I feel like I'm suffocating!

I was so excited to get my cpap machine because I envisioned a life so different, no more depression, no more foggy memory, no more absent mindedness. Maybe I had my hopes up a bit too much, but now that I have it I am getting LESS sleep than I did before! Whenever I put on that mask (I have a full face mask) I start to almost hyperventilate. It must get better right? Last night I did get a couple good hours of sleep but I woke up when I had terrible dreams. Also, the hose had a lot of condensation so the water in the line was making a racket. I just want to cry thinking about wearing this torture device. Sorry for the whining, I'm sure it will get better, but when? Thanks for letting me vent.

We need to know your machine, your settings, your mask in order to help you.

Suffocating can be caused by two different things (usually). The most common one is your starting pressure is too low. Most CPAPs start at a pressure of 4cm H2O but most people need 7-8cm to overcome the suffocating feeling. The other, which I just learned the hard way, is if you start throwing a lot of apneas with extended time frames.

To better help you, you need to list your equipment type(machine, mask, hose, humidifier), pressure/pressure range and any setting like EPR or Flex.

Good Luck.

Condensation: some machines have optional heated hoses, which helps prevent "rainout",
(the water droplets in your hose.). Maybe YOUR machine?
Alternatively, you could wrap the hose in a fleece hose cozy, sometimes home made.
Placing your machine below the edge of the bed allows excess water to flow back into the humidifier tank.

we also need to know what equipment your using the type of machine your using your mask. etc. etc. but try using a fan while sleeping and you can have the fan pointing to the celling to get air movement it may help you that's what I do when I sleep at night and when I wake up I feel a lot better and refreshed try it out and see how you feel when you get up in the morning.

Thanks so much for your replies. They made a lot of sense. First, I'll do the best I can here to list my equipment. This is from my delivery ticket, APAP 5-20cm, Heated humid, mask, headgear, resmed climate lineair tubing. Does that make sense? I'm going to try and put my machine on the floor tonight and keep the humidity level up. I started the night last night at 7 but then I thought maybe it was getting too warm and then I turned it down to 4. It was after that that the water started bubbling in the tube.

The air pressure is set to start at 4 and then ramp up as needed. I have always had a kind of weird thing where if I think about my breathing at all it starts to become more difficult to breath. I have a hard time catching my breath. When I have the mask on all I can hear is my breathing. Once I get tired enough I'll fall asleep, right??

"Once I get tired enough I'll fall asleep, right??"


OTC or Rx sleep aids can be very helpful in falling asleep. Benadryl worked really well for me when I needed help dropping off to sleep, generic Ambien was a sure bet, too.

First, I'll do the best I can here to list my equipment. This is from my delivery ticket, APAP 5-20cm, Heated humid, mask, headgear, resmed climate lineair tubing. Does that make sense?

Go to the upper left of your screen and click on Control Panel. From there, select Profile. Then put your specific equipment information (make & model) into the profile. As examples, look at the bottom portion of each post from the people who have replied to your original post.

You've got a Resmed with heated tubing which is specifically designed to avoid 'rainout'. My humidifier is set by temperature and mine is set to 26 degrees Celsius.

Others will advise you about pressure settings and ramp settings. I think that you need to raise your minimum pressure setting and your ramp setting as well. Lifting both to 8 might be a good start.

I'm not sure why so many people say 4 is too low. I am on a 4 too and I think the "suffocating" feeling has to do with mask fit. there are many nights when I'm not even sure if it's running because I dont feel any air flow and I am breathing just fine. I think the feeling comes from the mask creating too small of a space for proper air flow. I could breath much easier with larger sizes of nasal cups only because of how far they stick out. The problem has been just being too big and pushing on the bridge of my nose or causing leaks. I have ordered the Dreamwear and have high hopes for it as nasal masks dont seem to fit me right.

SGearhart wrote:Suffocating can be caused by two different things (usually). The most common one is your starting pressure is too low. Most CPAPs start at a pressure of 4cm H2O but most people need 7-8cm to overcome the suffocating feeling. The other, which I just learned the hard way, is if you start throwing a lot of apneas with extended time frames.

To better help you, you need to list your equipment type(machine, mask, hose, humidifier), pressure/pressure range and any setting like EPR or Flex.

Good Luck.

I have to agree with this statement, I increased my ramp pressure higher and for only 5 min ramp and it made a big difference.( I felt air starved before.)
Your machine will allow you to adjust this part very easily.
Tweaking the machine to suit your needs not some lab tech slow results are for your betterment.

I feel like you and I are going through the exact same thing!! I'm so beyond frustrated, and I think that is making it worse :/ my sleep has gotten so much worse since starting CPAP, I just don't know what to do. I started on sleeping pills, and they did not help at all I would try the comments to prevent rainout, that did work for me, I just still am gettin worse sleep than I ever did before CPAP :/ I'm going to keep at it and just see if it gets better!! My neuro wants me to quit working because my sleep has gotten so much worse, but I can't afford that

Similar to some others, my experience is also that the ramp-up from pressure of 4 leads to a panicked feeling of suffocating. I start at 7 and it's much better. Obviously everyone is different.

I know exactly what you mean. I have the same machine and the other comments are correct try turning up the minimum pressure that should help. If you can wear the mask before trying to sleep. I got used to mine wearing it for longer periods while reading or watching TV.

The machine you have is an auto pap machine it should have an auto feature for humidity and for climate try setting the humidity to auto and see if that helps. My best advice though is don't give up and keep reaching out we have all been through similar situations and it helps to discuss it with others who understand. Trust me unless you have it you don't understand the fear, frustration, and hopeless feelings that we who suffer can occasionally have.

FairwayGirl wrote:I feel like you and I are going through the exact same thing!! I'm so beyond frustrated, and I think that is making it worse :/ my sleep has gotten so much worse since starting CPAP, I just don't know what to do. I started on sleeping pills, and they did not help at all I would try the comments to prevent rainout, that did work for me, I just still am gettin worse sleep than I ever did before CPAP :/ I'm going to keep at it and just see if it gets better!! My neuro wants me to quit working because my sleep has gotten so much worse, but I can't afford that

I hope things have improved for you! I know what you mean, I guess I had this fantasy that my life would dramatically change for the better once I started therapy because my sleep would be so much better, but that hasn't happened yet. Although things have definitely improved for me in terms of tolerated the mask, I don't really feel like I'm sleeping any better than I did before.