new user having problems adjusting

I recently started using a cpap mask, it has been a week and a half. I am having mixed results. I use a full face mask and my pressure is 13 cm. I am a third shift worker. Sometimes I have trouble falling asleep with mask. I find mask comfortable, don't mind the pressure. I find it distracting being aware of my breathing, this sometimes makes me tense and unable to relax. Any suggestions. Also My pulmonologist advised my not to try to synchronize my breathing with machine. I try not to but am not sure how to tolerate pressure.

Hi Cindy Z,

Welcome to the forum!

CPAP takes some getting used to for most people. Wearing a CPAP mask isn't something your used to, so your subconscious is still wary of that strange thing you're putting on every night. The good news is that as long as you wear the mask every time you sleep (or nap) it will soon become the new normal. You can speed the process up a bit by wearing it around the house when you're not trying to sleep. For instance, when you're watching TV or reading a book.

Welcome, these are common adustments to xpap.
Please go to the user control panel(upper left) and register with your equipment in TEXT. That way it will show in your signature each time you post.
Then let us know what the other settings are on your machine... cpap or apap, ramp pressure and time, EPR, c-flex, a-flex. Once we know what kind of equipment you have we can tell you how to find them. These are "comfort features" preset my the DME and sometimes simple adjustments to these can solve may problems.

Cindy, when I first got the machine there are a few things I did that helped, similar to what others have suggested above.

1) Wear the mask around the house (without the machine of course) while reading, watching tv, paying bills, working around the house, etc
2) Take some short 20 or 30 minute naps in the afternoon with the mask and machine (never nap without the machine)
3) About 15 or 20 minutes before you got to sleep (even 30 minutes if necessary), put the mask on and read or watch tv for a bit. You can do it with or without the machine on, but I'd suggest at least 15 minutes with the machine on. This just gets you used to breathing with the machine before you sleep and you may even find yourself just wanting to turn over and go to sleep like that.

As for your pulmonologist telling you not to synchronize your breathing to the machine, I don't think we can comment since we don't know your machine and as suggested, please add your equipment, that would help everyone wiht a similar machine to give you some more specific help.

Whatever you do, don't ever give up. I think about half the the people who start some kind of xpap end up quitting, so do everything you can to make it work. This forum has been extremely helpful and encouraging for myself and others, so I hope you do stick around. Good luck!

Welcome cindy.... you must first register and log-in before you can edit your profile and choose you equipment in the Edit Equipment section. Once you do that, your name will be blue and clickable, and your equipment will show up at the bottom of each of your posts automatically. If you want to use the forum features fully, you should register and log in!

Once we know what your machine/mask are, those with the same can offer you guidance on how to resolve any issues you are having. If your machine is a fully data capable one, you can get software with which to monitor your therapy and make adjustments to optimize it.

We look forward to your updates and hope you will become a participating member of our forum!

Cindy Z wrote:I recently started using a cpap mask, it has been a week and a half. I am having mixed results. I use a full face mask and my pressure is 13 cm. I am a third shift worker. Sometimes I have trouble falling asleep with mask. I find mask comfortable, don't mind the pressure. I find it distracting being aware of my breathing, this sometimes makes me tense and unable to relax. Any suggestions. Also My pulmonologist advised my not to try to synchronize my breathing with machine. I try not to but am not sure how to tolerate pressure.

I was very aware of my breathing and that I was using CPAP when I started also. That went away fairly quickly. It may be that time is all you need also. Is it any easier now than when you started?

One thing that helped me the first few nights was to focus on the feeling of breathing rather than trying to ignore it. Another was to turn off the cflex setting on my machine (also called EPR and aflex). This is designed to reduce pressure when you inhale but may not be exactly "in sync" with your breathing. I found it distracting.

Incidentally registering here is optional. Most people will welcome you and try to help whether you do or not.

It is true that registering is 'optional'.... however, one cannot leverage the forum features if only visiting as a guest. A guest cannot use the control panel, send or receive private messages, etc. By putting one's equipment into a registered profile it allows the rest of us to know if we can be of help to the writer without having to ask what machine or mask they use over and over again. It also prevents newbies from getting advice that might work on one machine and not another. The advantages of registering and filling one's profile definitely outweigh not doing so. One can certainly maintain a high level of privacy on this forum and still be registered.