11-04-2023, 07:38 AM
Trouble with multiple masks
Hello, I've been using CPAP for over a year now and had trouble with multiple masks, with one in particular having a weird issue that I wondered if anybody here has some insight into.
The Dreamwear nasal mask [or pillow?] has been the one I've used the most because it's low-profile and the head straps squeeze you less, but whenever I wear this mask I start to get very tense and have a physical sensation like I have a lot of anxiety. I can't really tell exactly why this is, because it only happens with this one mask. I have a hunch that maybe it's either not venting out enough CO2 when I'm exhaling because the two vent holes are pretty small and I'm using BiPAP, so maybe I breathe in too much of the CO2 again and that causes it. Or, it might be because the air pressure feels a lot higher when trying to breathe out in the first place since it's all concentrated in one little area and maybe I'm either not breathing out enough or, as my second theory goes, the pressure's causing me to want to breathe too quickly?
Wondering if anyone else has experienced something like this and if there's any solution with pressure levels or settings that might fix it. I've messed around with raising pressures for both EPAP and regular but haven't really found anything satisfying. I'm not allowed to try and get a new mask for another three months or so, so I want to see if there's some solution other than relying on sleeping pills just to make me able to get through the tension that makes it really hard to fall asleep and has me waking up feeling like I was contorting all night.
(I've also tried the Quatra full-face mask and the F30i - these don't have this problem for me but they have a lot of trouble sealing around my mouth without being pulled so tight that it pulls on my neck way too hard and drives me crazy, which is why they suggested I try the Dreamwear)
The Dreamwear nasal mask [or pillow?] has been the one I've used the most because it's low-profile and the head straps squeeze you less, but whenever I wear this mask I start to get very tense and have a physical sensation like I have a lot of anxiety. I can't really tell exactly why this is, because it only happens with this one mask. I have a hunch that maybe it's either not venting out enough CO2 when I'm exhaling because the two vent holes are pretty small and I'm using BiPAP, so maybe I breathe in too much of the CO2 again and that causes it. Or, it might be because the air pressure feels a lot higher when trying to breathe out in the first place since it's all concentrated in one little area and maybe I'm either not breathing out enough or, as my second theory goes, the pressure's causing me to want to breathe too quickly?
Wondering if anyone else has experienced something like this and if there's any solution with pressure levels or settings that might fix it. I've messed around with raising pressures for both EPAP and regular but haven't really found anything satisfying. I'm not allowed to try and get a new mask for another three months or so, so I want to see if there's some solution other than relying on sleeping pills just to make me able to get through the tension that makes it really hard to fall asleep and has me waking up feeling like I was contorting all night.
(I've also tried the Quatra full-face mask and the F30i - these don't have this problem for me but they have a lot of trouble sealing around my mouth without being pulled so tight that it pulls on my neck way too hard and drives me crazy, which is why they suggested I try the Dreamwear)
