Breathe better at night now than day? What's up?

Finally, after about a year, I am completely comfortable using my CPAP. I love to take those long deep breathes when I first get into bed. I have no problems with the mask and can keep my mouth closed. However, I find that during the day, since air is not being FORCED into my lungs, I often have to yawn or consciously take a deep breathe to get that same complete breathing feeling I get from the CPAP at night. I had this feeling in the beginning phases of learning to use the machine & mask and thought with experience my daytime breathlessness would go away. I chalked it up to having to nose breathe at night and mouth breathe during the day. Anyone else with a similar experience?

. I too have noticed that it does take quite a few long deep breaths when I first mask up at night. But after that I'm breathing totally normal. I don't notice any change at all when I take the mask off in the morning. I'm breathing completely normal the second I take the mask off. So IMHO I don't think it's causing any difference or reliance on the CPAP machine when it comes to my breathing.

I'm not sure that air is really forced into the lungs with a CPAP device. Really the only thing that's happening is the air pressure you're breathing changes by a few cm of H2O, roughly one third of an inch of mercury. So it's like an elevation change of, say 50 feet. The mask is vented, so most of the air just flies out the exhaust holes. I wonder, though, like with the portable resuscitator masks how much pressure those things are forcing into the lungs. It can't be very much because even when giving CPR you don't blow that much pressure. I don't know- I should read deeper into the science of the pressure differential and see what effects it really has. Interesting question.

What pressure are you using?

Not to scare anyone but... My brother have been on CPAP for about 3 years and gets that same feeling. Sometimes he can't catch his breath during the day. He is in very good health otherwise and his doctors confirm this. It's not the first time I heard this from someone. My brother thinks it is very much from the use of CPAP but he also thinks the good benefits out weight the risk of not using it. Take this with a grain of salt as it is not a scientific study or anything but it does make you wonder. Remember this is a relatively new treatment.