Middle of the night alarm for compliance

[davep700]

I am still working on my CPAP compliance for a year now and I either have full nights of usage or partial nights where I remove the mask after 1, 2, 3 or 4 hours. Taping it does not help much as I learned to remove the tape automatically as well. I can only tell that it's some type of discomfort that's causing me to remove the mask, probably nasal congestion resulting from my anatomy. I feel so weak around and during my sleeping hours that I don't have the level of executive control or oversight I need.

If an underlying problem can't be helped, there isn't a good "Plan B" yet for this issue, since apparently no CPAP machine has a loud enough alarm for the Mask alert to bother someone enough to replace the mask upon removal. One suggestion that came up in my search is for a middle of the night alarm, say after 4 hours, to wake the user up to replace the mask if necessary. The idea is that while it does disrupt the sleep once, it will prevent more treatment hours from being lost in the second half of the night.

I have a feeling I would simply turn off the alarm without acting on the mask. Does anyone use this technique with success?

[Chevie]

Go for a service dog.

[palerider]

Go for a service dog.

*GROWLS* "put your mask back on or I'll bite your face off!"

[Cardsfan]

try a mask with headgear that is a pain in the ** to get off. Something with lots of clips, and snaps etc. If you got headgear that can slip off in an instant, that's not good.
Oh, try putting on some kind of hat over the headgear that ties in a knot.

[LSAT]

I am still working on my CPAP compliance for a year now and I either have full nights of usage or partial nights where I remove the mask after 1, 2, 3 or 4 hours. Taping it does not help much as I learned to remove the tape automatically as well. I can only tell that it's some type of discomfort that's causing me to remove the mask, probably nasal congestion resulting from my anatomy. I feel so weak around and during my sleeping hours that I don't have the level of executive control or oversight I need.

If an underlying problem can't be helped, there isn't a good "Plan B" yet for this issue, since apparently no CPAP machine has a loud enough alarm for the Mask alert to bother someone enough to replace the mask upon removal. One suggestion that came up in my search is for a middle of the night alarm, say after 4 hours, to wake the user up to replace the mask if necessary. The idea is that while it does disrupt the sleep once, it will prevent more treatment hours from being lost in the second half of the night.

I have a feeling I would simply turn off the alarm without acting on the mask. Does anyone use this technique with success?

After a year you still can't wear the mask all night? Maybe someone could sit next to you and slap your face every time you remove the mask ?

[davep700]

I prefer my nasal pillows, but another layer of defense like a chin strap is a possibility.

[chunkyfrog]

Use tape, but make sure you get some HAIR under it.
Alternate 2: hypnosis.

[palerider]

Taping it does not help much as I learned to remove the tape automatically as well.

use better tape.

[Pneumophile]

Sheesh I didn't even know (after 7 years on 2 different blowers) that these things have such alarms - other than the whooshing sound of massive air flow if you take the mask off without hitting the Off button. Who knew?!

hmmm,maybe my wife hits me with a pillow before the alarm even has a chance ....

[Omne]

Go for a service dog.

*GROWLS* "put your mask back on or I'll bite your face off!"

I'd rather have a service monkey that puts it back on for me.

[SewTired]

Well, the goal is to identify the cause in the first place. I stopped taking my mask off when I changed to a Resmed brand filter. You could try a hypoallergenic knockoff. Have you looked at your sleepyhead data? Is there a pattern? Maybe you are affected by large shifts of pressure? Adjusting humidity could also help. I'm just trying to throw out ideas having gone through the same problem.

[kteague]

1. Have you examined your data to see if something apparent is preceding you mask removal? It would be a shame to keep going through this if a simple pressure tweak could resolve this.
2. The sleeping brain learns to ignore things it doesn't fear. If your tape removal was painful enough the brain should learn to fear it thus wake up when it starts to happen. Do you have any other sleep issues, like are you a sleepwalker?

[49er]

Hi Dave,

Have you seen an ENT about your nasal congestion since you seem to feel that may be an issue regarding the premature mask removal?

49er

[davep700]

I have seen the ENT, he suggested to try Flonase for a month. However, for me, Flonase doesn't seem to do anything. I guess its vital that if one of my nostrils is congested, I need to use Afrin that night to tolerate the CPAP. Afrin helps significantly, and fortunately I only need it occasionally.

Maybe leaks? Here are stats for last night ; I got a lot of sleep, but still feel fatigued as usual.

[davep700]

I looked in my stats . I saw that one night I was in a Large leak for 25% of the night.