Waking up with the machine off?

[Penguin of Death]

Hi everyone,

I'm in my first week of cpap treatment, and the sleep quality is generally amazing. I have a couple of minor problems though and wondered if there was any advice?

I have had a blocked nose the last couple of nights (family cold - thanks kids!) and that has made using it harder - i've a nose mask. What I find is that I can breath through my nose, but it takes longer to get used to it and get to sleep. So far so good, then I wake up a few hours later and realise i've taken the whole kit and caboodle off in my sleep!

Does anyone else do this? any tips?

Thank you!

[Sparticus]

Try using some obas oil near your intake on a bit of tissue or cotton wool that should help your nose to clear. As for taking your mask off, its very natural. Its probably one of the top 3 complaints with using a cpap or apap machine. You could try using glue or nails but this could prove painfull

It should pass intime its just your bodies defence kicking in. Once your body get use to it, it will not happen as much. Im on my 2nd year and Im still doing it on the odd occasions. Just stick with it, it'll get better.

Spart.

[Penguin of Death]

thank you Sparticus - it's reassuring to know it's not just me sleep removing the machine!

I'll persevere..

[LeeNotts]

Hi, I'm new to this too. But thanks to the advice from the guys on here I've seen a huge improvement.

I take my mask off aswel during my sleep or at least used too, I read on here somewhere about using hair clips/slides to clip your head gear to your hair, the theory being it will wake you up fully should you try and take your mask off whilst half asleep as it pulls your hair. Only been doing it myself with the clips since Tuesday evening woke myself up Tuesday and Wednesday by trying to pull my mask off, but havent since!

[Penguin of Death]

Hi, I'm new to this too. But thanks to the advice from the guys on here I've seen a huge improvement.

I take my mask off aswel during my sleep or at least used too, I read on here somewhere about using hair clips/slides to clip your head gear to your hair, the theory being it will wake you up fully should you try and take your mask off whilst half asleep as it pulls your hair. Only been doing it myself with the clips since Tuesday evening woke myself up Tuesday and Wednesday by trying to pull my mask off, but havent since!

oh that's a good thought - will try that if it keeps happening - thank you!

[Firemaniac]

I have the same problem with blocked nose but i use a nasal decongestant (Otrivine) every night with no problems at all now.

[proterra]

I recently had a cold and found that a tissue dipped in Vick and placed by the air intake worked wonders for keeping my nose clear with the mask on.

[Fredxx]

I have the same problem with blocked nose but i use a nasal decongestant (Otrivine) every night with no problems at all now.

Be careful using Otravine every night. You could well be setting yourself up for problems later in life.

Otravine is a steroid, and works by reducing inflammation. There are 2 downsides to using it:

Firstly, introducing a steroid to reduce inflammation then reduces the bodies normal inflammation response, meaning that when you stop taking it, the inflammation is likely to return worse (known as the steroid bounce), making the congestion worse.

Secondly, long term steroid use can result in a thinning of the walls of the mucus membranes, which can cause permanent damage, regular nosebleeds etc. later in life.

Otravine, and other steroid nasal sprays, are a useful solution for short term issues such as colds, bad hay-fever etc. but shouldn't be used for more a few days, or at the extreme a couple of weeks in a row

I was headed down that route for a while until I was told of the problems by my GP, and went to find more about it.

[Grumpy]

steroids and nosebleeds

Been there, done that,

Got so bad last year that I couldn't wear my mask at all; took two attempts at cauterisation to sort it. The second (sucessful) attempt was by an ENT specialist in a proper operating theatre!

Non-steroidal and non-irritant solutions are the best; invest in sinupulse.

[Sparticus]

Been there, done that,

Got so bad last year that I couldn't wear my mask at all; took two attempts at cauterisation to sort it. The second (sucessful) attempt was by an ENT specialist in a proper operating theatre!

Non-steroidal and non-irritant solutions are the best; invest in sinupulse.

What happend with the first attempt? why did it go wrong?

[Grumpy]

cauterisation

First attempt was chemical cauterisation and just didn't work.
Second attempt was electrical; a bit like arc-welding! There were three separate weak points in the one nostril.

Worst part of the procedure was local anaesthetic running down and freezing my throat; this triggered an asthma attack.

[Barely Awake]

Haven't quite got the hang of best using my Sinupulse - any tips?

[Barely Awake]

No pun intended BTW - tips - Sinupulse-geddit!

[Sparticus]

also make sure youve got the correct orfice

[Grumpy]

Sinupulse tips

I always use warm water, more comfortable.

For short periods whilst 'squirting' up one nostril I gently blow down the other; this gives the inside of your nostril a shower!

I blow my nose between swapping nostrils to get some of the detritus out, don't want to 'squirt' it back up.

Putting your tongue on the roof of your mouth and bending over reduces the chances of some dribble down your throat. Have a glass of water ready to gargle with afterwards just in case.

Try to use it regularly to reduce the risk of nasal infections; a daily clear-out stops the bugs from geting hold.