of the night, and awaken in the morning finding it hanging on the bed post. I have no recollection of removing the mask. On the rare occasion that I last the whole night with the mask on, I feel more rested. I have no problem with leaks, as the mask fits will and I sleep on my back. I use a chin strap, but it come off with the mask and headgear. Occasionally my wife will hear me removing the mask and tell me to put it back on, which helps to increase the amount of mask time I get. I will usually get 2 hours minimally, but rarely get more than 4-5 hours of mask time.

The good news is that the minimal amount of mask time I get has improved my daytime functioning (I no longer fall asleep during the day), but I am still tired and know I would feel and perform better each day if I would just keep the darn mask on. In addition, my wife says the snoring is minimal when the mask is off. And if I sleep without the mask, I awaken several times through the night, just like before, and am unrested during the day.

I have thought about trying nasal prongs, but figure it will fail just as the nasal mask did. I have resigned myself to never having normal sleep, but I was hoping for better success than I am currently experiencing.

Has anyone else experienced the problem of removing their mask in their sleep (again, I believe that I remove it without knowing it--it doesn't fall off). Does anyone have other ideas for me to try.

Thanks.

[rudyrx]

I HAVE HAD THE SAME PROBLEMS OVER THE YEARS AND TRIED ALL KINDS OF MASKS, CHIN STRAPS ETC. HAVE YOU TRIED THE NEW HYBRID MASK? THIS HAS SEEMED TO SOLVE MY PROBLEM TO SOME EXTENT. I FIND MYSELF NOT TAKING OFF MY MASK NEARLY AS MUCH OR NOT AT ALL AS COMPARED TO THE PAST.

[kteague]

I do the same thing in my sleep. Am experimenting with different behavior modifiers to see what works. My latest is wearing pantyhose like a stockingcap or a masked bandit over my headgear and then tying the legs in a knot under my chin. Or if you can't possibly deal with the pantyhose, the "do-rags" found in the ethnic hair care products can be worn over the headgear and they have long straps that can be tied to your headgear or under your chin to make it harder to get it off. If you're in a real deep sleep when you take it off, you'll probably untie and and remove it anyway, but it may help.
Kathy

[ladytonya]

I have the same problem. I have been on CPAP for 8 months and have only made it through an entire night with my mask on once. I have tried everthing. At this point, I am pretty much resigned to the fact that at least I'm getting a few hours every night. I am finding that I take the mask off after anywhere from one and a half hours to five hours. Besides the one morning I woke up with the mask still on, five hours is the absolute longest I have had it on. My mask history is comfort gel nasal, comfort classic nasal, F&P full face, comfort lite 2 nasal pillows, and hybrid. I have had the most success with the CL2 and the Hybrid, but I'm still not only removing my mask and laying it neatly on my nightstand but also turning off my machine in my sleep. I have spoken with two RTs at my DME's office, a friend who is an RT at the hospital, the doctor at the sleep center, and two sleep techs at the sleep center. No one seems to have any suggestions so I'm at a loss at this point.

[Wulfman]

This is one of those things that almost everyone goes through at some point or other. It's not natural to sleep with something strapped onto your face. The trick is to overcome it as soon as possible.
As I was reading these posts, I got to wondering if something like wearing some cotton socks on one's hands might work. If they are bulky enough and wouldn't allow a person a good grip on the clips/fasteners, etc......that might work. It might allow enough time for the person to partially wake up and realize what they're doing.....and stop. If you try it and it works, please let us know.

Best wishes,

Den

[krousseau]

Socks on the hands are a great idea! All I could come up with to make removal of the mask more difficult so one would wake up a little more was taping it on-socks are less painful.

[winknblinknnod]

How about some self-hypnosis as you are falling asleep? Like a relaxing, repetitive suggestion, spoken aloud, telling yourself that you will sense yourself taking off the mask, and stop, you need the rest, etc. Whatever sounds right to you, Can't hurt, and it might work....

Plus the socks.

PS I do the same thing, but not every night. Usually once a week or so I'll rip it off after about 4 hours. Seems to be happening less and less as time goes by,

[SleepMac]

Thanks for all the suggestions. The Hybrid mask sounds promising, but not the panty hose.