Sleep Apnoea and the CPAP machine.

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  • Steve9214Steve9214 Posts: 8,402
    Forum Member
    Bought a specialist "CPAP" pillow off amazon.
    Arrived Yesterday, and tried it last night.
    Had to adjust mask, as less pressure on mask seal, but had a great night's sleep.
    Mask still on when I woke up, so did not rip it off in the night.

    Pillow was £32.99, just put an ordinary pillowcase on it.
  • DunnroaminDunnroamin Posts: 2,437
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    My Philips is really quiet. I think the problem is the mask, if it doesn't fit correctly and you get leaks that's what makes the noise.
    It's really worth getting the mask to fit well as it'll be more comfortable not having the cold air blowing in your eyes or on your partner. I had a cyst about the size of a small pea in between my eyebrows and the top of the mask just caught it. I was lucky enough to get it removed and since then my mask seals much better and I've found I can sleep several hours with it on without any problem. At first I could barely manage three or four hours.
    I can sleep on my back or on my side quite comfortably now and have got it just right so that the mask doesn't move.
    Doesn't look like the OP has come back to the thread. But it's nice to find out how other people are getting on with their CPAP machines.

    Yes, I'm back now. There was nothing new to report until now.

    The dry throat really got me down so, when I had my first month's assessment, the clinic supplied me with a system one humidifier to attach to the Philips Respironics REMstar cpap machine. I can't say the humidifier has solved my dry throat problem, because it hasn't. I have tried different temperature settings, but still get a dry mouth and throat.

    In addition to that, with the heater level set to provide vapour in the face mask, the moist air travelling up the hose, condenses back into liquid water, and settles in the lowest bend in the hose, from where, as cold water, it gets blown back onto my face.

    Unfortunately, the problem doesn't stop there. The full face mask that I use has a small rectangular area with several small perforations. It is through these small holes that my exhaled air is liberated into the bedroom. When these perforations get wet from the moist air inside the mask, they generate an audible tone (or tones) that sounds very similar to a chord of notes played on a mouth organ. This noise can be removed for ten or fifteen seconds by wiping the area with a finger, but it always returns. Surprisingly, no one else seems to have even heard of this "mouth organ" sound issuing from the full face mask.

    I may have actually found a more permanent solution to this problem, by sticking a piece of open weave bandage over the holes. I mention all of this, not to bore anyone, but just in case somebody else has had the same problem.

    Finally, as regards the problem of SA, I have been toying with the idea of trying an adjustable bed, which would enable me to sleep with my upper body raised to an angle that might (I say might) allow my airways to remain even slightly open, thereby reducing some of the danger of SA.

    If someone with SA has used one of these beds, maybe they would be kind enough to say if their SA has been improved by its use.
  • Miss C. DeVilleMiss C. DeVille Posts: 6,025
    Forum Member
    I get a bit of a dry mouth but I used to get that before I had the CPAP machine. Probably because I sleep with my mouth open. I don't have a humidifier and by the sounds of it it wouldn't be much use to me.
    I always swill a mouthful of water round my mouth before I put my mask on. I also sleep on two ordinary pillows. I don't use a special pillow which you can get for use with CPAP machines.
    The thing that annoys me is that in the hot weather the headgear makes the back of my neck all sweaty, even though I keep my hair tied up out of the way.
  • SupratadSupratad Posts: 10,402
    Forum Member
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    Dunnroamin wrote: »
    Yes, I'm back now. There was nothing new to report until now.

    The dry throat really got me down so, when I had my first month's assessment, the clinic supplied me with a system one humidifier to attach to the Philips Respironics REMstar cpap machine. I can't say the humidifier has solved my dry throat problem, because it hasn't. I have tried different temperature settings, but still get a dry mouth and throat.

    In addition to that, with the heater level set to provide vapour in the face mask, the moist air travelling up the hose, condenses back into liquid water, and settles in the lowest bend in the hose, from where, as cold water, it gets blown back onto my face.

    Unfortunately, the problem doesn't stop there. The full face mask that I use has a small rectangular area with several small perforations. It is through these small holes that my exhaled air is liberated into the bedroom. When these perforations get wet from the moist air inside the mask, they generate an audible tone (or tones) that sounds very similar to a chord of notes played on a mouth organ. This noise can be removed for ten or fifteen seconds by wiping the area with a finger, but it always returns. Surprisingly, no one else seems to have even heard of this "mouth organ" sound issuing from the full face mask.

    I may have actually found a more permanent solution to this problem, by sticking a piece of open weave bandage over the holes. I mention all of this, not to bore anyone, but just in case somebody else has had the same problem.

    Finally, as regards the problem of SA, I have been toying with the idea of trying an adjustable bed, which would enable me to sleep with my upper body raised to an angle that might (I say might) allow my airways to remain even slightly open, thereby reducing some of the danger of SA.

    If someone with SA has used one of these beds, maybe they would be kind enough to say if their SA has been improved by its use.

    Do you have a heated pipe too?
    I'd advise you go back fairly quickly and get a different machine and mask. There are lots on the "market" so it's just a matter of trial and error over time.
    I found ResMed masks to be very good.
  • DunnroaminDunnroamin Posts: 2,437
    Forum Member
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    Supratad wrote: »
    Do you have a heated pipe too?
    I'd advise you go back fairly quickly and get a different machine and mask. There are lots on the "market" so it's just a matter of trial and error over time.
    I found ResMed masks to be very good.


    I don't have a heated hose, but I've heard about them. I'll see if my clinic can let me have one, although I doubt that will make my rig any more bearable, but thanks for the suggestion.
  • j0annej0anne Posts: 2,726
    Forum Member
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    Hi

    I have SA and used clap for some five yes now

    Use a lip salve before putting mask on it can help.

    Have a drink with straw near by to poke under mask so you can have a sip in night

    You do eventually get used to machine but it irks me still at times but I feel the difrence when I don't use it by chance I jerk awake when I stop breathing and actually feel uncomfortable without it, it's now love hate with me and it

    I have the adjustable bed and sleep at a angle with pillows to help...it does make a difrence

    Good luck
  • Miss C. DeVilleMiss C. DeVille Posts: 6,025
    Forum Member
    I was thinking last night about having a drink with a straw to go under the mask...sounds like a good idea so I might try it.
    I won't drink too much though as I'll end up having to get up frequently to go to the loo.
  • Steve9214Steve9214 Posts: 8,402
    Forum Member
    Steve9214 wrote: »
    Bought a specialist "CPAP" pillow off amazon.
    Arrived Yesterday, and tried it last night.
    Had to adjust mask, as less pressure on mask seal, but had a great night's sleep.
    Mask still on when I woke up, so did not rip it off in the night.

    Pillow was £32.99, just put an ordinary pillowcase on it.

    Been using the CPAP pillow for a couple of weeks and it has been a revelation.

    Have kept mask on for whole night - before with ordinary pillows I would wake up after a few hours and rip the mask off as the pillows had pushed it off.

    I assume as the ordinary pillow sinks under the weight of head, the edges rise up and dislodge the mask. With the cutout space in the CPAP version, the pillow does not push the mask off the face.

    I am now sleeping through every night with mask full on the whole time.
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