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Hi Neil,

In addition to the link suggested above, you might want to talk to your Doc about ditching the Ambien and switching off to melatonin. Even though the melatonin is available over the counter. it's best to have a doctor prescribe it so it goes into your medical record. Melatonin helps to guide your circadian rhythm, which can help you both get to sleep and stay asleep. My Doc has me taking 2, 3 mg. capsules just as the sun goes down. A few hours later, I get to feeling real sleepy. If I heed the "call", I'll start right then to get ready for bed, mask up and I'm off to dream-land for a solid 8 hours. If I put off getting to bed, I lose my window of opportunity and it's back to struggling to get to sleep. It's all in the timing.

It takes time and persistence to adapt to CPAP. This is a whole new way of sleeping and, for most of us, our brains holler out a huge complaint about it. The neat thing is, our brains are able to adjust to any repeated stimuli, even if it is initially unpleasant. But we have to keep on repeating the experience (stimuli) until our brains learn that this is the new norm. At that point, masking up for the night becomes second nature and we can't even fathom sleeping without our machines humming along beside us.

Everyone is different. Some adapt to CPAP almost right from the start, others take a few weeks, and still others may take up to 6 months. A large part of adjusting seems to depend on our consistency with our treatment. For a fortunate few, they feel so much better after the first night that they're sold and never want to part with it. They never look back. That wasn't me. It took me 3 weeks to figure out that my machine was not going to breathe for me. Until then, it was an all out fight. I came awful close to ripping off my mask and tossing it across the room. I had to "talk" my brain down and convince it that CPAP was my very best friend and then, just breathe.

So, if you ditch the CPAP for your trip, you'll be starting all over again when you get back. If your case of sleep apnea is moderate to severe, there are risks involved with sleeping without your machine - even just for the duration of your trip. You probably won't die (although you could), but the affects of your apnea on your health are serious and complex. Fear is a great motivator. Let it work for you.

CPAP is the most effective and least invasive of all the treatments for obstructive sleep apnea. It's a gift to get diagnosed with OSA and have CPAP available to treat it. It's worth every ounce of energy we put into making this effective treatment part of our lives. We have too much to gain if we use it and too much to lose if we don't.

Take care friend. I'm rooting for you!

I had this problem too when I was using the full face mask. It was too bulky and interacted whenever I turned to my side with the side of my face on the bedpillow. I switched to a nasal pillows mask...the Resmed Swift FX, and have learned to sleep differently. When on my side and with my head turned slightly away from my bedpillow, my nasal pillows don't interract with the bedpillow and break the seal (which would otherwise wake me up). I do this unconsciously now each night and can sleep uninterrupted and with no leaks.

Hi beenSnorin,

CPAP is the most effective and least invasive of all the various treatments for obstructive sleep apnea. It is the first treatment of choice because, for most patients, it will reduce the AHI(Apnea/Hypopnea Index) to less than 5, which is considered to be ideal. Most folks without OSA normally have apneas at that level each night. Most CPAPpers lose their snoring (if they snore at all) completely. The trick in adapting to CPAP is to find ways to make oneself comfortable with this entirely new way of sleeping.

Our brains resent change from what it interprets to be the norm. We have been going to bed and settling into sleep at night for a number of years before our sleep apnea has been diagnosed. Our brains are deeply tied to this routine and are quite offended by the interruption that CPAP brings. Our chore, as CPAPpers, is to convince our brains, via repeated experience each night, that this is the new norm. We will sleep this way because we must, to avoid a slew of other serious health problems. And...eventually...we will sleep this way because this is the new norm and this is just the way we sleep now. We may even come to like it.

After 6 years of CPAP, I love it and can't even imagine sleeping any other way. I like the way it makes me feel in the morning when I wake up. I like the way my machine adjusts so beautifully to my natural breathing. I like being able to sleep without the thunderous snoring which disturbed my husband so much. When I catch a cold or flu, I love the way my nasal pillows mask clears my nasal passages and makes it easier for me to fall asleep and to stay asleep.

It may take from a day or two, to months to adapt to CPAP. Everyone is different. When committed and resourceful in finding ways to comfort one's therapy, the adjustment period is made much simpler and shorter. When I started using CPAP, I found it very useful to repeat this thought to myself: "My CPAP machine is really my very best friend and will be for the rest of my life. My body is going to love this. My brain will not at first, but that's OK. I'm going to continue anyway until my brain accepts that this is the new norm." And then, I just followed through with what seemed like endless troubleshooting over masks, hose and other needful adjustments.

I fiddled and I fussed and spent money, but it all paid off and within 3 weeks my therapy was humming along. I've never looked back. I believed then that I couldn't afford to and I still believe that. Everyone is different. What works for one may not work for another. It's trial and error.

Today, I have a snuggly for my hose and I extend my hose over my head with a hose buddy (one for my bed at home and a Travel hose buddy for the road) so that I can turn freely in my sleep without getting all tangled up. I gave up sleeping on my stomach. I have two lovely bedside stands that exactly meet the level of the top of my mattress so that I don't get rainout (condensation that can occur in an unheated hose). I use a dab of AYR gel, available at any drugstore) in each nostril before masking up to enhance the nasal pillows seal and to prevent sores from developing...and on and on. I found quite a few helpful hints on the Forum, which was then run by the ASAA (American Sleep Apnea Association). That Forum has since disbanded, but the site has an incredible array of very useful information.

Anyway...I wish you well on your sleep apnea journey. Keep checking in...there is always something new to learn (or so I'm finding). Take care.

Hi Sierra.

You might have better success with a combination of the ResMed Swift FX nasal pillows system. Make sure you get the right size pillows and use a dab AYR nasal gel to enhance your seal (and for comfort). The flat of the tongue against the roof of your mouth, with the tip of the tongue resting against the backs of your upper front teeth really works. It's a comfortable position. I think the air pressure from the CPAP exerts a seal (kind of like suction) that helps keep the tongue where it needs to be. My jaw actually falls open during the night and my lips part, yet I don't record any leaks at all, ever. Husband disturbs his seal whenever he turns over and the leaks don't wake him up a lot of the time. So, he wakes up in the morning with a dry mouth, but not always. I don't think he has tried the tongue trick. I'll suggest it again and maybe I'll get through. I'm not much help because I sleep through most anything, including earthquakes.

The Swift FX is better quality and stretches out slowly. Husband and I can go without changing masks about 6 months. The mask does eventually stretch out, but there is a lot of room in the straps for adjustment and this compensates. We change to new masks every 6 months just to keep our therapy fresh. The pillows get changed out every 3 months. Thank you for all your very helpful posts. I was inspired by your bio to update mine to something more useful.

Hi everyone. My husband was just issued a ResMed AirSense 10 by his insurance. We've been PAPping together since 2012. He got to take a step up from his Respironics System One and I was wondering how it worked. Thank you Sierra...I have a clearer picture now. I recommend the sleep disorder glossary found at sleepyhead.sourceforge.net online. It's very helpful in interpreting NiyaNiya's sleepyhead results.

I wish everyone had great health insurance that pays for everything but there is great disparity out there. I know that some, out of sheer survival, must do a lot of things that are usually reserved for the health professionals. Those of us who have great insurance don't have to do anything with our machines or with our therapy because it's all done for us...well, it's supposed to be, but actually, it often isn't, but we never know, so I guess we're happy with that. We don't have to learn anything about sleep apnea or about our machines or our therapy. Lots of us are just plain disinterested in the whole she-bang. We just want to sew our quilts, see after our babies and/or elderly parents, go to our jobs, eat, breathe, drink, (hopefully exercise) and let the doctors and their machines do it all. I'm not at all sure that we are well served by this.

So, some of us must fiddle with our therapy and obtain what we need in any way possible. And we inquisitive folks must know...we just have to find out all about our particular apnea and how our therapy works and how to detect the problems that our health professionals must be made aware of, and how to call for help when we should. The rest of we patients get seen once per year to get our data checked. The data that gets checked is: how many hours of compliance we have achieved and what our AHI is to confirm that our therapy is effective...period. This is very important for those on Medicare and some other insurances because we get checked after starting our therapy at the 3-month point. If we are not compliant (4 hours of recorded therapy per night), our machines are taken away from us and we must buy our own equipment and supplies. It's expensive...really expensive, especially for those on low, medium or fixed incomes.

Congratulations NiyaNiya on winding up with an amazing device! Your timing was excellent as Sierra is a newbie on the forum - and as you surely must suspect, is drawing on his own experience to help others. Please do see after the possible insomnia issues. I noticed from your data that there is wide variation in your sleep time...you're making it to bed anywhere between 3:00 am. and 9:00 pm. and are arising anywhere from 3:00 am to 9:00 am (and all this within a few days or a week). That wrecks havoc with something called our circadian rhythm and sleep becomes quite disturbed. You might have to adhere to this schedule because of swing shifts, etc. If so, you could contact your doctor and see if he/she would approve a course of melatonin to coax your body along with the hectic schedule you must keep. It's available over-the-counter, but it would be good, if your doctor agrees that this course is wise, to have it all charted in your medical record. By the way, that medical record might fish you out of a jam some day when you get passed around to different health providers. An added benefit to the melatonin is it might extend your sleep time a bit...maybe 8 solid hours. Wouldn't that feel good?

Wow...I'm all typed out. Anyway, I'm rooting for you...keep up the good work! Success is what counts.

Hi MAC. CPAP treatment is the most effective and least invasive therapy for sleep apnea and septoplasty doesn't really even come close concerning effectiveness. It sounds like the septoplasty could truly benefit you from other standpoints, even if the benefit were only for comforts' sake (but it seems there are many other potential benefits of this surgery for you). If an ENT were to tell me that I had a severe deviated septum and that he was unable to complete my exam because of it and were to recommend surgery, I would seriously consider having the surgery. But that's me and you're you and you will be the best judge in deciding what you need and what you don't need and when. Take care.

Your medical doctor is your best resource here. Right now you're really involved with just recovering from your surgery. It's tough sledding. Be patient. Find a pillow that suits you and let your worries about whether you have apnea go for now. After you are more recovered, tell your doctor that you are still worried that you may have sleep apnea and ask him/her if you may have another sleep test. Your surgery may have rearranged some things, so this should be taken as a reasonable request. A comparison before and after surgery is a good thing to have in your hand. If you actually have sleep apnea, your second sleep test will show it and you can follow up from there. Be good to yourself and help yourself to get better. Best wishes to you.

My husband wears his nasal pillows mask more snuggly - yet still comfortable. He tightens the top band so that there is no play in it and then makes sure that the back straps are fitted against the back of his head, again with no play or "wiggle room". This works for him and his mask stays on all night. If you find you are still loosing your mask in the night, check in with your feelings (yep...men have 'em too) and see if you might unconsciously be rejecting your CPAP therapy. If so, you can work on this by repeating affirming thoughts just before you go to sleep each night...gentle, believable thoughts to convince yourself that CPAP is your very best friend to help you get great sleep. Remind yourself of all the illnesses it is saving you from (name them and if you don't know, find out so that you can name them), that it is safe to go to sleep now because your mask is on and that you will wake up in the morning with your mask on your face in the same place it was when you went to sleep, etc. Be creative when directing your thoughts. Focus and relax and then let yourself drift off to sleep land with thankfulness. Voila! Mask is on face in the morning.

Hi Dragonmate. You might try swabbing the insides of your nostrils with a qtip and some AYR Saline Nasal Gel just before you mask up for the night. I use the one that has added aloe vera in it. This is very soothing. You can find the AYR gel at any drug store.

Do you have any physician overseeing your care? Did a physician diagnose you and you wife with OSA? Have either of you had sleep studies done?