(New user) Better to get 3 hours of APAP sleep & wake up or take off mask & go back to bed?

[APAP5000]

I am a month into APAP and have found it tough to get used to. I was diagnosed with severe sleep apnea.

I can only wear the mask for 3 hours and then wake up and cannot get back to sleep unless I take off the mask. My nose hurts too much and my mind will not put up with it. The next day I feel like I have peppers stuck up my nose.

My question is (I could not find the answer anywhere):

Is it better to just get up and go about my day with 3 hours of APAP sleep? Will going back to sleep without my mask be worse?

I am guessing it is more harmful for me to go back to sleep without my mask and better to just wake up and go about my day with 3 hours of sleep.

Or is this pretty typical of new users to sleep 3 hours, take off their mask and go back to bed? I still feel that groggy feeling I had before APAP.

I use a resmed airsense 10 and n30i mask

Tried the pillows and N20 mask, but they did not work out.

[Pugsy]

What humidity setting are you using?

3 hours of therapy is better than no hours of therapy but most insurance will require at least 4 hours a night for them to pay for the machine.

Your OSA isn't necessarily going to be worse if you use the machine part of the night but you will of course have untreated sleep apnea sleep and that can make it feel like it is worse.

[chunkyfrog]

The mask is being worn TOO TIGHT.
It should not hurt.
Why do people DO this?

[Pugsy]

The mask is being worn TOO TIGHT.
It should not hurt.
Why do people DO this?

Because they want to eliminate ALL leaks and they don't realize that too tight is actually counter productive because it doesn't allow the mask cushion to inflate which is needed to keep a good seal.
Or they have the wrong size they are trying to work with.

[chunkyfrog]

The mask is being worn TOO TIGHT.
It should not hurt.
Why do people DO this?

Because they want to eliminate ALL leaks and they don't realize that too tight is actually counter productive because it doesn't allow the mask cushion to inflate which is needed to keep a good seal.
Or they have the wrong size they are trying to work with.

Common knowledge here, but some have to hear it from the expert.
Thank you, Pugsy.

[zonker]

I can only wear the mask for 3 hours and then wake up and cannot get back to sleep unless I take off the mask. My nose hurts too much and my mind will not put up with it. The next day I feel like I have peppers stuck up my nose.


I use a resmed airsense 10 and n30i mask

Tried the pillows and N20 mask, but they did not work out.

welcome to the zoo! when you have a moment, head over to youtube. do a search on "mask fitting videos" plus whichever of the two masks. as has been said, you are torqueing the mask down too tight.

the videos should help you get them on properly.

good luck!

[resmed10guy]

I went thru that my first month on CPAP. I found if I didn't change the mask monthly, the foam lining softened a bit and I had to keep tightening the strap more and more which was uncomfortable. Also, if I went back to bed without the mask my wife would push on my shoulder because I started snoring.

[Miss Emerita]

With all of the masks you've tried, did you have "starter packs" so you could try different sizes? A change of size up or down can sometimes make a big difference to comfort and function.

[greatunclebill]

I understand the theory about not having the mask too tight. it's a good theory if you can do it. I've tried many masks. the only one that has worked for me is the quattro fx. i have the right size and i tighten it about as tight as it goes. when my head and face are shaved, i get zero leaks. as it grows, so do the leaks. i've tried the loosening the mask business and all i get is massive leaks.

To the OP, lower your pressure to something you can sleep all night with. then gradually raise it as you get used to it all night. no big jumps, just a little at a time and before you know it you will be tolerating what you need.

[Pugsy]

I understand the theory about not having the mask too tight. it's a good theory if you can do it. I've tried many masks. the only one that has worked for me is the quattro fx. i have the right size and i tighten it about as tight as it goes. when my head and face are shaved, i get zero leaks. as it grows, so do the leaks. i've tried the loosening the mask business and all i get is massive leaks.

To the OP, lower your pressure to something you can sleep all night with. then gradually raise it as you get used to it all night. no big jumps, just a little at a time and before you know it you will be tolerating what you need.

I understand your point but when someone wakes up 3 hours into therapy in so much pain they just have to remove the mask....it's either too tight or wrong size or wrong mask for the person's face.
It's totally unacceptable for a mask to have to be that tight and so tight a person can't sleep.

A lot of newbies worry about the least little leak thinking the therapy will be massively impacted and they just crank the mask down like a vise grip. They don't understand that unless leaks wake a person up or are massive...that they aren't the end of the world.

The name of the game is sleep...first and foremost. Without sleep it doesn't matter what the leak rate is or isn't.

[cyberdreamer]

I am a month into APAP and have found it tough to get used to. I was diagnosed with severe sleep apnea.

I can only wear the mask for 3 hours and then wake up and cannot get back to sleep unless I take off the mask. My nose hurts too much and my mind will not put up with it. The next day I feel like I have peppers stuck up my nose.

My question is (I could not find the answer anywhere):

Is it better to just get up and go about my day with 3 hours of APAP sleep? Will going back to sleep without my mask be worse?

I am guessing it is more harmful for me to go back to sleep without my mask and better to just wake up and go about my day with 3 hours of sleep.

Or is this pretty typical of new users to sleep 3 hours, take off their mask and go back to bed? I still feel that groggy feeling I had before APAP.

I use a resmed airsense 10 and n30i mask

Tried the pillows and N20 mask, but they did not work out.

Your story is exactly like me when I started CPAP therapy without humidifier or when I forget to fill the water tank. It feels like someone is pushing knives through your nostrils.

Bump up the humidity. I use a humidity of 7 in my Airsense 10 with regular hose; any less I get sinus pain and very itchy nose.

[Goofproof]

Which is better for you, smoking 1 pack of Cigs a day, or 2 packs, or zero Cigs a day. You should be able to figure that out yourself. Jim