I just wanted to share that finally, on my 6th night on my bipap machine..... I slept! I think I slept from around 11:30 pm to 7:45 a.m. and only woke up once at 3:30 a.m. This is epic! For several years now I have waken up pretty much every 1-1/2 hours to 2 hours. On really bad nights it was every hour on the hour. Then struggling through sleepless nights my first 5 nights on the bipap machine, and the frustration on the 5th night of the sensation that the bipap kept shutting off. (I made a post here about it yesterday and got some great feedback - thank you).

I decided to play around with the mask yesterday. I went to the website for Opus, my mask's brand, and found a video that showed how to place the mask. I spent some time in front of the mirror making sure I had it positioned correctly. I used the bipap for an hour or so while I was awake, to monitor how it ran. I discovered that one of my problems was that the mask wasn't placed right, and I was hearing air escape from my nostrils. I thought that noise (and sensation) was normal. Once I fitted the pillow correctly, it formed a seal and I didn't hear that air. I realize now that the previous night, the reason I kept thinking the machine shut off, is because I would move into a position where the mask was sealed correctly and I wasn't hearing the wind blow. So not only was the sound and feel of the air leaking, and the changing sounds and feel as the mask moved around (sealed, leak, sealed), keeping me awake -- but I wasn't getting the full effect of the therapy so of course I was still experiencing apnea symptoms.

Waking up this morning feeling half asleep..... that delicious feeling of lingering under the covers on a cold Sunday morning, letting myself come fully awake slowly... instead of being immediately wide awake as I usually am, because I was never deeply asleep... was wonderful. I had forgotten what it felt like to have to stretch when I sat up, because I'd lain in one position for so long!

I guess the lesson learned here is just what I've read so often.... the mask is key. So is patience, and persistence, and making sure you're doing everything right.  

Now I'm going to have high expectations when I go to sleep tonight.... I hope I haven't jumped the gun here in thinking my problems are solved, lol.

CONGRATS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I feel bad when people come on here and complain as to how xPAP is nbot working for them and do not try and figure out why.  There is usually always a solution.  Granted, not all can adapt...but most can with the right information, tricks, ideas etc.

Don't worry about jumping the gun.  You will have good and bad but the best thing is that you know now that solutions are out there and they usually work.

Kudos to you!!!!