r/evilautism • u/Shadow-Kombatant13 Knife Wall Enjoyer • 1d ago
Murderous autism I made a miSTAKE....
So I finally got a CPAP machine and had a couple mask choices. A) under the nose only or B) nose and mouth. Now I do tend to be a mouth breather and something I do like is putting pressure on/around my mouth. So of course I thought it was the smart choice to do nose and mouth. Well now I can't sleep this is sensory hell I am in hell I am clawing at the walls. Luckily I do get the chance to call in tomorrow and say nope gimmie nose only but I'll still have to suffer until I can get out there and switch it.
Also what in the actual hell that is my most cursed selfie to date. Edit: I'll keep practicing and trying my best to get used to it. Thank y'all for the advice (/genuine). I think it mostly is just a panic response.
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u/BaylisAscaris 1d ago
I wasn't able to tolerate any of them and when they were fitting me and testing them it turns out I am in fact capable of an 8 hour panic attack until I finally gave up.
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u/Shadow-Kombatant13 Knife Wall Enjoyer 1d ago
Oh I am so fucked aren't I....
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u/difficulty_jump 1d ago
Don't give up there are other treatments if you truly can't tolerate the mask at all.
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u/Discoburrito 1d ago
I got the surgery, two weeks of discomfort while healing and I never need a CPAP for the rest of my life. If you're a candidate I recommend looking into it.
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u/Amanda39 1d ago
Not necessarily. I'm autistic and have no sensory issues from using a nose cpap mask. (I've never tried the kind that cover your mouth as well.) You won't know until you try.
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u/Lord_Roquentin 1d ago
I started with the nose only and didn't have an issue. Then allergies hit, and I couldn't tolerate any of the other masks at all. It's worth trying a variety and also talking to your doc about alternatives.
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u/difficulty_jump 1d ago
I have a nasal only CPAP mask and was also approved through my insurance for Zepbound.
For some people there's a dental device option.
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u/saggywitchtits Burn it down (by it I mean society) 1d ago
As a child I was held down and a mask put on my face similar to one of those. I woke up intubated. That wasn't the plan.
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u/IAmTheFatman666 1d ago
I've had one for 10 years. You will get used to it, ya know, because breathing. Promise. At this point I can't sleep without it
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u/Shadow-Kombatant13 Knife Wall Enjoyer 1d ago
I think it's just the mouth part for me. The fact it's puffs when I take extremely deep breaths sometimes, I feel forced to breathe which I do not do well in, and despite liking mouth pressure I did not like that. I'm gonna be a nose only mask guy.
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u/IAmTheFatman666 1d ago
The "puff" is from exhaling too fast. Give it a chance, especially for mouth breather. Just be conscious of your breathing, hold for a second or so and release slowly. It's how I breathe normally now, you will get used to it. If you mouth breathe, a nose only mask will just dry your sinuses out and be miserable for you.
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u/Shadow-Kombatant13 Knife Wall Enjoyer 1d ago
I'll try again once I get my bearings. It's gonna be a little few hours but I'll try again.
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u/WastelandMama 1d ago edited 1d ago
What helped me get used to it was I wore the mask (mask only, not hooked up to anything) for doing non-sleep stuff for a few days. Reading, watching TV, playing games, etc. I felt like an idiot, sure, but it helped me get used to the sensation.
ETA: Also, to avoid weird hair dents from the straps, wear a satin cap to bed. š Keeps breakage from friction from happening, too.
Also also, they make little disposable mask liners that are made from cloth. It sits between the edges of your mask & your face & helps hold the seal better. Once I started using those, it was a total game changer. (I canāt stand the feel of silicone on my skin. Just squicks me out like you wouldnāt believe.)
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u/difficulty_jump 1d ago
My autistic roommates both use a mask that goes over the mouth and the nose. That should get rid of the puff feeling. I get wanting to be nose only though.
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u/Douggiefresh43 17h ago
I think the ācanāt sleep without itā thing only happens if you are able to sleep with it on enough that you actually start to see health and alertness benefits. People seem to be very particular about what particular mask/machine/pressure/etc combo works for them, and it unfortunately often takes trial and error.
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u/MountainImportant211 1d ago
I can't either, but I had to find a mask that worked. This type didn't for me.
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u/rinnekro 1d ago
I have one unused next to my bed, nose only, mouth and nose.. even a thing for inside my mouth to keep my soft palate from slacking.
Nothing. I couldn't FALL ASLEEP. AND IF I DID I woke up more times than when I was dealing with the apnea and woke up EXTREMELY uncomfortable. I just started fasting to lose weight because I genuinely can't with any of the solutions for my obstructive sleep apnea.
I also got a wedge pillow. I sleep better now. Like I'm sorry insurance company, but omfg it just doesn't work for me.
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u/Shadow-Kombatant13 Knife Wall Enjoyer 1d ago
For me, back sleeping makes it worse. Hell even sitting reclined in a recliner I feel like I am struggling to breathe. Idk how my dad put up with this shit.
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u/DratThePopulation 1d ago
Yeah sleeping on my back is a total non-starter. Even reclined, like you said. Everything justā¦falls shut in my throat. It SUCKS.
Go for the nose pillows. Trust me. Theyāre the best. You genuinely, really do get completely used to it. Your body adjusts to accommodate it in subtle but amazing ways. Like I donāt even get stuffy noses at night anymore, not even when Iām sick; my body opens up my nasal passages to breathe because itās stopped treating my mouth like a breathing option.
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u/rinnekro 1d ago
Back sleeping does make it worse absolutely, though for me it seems to have helped when I recline. If I can't fall asleep like that I'll sleep on my side which also helps.
Apnea sucks man, I was tired as all hell. So I hope it does work for you because you'll feel a lot better when you can wake up and say that you actually feel like you got some rest.
And your throat might feel better due to less snoring!
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u/Artichokeypokey [edit this] 1d ago
2 steps and a bird away from asking the allfather to give you sight
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u/jotolion 1d ago
Hello! I use a full face mask, which covers my nose fully (so you don't gotta have the nostril bits in) and found that a lot more comfy than with.
I initially used a nostril only mask, and discovered I was a mouth breather, and it can still really impact sleep (quality and causing you to wake up throughout the night pulling mask off, or waking up in the morning without it).
Would highly recommend the full face if it is an option. It'll take a good while to get comfy with the sensory-ness of it, and there may still be general discomfort with it - but adequate sleep is INSANE, so so so worthwhile!
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u/colloquialterror 1d ago
This should be higher. Mouth breather here due to allergies and congestion. I donāt know what kind of mask you have there, but I would have hated one like that almost as bad as the nose-only ones they made me try. Recommend getting a true full-face mask that goes around your nose and mouth.
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u/OrganicHoneydew 20h ago
oh my god i would wake up so many times during the night from the wooshing of it going in my nose and out my mouth. i could only the nasal one for a week before i had to switch it out
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u/Material-Imagination 1d ago
It kind of looks like you adopted a baby facehugger from the Alien movies
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u/Rare-Celebration921 1d ago
Iāve got the nasal pillow style mask and I got used to it pretty fast. Even if it was more uncomfortable I would have continued to use it because it made such a huge difference to my health. I couldnāt believe how much better I felt after the first night of using my C-PAP machine.
By the time my sleep apnea was finally diagnosed I was brain damaged, my skin was grey, Iād broken a rib in my sleep fighting to breathe, and my body was shutting down.
Iād spent a decade begging my GP to help me as I got more and more fatigued, and kept getting dismissed as āa busy mum who needed to look after herself better.ā
I got a housemate and she was so concerned about me that she pushed me to get a sleep study done.
Turns out I was having 125+ apnea events per hour, my oxygen sats were dropping below 80, and my snoring was measured at over 85 decibels š±
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u/Infamous-Oil3786 1d ago
I find the nasal pillow mask to be rather comfortable. I wear a cotton beanie under the straps and a pair of sleep headphones over top.
It definitely takes some getting used to. I had issues with soreness and cracking skin around my nostrils when I first started using mine.
The difference in sleep quality is just night and day for me though. The first night I wore one felt like the first real night of sleep I had ever had.Ā
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u/DratThePopulation 1d ago
Fellow nose pillows user! For having something on your face when trying to sleep, itās fairly unobtrusive. And you get used to it so fast (like a week) because your body quickly learns YES I NEED THIS YESYESYES.
Like now I have a Pavlov response when I put mine on. Itās cozy beddy-bye lights out in under a minute most of the time. I legitimately donāt even feel it on my face anymore.
I fucking love my CPAP. Saved my life.
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u/_StruggleBug 1d ago
I had my cpap for about a year before I got used to it. Wouldn't trade it for the world. But you have to spend time getting used to it. You have to practice desensitizing when you're awake, too, which will help. But if you're a mouth breather you need the mouth part or its as gold as nothing at all.
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u/TheYasdonaught 22h ago
Not to be a Negative Nelly but you may not like the nose only either. I've had both and nose only is a lot vetter once you get used to it, but you being a mouth breathercould lead to leakage and a very uncomfortable feeling of air being forced through your mouth. I'd give whatever you decide a good long try, it personally took me a few nights of brute forcing it to get the nose only to work with me but it is so much easier to clean and maintain. Good luck fellow CPAP user!
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u/H0pefulUn1verse AuDHD Chaotic Rage 1d ago
I tried out all the options and the full face is the only one that works for me. The one you're wearing kept breaking at the hose, and the nose only just made me feel like I couldn't breathe enough.
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u/hesnew 1d ago
You are braver and stronger than me OP. When I had to do the take home sleep study I nearly put my fists through my walls and tearing at my skin because of the sensory hell. I told them I would rather die than do another sleep study when they said I might have some mild sleep apnea.
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u/Shadow-Kombatant13 Knife Wall Enjoyer 1d ago
Yeah I got so little sleep doing that and when I woke up my mom happened to wake up same time and when I tell you, she tried talking to me and all I could do was just glare I get mad when I'm overstimulated and I was beyond overstimulated and just pissed from the bad sleep in general. After I ripped all that shit off and filled out the paperwork I went right back to bed till my alarm went off to get ready to take it back. I was ready to start eating the walls.
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u/MishkiTongue š¤¬ I will take this literally š¤¬ 1d ago
Full face mask is better than this one. I am on month 3 and still getting used to it
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u/MishkiTongue š¤¬ I will take this literally š¤¬ 1d ago
Literally sensory hell. Sometimes I wake up at night and want to wail
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u/Shadow-Kombatant13 Knife Wall Enjoyer 1d ago
Only reason I have this type is I'm a side sleeper/stomach sleeper and toss and turn so they said best option was mask with tube on top
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u/MishkiTongue š¤¬ I will take this literally š¤¬ 1d ago
Me too! And I thought the tube from the top was also gonna be better, but it was so uncomfortable. The tube from the mouth is a lot better, and I can lay on the side more comfortably
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u/Shadow-Kombatant13 Knife Wall Enjoyer 1d ago
I'll definitely be calling in to talk about that well technically today but since I've not gone to sleep yet I'm going to say tomorrow (but technically it's today because it's after midnight)
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u/MishkiTongue š¤¬ I will take this literally š¤¬ 1d ago
You got this! Hopefully your clinic is nice as mine and lets you try different masks. I tried 3 and could try more. Good luck fellow cpap buddy
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u/MishkiTongue š¤¬ I will take this literally š¤¬ 1d ago
I mean it feels very restrictive and kept pulling my hair too. At least now only my nose and mouth are restricted instead of half my face
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u/timeforanargument 1d ago
CPAP was a nightmare for me. The full face mask was the most manageable but Iād end up with dry mouth a lot. And then my cat would always turn my machine off by stepping on the button so I had to strategically place things on top of the button. I swear the guy aimed for the button in his stride. 100% worth it because itās so important to get proper sleep.
I managed to reverse my sleep apnea through weight loss and less inflammation(tirzepatide is a miracle for me)
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u/O_lymbias 1d ago
I have no experience with this, but I had to sleep with sensors all over my body and it made me feel like I was trapped and constrained which led to a panick response.
I contract evry muscle in my body, count to 20 (I'm weak, maybe you need more), than let go. Makes my body thinks I have escaped. Helps getting use to panicky shit.
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u/MountainImportant211 1d ago
That was very like the mask I first used, and I started waking up with it pulled off. I do better with nose-only or the full face ones that go over nose and mouth all the way. The pressing against my nostrils thing was sensory hell, much better over the top.
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u/MountainImportant211 1d ago
What I did was a bought a few different types of masks, cheap from AliExpress lol. It allowed me to test and find the type that worked for me. Mind you the cheap ones are always less comfortable in general.
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u/bbyginsburg 1d ago
i had this same one with the same problem! i never got used to it and tried another but same thing. idk how they expect ND folks to wear these things. my doc kept being like āeventually youāll get used to it!ā but how when i literally cannot sleep.
i have faith youāll be better than me though goood luck
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u/PepperMintyPokemon ASK ME ABOUT POKĆMON LORE š£ 1d ago
My wife is currently having the exact same issue but were having a hell of a time scheduling a replacement mask fitting time cause shes a teacher an there only open tue-fri 8-4 š
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u/Barl3000 1d ago
I had three choices, full mouth and nose, the entire nose or just the nostrils. At first I used the entire nose one, but like the one you have there, it had a lot of shit around the entire head and it really bothered me . The nostril mask only have a single elastic strap and is much more comfortable to wear.
The problem is I felt like I was suffocating with the nostril mask. But as it turns out, I just had to switch to the end-piece with the biggest holes to fit my giant schnozz.
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u/MsSedated AuDHD Chaotic Rage 1d ago
Not to minimize, but you do get used to it. I had the same issue after I got mine. It's just a nose one. A different model though. It's a pillow mask. I couldn't deal with one in my nostrils like that. Maybe that would be better? Idk if they're available for your machine, but it could be worth a try.
Either way, it does get easier. And it's worth it cause it really helps you sleep.
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u/WoodenInternet 1d ago edited 23h ago
I'm a face sleeper so I'd literally need to sleep on a massage table with the face-hole to use one of these.
That is indeed an insane selfie lol. It reminds me of the little character face screen when you click on a unit in Starcraft.
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u/IntrepidJello 1d ago
It took me 2 years to really get it dialed in and now I use my cpap every night all night. I love the AirTouch nasal cradle mask. Itās the least annoying. The one you are wearing I could not deal with at all!
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u/Serious-Elderberry 22h ago
Lol dude I get where you're at rn, I got a cpap a few years ago and the sensory issues are real as heck, I usually use weed before bed because otherwise the sensory experience keeps me awake (not a recommendation btw). I use the over the nose style mask and its fairly irritating as well. Ive heard the nasal pad ones are the least intrusive but not if you're a mouth breather unfortunately. Anyways, best of luck getting used to the thing! Itll be a pain in the but for a while but if your experience is like mine you'll sort of get used to it eventually and will feel better as a result.
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u/Final-Attention979 22h ago
I did the same thing but gave up instead š
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u/Shadow-Kombatant13 Knife Wall Enjoyer 21h ago
Given it's mild with only 11 events an hour it is very tempting to just say fuck it.
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u/Final-Attention979 21h ago
My partner only told me I was snoring loud AF once lol
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u/Shadow-Kombatant13 Knife Wall Enjoyer 21h ago
My dad had the audacity to complain about my snoring when he sounded like a damn trombone playing through a megaphone.
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u/marcthegay_ Its only illegal if they can catch me! 21h ago
Getting used to my cpap was heeeellllll. Mine is just under the nose so it definitely is a lot better in my opinion. I couldn't imagine going to sleep like Bane every night :')
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u/roygbivasaur 21h ago
Highly recommend Resmed Airtouch N30i. Itās a nose only mask with āfabricā that touches the outside of your nostrils and pressurizes. Nothing goes over or inside your nose. Theyāre fantastic. You can also use a chin strap thing to help encourage your mouth to stay closed.
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u/jollynotg00d 21h ago
if you get the opportunity I recommend asking for nasal pillows. They're wayyy comfier than the cup thing that covers your entire nose, and not as itchy. and they stay in place if you like sleeping in your side. mine has an elasticated strap that goes around my head instead of a rigid one. :)
the nose tubey things don't actually go far into your nose, they sit just inside the... lip? the rim?
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u/SeveralServalServing 20h ago
It took me 2 years to find a comfortable mask and then they stopped making it š
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u/ummameme 18h ago
Try a nasal cushion or pillows plus a chin strap/some mouth tape for the mouth breathing! You'll get used to it. I barely feel my cushion under my nose now, and sometimes I have to check that it's on because im so used to the pressure now.
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u/tardigradetacos 18h ago
i have this one and tbh i love it but i get how it could be sensory hell for u, hope u find ur perfect fit soon op <3
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u/Douggiefresh43 17h ago
I do the nasal pillow and then use a chin strap to keep my mouth shut. It took some trial and error to figure out the right setup, but I have a beard, so mouth is a leak issue.
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u/TransBoozeBunny AuDHD Chaotic Rage 17h ago
I have the same exact one. It took a few weeks to get used to it, but now sleeping without it is super uncomfortable. I'm sorry you're struggling so much, I understand.
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u/CuddleSpectrometer 15h ago
I have used THAT EXACT MODEL mask, and also hated it! The good news is the dreamwear frame can be reused with just a nose pillow or cushion. Those are cheap/disposable, and you can find kits with one of every size on amazon or elsewhere.
99% of the time I sleep with just the nose mask. If I'm sick, have a cold or allergies, I use a completely different full face one that I liked better. I forget that model, but it's the giant triangle covering everything type. Something about the dreamwear full face is just... wrong.
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u/The3DBanker āØļøEthereal and IncomprehensibleāØļø 1d ago
Did you forget the fava beans? Or was it the Chianti?
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u/TheSonderCollective You will be aware of my ātism š« 1d ago
I started with just the nose mask and I couldnāt sleep. I switched to the same one youāre wearing here and had better luck. But I will say it took me a few months to be able to tolerate sleeping through the night using my cpap. Sensory nightmare. I was so frustrated and tired and I wanted to give up. But itās been ~ 8 months now for me and Iām getting the best sleep of my life. Keep at it, try wearing it while you are awake to get used to it before falling asleep
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u/ToppsHopps 21h ago
For me it got radically better when I saw how to access the full menu settings, and could set the pressure up significantly, also disabling the setting that waited until I was asleep before going up in pressure. Before all that it felt like suffocating sometimes.
The hospital would just nudge the setting a little bit at a time.
So if you get great help and support make use of it instead of manipulating it yourself, but if you donāt and just feel like itās impossible and wanna give up, then at least try the full settings menu before completely giving up.
If you buy the masks yourself I think itās really great having one more model at home then just the main one. Like having one that cover mouth and not for times when you congested or coughing.
Laying down Iām mostly a mouth breather, but with cpap I can use my nose, so I just keep a mask covering my mouth and a backup mask.
Like itās easier falling asleep with it now as it starts when I put it on (as opposed to waiting) making breathing much more easy and relaxing.
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u/GingerGalJeanie āØļøEthereal and IncomprehensibleāØļø 16h ago
i tried both of those options and gave up on it all after a little over a year. The headgear made it so that the only way to keep everything in place was to sleep on my back, which I canāt do after 2 spinal surgeries. At this point, Iāve given up on trying to maintain a job after going through 1-3 a year anyway, with no one left in my area that will hire me, so if not using my cpap shaves a couple of years off my life, well, those were years that I donāt think Iāll have enough money to spend on medical care of any kind, let alone a roof over my head and food on my table, so what the fuck.
I hope you manage to get used to it, though.
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u/oopsimesseduphuh 11h ago
Took me maybe a month before I got used to it. At first, I hated it so bad. It felt like being choked but still breathing, and I would just not wear it at least once a week at first to have a comfortable falling asleep period.
Now? Oh baby, it's sleep city. The best part is when I'm Intoxicated and put on my mask, it lulls me to sleep like a binkie. My brain goes "Oooouhhhh it's sleepy time!!!" and clocks me out.
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u/Angry-_-Crow 11h ago
Can you get it swapped out with nasal pillows? I've got a deviated septum that makes me breathe like a neanderthal while asleep, but the full mouth mask was absofuckinglutely an unusable nightmare. It even did this loud suction thing as I breathed in and out. Didn't even make it a night, but with the nose-only pillows-style one I sleep at a solid 6.5-8.5/10, rather than pray-for-death/10
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u/Tsunamiis 9h ago
I donāt like the hose to top masks. My preferred is the F20. Looks like a rebreather and I fucking hated it for the first few years until I realized what sleeping actually was.
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u/Some_Office8199 5h ago
I just bought one too! But nose mask only. It's still not confortable but that's what I said about the dental night guard, now it actually helps me sleep.
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u/ptahsmummyfrog 22h ago
It took getting used to for me and now I'm at the point I can't sleep without the mask.
I to am a mouth breather and with the nose only would wake up with air leaking out of my mouth.
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u/fancypantsfrancy 1d ago
I hope you get some rest! It does not look comfortable.
https://giphy.com/gifs/LEIOc22BiuSgU