This isn't working, need help.

[sventory]

The more I use the mask, the worse I sleep. I'm still not breathing. I supposedly only had a 5.8 AHI before treatment. Yet I can barely sleep at all everyday. It's been 3 months and the more I use the mask the worst I sleep. Airsense 10. Full face mask.

Here are the problems I have:

1. Machine noise, with ear plugs in, the oscillating machine hum is super distracting to an already sensitive sleeper. It goes away after like an hour. I just learned this week that it's the machines warm-up period? From another post. So seems like nothing I can do about it. I start using my machine 1 hour before I actually try and sleep to avoid this.

2. Mask is just too uncomfortable. First I tried a Quattro Mirage, but it was so big and bulky, then I tried a quattro Air, smaller profile, but actually more uncomfortable than the mirage. The mirage had like a third plastic lining that lessened the hard contact of the mask. Please someone help recommend me a mask. I have a small chin and narrow face, but mediums for both of them fit appropriately.

3. Any sort of leak will wake me up from the noise.

4. Super dry mouth, I had the humidity setting set to MAX, and it still doens't help anything. Lips, month, tongue, dry as a bone after only an hour of use. THe only way it can not be dry is if I fill the water chamber past the max line, but then it's splitting water all over the place and making noises as the water goes up the tube.

5. Barely sleep, but when I do dose into dream land or almost sleep. I end up not breathing, this is the worst. It seriously feels like I can't drop into a deeper state of sleeping because everytime I do, I stop breathing and it wakes me up after a few seconds to a few minutes. I check my sleepyhead and have barely any events the entire time using it (4 events over 4.5 hour period last night), but I can recall each one because I would start to dream and then my dreams would have me not breathing and I would wake up fast heart rate and sweating. This occurred too before even starting CPAP which is why I Demanded a sleep study done. I know when I can't breath because it transfers into my dreams. My dream won't be anything at all related to breathing, then suddenly I'll be under water, or have something stuck in my throat, and wake up. I've tried to increase my pressure (started from 6-12, now am 7-14), didn't seem to help.

Another thing I noticed is I have at least one nostril always closed, even with the mask on. When I went into consult for MMA surgery they found I have narrow nasal passageways, and for years my CT scans have always showed swollen sinusitis. Ugh this is just a nightmare.

[PoolQ]

Please tell us the settings on your machine, all you can find.
This should not be happening, help us figure out what's wrong.
Do you have your machine sitting on a towel or something of the like to keep the machine vibrations from being transmitted to the night stand (if you have the machine on the night stand)
"I end up not breathing, this is the worst" either your machine pressure is set too low or you have COPD. Any reason you might think you could have COPD?
The only way your mouth should be this dry is if you are mouth breathing (even with a FFM) anything that causes the air flow to go through the mouth. How is your congestion?

For me I used to wake up with even small leaks. I was always afraid that something was wrong. The more I trusted the machine, the less this bothered me.

I use the Amara View and love it. Takes some figuring out how to get it adjusted, but once you do it's great (IMHO). I can't use a non-FFM because I am very sensitive to exhaling into pressure

Once you get everything figured out and adjusted, it's possible to have to put your hand in front of your face to make sure the mask is on and you remembered to turn the machine on. When you get to this spot, sleep gets easy.

Hang in there and give us some more information

[Okie bipap]

Have you tried using mask liners? I found they made any leaks I had much less noticeable. I still have some leaks, but I don't hear them, nor does my wife.

[Sleeprider]

If you never tried nasal pillows, give it a shot. The Resmed Airfit 10 Pillows are as minimal as a mask can be, and your nasal congestion will go away.

[kurth83]

For noise, louder noise helps to a point, a fan or air filter is what I use, but you rapidly become 'addicted' to the noise source to sleep.

For leaks, I cover my face with lanolin or petrolatum where the mask contacts my face, that reduces but does not eliminate leaks, must shower when I get up to wash it off.

For humidity, the settings on the air-sense can help, set it higher, to just below rainout (condensation on the tube), a climateline tube will help. But those little CPAP humidifiers aren't that powerful, so higher humidity in the room helps, but beware of going too high (over 60 RH), then you may create a mold problem in your dwelling which is a health hazard on its own.

To me, your serious problem is stopping breathing, stopping that is the point of CPAP, do you have that without CPAP? Makes me wonder if your pressure is too low. Try 10-13? But if it is not obstructive there isn't much you can do.

I also suffer from one nostril always closed, it is due partly to allergies, and I was told is partly normal, the brain cycles between them as you sleep. My problem is one nostril is too small to breathe freely unless everything is perfect. So for allergies I keep things very clean, washed, etc, and point a HEPA air filter at the intake of the CPAP machine, that helps a bit.

I see you are considering surgery, I had surgery, to open things up, and it helped a lot.

Post the humidifier settings on the machine, I had to fiddle with mine a bit to get it right, and folks here can help with that.

[dcheddar]

If you never tried nasal pillows, give it a shot. The Resmed Airfit 10 Pillows are as minimal as a mask can be, and your nasal congestion will go away.

That is real good advice above.

I'm always congested from allergies to dust and cats, and the Airfit P10 nasal pillows keep my nasal passages wide open all night.
I also found that adding humidity creates congestion for me instead of reducing it, so I don't add humidity.

The nasal pillows seal real well for me, much much better than nasal or full face masks.

As always, your mileage may vary.

[Hang Fire]

Sleeprider wrote:
If you never tried nasal pillows, give it a shot. The Resmed Airfit 10 Pillows are as minimal as a mask can be, and your nasal congestion will go away.


That is real good advice above.

It's crummy advice. The OP is obviously a mouth breather and he needs a FFM.

[Sleeprider]

Sleeprider wrote:
If you never tried nasal pillows, give it a shot. The Resmed Airfit 10 Pillows are as minimal as a mask can be, and your nasal congestion will go away.


That is real good advice above.

It's crummy advice. The OP is obviously a mouth breather and he needs a FFM.

The advise was "if you never tried". There is nothing in the O.P. to suggest a mouth breather, and many new users incorrectly assume they are mouth breathers.

[ChicagoGranny]

Sleeprider wrote:
If you never tried nasal pillows, give it a shot. The Resmed Airfit 10 Pillows are as minimal as a mask can be, and your nasal congestion will go away.


That is real good advice above.

It's crummy advice. The OP is obviously a mouth breather and he needs a FFM.

+1

There is nothing in the O.P. to suggest a mouth breather

Nothing?

Super dry mouth, I had the humidity setting set to MAX, and it still doens't help anything. Lips, month, tongue, dry as a bone after only an hour of use.

I have at least one nostril always closed, even with the mask on. When I went into consult for MMA surgery they found I have narrow nasal passageways, and for years my CT scans have always showed swollen sinusitis.

Plus the sleep lab probably put him on a FFM because he was mouth breathing during the study.

I'll give you 4:1 odds he is a chronic mouth breather.

[oncomingspork]

Another thing I noticed is I have at least one nostril always closed, even with the mask on. When I went into consult for MMA surgery they found I have narrow nasal passageways, and for years my CT scans have always showed swollen sinusitis. Ugh this is just a nightmare.

I have this too, and while it seems backwards, I'm gonna recommend a nasal pillow mask because the pressure eventually forces the passageways open. Plus, even when it feels completely shut, usually there's some small amount of air still getting in. I was a mouthbreather but they gave me the mask and now I don't need my mouth open.

As for the dry mouth - it sounds like your mouth might be falling open at night. Do you have any TMJ or jaw issues that might make it uncomfortable to keep your mouth closed?
There's also stuff like Biotene which can ease the dry mouth a bit. You don't mention your environment - is that dry, overall? If so, you might give a room humidifier a shot.

[sventory]

I've never tried a mask liner, I will try one from cpap.com.

I do use a pillow under my machine to prevent the noise, but it doesn't help because the noise travel through the tube. You actually can't hear it without ear plugs in, but I need ear plugs in because I'm so sensitive after years of not sleeping well. I also have very loud central air which gives me white noise protection too. I need both to not be effected by noise.

I don't think I have COPD because I never cough and I don't seem out of breath in normal circumstances.

As I mentioned, my humidity setting is MAX (whatever number that is 7 or 8?). No ramp time either.

Yes I a am a mouth breather, I tried going nasal only but my mouth busts open way too easily from the air pressure.

Is it possible my pressure is too high? I feel like when I use the mask my breathing becomes deeper/less autonomous, but it could be just because the noise change helps me focus on it. I feel like when I am awake and normal doing something like reading, I never notice my breathing. But when I use mask and read, often times my train of thought will get interrupted and I will focus on the breathing. I only ask because it seemed when I was at 6-12 and with the different mask I actually slept more. I had more events (mostly centrals, reras, hypos), but I actually recall sleeping with the mask on, until now.

[PoolQ]

"I don't think I have COPD because I never cough and I don't seem out of breath in normal circumstances"
This is what I said also. Do you have a history of breathing dusty, smoke, small particle air for extended periods? Smoking (surprise ANY kind of smoke, not just tobacco), saw dust? cement work? If not then nothing to look at here.

This might be a stretch "I need ear plugs in because I'm so sensitive after years of not sleeping well" perhaps you were not getting deep sleep so any noise would wake you. Perhaps now with CPAP you will be getting deep sleep and not be so sensitive to noise, once you get used to it. I would suggest wearing the CPAP as much as you can without sleeping to see if you can get yourself used to the sounds and feel of CPAP. YMMV

[Michelle-OH]

I use a doma sound machine to block out any other sounds made during the night, might try a sound machine...or to save money, first try sleeping with a fan and then if that works buy a sound machine. There is no way I am able to sleep with ear plugs. Not enough knowledge to help you with any of the other problems.

[WearyOne]

I learned here some time ago that having the humidifier TOO high can cause more nasal/sinus stuffiness. I open my mouth when I sleep and always have dry mouth in the morning no matter where the humidifier is set. Now if I set it lower than 2, then I notice that it's worse. But other than that, it makes no difference for me. Someone else mentioned Biotene, I believe. I do use that and it helps some. I also take meds that dry you out, so I'm pretty used to it.

If you've never tried one of the masks below, it might worth looking into. They cover your mouth and either have pillows or holes for your nose, but do not cover as much territory as full-face masks. I cannot sleep without a mask covering my mouth and full-face masks always leak into my eyes (and I already have dry eye syndrome).

InnoMed/RespCare Hybrid Full-Face Mask: https://www.cpap.com/productpage/RespCa ... -Mask.html
Respironics Amara Full View Mask: https://www.cpap.com/productpage/respir ... -mask.html
Resmed Liberty Full-Face Mask: https://www.cpap.com/productpage/resmed ... dgear.html

I use the Hybrid almost exclusively. I'm trying out the Amara. I really like it for back sleeping or if for some reason I need to sleep almost sitting up (GERD, etc.). But for me I find that it's uncomfortable for side sleeping. I thought it would leak a lot, as many have said that, but it sealed surprising well for me.

I also use either foam earplugs or a sound machine most nights.

This cpap and mask business can really take some work to get working well sometimes.

Pam