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Sleepyhead may or may not give a clue as to why the OP is removing the mask. It may be one of those getting very restless and aroused that is evident from factors such as respiration rate or tital volume.

If the OP is asleep when he takes off the mask he will not know why he does that.

xxyzx wrote:

TedVPAP wrote:I would want to look at the data via sleepyhead to see if there is a reason why you are pulling off the mask.

how will SH tell that

shouldnt the user be able to tell us the problem that makes them take it off better than guessing at SH data

SH could be useful in this situation.
I know the few times I take my mask off it is when I have an apnea event.. I cant breathe, wake up, and what do I do? Instinctively I take my mask off, throw it off the bed, and go back to sleep without it. SH might show something if I had a cluster of events right before the big one

I just did a test to find out what it might be with keeping on the mask for an hour. It seems that it's the back of my throat seems to get really annoying/fatigued with the pressure but I don't like it any lower. Turning on EPR is annoying because it doesn't keep the airway open. Instead the back of throat tissue tends to relax too much

When you were testing it, did you sleep for an hour and wake up with this feeling, or were you wearing it while awake for an hour? Keep in mind sensations while awake may not be the same as when asleep. When you are awake, you hold your airway open. When asleep, the machine does it. Again, the data may not reveal anything, but maybe it would. All I'm saying is that feelings in conjunction with data could add a level of confidence to the ruling out process. If the mask is rubbing the nose raw or some specific identifiable issue, the data wouldn't be helpful. But if your pressure is so close to the line as to be ineffective when the EPR is on, that's a pretty fine line, so it wouldn't hurt to take a look.

EPR isn't supposed to 'keep the airway open'. All it does is help lower pressure on exhalation... I think you're expecting the wrong thing from it and should try turning it down (or off). And you can't test anything while awake because you don't breathe the same way as when asleep and the machine can tell the difference.

kteague wrote:When you were testing it, did you sleep for an hour and wake up with this feeling, or were you wearing it while awake for an hour? Keep in mind sensations while awake may not be the same as when asleep. When you are awake, you hold your airway open. When asleep, the machine does it. Again, the data may not reveal anything, but maybe it would. All I'm saying is that feelings in conjunction with data could add a level of confidence to the ruling out process. If the mask is rubbing the nose raw or some specific identifiable issue, the data wouldn't be helpful. But if your pressure is so close to the line as to be ineffective when the EPR is on, that's a pretty fine line, so it wouldn't hurt to tke a look.

I did simple test at home. I was actually awake at the time just kept it on but when i go to sleep, i don't realize that i took it off and i feel worse with the mask rather than without such as my eyes and sweating.

Are you getting air in your eyes? You need to be specific about these things so we can try to advise...

And the sweating - are you using the humidifier? You may not need it if you're in a relatively humid location - at least in summer. It's a convenience/comfort feature, but not 'therapy' itself and you're free to not use it at all. Same for the ramp, same for EPR, etc. etc.

If you can elaborate more here we can try to help, but need some input and detail from you. Taking the mask off is common, but usually gets cleared up after a while - as yours should once we figure out what the problem is. And you really should look into the software as it can enlighten you a lot about what's going on.

EPR and epap are two diff. things... genius.

xxyzx wrote:

TedVPAP wrote:I would want to look at the data via sleepyhead to see if there is a reason why you are pulling off the mask.

how will SH tell that

shouldnt the user be able to tell us the problem that makes them take it off better than guessing at SH data

The OP stated that they remove the mask while sleeping so they do not know why they are doing it.
Data doesn't answer all questions but it is usually helpful.
For example, some people feel like they are not getting enough air when the pressure is too low. Since many APAP machines are set to the default value of 4, this may be too low.
If data showed the person ripping off the mask when the pressure was low, then it would be reasonable to suspect that the pressure may be too low.
If data shows that the mask comes off after a string of apneas, then inadequate treatment may be the cause.
If data shows that the mask comes off during high pressure, then intolerance to pressure may be the cause.
If data shows that the mask comes off just after the start of a high leak, then the leak may be the cause.

Perhaps the OP will post data so people can actually help.

xxyzx wrote:

the pressure at epap IS supposed to keep the airway open
the EPR is from the higher pressure used to prevent apnea and help prevent hypops
but the airway is supposed to be kept open

a closed airway is not always easy to blast open without much higher pressures
results are better when it is kept open all the time

OMG... More BS from XXYZX......(But, he's NEVER wrong)

A better man than I if you can figure out what xxyzx is trying to say here.

Yes, but you said EPR, not Epap... at least read your stuff before posting!

Julie wrote:Yes, but you said EPR, not Epap... at least read your stuff before posting!

I am curious - if the pressure setting is too high and the apneas are below 5, can I be taking off the mask? I have it on auto but noticed I still took off the mask even though the minimum pressure was 7 and max was 13. On those 2 hours of use it averaged around 11.3 pressure. Still, I have set it back to cpap and set it 6 only with EPR off.

Pressure and AHI (number of events) are independent of each other.
Some people think there is a connection--even some providers!
Pressure is simply the amount of air support needed to prevent an apnea.
AHI is an average of measurable events per hour.
As reported by your machine, it represents the events that SNEAK THROUGH, in spite of treatment.
"Removing the mask"--I don't understand how that would help.