Struggling getting used to CPAP. Help!

[christophermcne]

Folks,

I received my CPAP about a month ago and I'm really struggling with it. I think it may be OCD or mild claustrophobia (neither of which I have been diagnosed with), but I constantly have the feeling that the mask is slightly restricting my breathing, and that's very uncomfortable for me. I've tried both a nose mask and a full face mask, and I get a similar sensation with either. I'm constantly fidgeting with the masks, taking them off to scratch my nose, etc. and it seems basically impossible for me to fall asleep comfortably with the mask on. On the rare occasion that I have been able to do so, I've apparently woken up in the middle of the night and taken the mask off. I've heard a lot of people say that wearing the mask takes time to get used to and you just have to power through it, but after a month I can't seem to get the hang of it.

Has anyone had similar experience with their CPAP, and do you have any recommendations regarding what I might do to be successful? I have 'severe' sleep apnea and I'm absolutely desperate to finally have a good night's sleep. Any advice would be well appreciated.

I have a Resmed S9 with humidifier, and I've been using the Whisp Nasal Mask and the Resmed Airfit F10 Face Mask.

Thanks!

Chris

[The Latinist]

Could you tell us your pressure settings and also which S9 model you are using (there are four: Escape, Escape Auto, Elite, and Autoset)?

Better yet, go to User Control Panel and add your equipment to your profile.

[bavinck]

Most common cause of what you are describing is having a starting pressure of less than 7. For me, anything less than 8 feels extremely restrictive!

[christophermcne]

Could you tell us your pressure settings and also which S9 model you are using (there are four: Escape, Escape Auto, Elite, and Autoset)?

Better yet, go to User Control Panel and add your equipment to your profile.

I will update my profile when I get home tonight. Not exactly sure what pressure 'setting' I'm using, but according to my medical records the doctor recommended 'CPAP pressure of 10cm'. Not sure what setting that translates to on the machine, but I'm sure they set it as per the instruction.

[bavinck]

Could you tell us your pressure settings and also which S9 model you are using (there are four: Escape, Escape Auto, Elite, and Autoset)?

Better yet, go to User Control Panel and add your equipment to your profile.

I will update my profile when I get home tonight. Not exactly sure what pressure 'setting' I'm using, but according to my medical records the doctor recommended 'CPAP pressure of 10cm'. Not sure what setting that translates to on the machine, but I'm sure they set it as per the instruction.

10cm is your pressure setting. Sometimes they set it in Auto mode that changes the pressure setting to find your optimal amount. At 10 cm you should not be feeling difficulty in inhaling, but many new to that pressure might find it hard to exhale. If that is the trouble, most machines offer exhale pressure relief of some form. Post back with all your machine details and many here will offer lots of help.

[Pugsy]

They may have the ramp function turned on so that it starts out at the minimal 4 cm pressure and slowly increases until it reaches the 10 cm prescribed pressure.
4 cm can sure feel like we are suffocating with it. While some people are okay with 4 or 5 cm...the majority of users find that they need 6 cm or more to feel comfortable and not stifled.
http://www.apneuvereniging.nl/forum/pdf ... manual.pdf
Take a look at the manual so that you can go into the setup menu and see if ramp is turned on and how long and the starting pressure.

[OboeVet]

When I first started in September 2013 I had a few nights using a nose-hose that I woke gasping for air through my mouth. I went back to the DMEC provider who looked at the statistics from my first couple of weeks and adjusted up the minimum, but me in a full face mask. That helped but sometimes I still felt "air hunger." When I saw my sleep doc at about 30 days she made more adjustments: nothing less than 10 cmH20, nothing more than 14 cmH20. I now have much less mask leaks and have never had a recurrence of feeling like I was suffocating.

I also have a little mind game I play: I imagine that I am on a long distance high altitude air crew and it is my time to get some sleep. But I have to put on the oxygen mask in case we lose pressure suddenly while I am asleep. Kind of goofy, but for the first several weeks it put me in a frame of mind to sleep with the mask on. My fifth mask choice has also reduced the amount of pressure needed for leak prevention, so you may need to consider trying several others so that you don't feel like your head is in a vice with straps that are too tight.

Keep on keeping on! The benefits of getting through this initial rough spot are terrific: oxygenated brains work better! And your overall health will be generally improving as all of the body's tissues resume rebuilding while you sleep. All the best!

Don

[christophermcne]

Could you tell us your pressure settings and also which S9 model you are using (there are four: Escape, Escape Auto, Elite, and Autoset)?

Better yet, go to User Control Panel and add your equipment to your profile.

I've updated my profile and I'm using an Autoset. I also found that I am using a different nasal mask than I had quoted earlier (a Whisp instead of an Airfit N10).

[christophermcne]

When I first started in September 2013 I had a few nights using a nose-hose that I woke gasping for air through my mouth. I went back to the DMEC provider who looked at the statistics from my first couple of weeks and adjusted up the minimum, but me in a full face mask. That helped but sometimes I still felt "air hunger." When I saw my sleep doc at about 30 days she made more adjustments: nothing less than 10 cmH20, nothing more than 14 cmH20. I now have much less mask leaks and have never had a recurrence of feeling like I was suffocating.

I also have a little mind game I play: I imagine that I am on a long distance high altitude air crew and it is my time to get some sleep. But I have to put on the oxygen mask in case we lose pressure suddenly while I am asleep. Kind of goofy, but for the first several weeks it put me in a frame of mind to sleep with the mask on. My fifth mask choice has also reduced the amount of pressure needed for leak prevention, so you may need to consider trying several others so that you don't feel like your head is in a vice with straps that are too tight.

Keep on keeping on! The benefits of getting through this initial rough spot are terrific: oxygenated brains work better! And your overall health will be generally improving as all of the body's tissues resume rebuilding while you sleep. All the best!

Don

Thanks for the advice! I haven't had trouble yet with leakage from either mask, and hopefully that will continue. I'll definitely need to play some mind games with myself to help get used to the situation.

[christophermcne]

They may have the ramp function turned on so that it starts out at the minimal 4 cm pressure and slowly increases until it reaches the 10 cm prescribed pressure.
4 cm can sure feel like we are suffocating with it. While some people are okay with 4 or 5 cm...the majority of users find that they need 6 cm or more to feel comfortable and not stifled.
http://www.apneuvereniging.nl/forum/pdf ... manual.pdf
Take a look at the manual so that you can go into the setup menu and see if ramp is turned on and how long and the starting pressure.

Thank you SO much! I wish they had given me this manual when I brought the machine home. I only received the quick-start guide. I've disabled the ramp to see if it helps at all tonight, and will play with it tomorrow to see if I can increase the starting pressure. I believe mine is set to start at 4, so I might move that up a bit. I want to be able to get a good breath but not get to the point where I have trouble exhaling. The biggest issue is just falling asleep with the mask on. Once I get past that, I hope I will be on the home stretch. Thanks again!

[Pugsy]

If you increase the pressure and have trouble exhaling don't forget about the EPR exhale pressure relief. It is described in the manual also. Up to 3 cm reduction in pressure upon exhale and it makes for a much easier inhale and exhale.
1, 2 or 3 cm reduction upon exhale but it can't ever go below 4 cm...so if starting out at 4 cm it won't even kick in any relief.
To get maximum 3 cm drop during exhale you would need to use at least 7 cm starting out.
Play with it...you may like it.

[waxteeth]

I had my 2 week follow up today and talking with the guy he had me adjust my min pressure from 4 to 6.

Very noticeable difference with much more air to start with. I was having to exhale through my mouth the first few min of mask time in order to fill the hose with fresh air rather than exhale into it until either my breathing slowed down or the pressure increased.

I read later that 4 is a factory setting for low pressure.

6 is WAY better... I bet if you try 6 It will be an improvement.

[christophermcne]

I slept almost 7 hours with my mask on last night! Increasing the starting pressure really helped a lot. I didn't feel stifled as I was trying to breathe in. I think I will mess with the exhale regulator tonight, as I did have a little trouble exhaling. I think this is the first night since I got my CPAP that I actually woke up when I was supposed to, with the mask still attached to my face. I feel pretty good this morning. Awesome!

[mobychick]

Great news, christophermcne!

[DavidCarolina]

Use a quiet fan to blow air in the direction of your body and your machine intake.

COOL air makes you feel significantly less confined than warm stale air.

Or simply crank the AC and use an extra blanket. Breathing cold air makes all the difference.

Do you have exhalation relief set to max?