DanM

Hi @AmusingDesertSandSpider1273. A bit more information may be helpful, so I'll ask a couple of questions if you don't mind. First, what kind of mask are you wearing (nasal, full face)? Second, have you considered checking with your equipment provider about the dry mouth and water usage? It may be that you are breathing through your mouth or have mask leak that is causing the humidified air to escape. In the meantime, there are a couple of mouthwashes that can be used for dry mouth. A quick internet search will help you identify those. I have also worked with some patients who live in dry climates that have reported a room humidifier has helped in situations like this. Most machines sense humidity and temperature, and the added moisture in the air sometimes helps regulate the water usage in the CPAP machine. Hope this helps!

Hello @StraightforwardGreenGoshawk3310. I have heard that some patients use hair pins/clips of various types to keep chin straps in place by clipping the chin strap to their hair. If your mouth-breathing is significant enough and you have not tried wearing a full face mask that allows you to breath through your nose or mouth, that may be something you can speak to your physician or equipment provider about. Best of luck, and glad to hear you feel some improvement during the day!

Hi Victor. Congratulations on finally getting your sleep apnea treated! Please come back to the Forum and ask any questions you have, offer advice, or just let us know how you are doing! Best wishes!

Hi @GregariousOcherSquid6492. The myair.resmed.com support page has a great explanation of "events per hour" if you go to the page and click Support (upper-right corner). Once on the support page, you can click on MyAir Data and then MyAir Score on the submenu. Events per hour is basically the average number of events per hour that the machine counts over the course of the night. Hope this helps!

Hi @barbz. Winx therapy is sometimes used to treat sleep apnea. It is much less common than CPAP and other forms of positive pressure treatment. Winx uses Oral Pressure Therapy and draws the soft palate forward while stabilizing the tongue to help open the airway. It does this by applying light vacuum pressure to help pull the soft palate forward to allow breathing through the nose. There is a video here that demonstrates how the therapy works: http://apnicure.com/about/. Thanks, and hope this is helpful!

Hello @NeedMoreInfo. Dry mouth may be a sign that you are mouth breathing or that air is escaping through your mouth. If that is the case, a chin strap may be helpful. It may also be helpful to confirm that the pillows you are using with your Swift are the proper size for your nose. Pillows that are too large or too small may cause the mask to leak. Nasal pillows should not be so tight as to bruise your nose or cause discomfort. If you experience issues with the skin at the tip of your nose, CPAP mask liners for nasal pillow, which can be found by doing a Google search, may be helpful. Hope this information helps, and best wishes!

Hello, @EasygoingPurplePheasant6816. Mask fit is, indeed, a very difficult thing for many patients. I'm sorry to hear that you are having pain, and that should definitely not be the case on a regular basis. Have you talked to your equipment provider specifically about the pain and the potential need for a mask with better fit? Also, have you attempted to use mask liners? Some patient report that the liners help them maintain a better seal and ease some of the pressure of the mask against the skin. If you do not want to order mask liners, moleskin can be cut to fit. A mask that is too tight may also leak as much or more than a mask that is too loose, so adjust the fit (whether you loosen or tighten) may help.

Hello @DiligentApricotLeopard8586. Whether your airflow changes during the night will depend on the mode of treatment you are using (CPAP, APAP, etc.). It may be worth checking with your equipment provider and physician to see if a download of your data might be helpful in identifying what is happening. Most newer machines can detect mask leak and compensate, so your pressure may be increasing slightly to compensate for mask leak. If you suspect this is an issue, I encourage you to also discuss your mask fit with your providers. It may be that a simple adjustment helps, or a different mask that fits better is needed. Glad to hear you no longer have the need to nap, and hopefully, your sleep will continue to improve! Best wishes!

Hi @BNS. Whether air goes down the esophagus during an obstruction depends on where the obstruction occurs. If the obstruction is in the back of the throat, then no air will pass beyond that point. If the obstruction is further down in the airway, then air may pass into the esophagus. Also, swallowing does occur during the night, especially with arousal or movement, so air is sometimes swallowed as part of that process. CPAP patients who are wearing treatment will likely swallow a greater volume of air given the positive pressure. Even patients who do not use CPAP sometimes swallow air during the night. Swallowing air also occurs when we eat and swallow food, which is often why people burp after eating. There have been some studies that have attempted to look at aerophagia in CPAP users that can be found via a Google search of aerophagia and CPAP, but it seems the question of what we can do to ameliorate it is a difficult one to answer and will require more research. Hope this helps!

Hello @FriendlyPinkMeerkat4903 (Helen), and welcome to MyApnea.Org. It sounds like you have had some pretty restless nights leading up to your testing and treatment! Many of us with sleep apnea share similar stories of feeling tired and like we just were not sleeping at night. I'm glad to read that you are attempting to get comfortable with your CPAP. Starting treatment can be difficult. One thing that may help is to practice wearing your CPAP while you are awake and doing something to distract yourself--like reading a book or watching television. It often helps people to adjust to the feeling of the mask on the face and to become more accustomed to breathing out against the incoming air pressure. Hopefully, as you continue to use your treatment, you will adjust and start sleeping for longer periods. Better sleep may help you feel less exhausted, but there are other things, like medications, that may contribute to those feelings of fatigue. Please feel free to ask questions and share your experiences. We have a great member community here at MyApnea.Org, and many are willing to share their stories, tips and tricks for adjusting to treatment. Best wishes!