I have been using my machine about a month and a half.  I have had no problem getting accustomed to it and the mask is still on in the AM.  However, I got a lot of relief when I first started, but now I seem to be slipping backwards.  That is, I do not seem to be getting as much relief now as I initially got.  I had a little trouble breathing through my mouth, but that seems past also.  My wife says she occasionally hears air escaping from my mouth, but not often and no snoring.

Anyone else have this experience?

Frank

Hello Frank!
I'm not sure what you mean by less relief--  does that mean you're tired or sleepy again?  Let me toss out a few thoughts, though, which I had posted elsewhere, but are always important so I don't feel guilty about cut and paste:

Quote:

Excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS) may come from 3 causes as it relates to sleep:

Insufficient sleep. The company line is 7.5 hours per night.

Insufficient quality sleep (Sleep Stage Totals). The breakdown of sleep by stage is Stage 1 5%, Stage 2 55-60%, Stage 3&4 20%, and REM 20%. Stage 3/4 gives you the most rest. Reduction in REM due to anti-depressants should not make you tired.

Insufficient quality sleep (Breaks in Sleep Continuity). This is really why we're all here. Every time you have an arousal, like after a hypopnea, apnea or PLM, there is not only a break in sleep continuity, but you also back up at least one sleep stage (except for REM, where you go to Stage 2 or 1, you can't go SWS-REM or vice versa). So OSA keeps bumping you into lighter stages of sleep, and this contributes to #2.

Your first night on CPAP, the toxin has now been removed. Allowed to sleep continuously, you pay back the sleep debt. This results in rebound phenomena, so your REM and often SWS are increased, sometimes dramatically, as the debt is paid. Night 2 or 3, your sleep architecture is a heckuva lot more normalized.
So when some people say "Wow, I felt so much better after that first night in the sleep lab than I do now", that was the rebound effect, and due more to the removal of the toxic OSA than anything else that happened in the sleep lab.
Getting "used to CPAP" means exactly that. You may have trouble maintaining sleep with CPAP on, that is what is now disturbing your continuity somewhat, and must be addressed before all is right in the sleep world.
Also with normalized sleep architecture, you may be sleeping a little bit lighter, not in a coma because you're exhausted, so things like mask fitting are now a big issue. So don't think "This CPAP mask makes my sleep worse." No, it may be more likely that since you're sleeping normally, a mask or pressure bothers you, and that's what you need to get used to.

OK, we're back live.  If this sounds somewhat familiar, then on we go.  If not, yes, there is a chance something has gone a little askew, like a mechanical problem, or another underlying issue.  You may want to present your concerns to your physician, and perhaps review your sleep study to see if there are areas that may need some fine-tuning.
Hope that's a start.
sleepydave

Hi Frank

I just wanted to add a couple of other thoughts.

Often, by the time we get diagnosed with OSA and fitted with masks and delivered equipment, we have other issues that are affecting our quality of health. Is there underlying depression? What about GERD? Are you on medications that could disrupt your sleep? Are you in pain from arthritis? Has your work schedule changed? What about stress... has it increased lately?

The point I am trying to make is many, many outside agents affect the quality of our sleep... and often we don't stop to think about what else is going on in our lives... we just automatically attribute sleep changes to the mask or the CPAP machine.

I'm not a sleep expert or a physician... but I do know from my own experience that one of the most important things you can do to improve your sleep is to establish a routine and stick to it no matter what. That's usually not present in OSA people either... we sleep on the sofa, in the recliner, at red lights, or at our desks and by the time we actually go to bed... we collapse rather than develop healthy sleep hygiene.

Sleeping seems so simple... doesn't it? It's something that we remember from our childhoods that should be sweet and effortless. However, the reality is it is simply difficult for many people for a variety of reasons (especially as we age).

What has helped me most is to take a very broad view of the quality of my life overall. Work on areas that I have neglected (eat a healthy, balanced diet, get exercise at least 4 days a week, cut out caffeine, take vitamins and mineral supplements), develop a ritual for going to bed and an in concrete bedtime, and keep a sleep journal.

Those things are slowly and surely making the quality of my life better whether I sleep 8 hours a night or five.

Best wishes to you,

Donna

Went to the Doctor this AM.  He upped the pressure to 11.  Guess I'll see how that works out.

frank