Newbie - first impressions

I'm on my 3rd week. I got the ResMed Airsense 11 w/ large F20 mask and heated hose.

Overall, the difference is one of omitted problems like brain fog, excessive tiredness, oxygen starvation headache in the mornings. The control software is impressive! However, it's not Utopia.

Maybe those with better experience can help guide me. I glanced thru the sticky but didn't happen on the solutions.

1 - I still lose sleep when the mask seal breaks and a small bit of cold rushes of air escape with every breath. This happens about once an hour or more. It's not enough to wake up right away, but it eventually disturbs my deep sleep every time. Too tight and it presses my sinuous too much. Too loose and it leaks even more often. Is there a trick?

My thought is getting an oversized mask so it'll rest slightly above the bridge of my nose, so I can tighten it a bit more without sinus issues.

Also, maybe there's some physical adjustment trick / habit that doesn't require full waking up. Has anyone else noticed it becomes second nature to adjust this without waking?

2 - I can't figure out how to wash the mask without getting the strap's cloth wet. The guy said that would cause separation. Is there a trick? A washing device? I've tried just being very careful, but it always gets a bit wet.

3 - My sister's FitBit has way way way better sleep analysis! ResMed just says # of hours, interruptions, and average events per hour. I expected a FitBit style of sleep quality analysis (Hours of REM sleep, bar chart that maps my night's sleep depth, comparison of sleep quality vs. other nights, etc.)

Suggestions? Should I just get a FitBit? Use an iPhone app? Is ResMed going to feel the embarrassment & improve their stuff? !!!

4 - Honestly, I don't understand the need for constant Broadband (cellphone style) connection. Seems wasteful to not utilize WiFi. My insurance is paying for now, but eventually that may change. Do they all do this? Is it optional?

5 - Should I be concerned about power outage suffocation? It's not really something I can test. Sometimes, say after a night with a few drinks, I'm comatose. Is it worth getting a UPS batter backup, or is this something that's simply never happened?

vich wrote: ↑

Wed Oct 13, 2021 1:09 pm

3 - My sister's FitBit has way way way better sleep analysis! ResMed just says # of hours, interruptions, and average events per hour. I expected a FitBit style of sleep quality analysis (Hours of REM sleep, bar chart that maps my night's sleep depth, comparison of sleep quality vs. other nights, etc.)

Suggestions? Should I just get a FitBit? Use an iPhone app? Is ResMed going to feel the embarrassment & improve their stuff? !!!

Well....the job of the cpap machine is to deliver air pressure to hold the airway open and prevent airway tissue collapses that end up being obstructive sleep apnea events.
It does that job very well. It only measures air flow. It has zero way to measure sleep status at all. It was never designed to actually measure sleep status.

To know with absolute certainty sleep status EEG leads are needed to measure brain activity.

The FitBit device isn't perfect. I had one and it told me I was sound asleep when I was up letting the dog out to pee.
Far from perfect but a fun toy.

Phone apps to measure sleep....useless. Easily fooled.


I guess ResMed simply hasn't wanted to get into the business of measuring sleep.

I doubt if a large size would help because the parts designed to fit accordingly will be too big, but overtightening can make things worse all around... there are so many masks out there to try, look for examples on Cpap.com. And download Oscar here to post results the experts will interpret for you and suggest any tweaks that might be needed.

You don't need to wash the whole mask, just the part (silicone) that counts... or is it hard to remove on your mask?

Don't worry about outages - your body won't let you die before making giant efforts to wake you and get that thing off your face... it's happened to many of us.

Some comments from a fellow F20 user…

1. I’m 6’2” and use a medium mask. Fitting an F20 properly is a bit of an art form, but I suggest looking for the LankyLefty video on YouTube about fitting an F20.

2. The cushion detaches from the frame, so you can wash it separately when you do wash it. Personally I wipe it out daily using some wipes I bought from the local CPAP store and only wash it maybe once a month. I have never washed the frame in the 7+ months I’ve been using it.

3. I have a few Fitbit devices and they are decent enough when measuring sleep, but far from accurate. Look on YouTube for the Quantified Scientist videos testing smartwatches and fitness trackers.

4. The communication is M2M, so it barely uses the cellular connection. It transmits minimal data and seemingly nothing identifying you.

5. The F20 has flaps that close when air pressure is applied and open when it is removed. No worries about suffocation.

Re power outages.

All full face masks come with anti-asphyxia valves built in and when not under pressure (power outage) the valve opens up and you can breathe easily with air moving through the open valve.

Or if it bugs you really bad get a power outage alarm
https://www.amazon.com/power-failure-al ... lure+alarm

or fix up some sort of back up power system.

I have an apple watch and my husband has a fit bit. His fit bit is way better at giving sleep data and fairly accurate as he can see. He has insomnia so he usually knows when he comes fully awake and you can see it in his data pretty clearly, along with info on oxygen levels and breathing. AW does not do as good a job with data. Next time my husband gets a new fitbit I may take his old one just for sleep tracking. Especially because when HE wakes he pulls the covers and wakes ME. Then he gets up and takes a Trazadone and falls back to sleep almost immediately. Me? I'm awake a long time after that. No Trazadone!

Vich, good luck with the mask quest! Keep at it; the right mask fitted correctly to your unique face will really make the PAP experience better for you.

If you follow the link Pugsy provided, you'll se the Reliance circuit alarm. I have one plugged into the circuit my machine is on. It makes a noise like a fairly loud and insistent alarm clock when the power goes off. Sixteen bucks; good deal.

As others have mentioned, the machine can't generate the data that would definitively tell you when you're awake and asleep, nor are their algorithms set up to try to make educated guesses about that. But if you ever use the Oscar software, you can get a pretty good idea about wake-ups from looking at your flow rate graphs. If you ever want to pursue that, let us know.

It's great to hear you're already seeing day-time benefits from PAP -- way to go!