Only lasted 2 hours last night

ChelseaChestnut, as you can see different people do different things. You will have to find a "system" that works for you.

What I do is a total body relaxation.

I start with my face. I flex my face muscles to adjust my mask. I try to get it to leak, then try to form a seal again. I do this a couple of times. Once I have a good seal, I move on.

Next is the neck. I stretch and slightly rotate my neck while visualizing my vertebrae lining up in a row and my spinal cord finding a comfortable place where it isn't rubbing against anything.

Next are the shoulders and then I work down my arms to my fingers.

Next is the back, stomach, pelvis area, and buttocks. This is more of a stretching and slight rotation from side to side. I also practice a few deep diaphragm breaths and get into a pace for breathing. I start with a target of 6 breaths a minute. I inhale for 3 seconds (since my heart rate is around 60 beats per minute and I can get into a position where I can detect my heart beats, I just use that for a counter rather than trying to keep track of time). Hold of 1 second, then exhale for 5 seconds and hold for the last second.

This pace breathing settles me into a near sleep state. As I approach sleep I change to simply deep, but slow, breathing in and out.

Next I work down my legs flexing and relaxing the muscles and work right out to my toes.

Most of the time I fall asleep right after I flex my face. However, there have been times when I went through my whole body and had to go over it again.

The idea is to enter a state of total relaxation. The paced breathing is supposed to help you clear your mind and help your mind relax. If you can find a position that allows you to totally relax, you should fall asleep.

While this mind over body exercise works well for me and some others that I have explained it to, it doesn't work for everyone. You may want to give it a try, then personalize it for you.

ChelseaChestnut wrote:I guess I have officially started my very slow journey on the road to a full night of good sleep. I was able to sleep only 2 hours last night with my new mask. You can see my history on finding this mask here: viewtopic/t57061/Newbie-side-sleeper-mo ... tions.html
Not sure why I woke up, but when I did I just couldn't keep that mask on. It is going to take a long time for me to get used to this mask over my nose, the chin strap around my head and keeping my mouth closed all night. I am ordering the regenesis pillow this weekend and I hope that helps out a little with the comfort level. Thanks for any info anyone can give me.
ChelseaChestnut

The regenesis pillow will help with comfort, you can squish it to adapt to your neck positions - important as a side sleeper. I find what helps me is a sleep routine. I put on my jammies, wash my face, brush the teeth, put on nighttime beauty products. Then I sit on the bed, fill my humidifier water chamber. put a couple of drops of "clear" PurSleep aromotherapy on the thingy, grease up the nares with Lanioish cream, set the alarm, turn on the radio (sports talk of all things), take my glasses off, put the mask on, plant my tongue on the roof of my mouth, adjust mask if needed and lay down on the pillow. These are all now "cues" that is time to sleep. I usually drift off before my ramp time is over (I have it set at 15 minutes)

Your "2 hours" in the subject line grabbed my attention in a hurry. If you happen to have been reading the discussions I spawned under the keyword "Disservice" (to myself) you'll know that I too seem inexorably stuck at that 2 hour plateau as well. My thought was the mask may have been the key and morphed into a discussion on pressure which sent me a totally different direction. A discussion with my RCP with ammo from the stellar advice from here resulted in a higher pressure setting (mine was a low fixed 5) which resulted in a) more hours in a row sleeping; now up to three and b) no more feeling of being shy of oxygen either trying to get settled or as often in the night. I also finally stopped using the ramp totally. I wonder sometimes if, when I found myself awake 30ish minutes after turning on the system if the increase in pressure didn't wake me. More to the point, now that I am used to it, even laying awake reading, I rather like the higher pressure.

Be that as it may, while my pressure situation may be different from yours (judging by the equipment in your sig line) and I also am still quite new to this, there are some other possible similarities.

First the mask issue itself. The first mask provided by my DME, a nasal one, was a disaster. I managed 40 seconds before yanking it. The next night was a full face mask (very nicely and quickly provided by my DME) that I rather disliked but could tolerate. When I finally had my script, I whipped out the old credit card and bought a LOT of different masks. Perhaps stupidly, I based the mask type on those very early experiences and leapt to a nasal pillow. Interestingly enough, while I liked the nasal pillow a lot originally, now I am finding that the full face mask has become my preferred "go to" mask. For the nonce, the many $ of other masks are sitting in a drawer. Perhaps had I stuck with the full face, I'd have gotten comfortable with it but I console myself that the other, more palatable (at the time) masks helped me get accustomed to the treatment more quickly and is not necessarily money tossed (given that the mask I use most was provided by the DME and even though a look at my orders on our host site caused a significant "holy crap" moment)

How does this apply to you? As robysue said, maybe a different mask. Even if it doesn't stay being your go-to mask, it might help you get past the hump. The nasal pillows, I think, helped me to do so. Your own thought of a full face mask may be the ticket. I have come to like that rather a lot. Even now that I am getting more used to this, I really don't like a nasal or nasal pillow mask with a chin strap (pretty sure my mouth opens in sleep) at all. Even though it is effectively the same as a full face mask to ensure that you don't create a leak with an open and uncovered mouth, it seems so very much more constricting than the full face and I just cannot even get comfortable when awake trying to sleep. I have two that are effectively the same but a slightly different feel, the Mirage Quattro and the inexpensive Zzz-Mask. I like them both a lot and, as much as I liked the pillows originally, almost never use any but these two.

Second is the falling asleep thing..... This is another "your mileage may vary thing" but I also did spend the time getting used to the machine just sitting about awake. That helped. Where I was originally having the issue was the falling asleep thing. Like you, was just fine sitting or laying and awake. It was when I tried to sleep that it just wasn't happening. I am not sure if you are a reader, but if so, and given your situation where your lesser half goes to sleep before you, I find a backlit ereader works for me. Less annoying than a book with a book light and more effective, it doesn't bother my better half in the least. As robysue said, I don't even head to bed until I am significantly tired and then read something light and moderately entertaining (often a book I have read many times and greatly enjoy) until I am utterly nodding off. My reader is actually my iPhone so that if I am still conscious enough, I can just plop it on the nightstand without even worrying about shutting it off since it will do that itself or even fall asleep while reading. It is tough enough that even if I just fall asleep and it falls from my senseless fingers, it is tough enough to survive floating around in the bed and small enough that it doesn't usually wake me if I am laying on it.

bruceleg's use of aromatherapy is also one of my tactics. I don't use it every night but, unlike those who review and got bored after a couple of weeks, I continue to use it probably every other night at least and there is sure to be one scent that I have that is just the ticket for that other bit of pleasantness.

More importantly, robysue's advice is paramount and is the case for me. I often have "white nights" for one reason or another and I have learned to, first and foremost, don't stress! HoseCrusher's advice also is stellar especially in this regard. I learned the approach described and other relaxation exercises in a pain management course (advanced osteoarthritis in left knee they won't replace yet because I am too young). Between those two approaches, I'll either get up and do something else until I think I can sleep or just lay very relaxed and use the time for introspection knowing that my body will sleep if it needs sleep. Interestingly enough, there have been mornings where (I don't think) I didn't sleep at all and I was feeling rather rested and refreshed and certainly much more rested than if I spent the night trying specifically, and failing, to sleep.

I shall also be most interested to hear your thoughts on the Regenisis pillow. I just bought the Papillow Minipap and like it but the Regenisis was such a strong second choice that I had two browser windows open with each in the shopping cart and it came almost to a mental coin toss which one got purchased. I wonder, however, if the more "normal" shape of the Regenisis and the ability to shape as desired might have been better. Dunno.

All the above aside, I wish you the best of luck in this quest. I am in, I think, a very similar situation and it's tough and rather frustrating. Please don't give up. I'm not. This is important.

mike

trike-mike,
It sounds like you are in almost the same boat as me. Thanks for all your info. I will definitely keep you posted about the regenesis pillow.
ChelseaChestnut

It does seem so, yes and I wish you the best of luck with it. This forum has already been of inestimable help to me with so many graciously giving of their own time to help this newbie goof. It's inspiring and also gives me the resolve to keep soldiering on. It also has brought me to keep coming back even when I don't have a plea for help with my own tribulations in the hope that some of the maundering based on my small experience and even smaller brain might have some nugget, no matter how small, that helps someone.

Chelsea,

Try a set of pillow speakers. I know a certain very large online retailer that sells some for around $20-30. They slip inside my pillow case and hook up to the audio-in jack of my radio, or into an MP3 player. I hate, hate, hate, wearing ear buds for any length of time.

Night #2 not good. I could not get comfortable or fall asleep at all. I am going to contact my DME and see if they will let me swap out my mask one last time. I think that having the chin strap along with keeping my mouth closed is just too much. I want to find a full face mask that has the least amount of excess stuff on it. Preferably one that does not have a forehead piece. I really need to feel the pillow on my upper face and the forehead pieces prevent that. Any suggestion about a full face mask would be greatly appreciated!!!

ChelseaChestnut wrote:Night #2 not good. I could not get comfortable or fall asleep at all. I am going to contact my DME and see if they will let me swap out my mask one last time. I think that having the chin strap along with keeping my mouth closed is just too much. I want to find a full face mask that has the least amount of excess stuff on it. Preferably one that does not have a forehead piece. I really need to feel the pillow on my upper face and the forehead pieces prevent that. Any suggestion about a full face mask would be greatly appreciated!!!

Innomed Hybrid works best for many people. Nothing on the nose & forehead and a cover/chin flap for below the nose.

Chelsea,

Like you, I utterly loathe a chin strap and would, quite frankly, rather jab a fork in my eye than wear one.

I think your DME might need to be rather advanced to have it since it's not a common name in DME circles, but the mask I have that may fit that bill perfectly is the PMI Probasics Zzz-Mask shown on our host site at:
https://www.cpap.com/productpage/zzz-ma ... asics.html

There is also a pretty comprehensive product challenge between it and ComfortFull2 (similar to your Quattro in that it has the forehead piece) here:
http://zzzcf2.cpaptalk.com/

The Zzz-Mask didn't win but it was mostly due to the headgear clips and some of that seemed subjective given that the clips do seem kinda fragile. Also, as with any mask, not all masks will work for all. For my part, I think they would (or do) only break should one be extremely active with the straps really tight. I like it a lot and find the mask easier to get on and settled than the Quattro. Interestingly enough, I printed and used the sizing guide shown on the host site product page. I was pretty sure that I printed it at 1:1 which seemed to indicate that I required a size large. The size guide isn't clear as it seems to indicate that it needed to show all the way to the corners of the mouth within the cutout opening on the size guide. Well, the mask is, I think, officially too large as the fat gray borders printed should also be included in the coverage.

I don't think that is a bad thing. I know I am officially wearing it "wrong" as it is actually long enough from top to bottom that most of my chin slips inside the bottom of the mask. It will seal worn "properly" but with my chin inside the bottom (worn much like the FlexiFit masks) it seems to solve one of the review comments that it slides up without the forehead support. Worn that way, the mask feels light, comfortable, quiet, and just really nice.

These are purely subjective and non-scientific observations but when I cover the inlet and breathe, it feels like the same overall mask resistance as the Quattro and it seems like a sharp, deep intake of breath will trip the little flap valve at the same time with the same amount of air so it's probably pretty close to the flow characteristics of the Quattro.

Even if you have to buy out of pocket, it's not terribly expensive either.

I am definitely thinking of getting the Zzz mask. I need the sensory feeling of a pillow against my eyes and face, and the forehead pieces keep me from getting that. Thankfully, my DME has them in stock and I can try on the different sizes right there in the office hooked up to my own machine.

Last night definitely went better with my Zzz mask! I slept from about 10:30 to around 4. When I woke up at 4 I took the mask off and slept for about 2 more hours. There definitely are some slight leak issues, but shifting this mask around is so much easier than others because it is a little bit flexible.
ChelseaChestnut

I am so glad to hear that. That is a good night's sleep and you seem to have destroyed that 2 hr barrier. I found that with some fiddling I was able to chase away the last of the leaks on my mask.