I take my mask off IN MY SLEEP!!!

aprila · Post by **aprila** » Sun May 20, 2007 11:44 am

I've had my cpap for about a month now and I keep taking it off in my sleep without knowing it until I wake up. About every other night I do this. Any suggestions???

blarg · Post by **blarg** » Sun May 20, 2007 12:18 pm

Welcome to the forums. There are lots of adjustments that are often very difficult to make when you first start CPAP. A little more info would go a long way in this case.

Do you have any memory at all of taking the mask off (I'm not accusing you of anything here)? What's your pressure (or range) set to? What mask are you using? What sleeping position did you prefer before starting CPAP? What machine do you have? Are you using C-Flex or EPR? If so, what setting?

There are a few different reasons that this could be happening. They all come back to just plain being uncomfortable, so if there's some obvious reason that's happening, then of course we'll just fix that. If we have more info about your situation then we can start commenting here.

But, if not, then people have been known to tape their headgear straps down to their skin to give them a gentle reminder not to remove the mask once they're asleep.

aprila · Post by **aprila** » Sun May 20, 2007 12:29 pm

ahhh... you made me think about it... I do remember reaching for the on/off button. And once I remember my nose itched and I couldn't get to it to scratch it so I took it off and was too asleep to put the mask back on. My husband made me put it back on an hour later though. Tape might work.

I am using a resmed s8 with humidifier and a mirage mask small. I am thinking of asking to try a larger mask because I sleep with my mouth open and there is pressure on my chin. I can try a bunch of masks before choosing one. When I keep this one on it's not bad. Still getting used to something on my face.

The pressure is set to 8 which supposedly was great at the sleep study. I sleep on my side as I have for years and don't have much of a problem with leaking etc. but I do have to move my hand out of the vent flow. I set the humidifier right in the middle and it seems to work fine.

I'm thinking maybe allergy season is making my nose itch more.

Thanks for your help!

catbirdgirl · Post by **catbirdgirl** » Sun May 20, 2007 10:12 pm

I keep taking it off in my sleep too. then I put it back on later.

blarg · Post by **blarg** » Sun May 20, 2007 10:19 pm

It sounds like in your case you're pobably just not used to having junk on your face. A subtle reminder like some medical tape holding things on would help you remember not to take it off. You probably won't have to do that forever, just for a while here until you get used to sleeping with a big plastic thing on your face pumping air at you.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Mon May 21, 2007 12:07 pm

Simple solution: before going to sleep, touch your mask and look at your clock radio. Say 3 times, "I will not take off this mask before (intended wake time)". Then say to yourself, "If I want to take off the mask, I have to look at the clock. If it's before (intended wake time), I WILL NOT take off the mask." Then do the first phrase 3 more times. Be looking at the clock the whole time.

This reprograms your subconscious, in a sense anyway. When you wake up at night to take off the mask, you'll look at the clock, see it's not time yet, and leave it on. You will usually remember NONE of this process, but it does occur. Weird but interesting, no?

Works on the same principle as looking at your clock radio and saying to yourself 3 times: "I will wake up at (intended wake time)", which many people have tried, and which works a surprisingly high percentage of the time, plus or minus 5 minutes or so.

It sounds silly, but it works, it really works (for most folks). Try it!

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Mon May 21, 2007 12:47 pm

I had the same problem at first. Two things helped
1 if you dont have humidifier get one. I was not compliant for a long time because the machine they stuck me with was an old remstar plus and they didn't give me a humidifier. I didn't even know there was such a thing but just couldn't tolerate the dry air. I think this was the main reason I would take it off subconciously.

2 Be persistent and don't give up. I've got a pretty bad stubborn streak and just decided one day I was going to make it work one way or another. Did alot of reading here and am now fully compliant.

Good luck you will get the hang of it.

Gromma · Post by **Gromma** » Wed May 23, 2007 5:07 pm

I've only had my BiPap machine for a few weeks and that is my main problem, is waking up with the mask off, the machine turned off and my
oxygen disconnected from the machine and back on my "nose hose" .

I've slept on my back for a long time and I just bought a new ultramatic
bed, so I sleep with my head elevated a bit and my legs also, so I am
in a very good position. Of course, I don't feel all that much different
during the day cause I haven't given the machine much of a chance.

I am happy to know that I'm not the only one doing this and I really agree
that with time I will do ok.

_________________

CPAPopedia Keywords Contained In This Post (Click For Definition): bipap, hose

cwsanfor · Post by **cwsanfor** » Wed May 23, 2007 9:15 pm

My first month or so, I would find my mask neatly arranged on my bedside table on many mornings. Not ripped off my face and flung across the room, but neatly unfastened and set down. I have never figured out how I could do that without any memory of awakening, but I did. This all passed with experience in maskcraft and my body getting used to the sort of un-natural experience of having a foreign device on my face.

I wouldn't trade xPAP for much of anything now, it's become easy and natural for me, like brushing my teeth at night. It has been literally a lifesaver for me, and has improved my quality of life dramatically. Hang in there, things get better.

InSearchofSlumber · Post by **InSearchofSlumber** » Thu May 24, 2007 8:40 am

cwsanfor wrote:My first month or so, I would find my mask neatly arranged on my bedside table on many mornings. Not ripped off my face and flung across the room, but neatly unfastened and set down. I have never figured out how I could do that without any memory of awakening, but I did. This all passed with experience in maskcraft and my body getting used to the sort of un-natural experience of having a foreign device on my face.

I wouldn't trade xPAP for much of anything now, it's become easy and natural for me, like brushing my teeth at night. It has been literally a lifesaver for me, and has improved my quality of life dramatically. Hang in there, things get better.

Thanks for this post. Makes me feel better. I have a similar problem. I just can't seem to stay asleep much with the mask on. I really think it's just because it's uncomfortable to have something on your face. I find myself adjusting the mask alot during the night - sometimes just to itch my nose, sometimes for a leak, sometimes because I'm bored...LOL

The tough thing is that I'm getting worse sleep now - one week into the CPAP treatment - than I was before. I'm also having to take Lunesta just to get myself 'over the hump" and to sleep. I sure hope things improve as they did with you.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Thu May 24, 2007 9:52 am

I'm tellin' ya' folks, have a little talk with yourself before bed, as described above. It works for most people, and eliminates the problem. No drugs, no expenses, no hassles.

If you have enough mental power during these not-remembered nighttime episodes to be able to cleanly remove and neatly arrange a mask next to you, you ALSO have enough mental power to run the "subroutine" you've programmed into yourself for such situations. You want to take off the mask, but you remember that in that situation, you must look at the clock. You do. It's before your intended wake time. You don't remove the mask, and you go back to sleep. You have no memory of any of this, of course, but the next morning, the mask's on your face, not on the sheets next to you... so you did indeed follow the directions you "planted" at bedtime.

Doesn't hurt to try it, does it? And I've people come back here with the typical response of "OMG it worked!" and such. =) Might take a few nights to start working, so stick with it.

WearyOne · Post by **WearyOne** » Thu May 24, 2007 10:05 am

I've been "on the mask" for about three months now and never took my mask off--until this week! I have no idea why either. I woke up once with it off and the machine still running. Last night, I got up at 5 a.m. for a bathroom break and went back to bed. An hour later, I woke up with the hose disconnected from the mask, the bottom left clip undone, and the mask halfway up my face, with the machine still running! My LED leak rate shows only a tad above what it normally is, so I'm hoping it wasn't long I slept that way. Maybe I need to glue it to my face .

Pam

Gromma · Post by **Gromma** » Thu May 24, 2007 7:15 pm

Hello everyone....tonight I am going to bed and talking to myself and
looking at the clock!!! It sounds weird but I've tried worse...

So tomorrow I will let you know how well it worked for me...last night I
went to bed, got the mask on and went right to sleep. I slept 3 hours
and then woke up with a leak in my mask...well, I messed around with
it for two hours...I would just get to sleep and another leak would pop
up. Finally at 5 a.m. I got the newspaper and read for awhile then had
a nap without the mask. Tonight I have to wear an oximeter while I
sleep so I hope can do better in order to get a good reading.

I'm getting a little bit MAD!!!!

Bev

LyleHaze · Post by **LyleHaze** » Fri May 25, 2007 4:18 am

After reading suggestions here, I changed a setting the day my machine arrived. It was the "mask off alarm". So if I pull it off without shutting off the machine, I should get an alarm.
I also asked my wife to please wake me anytime she sees me sleeping without the mask on.
Even with that done, I've turned off my machine and pulled my mask twice in the three weeks I've been on the machine. Both times I got it back on within an hour though.

Regarding pollen, It's been pretty bad around here lately, but I get relief by putting on the mask. The filter seems to keep me clear all night. Now I only have to deal with pollen during my waking hours!

LyleHaze

Gromma · Post by **Gromma** » Fri May 25, 2007 7:49 pm

I am HAPPY!!! Thanks to Mister_Hose also posted as "guest"
I looked at the clock, touched my mask, told myself that I couldn't take
the mask off before 6:00 a..m. and I slept till 3:15 a.m. and looked at
the clock and said to myself, it's not 6:00 a.m. and I can't take off my
mask so I went back to sleep until 6:00 a.m. YAY!!!

Thank you!!! Merci!!!

I'm going to do just that again tonight and for a few nights more, then
I'll try it without but if I need to do it every night I certainly will. I never
got one leak, so maybe it was because I was messing with the mask.

I'm really grateful I found this place and people that know what they are
talking about and people that do the same things I do so I don't have to
feel like I'm the only one... Thanks great people!!!!

Bev in Nova Scotia

I take my mask off IN MY SLEEP!!!

I take my mask off IN MY SLEEP!!!

Taking mask off when I'm sleeping!!!

Taking Mask off while sleeping!!

Mask	Humidifier