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It was hard to do at first. I can see why people stop.
Personally, I didn't care about how it looked - I figure I'm asleep, what do I care? But a lot of people care about that.
My problem was that at first it was really uncomfortable. Dry eyes, dry mouth, ridges on the face, neck pain, headaches - it was all from not wearing it right or needing other things. I got this over the counter eye ointment which helps a lot, and I'm going to get swim goggles to wear which will hopefully take care of the dry eye issue altogether. I got a chin strap which helped the dry mouth, and loosened up on the mask. I'm not worrying about leak anymore - my only concern is my events per hour. I hover around 1-2, so I feel like it's going well.
I think the big issue is that the doctors and therapists don't tell people what to do or how to mitigate these things. And a lot of people with sleep apnea have gotten used to feeling bad so when they feel worse at first it is really discouraging.
Same here.
Humidity will help, and you can use a humidifier in your room if you want which might help.
I use an over the counter eye ointment which helps quite a bit.
Having the same issue. For example: last night I got a zero score on MyAir for leaks (as in really bad), yet had 0.7 events/hour (was having 14/hr on the home sleep study).
It doesn't have to be hot, but the tubing can be set at the temperature you want. It's a nice way to control the humidity in the tubing.
I do notice more leaks as the night goes on. I might try the things you're suggesting to see if that helps. Thanks!
I've been on CPAP almost a month now, but I still am having a lot of problems with mask leaks. I wash my mask regularly and have it about as tight as is comfortable. I get ridges on the sides of my face in the morning as it is. Any other suggestions?
I need a lot of humidity too, and one thing which helped with the water issue is to increase the temperature in your tube (if you have heated tubing). If your room is very cool, without the heating you'll start getting condensation inside the tube. Try increasing the temperature one degree at a time and see if that helps.
Patty
I've only been doing this for a couple weeks now, but I feel like I have a "sleep deficit" if you will. I've been snoring for at least 30 years (according to my husband) and I don't think a couple weeks is going to make up for all that. But I have been sleepy during the day at times lately to the point I want to take a nap, which is unusual for me. I don't take a nap, I just get up and walk around some.
This discussion is making me wonder if I don't breathe deeply enough during the day or something. Do those of you who get the O2 monitor wear it during the day, too?
I tried a lot of things to keep from snoring before I was diagnosed - one of them was using one of those horseshoe shaped travel pillows instead of a regular pillow. That didn't help with the snoring, but it's perfect for using with a CPAP mask! It stays right around your neck and gives support, yet doesn't get in the way of the mask. You can keep it on when you get up at night, or if you don't want to, it's easy to put back on when you get into bed.
Plus one of these is way cheaper and more convenient than those "CPAP pillows" they sell. You can get a travel pillow at any truck stop (which is where I got mine).
Hope this helps someone!
