New to the forum - brainfog

[Hang Fire]

I'm pretty nervous about cpap, it looks quite uncomfortable. Especially exhaling against the pressure and turning in my sleep seem like a potential issue to me.

Be careful. This attitude looks like the attitude of someone setting themselves up for failure.

Millions of people use CPAP successfully every night and sleep well. You can also.

I don't even notice that I am breathing out against pressure. It's much better than not breathing at all.

There are solutions for almost every problem you might encounter initially. You just have to ask.

[chunkyfrog]

Exhaling against pressure usually becomes hardly noticeable within a few days.
Better machines have some kind of exhale relief, EPR on Resmed, __flex on Respironics.
Exhale pressure is reduced, but many leave the pressure steady after a while.

[Cardsfan]

Brainfog- my sleep Dr. told me it takes 6 months for the brain to recover on cpap. So don't expect too much too soon.

[anton69]

Thanks, will try not to expect too much too soon regarding my brain fog. It would already be great if my snoring would be reduced; would make my wife happy

What do you recommend for a mask, a nasal mask or a intra-nasal pillow mask? I usually lay on my side.

[ChicagoGranny]

What do you recommend for a mask, a nasal mask or a intra-nasal pillow mask? I usually lay on my side.

This is going to be a matter of personal preference and what works best for your facial anatomy. It is not uncommon to try a few masks before settling on one.

For newbies, I recommend going with a popular mask that has a lot of good reviews. If you want to try a more exotic mask, save that for later after you have some experience with CPAP.

You can start looking at masks and reading reviews on the forum owner's website - https://www.cpap.com/cpap-masks/nasal-p ... p-mask.php.

If I could only recommend one mask for you, it would be this one (AirFit P10 Nasal Pillow Mask) - https://www.cpap.com/productpage/resmed ... dgear.html

It's a newly introduced mask and you can see it gets a lot of good reviews and few bad reviews.

[Cardsfan]

Hi, I sleep on my side, with the side of my face smashed into the pillow. I like the Swift FX Nano (nasal) because- the headgear is adjustable at 3 different places, It is a minimal size, and the entire mask has no hard plastic parts. When a mask has hard plastic parts, and I sleep on my side, it gouges into the skin. The Nano is completely soft.

I tried the Dreamwear mask and could not make it work. It has no adjustments on the headband- it either fits or it doesn't. I tried the Medium and Small headband. The only adjustment is the material band that goes behind the head from side to side. When I laid on my side, it pushed the nose piece out of position , causing leaks and waking me up. And I could definitely hear the noise of my breaths in the tube that runs along the face. But, a lot of there people like it.

[curems]

What do you recommend for a mask, a nasal mask or a intra-nasal pillow mask? I usually lay on my side.

This is going to be a matter of personal preference and what works best for your facial anatomy. It is not uncommon to try a few masks before settling on one.

This is the best advice you'll ever get about masks! Everyone has different experiences and it may take time to find one that really works best for you. I've only been on cpap for 3 months and have tried 4 nasal pillows, 5 nasal masks and 2 full face masks. For me, the best mask is the DreamWear (small frame and small pillow) - I get no leaks, don't have a problem with noise and absolutely love the top of the head connection (the feature that I expected might be a deal breaker!) Not so for others. Others may prefer pillows but they always make me feel like I'm suffocating no matter what size I use. Some need a full face mask - I don't but tried a couple because of problems getting a good mask fit.

It is all so individual and you need to find what's right for you. Stick with it until you do. Our sponsors offer return insurance on masks (either free or for a small fee) so you can try a mask and return it for another if it doesn't work. Just don't give up.

[anton69]

Back from the hospital with a brand new cpap kit.

After trying several masks I choose the Resmed Airfit P10 pillow mask. The CPAP device is a Resmed Airsense 10 Elite with HumidAir.

I was a bit worried that the device would make a loud humming noise, like the one my brother has, but fortunately it's completely silent.

The put in on auto mode with a minimum setting of 4 and maximum 7. The humidifier is set to 3.

I also tried a Mirage FX nose mask, it felt ok as well, but got more leaks and blew air in my eye. The Airfit P10 pillow mask feels more comfortable when laying on my side and had no leaks what so ever. I did notice that exhaling was a bit more difficult with the Airfit P10. They said they put it on a mode which should make exhaling easier, but did not notice much difference. Most annoying with both masks is the air blowing out of my mouth when I open it. I only breath through my nose, but when speaking this could be noticable.

Looking forward to the first night, hope I can get some sleep. A heated hose is not included, but can be bought separately. Does that make a huge difference?

[ChicagoGranny]

Most annoying with both masks is the air blowing out of my mouth when I open it. I only breath through my nose, but when speaking this could be noticable.

Tip for beginners: Avoid taking to office and using in meetings.

[OkyDoky]

The CPAP device is a Resmed Airsense 10 Elite with HumidAir.

The put in on auto mode with a minimum setting of 4 and maximum 7. The humidifier is set to 3.
The Elite is a fixed pressure machine. The 4 is the ramp starting pressure and when you are asleep you will go and stay at 7.
They said they put it on a mode which should make exhaling easier, but did not notice much difference.
EPR Exhalation Pressure Relief It can be set up to 3 cmH20 lower on exhalation.
Most annoying with both masks is the air blowing out of my mouth when I open it. I only breath through my nose, but when speaking this could be noticable.
Usually don't speak much with mask on but I have learned to do few words.
A heated hose is not included, but can be bought separately. Does that make a huge difference?
If you start to get condensation and "rainout" the heated hose would help. Just depends on your humidity needs.

[Pugsy]

minimum setting of 4 and maximum 7.

They said they put it on a mode which should make exhaling easier

Sounds like they turned on the ramp to start at 4 cm and work it's way up to 7 cm over whatever period of time they set it to.

Download and read up on the ramp and the use of EPR which is exhale relief.
https://sleep.tnet.com/home/files/resme ... -guide.pdf

A lot of people have problems at 4 cm starting point...you might be better off turning the ramp off and using EPR at 2 or 3 with the setting of 7 cm...It will make breathing easier and more natural with those nasal pillows.

Heated hose really needed? It depends on your own preferences really and where you live and how cold your bedroom is and what humidity setting you end up needing.
While originally the main reason for the heated hose is rain out (condensation) control...there is also the comfort of warmer air if you keep a cold bedroom.
I use my heated hose year round...warmer temps in the winter and cooler temps in the summer and the humidity remains constant.
It doesn't give you "hot" air...remember you are starting with the ambient room air temp and even at the max setting of 86 degrees it is still cooler than your own body temp of 98.6 degrees.

Some people can't do without their heated hose and some people hate them.
You can always add one later if you have condensation issues or just want a little warmer air going up your nose. EBay is a good cheaper source...lots cheaper than DME prices if you are going to buy your own.

[Midnight Strangler]

It doesn't give you "hot" air

The humidifier, without the heated hose, feels hot to me. Even turned down to the lowest setting. I don't use it. Not even in the dead of winter.

I don't get dry nasal passages, and I have often wondered why, since almost everyone else uses humidifiers. Maybe it's because I drink a lot of water (48 ounces approx) daily?

[Pugsy]

The humidifier, without the heated hose, feels hot to me. Even turned down to the lowest setting. I don't use it. Not even in the dead of winter.

I don't get dry nasal passages, and I have often wondered why, since almost everyone else uses humidifiers. Maybe it's because I drink a lot of water (48 ounces approx) daily?

Beats me why you are different but that's why all this cpap stuff comes with a big YMMV sticker.
Without a heated hose (during the winter) besides the humidity issues my nose got so damn cold it hurt and woke me up a gazillion times.
And if I don't use maximum humidity I get horrible, horrible nasal/sinus symptoms.

We all have different preferences and needs though...no matter what the reason and in the long run it is just something each individual has to sort out on their own with trial and error depending on what their own preferences and needs are.

[anton69]

Hi Pugsy,
Thanks for the link to the manual. I checked again and my device is not an Elite model, but an Autoset. They said it would only go to 7 when there is an obstruction and decrease back to 4 when possible.

The EPR section reads:
When EPR is enabled, the delivered pressure will not drop below a minimum pressure of 4 cm H2O, regardless of the settings.

What do you mean with 'lot of people have problems at 4cm starting point'? Is that too low or too high? Wouldn't increasing the pressure from 4 to 7 make exhaling more difficult?

[Pugsy]

What do you mean with 'lot of people have problems at 4cm starting point'? Is that too low or too high? Wouldn't increasing the pressure from 4 to 7 make exhaling more difficult?

4 cm is quite low and a lot of people feel like they are suffocating at such a low setting.

If you are okay with it then that's great but between the small air volume space in the P10 pillows and the 4 cm starting pressure some people feel like they can't exhale and without EPR difference it can be uncomfortable.
Believe it or not but 6 cm with EPR of 2 is easier than straight 4 cm for a lot of people.

You need to try to isolate if your problem is actually exhaling against the pressure of 4 or you just aren't feeling like enough air is moving in general.

4 cm is about as low as these machines will go...I think only one other brand goes lower and that is only to 3 cm.