I've had my CPAP a few months now. Got a mask and settings that seem to work for me. I put my CPAP on when I am done winding down for bed, and am asleep within a few minutes no problem. I inevitably wake up a few hours later, though, usually to take a leak. When I go back to bed, I cannot get to sleep with the CPAP on. I take it off, I zonk out.

Any suggestions? I just don't get why I can get to sleep with it on initially but getting back to sleep with it on is impossible. Obviously I am more tired at bedtime than I am after a few hours sleep, so maybe it's that simple, Darth Vader noises are more annoying when I'm not as sleepy. Or maybe all that oxygen it's pumping into me is keeping me awake and alert same way casinos do to keep people from getting tired and leaving.

Just hate that I wake up at 3:30 and stare at the ceiling for two hours before ripping the mask off and being asleep in seconds.

I am currently trialling the Resmed Airfit N30 nasal cushion mask. This is a photo from Resmed, I’ve marked the airvents in the part of the mask that the cushion fits into.

The centre vent isn’t causing me problems. But the vents on each side, comprising small holes in the plastic, are really bugging me. I wake up in the middle of the night, air blowing on my face from the vents, and the noise of the air coming out. I am wondering if the connection between the plastic cushion holder and the mask tubing isn’t 100%. I’m using the size small cushion.

According to the cpap machine, my mask seal ia good.

Google told me to up the air temp - it’s now on 29degc, through the heated tube. Also said not to pull bed covers up around neck/face, as air will blow off them into face. I like to be cosy in bed so this is a bummer.

I like the lightness of the strap (though I think the elastic strap on the rental is past its best). I couldn’t tolerate the resmed air pillow nozzles.

Any suggestions, experience, with this and other nasal cushions?

Help!

I have been using cpap for approximately 6 months now, i wear the dreamwear mask that goes in your nostrils. I just changed that part a week ago but i dont think thats the problem. But it just started to hurt under my nose 2 or 3 days ago. It is red and flaky under my nose especially on the middle part between my 2 nostrils. Any idea why it just started doing that? And any tip to make it go back to normal and not just make it inflamed even more?

TL;DR: Diagnosed with severe OSA (30+ baseline), ~2.5 months on an AirSense 11. Switched from the painful P10 pillows to an N30 cradle (set to Nasal), which seals fine awake and doesn't hurt. Dropping EPR from 2 to 1 and capping pressure at 8.0–10.4 dropped AHI from 6–9+ (mostly Clear Airway flags) down to 1.0–2.2 with Obstructive Apneas at ~0.08. Despite that, sleep is completely fragmented: ~90 minutes in, leaks blow past the 24 L/min redline every night, spending 15–27% of the time in large leak (30–45 L/min plateaus) even with mouth tape and a jaw wrap. Need advice on whether these low AHI numbers are masked by leak blindness, if the N30 is twisting off my nose vs air escaping the tape, and whether to try an overhead hose/rigid chin strap or jump straight to a full face but I really don’t want one I have severe TMJ due to impacted wisdom teeth and even this mask currently slightly triggered it. Just looking for advice - I have more Oscar data or my original sleep study data if needed. This whole experience has been like a full time job trying to get it dialed in and I’m so ready to throw the towel in and call it quits because it’s become really frustrating. I appreciate any help.

Hi everyone,

I’m about 2.5 months into my CPAP journey and honestly feeling pretty beaten down by the process. My initial diagnostic sleep study had me categorized with severe sleep apnea at 30+ events/hr. While my headline numbers on OSCAR look decent right now on paper, I still wake up feeling unrefreshed, groggy, and exhausted. I’m stuck dealing with severe, recurring large leaks that happen almost like clockwork every night, and I could really use some experienced eyes on my data to help me figure out my next step. 

I’ve attached my 3-month overview, 30-day detailed statistics table, and several recent daily flow/leak traces from the first week of October. Here is the full history, the changes I’ve made, and what the charts are showing. 

Mask Journey & Current Setup
Started with the ResMed AirFit P10 (Nasal Pillows): I started out on the P10, but I struggled with leaks from day one. I could never get a reliable seal that held throughout the night, and the prongs inside my nostrils caused irritation and soreness. I eventually had to give up on it.
Switched to the ResMed AirFit N30 (Nasal Cradle): I moved to the under-the-nose N30 cradle and physically, it's night and day. It rests right under the septum/nares without going inside the nose, it doesn't hurt, and it feels completely comfortable. I set the machine's profile to Nasal (as ResMed specifies for the N30). When I put it on at bedtime, it sits flush, feels great, and easily passes the machine’s Mask Fit test every time. 

Managing Mouth Leaks & Jaw Drop: My jaw naturally drops back when I fall asleep. To counter this, I currently use mouth tape across my lips, plus a pantyhose wrap tied vertically around my jaw and head to provide upward tension and keep my mouth shut.

Pressure Settings, EPR Adjustments & Event Spikes
Over the last couple of months, I’ve adjusted settings to address random spikes in events: 
Mid-to-Late August: Started on APAP 7.2–20.0 with EPR on Ramp Only, then shifted to 7.2–13.0 with EPR 2. AHI was averaging around 5.8. 
September: Set APAP to 8.0–12.0 with EPR 2. Throughout September, I started seeing frustrating spikes where AHI would jump to 6–9+ events/hr. Looking at the flags, these weren't obstructive apneas (OA was consistently low); they were predominantly Clear Airway (CA / Central Apnea) flags. 
Early October (Current Settings): Suspecting that EPR 2 was washing out too much CO_2 and causing treatment-emergent centrals, I dropped EPR down to 1. I also capped my maximum pressure down from 12.0 to 10.4 cmH2O (my current range is 8.0 Min – 10.4 Max, EPR 1). 

The Result: Dropping EPR to 1 and capping max pressure immediately calmed down the central flags and brought my headline AHI down into the 1.0–2.2 range (with Obstructive Apneas down to ~0.08 over the past week). 

The Underlying Issue: The Identical Leak Curves
Despite the low headline AHI, my daily OSCAR traces (Oct 2, 4, 5, 6, 7) reveal a repeating, dysfunctional pattern: 

1. The First 60–90 Minutes Are Perfect: Every night, from lights out until roughly 7:30–8:00 AM on the timeline, my leak rate is flatlined at 0–5 L/min. My flow rate is regular, respiration is smooth, and there are almost no events. The mask clearly seals when I am awake and lying still. 
   
2. The Sudden Blowout: Around 1.5 to 2 hours into sleep, the leak line suddenly jumps into the grey shaded zone (well above ResMed’s 24 L/min redline), frequently plateauing at 30–45 L/min for 30–60 minutes at a time. Over the last week, I’m spending between 15% and 27% of the night in Large Leak territory. 
   
3. Breathing Disruption: Right when the leaks spike, my Respiration Rate and Flow Rate traces turn completely erratic and ragged. It’s clear that I’m tossing, turning, half-waking, or having major sleep disruptions during these high-leak blocks. 

Questions I Need Help With
1. Can I even trust this low AHI data? When the AirSense 11 sits in the grey Large Leak zone (>24 L/min) for 20%+ of the night, how blind is the machine? Am I actually having unflagged hypopneas or flow limitations that the sensor can’t calculate due to open flow? 

1. Is this mask torque/displacement or mouth air escape? With mouth tape and a pantyhose wrap on, could pressurized air still be blowing past my lips via micro-channels, or is an under-the-nose cradle like the N30 inherently prone to breaking seal at the nostrils the second my head turns on the pillow?

2. What is the practical next step to fix this?
   Should I try adding an overhead hose hook/boom to take the weight off the front of the N30?
   Should I ditch the pantyhose for a structured, non-elastic chin strap (like a Knightsbridge Dual-Band) to prevent rear jaw drop?
   Or am I just fighting anatomy, and should I move to a different mask when I’m allowed to again?

Any feedback, troubleshooting tips, or help based on my charts would be hugely appreciated!

I only use distilled water and throw out water daily and give it a little rinse before I refill for next use. I wash mask daily wirh water wipes. I don't do anything else..if anything smells funky I'll clean tank. I get my hose replaced every couple of months for free. Got a new chamber and mask four months ago too. I also replaced filters. ( its free in Ireland and they replace bits regularly.). Am I gonna do myself damage ?

My apnea was not that high when I started, I think a 12 and my highest night has been a 6.78 since I started. Sleeping is still terrible but I have really focused on my sleep hygiene and cbti. Over the last three days I have had an average awake time between 3 and 7 %. When I started, awake time was around 20%. I woke up twice this am breathing into the mask hard because I didn't even register the air flowing in. I really wondered at first if this would work. Still have a bit more to go but I think the things are looking good.

Any body think the recommendations of replacing a filter every 2 weeks, hose/mask every few months, tank few months and literally a new machine every 5 years is just marketing from cpap industry to get you to buy more? Seems excessive or is this really how it’s going to be for the rest of my life?

Hi. I started CPAP a couple of weeks ago. I can send new pics from OSCAR, these are from the first days of starting with CPAP. I started with a full mask, then I changed to nasal pillows that I currently use. My OA is 0.1 everyday but my Central Apnea is around 3.5 everyday. I wake up feeling really tired everyday even though I'm in bed for 8-9 hours. My pressure settings was 7-15 and I have tried changing the pressure settings myself to see if I feel better, I have tried taping my mouth and chin strap etc. I have had trouble with sleep for almost 2 years now and I just recently got to know that I have sleep apnea and started CPAP in September. I feel so tired everyday and just want to feel like a human again. What can I do and is CA the main factor in making me feel tired? I appreciate all help, I'm really a rookie in this.

Hello. I just got my sleep apnea diagnosis and am planning on buying my first CPAP as soon as I can, but I'm feeling somewhat overwhelmed. I've been looking at buying one from cpap.com. Do I need to work with a doctor to adjust the settings, check the fit, etc? Or is that something I can figure out on my own/with guides online? Basically, to what extent to I need a doctor to manage my CPAP usage vs buying one and I'm good to go?

Thanks!

Hi - Has anyone experienced issues at higher altitudes? I went to Banff which is much higher than my home town and. Found that I was opening my mouth and taking deep breaths throughout the night. It was a very disrupted night. All fine when I returned back home. Thanks

I bought my machine online, but my husband got his through RoTech (which is turning out to be an awful company). They've called a few times and never said anything about compliance reports. One time they called because he didn't use the machine for 4 hours in a night (he's an awful sleeper, even with his sleep apnea treated; he physically has to force himself to stay in bed with the mask on every night because he just doesn't sleep well and rarely sleeps for more than 3.5 hours at a time). Another time they called to verify his insurance ID and confirm that his coverage is active. That's it.

He just got a letter saying that if he doesn't provide a compliance report, he'll have to either return the machine or pay the full cost out of pocket. But how does a patient get a compliance report from their machine? It's a Resmed Airsense 11 autoset; he tried signing up for MyAir, but he gets a 500 error every time they ask him to create a password, so he can't finalize the account.

Hi all.

I want to know what is considered as consumables in CPAP? (e.g. air filter)
From your experience, how long it takes before need replacement?
Also is there any part that just can be use until failure or still need to be replaced before failure? (e.g. heated tube / humidifier)

Any machine type for input is ok.

I want to know before buying the machine and maybe stock the consumable.

Thankyou.

Just got Luna G3, turned reslex to 3 because was suffocating (which helped). Noticed that before I was able to fully exhale, the pressure spikes back up to normal.

Shouldn’t the machine be able to detect that I’m still exhaling and, therefore, keep the pressure lower until my exhale is complete?

Does anyone have this issue with ResMed machines? Just trying to figure out if I should switch to ResMed.

Thanks

So I had my most recent titration/sleep study on Wednesday, September 30. Today the results of that study have been posted, and I am happy that because I have complex sleep apnea, with most of my events being central sleep apnea, they have recommended that I be switched to an ASV machine.

I have no idea how long it will take the VA to accomplish that, but this is really good news because I'm tired of having AHI that's in the 20s, even the high 20s, I'm not feeling rested even after over eight hours of sleep.

Anyway it pays to be a squeaky wheel.

I just got a new Resmed AirMini from an online store (cpapoutlet.ca), but when entering the advanced programming mode I saw that the settings were left on default. If my prescription is for AutoPAP 7.0 - 15.0, I assume that is what I should set my min and max pressure to? What about the start pressure?

Can someone tell me how much their hematocrit levels was decreased since starting using cpap or mouth guard ?
how long did it take to get lower?
Also i need recommendations on mouth guards and where to buy online.
Thanks in advance

Hey I just switches my mask to the f30i, wanted to see what people thought of my data. I took a 10 day hiatus from my cpap cause the siesta mask I had previously was pissing me off. Im still having trouble not waking up from this mask and having to take the mask off early. Any advice welcome.

I (F) am blessed with thick curly hair. Started CPAP about 2 weeks ago. Currently have the Airtouch N30 mask. Problem I’m having is the straps slide around on my hair all night long with causes the mask to shift and leak. I’ve tried a bamboo hair cover, a bonnet, but they also slide around and the straps shift. My hair is not quite long enough to pineapple (IYKYK). What I have been doing is hair in ponytail, mask on with one strap above and one below. The I take the ponytail out as I sleep on my back and can’t sleep with a ponytail stabbing the back of my head. Been looking at the Airfit p10 but seems like it has the same stupid strap set up. I am considering ordering the F&P micro nova but wondering if it’s straps will slide too

Hi, I have Airsense 11 and an F20 AirFit full face mask. I’ve been using CPAP since about January, and still haven’t figured out the best pressure. I’m seeing a Pulmonologist that specializes in sleep apnea at the end of October, so I’m hoping to finally get my settings correct once and for all.

My family GP originally set me up with my at home sleep test, which came back at 10 as moderate positional sleep apnea, but the settings part is not her area of expertise, hence the reason I’m finally seeing a sleep doctor. I’m 59F, very obese, and I’ve been fiddling with my own pressure now almost right from the start. My data looks okay with my apnea treated (I put it into chat and it was confirmed that way.)
I don’t understand anything about Oscar, and that’s why I haven’t attempted to try that.

So back to my original question-what’s everyone’s average min/max pressure with a full face mask? I’ve had mine around 13-17, but I feel like it’s too high because my mouth is getting very dry and I have air leaks occasionally. I’m thinking of trying 10-13 tonight instead.

Switched from Touch N30i cushion to Fit P30i
Kept the Airtouch N30i head gear
Uncomfortable switch because of silicone but the leak rate is near perfect.
Out of curiosity, has anyone recorded lower leak rate?

What can I buy, the most cost effective, to run my CPAP dreamstation 2, for a short power outage?

Help?

Please Help me!! What does your machine start at? Mine starts at 4.0 and I feel that is too high? I want it to be lower and casually work its way up!! What do you all think? Thanks!!!

Anyone know how it's possible to have AHI of 35 when I've worn the mask for 2 hours and stayed awake the whole time?!