Cpap / sleep apnea thread

[wp_375]

Finally got around to getting a sleep study, turns out I had severe Obstructive Sleep Apnea with ~33 events per hour

The VA gave me a Resmed Airsense 10. The lady at the clinic asked me if I breath through my mouth when I sleep and I answered yes because every morning when I wake up, my mouth feels like the fucking Sahara. Probably not helped by my deviated septum which I'm sure was aggravated some years back by breaking my nose on a parachute jump. So due to the mouth breathing I got the full face mask instead of the nose pillow. I'm only a couple nights in so far but my questions are these

-How long did it take for you to get used to? I'm a side sleeper and if I try to fall asleep with the mask on on my side I wake up a few hours later with the mask on the floor and no memory of having taken it off. If I've slept a couple hours a night these past few nights I'd be surprised.

-What mask do you use? Nose pillow or full face?

-And the last, how did it impact your sleep quality and quality of life?

 

[Laxman3221]

Finally got around to getting a sleep study, turns out I had severe Obstructive Sleep Apnea with ~33 events per hour

The VA gave me a Resmed Airsense 10. The lady at the clinic asked me if I breath through my mouth when I sleep and I answered yes because every morning when I wake up, my mouth feels like the fucking Sahara. Probably not helped by my deviated septum which I'm sure was aggravated some years back by breaking my nose on a parachute jump. So due to the mouth breathing I got the full face mask instead of the nose pillow. I'm only a couple nights in so far but my questions are these

-How long did it take for you to get used to? I'm a side sleeper and if I try to fall asleep with the mask on on my side I wake up a few hours later with the mask on the floor and no memory of having taken it off. If I've slept a couple hours a night these past few nights I'd be surprised.

-What mask do you use? Nose pillow or full face?

-And the last, how did it impact your sleep quality and quality of life?

I use the resmed f20. Only one I ever used and I wear mine every night.

 

[canadian mutant]

Following
Same boat as OP and very interested in the answers, especially the last question.
severe undiagnosed sleep apnea, need to book a sleep test badly

 

[bananafeet]

Don't sleep on sleep apnea (pun intended).

Serious shit that causes major issues like CKD and heart arrhythmias if left untreated.

I use a Resmed Autosense 11 with a F40. I bought it cash and set it up myself. Start with the basic pressure setting and increase it slowly. My current settings is 7.5-20 with auto ramp. I've set it to bipap mode so when I exhale the pressure release.

Amazing bit of kid. Combine this with tesamorelin 1-2mg or 1iu HGH and you'll sleep like a dead dog.

 

[Photon]

Finally got around to getting a sleep study, turns out I had severe Obstructive Sleep Apnea with ~33 events per hour

The VA gave me a Resmed Airsense 10. The lady at the clinic asked me if I breath through my mouth when I sleep and I answered yes because every morning when I wake up, my mouth feels like the fucking Sahara. Probably not helped by my deviated septum which I'm sure was aggravated some years back by breaking my nose on a parachute jump. So due to the mouth breathing I got the full face mask instead of the nose pillow. I'm only a couple nights in so far but my questions are these

-How long did it take for you to get used to? I'm a side sleeper and if I try to fall asleep with the mask on on my side I wake up a few hours later with the mask on the floor and no memory of having taken it off. If I've slept a couple hours a night these past few nights I'd be surprised.

-What mask do you use? Nose pillow or full face?

-And the last, how did it impact your sleep quality and quality of life?

Q1

Post in thread 'finally got my cpap'

Apr 25, 2025

im going for "Another" sleep study , i went to ent dr for evaluation for sleep apnea, he already is talking about a nose apparatus possibly, so idk , i know i CANNOT handle a face mask type cpap, Has ANYONE used the nose apparatus style cpap?

You can usually trial for 30 days and if not suitable, return for a refund.

Try these 3.
ResMed P10 (Wide nose)
F&P Micro (Narrow nose)
F&P Solo (Auto tighten)

I recommend the P10 but try all 3.

• Photon

 

[bigballsballs]

Finally got around to getting a sleep study, turns out I had severe Obstructive Sleep Apnea with ~33 events per hour

The VA gave me a Resmed Airsense 10. The lady at the clinic asked me if I breath through my mouth when I sleep and I answered yes because every morning when I wake up, my mouth feels like the fucking Sahara. Probably not helped by my deviated septum which I'm sure was aggravated some years back by breaking my nose on a parachute jump. So due to the mouth breathing I got the full face mask instead of the nose pillow. I'm only a couple nights in so far but my questions are these

-How long did it take for you to get used to? I'm a side sleeper and if I try to fall asleep with the mask on on my side I wake up a few hours later with the mask on the floor and no memory of having taken it off. If I've slept a couple hours a night these past few nights I'd be surprised.

-What mask do you use? Nose pillow or full face?

-And the last, how did it impact your sleep quality and quality of life?

If I didn't use my mask/machine. I feel groggy, wake up with a headache, brain just isnt functioning, throat is extremely dry, very hoarse voice waking up. Just a miserable day after using it for so many years. Im less than 5 events, even lower once I lost weight.

I took a break from wearing it due to depression, came out of it and realized how much the machine helps.

Machine: Resmed AirSense10

I had a much older machine which didn't track the inlet temp . air temp and humidity. This AirSense10 is so damn nice over my old one which didn't do any of it. Genuinely, took me like half a year for my body to stop having anxiety of waking up and something on my face.

Mask Philips Respironics DreamWear Nasal CPAP Mask Large Cushion/Med Frame

I also get my stuff through the VA.

Why I chose this mask, all the other ones, full face, half face, one covering your mouth I couldn't do. I felt claustrophobic, too intrusive, couldn't side sleep well and overall super uncomfortable.

If you struggle with dry mouth, I recommend XyliMelts. I put one top side and one bottom side of my mouth

 

[craigdt]

Im 37, sub 200lbs.

Started bulking up and trt, wife said I started snoring all night.

Then I realized I sleep like shit, and couldnt hardly make it thru a day.

Got a machine, a nose mask.
From one of those online places.
Super easy, too like 3 days between when I did the test at home wearing the little sensor, to receive the stuff.

Took me 3 days to get used to it.

Now I fade into blissful sleep approx 30 seconds after putting it on.

Wonderful quality of life improvement.

 

[RandallFlagg]

Took me multiple attempts over the course of 3 years to get used to CPAP. Birth of my child finally got me taking it legitimately seriously.

Probably 2 weeks to fully get used to it once I committed.

It is great in that I no longer wake up gasping for air (well,.very rarely....like maybe 1-2x/yr.rather than several times/night)

I don't sleep without it.(Including camping, airplanes,.hospital visits etc.) I have actually improved with regards to apnea to where it is possible for me to fall asleep without it occasionally but that is due to a massive amount of weight loss and deviated septum surgery.

Be patient with yourself but persistent. They make A LOT of different masks - I just never had the time to try them all so full face mask it is.

Definitely definitely definitely look up on YouTube how to adjust your own settings. That was a game changer for me. Pretty easy to do on Airsense10. Obviously don't adjust anything stupidly....but play around with EPR, make adjustments to humidity as needed, try reducing or increasing pressure range... everyone responds differently.

I'm still tired all the time...but I know it isn't due to sleep apnea so that's great. Good luck!

 

[OldGHGuy]

Take a serious look at the Fisher and Paykel Evora Full mask. Its neither a full face or nose pillow. It's called "full" but it does not go over the nose - it butts up under the nose so its WAY less annoying. This mask actually saved me from tossing the CPAP and now I love the thing and wont leave home without it (It took me 4-5 different masks and a few months to find it).

CPAP once you get used to it is a complete game changer for your health and well being.

 

[sliderke]

In august now I am using a cepap for 2 years. Only use a nose mask. I went to do a sleep study for snoring. I never had for my feeling sleeping problems nor was I ever tired during the day. I luckily don’t need much sleep. But the study showed that I stopped breathing 44 times during the night. The second sleep study with the mask it was only 3 times. I am a back sleeper and with the mask no problem. Without it I can not breath. So for anyone who’s spouse says you are snoring a lot have a sleep test done. It will prevent cardiac issues in the future.

 

[Avies48]

Finally got around to getting a sleep study, turns out I had severe Obstructive Sleep Apnea with ~33 events per hour

The VA gave me a Resmed Airsense 10. The lady at the clinic asked me if I breath through my mouth when I sleep and I answered yes because every morning when I wake up, my mouth feels like the fucking Sahara. Probably not helped by my deviated septum which I'm sure was aggravated some years back by breaking my nose on a parachute jump. So due to the mouth breathing I got the full face mask instead of the nose pillow. I'm only a couple nights in so far but my questions are these

-How long did it take for you to get used to? I'm a side sleeper and if I try to fall asleep with the mask on on my side I wake up a few hours later with the mask on the floor and no memory of having taken it off. If I've slept a couple hours a night these past few nights I'd be surprised.

-What mask do you use? Nose pillow or full face?

-And the last, how did it impact your sleep quality and quality of life?

So nowww u get that sleep apnea as a 50% as a secondary to ur septum per the 38cfr and turn that shit into monies and ur rating will go up

 

[big_paul_ski]

Cpap has been a life changer for me and have been using one since 2010. Sleep apnea untreated can bring on a lot of other issues.

 

[HUGE McBIGLARGE]

I had sleep apnea for most of my post-childhood life. I recorded myself while asleep and I could hear myself waking up, gasping for air, then going back to sleep every 10 minutes.

I struggled to nasal breathe while laying. Due to being a side-sleeper my face got squished, and that squished my sinuses, making it difficult to breathe. I remedied this by forcing nasal breathing during cardio. It took a few years but now my nasal breathing is fine. I guess the non-squished side of my face is sufficient for sleepy time breathing.

But I was still finding I snored, and would often mouth breathe in my sleep despite being able to nasal breathe. So now I have a small, firm cushion I cram right under my jaw. So now my mouth can’t open at all!

On occasion I’ve rolled over in the night and not brought my cushion with me, and I realize it when I wake up feeling like shit.

Now I sleep much better. Apneas are reduced from 6 an hour to around 1.

Dunno if this’ll help anyone. But it certainly helped me!

 

[SonhoDourado]

It will extend the quality and quantity of your life if used religiously. Thick neck back sleeper here nearing late 40s. Those 3 traits and being a Mae automatically get you negative points on a sleep apnea test assessment. Snored for years so much so that the wife sleeps in separate room. While not the most ideal for our sex life our sleep has never been better.

In late 2023 I took a home test as I was waking in the middle of the night fro dreams either in a sleep paralysis state(hope you never experience this) or just wide awake. Not choking, not gasping for air..just wide awake. Home sleep score reveals 15.5 API (Apnea/Hyponea Index) events per hour. Sleep Dr. advise the home test likely under reports the events as it’s not as advanced as the hospital test. So I started treatment with Resemd machine and the air fit F30i and later F20. My problem was I could NEVER get a seal on the full face masks. I’d awake to rushing air 5-15x a night. Essentially my mouth would droop once asleep breaking the seal. I was averaging 2-4 hours of sleep a night absolutely fighting to get the insurance quota of 4hrs of use a night. After a month I returned the machine and told my wife I’d rather die then suffer night after night.

First month in 2024 was blissful, no mask,hose,distilled water,cleaning ,etc,etc. Then symptoms started again but got worse. Now I was awaking almost every night and awaking a few times a week covered in sweat. Deep dived home remedies and ordered a wedge pillow to prop myself up. Quit drinking and lost 15-20lbs.

Went back to Dr this past May and retested at home. Sleep apnea actually worsened to 18.8 events per hour. Just for reference 0-5 and hour is normal 5-15 is mild OSA- 15-30 is moderate OSA- 30+is severe. I felt demoralized as i thought quitting my 1-2 days of week of libations and losing damn near 20lbs surely would have reversed or at reduced my OSA. Once insurance approved I started again with a Resmed machine and this time the N30 nasal mask with a chin strap in late July. I dedicated myself to the process and made a commitment as I KNEW I needed it. I’m an older new dad and have a son to be around for. So far the results are excellent. Averaging 0.9 events and hour or less most nights. Mask seal is great and I feel much better everyday. I actually look forward to going to bed everyday now as I know I’m getting quality restorative sleep! All apologies for the long read but if you stuck this out I do hope you find success with CPAP. It will improve the overall quality of life hands down!

 

[Kralteramon]

I have 14 events an hour, tested few months ago. Been using an MRA for a while which really works and my events are down to <4 . Now that i have an official diagnoses i can get a profi MRA covered by insurance from Somnomed. Lucky not to need a CPAP and that the MRA fixed it! Did you guys try an MRA first or did you jump straight to CPAP?

 

[OldGHGuy]

Yes, I couldn't use the MRA. CPAP, for me, once I found the right mask, is much easier

 

[Photon]

I have 14 events an hour, tested few months ago. Been using an MRA for a while which really works and my events are down to <4 . Now that i have an official diagnoses i can get a profi MRA covered by insurance from Somnomed. Lucky not to need a CPAP and that the MRA fixed it! Did you guys try an MRA first or did you jump straight to CPAP?

Does it affect your bite?
I tried for awhile and gave up.

 

[RockyP]

Finally got around to getting a sleep study, turns out I had severe Obstructive Sleep Apnea with ~33 events per hour

The VA gave me a Resmed Airsense 10. The lady at the clinic asked me if I breath through my mouth when I sleep and I answered yes because every morning when I wake up, my mouth feels like the fucking Sahara. Probably not helped by my deviated septum which I'm sure was aggravated some years back by breaking my nose on a parachute jump. So due to the mouth breathing I got the full face mask instead of the nose pillow. I'm only a couple nights in so far but my questions are these

-How long did it take for you to get used to? I'm a side sleeper and if I try to fall asleep with the mask on on my side I wake up a few hours later with the mask on the floor and no memory of having taken it off. If I've slept a couple hours a night these past few nights I'd be surprised.

-What mask do you use? Nose pillow or full face?

-And the last, how did it impact your sleep quality and quality of life?

Took less than a week to get used to. Proper mask fitting is critical. Like you I had severe OSA and how I have less than 1 event per hour. Some nights I have no events at all. I can't / won't nap or sleep without it. I wear a full face mask. Changed my life / training / recovery / everything for the better.

 

[Liter O' Test]

i pick mine up this week, great timing for this to get bumped

i think i breathe through my mouth but im going to try the nose one because i hear things about lines on the face, plus they say nose breathing is way better, maybe i can try taping my mouth without fear of offing myself at night like those people on social media do.

im tired af all the time, hopefully my gains skyrocket after this

 

[Ateam2023]

im going for a sleep study this Wednesday night, 2 nd one, i couldnt tolerate the mask or setting they tried to "strap to my face" so uncomfortable, so it was an incomplete study , but still diagnosed with Moderate sleep apnea,This time ima try to complete there study,