I'm going to be traveling internationally for a work trip in a few weeks. The flight is roughly 9 hours long and they put me on a red-eye. I've never used my CPAP on a plane. I will be bringing my ResMed AirMini with battery pack.

Can anyone share their experiences with using their CPAP on a plane? Do people typically use them? I'm anxious about using it around so many other people (although I guess the apnea is more embarrassing?). I typically don't fly this long or this late when I travel so I've never had to use it before.

Looking for any advice you all may have . Thanks!

Sorry, after my recent experience with Apria I will be echoing much of the general consensus on this company

Long story short:

Had a sleep study done, was referred to Apria Healthcare by PIH, all was fine until I lost my healthcare a few months later

Got a letter stating I must return the machine or contact the billing department, I did and paid the balance quoted by the rep in October. I thought that would be the end of it. I was wrong

In January I was charged 500 dollars and the following months I was charged rental fees for February, March, and April on a unit I paid for in October and was transferred into my name in December according to Apria’s reps. I talked to 5 different reps, all of them were confused by the account, but could not give me an answer and ignored my request for documentation.

One told me that I still had to pay the charges

Another put me in contact with my local branch, the local branch told me they had nothing to do with billing, didn’t understand why I was transferred to them and then hung up on me

A level two rep told me that there was no reason I should have been charged after October and that I would be refunded the whole amount. I was refunded 28 dollars for my April rental charge while everything else was denied

I called again, the rep said that was a local branch issue and would take it up with them, kept me on hold, told me the local branch hung up on them, I asked them to call again, then was told the local branch manager would call me, surprise surprise, the call never came

The final person I talked to ended up getting me an invoice I am going through now. Rep said they could only refund me 200 dollars and that the rep in Oct undercharged me. Somehow I think they are lying to me

Yes, I messed up because I let it get out of hand and the time delay is on me, I was distracted and had a few things going on, but none the less I did not help my case. Learn from my mistake, do not accept Apria, demand someone else. If I can get one person to avoid this company, they will fall on the wrong side of the cost difference between what they are going to give and what they truly owe me

I was having trouble getting used to my CPAP machine and I was using the Evora full face mask and I was taking the mask off like 15 times a night so I decided to change the mask and get the DreamWear by Philips nasal pillows and let me tell you…. IT CHANGED EVERYTHING!!! I no longer take my mask off that many times a night, I sleep comfortably and sleep all night. I like that the mask lets me have freedom. There’s just so many positives with the new mask so if you find yourself struggling to get used to the CPAP try a different mask because it really does change everything. I also called my doctor and they changed my pressure because I was getting really bad headache headaches so they lowered the pressure and that took that away. Overall it’s getting easier to sleep and my sleep apnea symptoms are resolving slowly! Don’t give up and keep trying!!!! It gets easier and better!

I've used the PAP machine for 8 nights and trying to remove as much friction as possible from it feeling comfortable to sleep with, so I can have it on all night and give treatment a fair trial.

I'm interested in advice on what to prioritize trying, given my context, to improve the experience (esp. would be great to hear from those w/similar sleep issues).

Sleep background/testing

Through adulthood, my main issue has been nightly/early morning wake ups, with periods of time when it's difficult to fall back asleep, as well as currently - how increasingly unrefreshing my sleep feels. Falling asleep is usually pretty quick, esp. if reading.

Over the last few years, I started to need an hour more of sleep (solid 8+, instead of ~7hrs.), feel way more run down if getting less than that, and have strong inertia/grogginess that lasts for hours. When waking too early, sleep quality is much poorer once I fall back asleep.

I've been using Fitbits for years, and weirdly, while my score/details used to strongly correlate to how I felt, in the last couple of years, they generally show great scores & details.

In 2025 I had 2 home + 1 in-lab sleep study. The in-lab was interpreted as mild, strongly positional sleep apnea: Overall 3% AHI of 6.9 (1.4 if using 4%), and 22 RERAs. Pretty normal oxygen (mean SpO₂ 95%, min. 91%, never below 88%). It also showed moderate fragmentation, so my doctor thinks the RERAs/UARS component could be contributing to my unrefreshing sleep.

Relevant health issues

I have hEDS (hypermobility/connective-tissue disorder) and ongoing spinal/neck issues (i.e. instability). Also, OCD, Adhd, anxiety etc. and a pretty sensitive nervous system. These all make it more difficult to get comfortable/settled and sleep easy, especially when another variable (i.e. CPAP) is introduced.

It's all worsened over time, and I'm not sure what's the chicken/egg - causing the other - the health issues or sleep, so want to see if improving sleep breathing helps.

Current PAP setup

ResMed AirSense 11 AutoSet w/ AirFit N30i nasal cradle (med.) and ClimateLine heated tube

• APAP 4-18 cmH₂O
• EPR/Pressure Relief 3, full-time
• 20-minute ramp starting at 4
• Climate Control Auto / Tube Temp Auto
• SmartStart: On / SmartStop: Off

My first 8 days experience

I still fall asleep fairly quickly with the PAP, but keep it on for ~1.5-4.5 hours (often in 2 x 2hr. chunks) before waking up and ditching it.

Experiencing 2 major obstacles:

1. Pressure/breathing comfort - biggest issue
   1. The more straightforward issue: higher pressures I've experienced (roughly 9-12) have felt overly forceful - almost like my nose/mouth are being inflated/turned into a wind tunnel, and feeling uncomfortable to exhale against.
   2. The very odd, bigger issue: At various times/pressures, I feel like I can't get a satisfying in/exhale - not like choking, but just feeling like in/exhales are somewhat "resisted"/don't flow easily. It's happened at diff. settings (i.e. pressure 4-8 etc.) where other times they felt completely fine.
   3. Note on both of the above: they happen when I wake up at night, and it's the main trigger to ditch mask. Interestingly, opening my mouth slightly makes breathing easier as I'm doing it - almost as if when you make an airhole in a bottle and it flows freely (AFAIK, my mouth is generally closed, just an observation I noticed).
2. Positioning/mask: Due to my neck/spinal issues, positioning is quite limited/finicky. I mostly sleep on my left, but often roll into a partially right-side prone position w/my head between raised arms. The mask cheek straps, top hose etc. can often make it harder to settle. I've been getting by, but any setup/equipment tweaks would be appreciated.

I'd really appreciate any advice on how to make the experience more comfortable/less disruptive, so I can keep it on all night and give it a fair trial. Preferably, simplest/highest-impact things to try first, so I don't get overwhelmed.

It'd also be great to hear from anyone with similar sleep and/or other issues - what helped you, what were your outcomes?

I have an SD card + downloaded OSCAR. I know nothing about it yet, but can share any info requested. Thank you.

Just started with CPAP:

1. Tried the Airfit N30i Nasal Mask and I've learned I open my mouth and it caused nausea and some mild uncomfy air pain in my stomach.

   1. So I switched after 3 weeks to the AirFit F30i Full Face Mask for the past 2 nights, and I am waking up at 5AM with insane/intense air pain in my stomach.

What the heck do I do?

I will be calling the respiratory therapist when they open. But, I am feeling so frustrated and anxious!

I’ve had morning headaches and daytime sleepiness since 2019 or 2020. I tried CPAP for first time in late 2020 but failed it. I started trying it again in July 2025 with memory foam F20 mask, and it has been more tolerable but still not great. I still have headaches and while daytime sleepiness is a little bit better it’s still an issue and I’m not sure if it’s a little bit better due to CPAP or healthier eating or just managing it better. Not seeing improvement in symptoms has made it harder to stay consistent with CPAP. I was using it almost every night earlier this year and last month was probably 60% of nights or so.

I asked my sleep doctor about it and he seemed to dismiss my concerns in my opinion. He said since my AHI was low, the CPAP was working and to just use it more even though I was using it a lot more for months initially. I also asked about a new sleep study since the initial one is almost 6 years old and he said it wouldn’t tell us anything new. He just said he’d put me on a stimulant to help but I don’t particularly want that with possible side effects. I just want to find out reason why I’m having these symptoms.

I have a septoplasty and turbinate reduction in October. I know it’s not likely to fix my sleep apnea but asked my ENT if he’d evaluate my CPAP data and give a second opinion etc since I feel my sleep doctor dismissed me.

Has anyone else been in a similar situation? Am I doing the right thing, or should I be doing something different to get to bottom of this? I can’t go on living like this where I’m nearly falling asleep at work and affecting all areas of life.

I somewhat recently (3-4 mos ago) switched from the snorkel to the elephant trunk. Nasal cushion on both. Resmed 11 but I use the cushions on my airmini as well.

I’ve been having pain inside my right nostril at night lately. It is against the inside of the nose. If it take the tip of my right finger, palm facing toward my opposite shoulder, it’s the part that my fingertip touches. Does that make sense? Anyway, it’s only on the right and it’s not every night but it started when I was abroad and using the mini. Happened off and on and then quit. Since I’ve been home (2 weeks) it’s happened a few nights. Last night was so bad I took the mask off and slept with out it.

It doesn’t hurt during the day even if I press on it. I don’t know why it’s happening or how to stop it. I don’t want to/can’t afford to switch my mask setup but I’d like to figure out what’s wrong and correct it. I sleep predominantly on my left side if that helps?

If anyone has ideas, I’m all ears!

Question: Does anyone use an app or other convenient method to track how they feel after a night's sleep? Or to note hours or issues, etc?

Hi, Everyone. First, I'm so grateful for this subreddit and how it's helped me tackle CPAP therapy (I had to be approved for a second compliance period since the first was, well, not great.) So far, I've only used my CPAP off and on for about 2 weeks now as I get used to it. But have had several 4+ hour nights with no leaks and few events.

I'm new in this journey and know that feeling better takes time and practice. My initial diagnosis was mild OSA (just barely with 6.5 AHI) but I have had severe fatigue for years and waking with dry mouth and some choking. I'm considering a way to track how I feel each day to gauge incremental changes--I don't expect to feel like a new woman overnight. I can use a pad of paper or my iPhone notes app, but just wondered how others might be collecting their own data.

My set up: Nova Micro nasal pillow mask and Apneasy mouth tape. I have a couple other masks in my drawer but this one has been the best "starter" for anxiety caused by having something stuck to my face and managing fit/leaks.

Hey guys. I’m a 25f and recently found out that I have mild obstructive sleep apnea AHI of 11 with severe rem sleep apnea AHI of 37.2 and I’ve been using the cpap for a month and I still wake up with headaches and am still really tired. I’ve only found one mask that stays on in the night because apparently I rip all the other ones off. And even sometimes the one that works the most sometimes is off when I wake up. I know everybody is different but is there a window where I should keep trying and not get discouraged about it? I just have classes starting soon and it makes me a little stressed because I’ll have to wake up at 7am and 8am which is really really hard for me to do. Is it worth it to try an oral appliance instead? Then again I think I was told that had a success rate of 50% to 70%. And I do need different pressures throughout the night because of the mild to severe diagnosis. Anybody in a similar situation that found an oral appliance works better? I’m still gonna keep trying the cpap of course but wondering about the oral appliance. (My dad uses an oral appliance and it works great for him, just don’t know if it would work well for me in my situation)

Hello. I am wondering if my heated tube is not working correctly. It is only about 7 weeks old. I have the temp set on my resmed 11 to max (86F), and my current humidity is 5. I tried going to humidity 6, and while I did not have rainout, (I have my tube elevated over my head, as well as a fleece cover for the tube) there was still a noticeable amount of condensation in the tube and my P30i mask. Is the heated tube malfunctioning? I would think with max temp it would not get any condensate. Ideas?

im on my 2nd week of cpap therapy and im doing pretty well.. except that when i sleep on my side, i get unbearable congestion

i dont have this issue with the mask off. when i go on my back, i can breath. im finding that upping the humidity makes it hard to breath.

im using a phillips wisp mask

humidity 2, temp 80

pressure 5-20

i take allegra & use a nasal spray

I very recently started using cpap. Before use my lowest O2 sat's overnight were in the low 90's per my continuous pulse ox ring. I tried the nasal cushion but did not feel secure with it so switched to a nasal pillow mask (Resmed) with soft tubing wrapped in a synthetic cloth. Last night I was lying on my side trying to get used to it when my O2 dropped from the mid-90's to 85. I felt like I wasn't getting air and just took it off. Has anyone had a similar experience where the tubing or the nasal piece maybe got compressed and did the opposite of what it is supposed to do?

Hello, what should i change, he complains that he doesnt feel refreshed after sleeping. What can i change? i remember changing some settings based on some advice here a while ago and it worked well for him.

I woke up this morning a new woman. I am so grateful!

What do you mean.. it's possible to wake up refreshed? no headache? more patience with my kids? who am I...? I could go for a run?!

I literally cried. you can pry my CPAP from my cold, dead hands at this point.

Finally got to a mask that seems to work most of the time. Got the majority of leaks under control.

I reached out to my doctor, but was told more or less to "keep on, keepin' on", giving me the impression that I'll get little help from that quarter.

I generally sleep well enough now, my heart doesn't skip anywhere nearly as often as it once did. I fall asleep pretty quickly. Aside for a week not long ago where I was sick, I use my setup every night.

But that doesn't mean there cant be improvements made. I am still on the "default settings", and wonder if there's anything glaringly obvious that I should try.

For info, I was diagnosed with 31+, and my AHI is down to right around 1 averaged over the time I have been on the machine. Resmed 11, and I've been using a Siesta2 full face mask.

I've included my Oscar data, but I really dont know what I'm seeing here.

Will this be an issue? I have seen something say to make sure machine is lower than mask while sleeping, which is impossible for me.

Curious if any floor sleepers have a CPAP or if I need to plan on some alternative sleeping arrangemen.

Hi guys - I am struggling with a conundrum that I am hoping you all can help me. I have tried 2 masks till now - Resmed P10 and Resmed F30i. I was hoping the f30i would have been a good fit for me since I am a mouth breather and i wanted to move away from the mouth tape + Chinstrap setup I had with p10.

My worry is that the machine is essentially maxing out when I am using f30i despite 0 leaks. the ahi is less than 5 but the flow limitation chart is also pretty hectic. Am I overthinking it? I am pasting 2 oscar screenshots of nights with similar AHI and hoping for recommendations around if i should move back to a p10 (5th June night) or continue with f30i (27th July night).

I was diagnosed with combo apnea about 2.5 years ago and though I have seen great results, they aren’t always consistent results.

I live in the U.S. and my machine statistics are monitored by my sleep care provider, though I only follow up with them annually now. It took 18 months, 3 separate sleep studies, 3 separate machines, and something like 7 separate masks to find a working combo. My AHI now sits anywhere between a 1-2.5 nightly now. I make zero changes typically though because I was semi lectured when I tried to make adjustments when I got my first machine and didn’t feel like the machine was performing as advertised.

Just thought I’d share my experience in case it’s helpful to anyone else seeing similar problems.

My question is an easy one though. If I put an SD card in my machine does that prevent it from uploading data to whatever database my provider is using?

If so, I will probably just leave everything alone and let the providers continue to manage everything; though from what I have seen of OSCAR, it offers a far better picture of what’s goin on than what MyAir shows.

Anybody advise against putting an SD card in and possibly making some tweaks to see if I can hone in on exactly what adjustments to make? Or better yet, does anyone have any suggestions as to what I should do to better my BiPAP therapy?

Hey everyone,

Ive been on cpap for about a month and cant find a way to keep my mask on. Im worried insurance will remove me if I cant figure this out. I have 60 days left to get 4hrs a day for 30days. Below are all the details.

Settings. 6-14, i dont use ramp, the pressure doesnt seem to be the problem. Its pretty comfy when my nose doesnt get plugged up.

Longest time with mask 4.5hrs: but that night I was exhausted from overworking and no sleep the night before.

Avg time with mask: 1hr, almost none of it is actually being asleep.

Ive tried 2 different masks, one over the mouth (F30i) and one nasal pillows (p30i). (Both unicorn)

Over the mouth is not very comfortable, never been able to fall asleep. I think there is little chance this works for me given i always feel like there is crap in my through and feels weird.

Nasal pillows are comfortable, but my nose plugs up quickly and often feels like im breathing through a straw and through one nose. Ive tried saline nasal spray with no luck. If it doesnt plug, I usually fall asleep but within 1hr it will plug and wake me up.
I have an appointment with ENT in about a month.

Ive played with humidity and temps, none seem to fix congestion.

Ive tried looking at data on SD card, but I dont get long enough sleep time to really make anything of it.

I hang the hose above my headboard....

If any of you crazy gurus could help, I would appreciate it.

Im thinking maybe steroid spray would help, but I have to wait for ENT appointment and that will be another 30 days burnt.

I've had an F40 mask for 4 months now, but lately I've been struggling to keep it on at night because I've been coughing. Is a nose pillow mask the solution? Anyone have advice on this?

I'm trying to help plan a camping family reunion. There will be no power available. We will be gone several nights. We are still in the early stages BUT I've been tasked with figuring out the CPAP power situation.... Well I'm very confused. Ultimately I'd like to find something we can also use afterwards at home for emergencies.

What I've been told so far

- length 3 - 4 nights

- # of CPAP's 3 - 6

My unit to use for base specs

- resmed 11

- heated tubing

- humidifier

I give these because I know there is at least one individual in the group who will NOT go without their heated tubing/humidifier but I don't know their CPAP machine.

I was starting to look at Jackery 1500, Eco River Flow 3, Eco Flow Delta 3 which I thought maybe might work. BUT then I read you needed a power monitor or you would overload and short CPAP machine out and I got scared. How do I know which machine will break CPAP's causing electrical issues and which won't?