Is this all normal ...

[LizzyB]

This is day 24 for me. Have only managed to fall asleep 3 times so far although I try for at least an hour nightly. Of the nights I’ve slept the longest was 4 hours, I somehow remove the mask and turn off the machine without any memory. I have had a sore throat and stuffy ears the whole time, now I have dark puffy circles under my eyes and they just feel dry and tired. I feel worse than I ever felt before this diagnosis. My DME says talk to the Dr the Dr says talk to the DME. I’m almost ready to just cut my loses and go back to feeling tired, it’s better that how I feel now. Is this all normal and part of the process?

[BTS]

I would guess more humidity perhaps... try getting use to the mask by watching tv or reading with it on before sleep .

[TedVPAP]

....
and use sleepyhead so we can see what is going on. See the three links below.
This forum is all about helping people like you.
Why do you think you have trouble falling asleep with the mask on? Is it painful?
It is common for people to rip the mask off while sleeping until they get their treatment set properly and they get comfortable with the mask. It takes time and often changes.
It took me two months and changes before I slept well.

[Rubyslipperss]

Once I get settled in I read a ebook. Helps me relax and fall asleep. DON’T give up! You CAN figure out what the problem is although it may take a while. Once you do and you start feeling better you will be glad you didn’t give up.

[kteague]

When one has such troubles as you are having, there's a few things you can do to try to hone in on possible reasons why. First, as has been suggested, is to check your machine data to see if suboptimal therapy might be at issue. Removal of the mask can be just a matter of getting used to it, or it can be a response to a sense of suffocation if the treatment is not preventing your events well enough. Your data in the moments before mask removal could hold clues. Early on I had to tape my mask to my face so the pain of removal would wake me and I could stop the unwanted behavior. Usually just used bandaid type bandages and they worked ok. Once I got used to the sensations and got my treatment dialed in, the behavior stopped. Since you are having trouble falling asleep, I would look at mask comfort and starting pressure. Too low of a pressure or too low of a ramp can cause the brain to stay on high alert as it senses impending suffocation. Your brain needs to sense it can safely relax and sleep.

[LizzyB]

Thank you for the responses, I will post a sleepyhead graph when I get it organized for a good screen shot. I took a night off yesterday and had a solid 8 hours sleep, it feels wonderful. Tonight I'll try the machine again now that I feel a bit recharged. I'm going to focus on humidity as my sore throat seems to be the biggest issue for me at the moment. I'm not sure my humidifier has been working as I never seem to lose any water in the tank. I have the climate setting on auto. Will play around with the settings and see what happens.