Waking up/removing mask after 4 hours every night???

emt1581 · Post by **emt1581** » Mon Jan 14, 2019 10:10 am

Prior to getting my machine I fell asleep within 5 minutes of going to bed and slept clear through the night unless I had to get up to pee about once a week. Now that it's been almost a week of using my machine, I wake up at almost 4 hours on the dot every night, take it off, and go back to sleep. Seriously, I'm averaging 3.8hrs according to "my info" on my Dream Station.

Any thoughts on this? Will it get better over time?

Thanks!

Pugsy · Post by **Pugsy** » Mon Jan 14, 2019 10:26 am

Why are you removing the mask?
Any special reason?
It's a bad habit to into...and bad habits are easy to make and hard to break.
It won't get better until you figure out why you are taking it off and going back to sleep without it and stop doing it.

emt1581 · Post by **emt1581** » Mon Jan 14, 2019 10:30 am

Pugsy wrote: ↑
Mon Jan 14, 2019 10:26 am
Why are you removing the mask?
Any special reason?
It's a bad habit to into...and bad habits are easy to make and hard to break.
It won't get better until you figure out why you are taking it off and going back to sleep without it and stop doing it.

Comfort I guess. But why at 4 hours so consistently?? That's my primary concern.

Thanks

Pugsy · Post by **Pugsy** » Mon Jan 14, 2019 10:40 am

I suspect probably a normal wake up after a REM cycle is completed...ideally we just roll over and go back to sleep but for some reason you wake up too much and yield to the temptation to remove the mask.
That's a bad little devil on your shoulder tempting you.....you need to knock him off your shoulder.

If you google "sleep stages" and look at the normal hypnograms for normal sleep cycles you can get and idea when REM would normally occur and if you notice they all show a brief period of being awake at the end of REM. It's considered normal.
Most of the time we don't remember it because we roll over and go right back to sleep and aren't ever awake enough to form a memory.

So normal to wake up....and when new to cpap therapy maybe even more just because everything is so new ...but we really need to avoid the slippery slope of taking the mask off. That's a really bad habit to make.

If the mask is uncomfortable and preventing going back to sleep...that problem needs to be dealt with.

OldGnome · Post by **OldGnome** » Mon Jan 14, 2019 11:21 am

I went through a couple of periods of removing my mask (nasal pillow) at night while still asleep. I didn't do it every night and never awakened when I took my mask off. My sleep doc told me it wasn't unusual and that he hoped I would get used to the mask. I did and I do not recall the last time I pulled my mask off at night.

emt1581 · Post by **emt1581** » Mon Jan 14, 2019 11:25 am

Pugsy wrote: ↑
Mon Jan 14, 2019 10:40 am
I suspect probably a normal wake up after a REM cycle is completed...ideally we just roll over and go back to sleep but for some reason you wake up too much and yield to the temptation to remove the mask.
That's a bad little devil on your shoulder tempting you.....you need to knock him off your shoulder.

If you google "sleep stages" and look at the normal hypnograms for normal sleep cycles you can get and idea when REM would normally occur and if you notice they all show a brief period of being awake at the end of REM. It's considered normal.
Most of the time we don't remember it because we roll over and go right back to sleep and aren't ever awake enough to form a memory.

So normal to wake up....and when new to cpap therapy maybe even more just because everything is so new ...but we really need to avoid the slippery slope of taking the mask off. That's a really bad habit to make.

If the mask is uncomfortable and preventing going back to sleep...that problem needs to be dealt with.

That makes sense. To be honest, I think it's a combination of it being a pressure and presence on my face/head but also the condensation from the humidifier because I know I'm wiping my face off after removing it. Maybe if I could figure out how to eliminate the moisture from gathering I could stop easier. Somewhere I read to have the machine a few inches below my head, and while the hose it, the machine is on my night stand and I can't lower it unless I put it in one of the three drawers and I doubt that's healthy to do....to breath in drawer air for 50 years.

Thoughts on getting rid of the moisture under/around the seal?

Thanks!

emt1581 · Post by **emt1581** » Mon Jan 14, 2019 11:26 am

OldGnome wrote: ↑
Mon Jan 14, 2019 11:21 am
I went through a couple of periods of removing my mask (nasal pillow) at night while still asleep. I didn't do it every night and never awakened when I took my mask off. My sleep doc told me it wasn't unusual and that he hoped I would get used to the mask. I did and I do not recall the last time I pulled my mask off at night.

That's good to know. I'm going to have to try consciously fighting the urge to rip it off. But as I said in my last post, I need to eliminate the moisture accumulation around the seal.

Thanks!

Pugsy · Post by **Pugsy** » Mon Jan 14, 2019 11:53 am

emt1581 wrote: ↑
Mon Jan 14, 2019 11:25 am
Thoughts on getting rid of the moisture under/around the seal?

If using a heated hose...turn up the hose air temp.

If not using a heated hose...get one and use it.

For moisture in the mask like that....you could put the machine all the way down to the middle of the earth and it wouldn't prevent it.
Lowering the machine won't help because gravity can't help it drain.
You need to warm up the air in the mask more so it doesn't condense and settle on your face.
Part of it is the moisture in your own exhaled breath...quite common. People can get it even if they don't use added humidity at all.

There are some other options...hose cozies and such...see posts number 2 and 3 I think it is for more explanation...but the easiest is just warm up the air in the mask and it doesn't take much added warmth...sometimes just a degree or two.
viewtopic/t94035/Pugsys-Pointers-3Deali ... -road.html

emt1581 · Post by **emt1581** » Mon Jan 14, 2019 12:10 pm

Pugsy wrote: ↑
Mon Jan 14, 2019 11:53 am

emt1581 wrote: ↑
Mon Jan 14, 2019 11:25 am
Thoughts on getting rid of the moisture under/around the seal?
If using a heated hose...turn up the hose air temp.

If not using a heated hose...get one and use it.

For moisture in the mask like that....you could put the machine all the way down to the middle of the earth and it wouldn't prevent it.
Lowering the machine won't help because gravity can't help it drain.
You need to warm up the air in the mask more so it doesn't condense and settle on your face.
Part of it is the moisture in your own exhaled breath...quite common. People can get it even if they don't use added humidity at all.

There are some other options...hose cozies and such...see posts number 2 and 3 I think it is for more explanation...but the easiest is just warm up the air in the mask and it doesn't take much added warmth...sometimes just a degree or two.
viewtopic/t94035/Pugsys-Pointers-3Deali ... -road.html

I do have a heated hose that came with the machine. I've just been using the non-heated that came with my sleep study and saving the heated as a backup. Looks like I need to reverse that setup. Do I need to program anything with the heated hose or just connect it to the exposed connections I see at the base of the hose hookup?

Also, my humidity is set at a 3. Do I want to turn it down?

Thanks!

Pugsy · Post by **Pugsy** » Mon Jan 14, 2019 12:16 pm

Just hook up the heated hose...the machine will auto detect it and I think it will default the settings to "Auto" which is a good starting point. If the air at the "auto hose temp setting is too warm for comfort" then we can change things to manual.
I wouldn't turn the humidity down...3 is actually a relatively low setting on your machine anyway. Your nasal mucosa might not like going drier.

Come spring and summer when things warm up you can go back to the non heated hose if you wish and save the heated hose but I don't bother. I use the heated hose year round and just adjust the hose air temp depending on the season.
Warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer.

Midwest_non_sleeper · Post by **Midwest_non_sleeper** » Mon Jan 14, 2019 2:18 pm

Pugsy is more than likely right here, but it also may be that you're just not used to having it on yet.

When I first started, I would inevitably rip the mask off in my sleep. I wasn't comfortable with it on while awake, so I'm sure it was the same while asleep. Over the span of a few weeks though, after adjusting the minimum and the humidity level, I stopped doing it. Now I go for however long I sleep for without even touching it. It's just...the routine now.

But yes, get a heated hose.

cubby · Post by **cubby** » Mon Jan 14, 2019 3:34 pm

I had a similar issue. About 2am i'm up every night fiddling with the mask and end up taking it off and going back to sleep. I thought i was doing ok with getting used to the mask but i really think looking back i wasn't. I'm about a month in now and dont wake up to remove it anymore but it took a week or two to stop that. I still have some issues but that's not one of them anymore...........chalking it up for one in the win column

emt1581 · Post by **emt1581** » Wed Jan 16, 2019 12:31 pm

I didn't use the machine last night for fear of aspirating on vomit. I was at the ER last night and have an ulcer.

However, I used it the night before with the heated hose....still had a ring of condensation around the gasket. The equipment lady said to turn the humidity down but it's already at a 3. I did take it off for a half hour in the middle of the night but put it back on. So I got 5.1hrs. I looked over after shutting it off and a little message was on the screen that said "congratulations, you got a good night's sleep!" and it listed 2 out of 21. That was odd to see since I've only had the machine 8 days now. They told me the machine was new.

Pugsy · Post by **Pugsy** » Wed Jan 16, 2019 3:45 pm

emt1581 wrote: ↑
Wed Jan 16, 2019 12:31 pm
I used it the night before with the heated hose....still had a ring of condensation around the gasket

What was the hose air temp setting? Unless you were at the maximum setting usually you need to do is warm up the air in the hose...turn up the hose air temp.

emt1581 wrote: ↑
Wed Jan 16, 2019 12:31 pm
you got a good night's sleep!" and it listed 2 out of 21. That was odd to see since I've only had the machine 8 days now. They told me the machine was new.

You are misunderstanding what it is showing...the 21 is for 21 nights out of 30 consecutive nights where you have to use it at least 4 hours or more.
The 21 has nothing to do with how many nights you have used the machine or if it was used before.

emt1581 wrote: ↑
Wed Jan 16, 2019 12:31 pm
it listed 2 out of 21.

you've only used the machine 2 nights where you used it 4 hours or more...and last night's non use set you back again.

Insurance requires that for 70% of 30 consecutive nights (that's the 21) that you use the machine at least 4 hours or more.
And if you skip one night you can't make it up by using it 8 hours the next night...doesn't work that way.

emt1581 · Post by **emt1581** » Wed Jan 16, 2019 10:17 pm

I don't see a way to check the air temp setting. What screen would that be under? Also, it was like breathing in warm air that bordered on hot...so I'm not sure how much higher it goes. Again, no idea how to check the hose and/or air temperature setting.

Thanks for the info.

Machine	Mask	Humidifier

Additional Comments: Specific DreamStation is DSX500T11C and I use the non-heated hose currently

Machine	Mask	Humidifier

Additional Comments: Specific DreamStation is DSX500T11C and I use the non-heated hose currently

Machine	Mask	Humidifier

Additional Comments: Specific DreamStation is DSX500T11C and I use the non-heated hose currently

Machine	Mask	Humidifier

Additional Comments: Specific DreamStation is DSX500T11C and I use the non-heated hose currently

Machine	Mask	Humidifier

Additional Comments: Specific DreamStation is DSX500T11C and I use the non-heated hose currently

Waking up/removing mask after 4 hours every night???

Waking up/removing mask after 4 hours every night???

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Re: Waking up/removing mask after 4 hours every night???

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