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Taking off mask at sleep
#1
Taking off mask at sleep
Hi, I've been using a CPAP machine for about 6 months now. When I've been able to sleep with it through out the night, the effect on my over all well being has been dramatic. My problem is that I have been developing a habit of taking off the mask in my sleep, resulting in only 2, 5 hours of sleep with the CPAP. I know I'm not the only one with this problem. I read one member who had put up a system that measured the power consumption of his CPAP machine, which would set off an alarm if the consumption was to low (meaning the machine was not working). I think an alarm of some sort would be a great solution, though, I do not have the competences for setting up such a system… If anyone has an idea of how to fix this problem, please do tell me! (And thank you everyone who contributes to these  conversations, helping each other.)
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#2
RE: Taking off mask at sleep
No easy way to fix this, chin straps, cervical collars, sticky tape, handcuffs. You gotta go out there and see what helps. I'd recommend getting a $50 nightvision camera to see how it all happens. You can search all threads that i started by going to my profile and theres a thread about nightvision cameras with suggestions which ones to take a look at.

Alternatively download OSCAR and upload some of your charts, maybe your setting arent really working for you, hence you take off your mask.
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#3
RE: Taking off mask at sleep
I am also experiencing the same problem. The pressure isn't the problem, it's that the mask won't stop leaking. I have to tighten the straps so tight that it is very painful. I am trying different settings to lower the pressure and still get good results.

I have lowered my IPAP settings and that has helped. 

I have also stopped removing the mask and not putting it back on. 

What I found is that I am in a deep sleep and the mask is either leaking or the straps are painful, so I removed the mask. I didn't really wake up. 

I would forget to put it back on. 

It takes concentration and telling yourself that you must keep the mask on and or put it back on if you remove it.

Lately, I have not been removing it without putting it back on and I have lowered the number of times I remove it at all. 

It is a subconscious determination issue. 

In psychology , the subconscious is the part of the mind that is not currently in focal awareness.

Sleep-well
My worst night on CPAP is 10X better than my best night without it  Eat-popcorn 
Good night Chesty, wherever you are..Semper Fi
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#4
RE: Taking off mask at sleep
It's been a couple of months now since my message above. And I've managed to ameliorate my time slept with the CPAP. As 3rdmardiv says, it is a determination issue. I believe so too, at least for a part. What I have tried to do to ameliorate is to simply have as a rule for myself, to not allow myself to lie down in my bed without the mask. It still happens that I take off the mask in my sleep though, but it does work better than before. I still believe that some kind of alarm would be a great help for this problem. Surprising that the manufacturers of these machines have not added that functionnality…
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#5
RE: Taking off mask at sleep
I am also a new user (2 weeks now) and I have posted a few times as well that I feel the same way. While I am still in my insurance compliance period so I have to at least make 4 hours a night I feel the same way. It is not a natural feeling at all..I was a firefighter and pilot and can still say I hate the mask on me at night. I know the good it is doing but it is going to take some time I know. My wife gives me hell because the longest I have made it is 7 hours and then it comes off and I sleep a few more hours without it.
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#6
RE: Taking off mask at sleep
Thanks for your post.  I can relate and thought my determination was sufficient but I have transitioned to the attitude that sleep is more attainable and lasting without the stuff wrapped around my head and the air pressure in my face. I am still hoping to discover a mask solution I can fall asleep with and remain on for more than 1-2 hours. I think my longer periods of CPAP use are only due to sleep deprivation and exhaustion. My usage time is steadily declining,, and soon to be < 1 hour, and I can understand why many give up on CPAP. Thanks you for your service.

Respectfully
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#7
RE: Taking off mask at sleep
I think taking off the mask during sleep is often caused by finding it difficult to breathe out against the EPAP.
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#8
RE: Taking off mask at sleep
I feel your pain. 

I am a year in to treatment. The first 9 months were amazing. And now, 2-3 hours in, I take my mask off. I know why. I feel congested and my allergies are out of control, and I am working on that. 

I also very much agree that there is some determination involved.  I wake up many times (probably from suffocation) and I know I need to put it back on, then I fall back asleep. 

My husband routinely reminds me to put it back in but after a certain point, he gives up and sleeps in the guest room. I’m going to try an alarm.
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#9
RE: Taking off mask at sleep
I have the same problem and am amazed that the CPAP devices themselves do not have an alarm specifically for this purpose.

I made a solution that does work about 98% of the time with a Rasberry Pi, a usb microphone, and a usb speaker.    Tried the electricity route, but the Air Sense P10 electricity usage is hard to figure out and it often uses more amps when not blowing air than when it is.  This left listening for the fan.

In short, the program listens for 10 minutes, compresses the file and does a check on the file size.  If the size is in a certain range I know I have ripped off my mask and it sounds an alarm.  Works nearly perfectly for me, but seems like it should not be necessary.  CPAP makers please put an alarm feature on all of your devices.

When your O2 drops at night you are sometimes too stupid to put the mask back on.  Hello CPAP developers?   Seems like an obvious feature, no ?

Maybe the lawyers said no for some liability reason ?  That is the only real reason I can think of that these devices do not have an alarm.  

I have the CPAP and Ras Pi hooked up to the same power strip.  There is also a power cut alarm device hooked up to it.  If I am dumb enough at night to shut the power strip off the power cut alarm device goes off across the room Smile

I am out of it enough at night that sometimes I put my fingers over the end of the CPAP probably to try and not wake up my wife.  That is the only thing that gets by this device in its current iteration.

If anybody is interested I could put together a tutorial on how to set this up.  The device costs about $50.  My pressure on Air Sense 10 is usually between 4 and 8, and may need to be tuned slightly differently for different levels/devices.   If you have no other solutions I'm confident you could get this working with fairly minimal effort.

If there is enough of a CPAP support community someone may be able to pre-configure and mail the  microsd card ready to go.  Full plug and play.

Thanks for others that responded to similar questions by me in other posts.   For me an alarm is the only thing that will wake me up and keep me from ripping the thing off in the middle of the night, and it has to be fairly loud.
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#10
RE: Taking off mask at sleep
Hi Chris,
I'm  glad to hear you have found a solution that works for you. And also that there are others that share my view on this alarm thing. The fact that there is not the option of the alarm on the Airsense is not reasonable.

When i posted first, in the beginning of this thread in may 2019, I thought that I would be able to improve and gradually NOT take off the mask during sleep. But I'm not reliable.. :./ . I have some nights where all is good, 6-7 hours of sleep with the machine. And then i might have several nights with only 1 or 2 hours per night. Which of course messes up my work days.

Which leads me to the next step, that is to find a homemade solution, like yours. I'm not very technical, but I would like to try your solution if possible. I'm on Mac, would that work?

About the sound that you record. Is it the sound of snoring that makes the sound file bigger, and there fore sets of the alarm, or that there is no longer the sound of the machine blowing air making it smaller?
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