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Squealing signals a leak. It is like stretching the opening of a balloon and letting the air out. I find that when this happens, I clean the mask and my face with soap and water. The oil in the skin that deposits on the mask, can cause this. I was never aware of it until my wife told me. I sometimes do notice it now before I fall off to sleep. After cleaning the mask and my face it usually solves the problem.

As far as your mouth being open, you would wake up with a dry mouth. If that is not the case you probably have nothing to worry about. I had that problem for a while. I sleep with a chin strap, and that takes care of that.

CPAPs are very quiet these days. If your mate is sensitive to noise when he sleeps, then there are some things you can do to dampen the sound significantly. I have found several ways to diminish the noise over the years. First of all, carpeting the Bedroom is the best way to dampen noise in the bed room. Heavy drapes are also a big help. I have found that if you place a towel under the CPAP as opposed to placing it on a hard surface, this will farther dampen the sound. I have been forced to place the CPAP on a padded Chair next to my bed, while in a hotel room. This also makes a big difference in absorbing the sound. My last comment is to place the CPAP in a position that the CPAP is a few inches below the top surface of the bed.

I hope these comments are helpful.

Didn't one of you mention about making your own mask liner from a t-shirt? How do you do that or is there a thread for that? I've heard it mentioned and I certainly would give it a rip for my family member. Also, if you purchase mask liners, do you have to replace it nightly or use the same one several times?

SewTired wrote:Didn't one of you mention about making your own mask liner from a t-shirt? How do you do that or is there a thread for that? I've heard it mentioned and I certainly would give it a rip for my family member. Also, if you purchase mask liners, do you have to replace it nightly or use the same one several times?

Yes I do that. It is easy but padacheeks are much better and easier to use.
Just lay the mask on an old tshirt, draw around it leaving a 2 inch margin, cut it out. Fold in half & make a small hole. Try on, adjust size of hole, repeat. Make a pattern out of paper. You can just throw them out when the get dirty.

SewTired wrote: Also, if you purchase mask liners, do you have to replace it nightly or use the same one several times?

welllll here's another one of those .... things (where I think some companies are taking advantage of cpap users)

remzzzs sells their t-shirt cutouts for a buck each, and says "for best results, use a new one *EVERY NIGHT*.

so, on top of everything else, they want you to spend another 365$ a year on their liners, and do your part to fill up the garbage dumps of america.

I call bullshit.

Karen at Padacheek sells her stuff for a good bit more than a dollar, but *encourages* you to wash and reuse them. 'course, I've never gotten the impression that she's out to screw the user, either.

I got remzzzs free sample kit, and I just washed 'em. guess what? they worked just as well after a wash as they did brand new..

May have been an issue with my soap, as its formulated for dry skin. I switched to one for normal skin yesterday. I also got new cleaning wipes for the mask. i didn't use the new wipes yet since I completely cleaned the mask in sudsy water yesterday. I also tightened the Velcro straps a bit more. Hubby said no noise last night. So may had been due to residual oil on face from soap or the wipes I was using last week may have had some oils in the ingredients. They were wipes my sister left here for when she visits with her young son. They were in a ziploc but she said they were fragrance & alcohol free. Anyway we will see how it goes tonight and during the week.
Thank you all for the suggestions & advice. If it starts up again I will definitely look into the suggestions!

If you use mask liners the soap doesn't matter.