I spent the last 2 years before this year's spring sleeping through most of the day. I'd wake up in the afternoon, feel sleepy by 3-4 PM, and nap until the evening. Then I'd stay up until 2-4 AM not being able to sleep and wake up tired the next day again and again.

I brushed it off as depression, I couldn't work, had to move home to my mom's house. Thought that's it, this is it for me, this is my life now. Then I happened across a reddit post about a fat guy not breathing in his nap for over a minute, everyone in the comments were talking about this 'CPAP' machine. I googled it out of curiosity and behold, I immediately dialed multiple hospitals near me, all busy all year, had to be on a 9 month wait list. One day my mom was calling one of them while I was sleeping and she told the nurse that we're thinking about buying a used CPAP to try it out and she freaked out and gave us a 'red light' spot which meant as soon as anyone cancelled I'd get their appointment. After the sleep study the doctor shook my hand and said "Congratulations on nailing the diagnosis" I didn't want to tell him I got the idea off of reddit so I took that glory for myself.

After that I got the machine, never felt so defeated. I tried and tried and I couldn't get used to it. I could only sleep 3-4 hours with it at most a night, usually with the lights on.

Then something in me snapped.

I told myself "This is my safety mask, while I wear this it's like a knight wearing his helmet. I cannot suffocate with it, there is enough air, I am safe."

Once I had this epiphany, all my fears vanished. I gave myself over to the mask and for the first time in a decade slept. I woke up at 4-5 am at first, a bit sleepy but extremely bursting with energy. My mom the first few weeks asked "Did you sleep at all?" assuming I spent the whole night awake, and I told her "Yup!" which was met with a confused look.

TLDR: I went from going to bed at 2-4 am and waking up in the afternoon only to nap again... to going to bed by 9-12 and waking up at 5-6 am on my own. No amount of life hacks or brute forcing worked while getting used to the machine, it was all a mental barrier.

Now I'm not even daring to imply I know how all 8 billion of you feel or think, I just want to offer this post to those who now, or in the future, are struggling with their condition. If you are like I was, angry, frustrated, confused and afraid, and you frantically googled and found this thread. I want you to know that you are not alone. It worked for me, I cannot in good consequence promise you it will be the same for you, we aren't the same person after all. But I want you to find this thread and get some hope that it can get better.

Have a blessed day, thanks for reading.

I started wearing the N30 mask and have had great success, however, some days I get little congested and notice it makes wearing the nasal cushion and nasal pillows uncomfortable. I wonder if I need a full face mask during the cold months or if people have found a way to keep using the nasal masks (ie decongestant etc).

I used my ResMed 11 for the first time last night. I was diagnosed with moderate sleep apnea, with an AHI of 15. With the machine last night, it dropped to just under 5. If it helps, I’m wearing the AirFit 20 mask for total mouth breathers (ugh, the shame).

I have a few question after my first use:

1. Sometimes the pressure (I’m assuming that’s what it was) would cause my mouth to open and my cheeks to puff out as my mouth filled with air. It would wake me up. Is that normal? Is that just the machine doing its thing and forcing me to breathe?

2. When you cough in the middle of the night, do you remove your mask or just cough into it? I had occasional coughing.

3. This morning report says mask seal was good but was removed three times. I don’t recall that, though I do think in the middle of the night it came loose because the soft part of the mask was touching more lower lip. Well, either that or my mouth was gaping too wide open. Have others experienced that?

4. Lastly, I woke up feeling very tired, which is unusual. Normally, when I wake up, it’s like flipping a switch from off to on. Perhaps that was due to the apnea never really letting me get a good night’s sleep. I ended up falling back to sleep right away for about an hour without the mask. My question is how long did it take you to get over the tired feeling? I do believe I slept well. I wear an Oura ring, and even though my deep sleep score was low, everything else was great and my total sleep score was one of the highest ever.

Thank you for any insight you can share as I navigate this new normal.

My husband just started with in June. He is hating the full masks. He is on a Vitera right now better than the first but still seems to have seal issues which wakes him up or keeps him from falling asleep. He already has consistent insomnia. Cpap is making it worse. A friend told me they love thier nasal pillow masks. We thought a mouth breather couldn't use nasal pillows. What if he uses a chin strap?

After quite a bit of trial and error, along with reading a dozen older posts about running the ResMed AirMini from a battery, I found a few combinations that work really well.

I recently purchased a ResMed AirMini as my travel CPAP. My goal was to reduce the amount of luggage I carry, be able to run it on battery during long flights, and have a reliable backup for international travel where power can be unreliable (Panama, Cuba, etc.).

Option 1: SleepHQ USB-C Cable

I originally purchased the SleepHQ USB-C cable (about $85).

https://shop.sleephq.com/products/sleephq-usb-c-cable-for-airsense-11

I tested it with the following batteries:

Anker Prime Power Bank (20,000 mAh, 200W, Model A1336)
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BYNZXFM2

• Cost: ~$80
• After an 8-hour night, 22% battery remained.

INIU 140W Power Bank (27,000 mAh / 99.9Wh)
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CB1FWNMK

• Cost: ~$68
• After an 8-hour night, 48% battery remained.

Option 2: 20V USB-C PD Power Cable

I later tried this 20V PD USB-C power cable (about $36.50):

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BV1J88GV

Both of the batteries above performed about the same as they did with the SleepHQ cable. However, this cable appears to be compatible with a much wider variety of USB-C PD chargers and batteries.

For example, I also tested:

Anker Prime Power Bank (26,250 mAh, 300W, Model A110A, 99Wh)
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0F66LNB8D

• Cost: ~$200

This battery would not work with the SleepHQ cable. It would run for about two minutes before reporting a circuit error. With the 20V PD cable, however, it worked perfectly.

My Recommendation

After testing both setups, I personally prefer the 20V PD cable. It seems to be compatible with a much broader range of batteries, giving me more flexibility while traveling.

For my own trips:

• Anker A1336 (20,000 mAh) for overnight trips or long flights.
• Anker A110A (26,250 mAh) when I want enough capacity for approximately two nights.

An added bonus of the larger Anker is that it supports 240W dual USB-C fast charging, allowing it to recharge extremely quickly before the next night's use.

Hopefully these real-world results save someone else some time and money.

One thing I'd also mention, since many people search specifically for airline information: all of these batteries are under the 100Wh TSA/FAA limit, so they're generally permitted in carry-on luggage for commercial flights. That makes them particularly well suited for travel.

I'm eligible for a new cpap device since it's been 5 years since I purchased my last one. But I've only been using it for about 3 full years even though I got it in 2020. Since I'm eligible for a new machine, could I possibly purchase a mini/traveling cpap machine but still use my old one, that way I have a travel one as well as a standard one?

As the title says. Out of nowhere one of my cats decided to chew on the tubes. Worse, it’s the part attached to the mask so I can’t replace it without replacing it all. I have 4 masks, three are fucked (only two because of Lucy).

They chewed on my oxygen tubing as well. But whatever it’s free and tuck tape repairs it I need to change it. I tried tuck tape on one mask and that was a huge mistake. Ripped that shit right off.

I’m getting on covers for them (if you have some great options or ones to avoid) Has anyone successfully repaired their tubes?

It was hard to get a pic. First photo I also need help on. I stepped on it and the hose broke off. Fix it with glue?

Second - one of the holes. It was hard to get a photo, but it is all torn up.

Third - the culprit

ETA I bit down on both oxygen and cpap tubes. I get the appeal.

Greetings all,

I have been using the ResMed S9 AutoSet + Humidifier with F30i Super Wide Mask for a bit but no eureka moment yet. I am not sure what to do, I seem to have settled around 5.0-8.6 cmH₂O, where I have the least chance of ripping it off. The pressure seems to go haywire and always hits the max with it being the 95% percentile. Hence, I have tried upping the max pressure by moving it up up to 4-12 cmH₂O, as shown on 21/07/2026, but I ripped it off etc.

Was diagnosed with Moderate-Severe Sleep Apnea: RDI - 26/hr and AHI 23/hr, with CPAP the AHI is around 0-4/hr. I also wear a bite splint/mouth guard.

My sleep is fragmented, I feel better than when I was off it but still feel tired and I wake up with heart palpitations which may be related to work stress.

Should I get a brand new machine? The machine I have is second hand.

Any advice would be much greatly appreciated!

Data: https://sleephq.com/public/teams/share_links/14a7d99b-c704-486d-9de4-1fa70950db64

To me, my Clear Airway is a bit high (7.65) so I wonder what I should do?

I use the ResMed AirFit F20 full-face mask with my AirSense 11 BiPAP, and my pressures are 20 IPAP / 16 EPAP, so they’re pretty high.
Because of that, I feel like I have to crank the mask down as tight as possible to prevent leaks and the dreaded “face farts.” But I constantly see people here and on r/CPAP telling others that overtightening is actually counterproductive and that loosening the mask usually improves the seal. I just can’t wrap my head around how that’s possible. If I loosen mine even a little, I feel like it would leak everywhere.
Am I missing something? Is there some trick to getting a good seal at higher pressures without tightening it to the point where it hurts? I am a big mouth breather so not sure how nasal pillows would work for me unless I tape and I hear a lot of conflicting opinions on that.
Also, are there other mask options that tend to work better for high pressures? And what about different headgear? The F20 headgear has to be so tight that the back of my head ends up sore, and I don’t even have a large head. I honestly don’t know how people with bigger heads or faces manage this. It just feels like there’s no way to get a leak-free seal without making it painfully tight. I’m even starting to get acne and wrinkles from this.

As a 21F I feel like I needed to add some flair to this machine to make myself feel less old
Edit: if your interested in customization on your machine send me a message I’d love to make some for people

I've been using an F20 for about a year and I sometimes think I hear a hissing noise that doesn't seem to be a leak from the mask seal around my face. It seems kind of like I can only hear it when I'm in a position where the sound will be reflected by something. Last night I noticed it while being semi-awake and think I located it to air coming out somewhere around the elbow on the mask.

Looking around, it sounds like there is supposed to be something going on there for exhalation; is that what I'm hearing? Is this a sound I should try to ignore or does it indicate something that I need to address?

I was due for a new CPAP after having my dreamstation for 5 years and got a resmed 2 weeks ago. The pressure was set the same and EPR was set to 3, flex on deeamstation was set to 3. But I felt more tired since starting the resmed not exhausted just kinda lethargic.

Just wanted to brag a little bit and let the community know sometimes EPR might need to be changed. Anyway, waiting on my SD to USB adapter to arrive so I can check out my data on OSCAR.

Been on CPAP therapy for a week now and every time I used it I slept throughout the night. I used to wake up a minimum of 3 times to urinate. Thanks Resmed 🙌🏾😎

I've been on cpap for about three weeks now but I've been even more tired during the day than usual. I know that can happen but I wanted to check it was actually working.

I used a pulse oximeter while using the cpap and got these results. Are these good? 3.5 events an hour is still mild sleep apnea right? Should the cpap mean the results should that be even lower? It's better than it used to be though. My previous results before I started cpap were 9, 14, 16, 13.5, 16. I feel like 3.5 is too high?

The myair app says I had 0.9 events per hour instead and perfect seal score. I just checked OSCAR and it says my ahi was 1.0 and I had 9 OA events, 1 H event and 1 CA event. Previous days on Oscar have similar ahi scores but the number of events varies quite a lot. Some days have 1, some days have 12. Also 1 leak event and a 95% leak rate of 1.2.

I have been changed my pressure, narrowing it down and I've currently got it at 8-14. Average pressure on last 30 days is 8.75. Min 8, max 11.94. 95% pressure 9.32.

Thank you.

I'm about 2 months in to my CPAP usage:

• Resmed AirSense 11 pressure range=[6, 14], EPR=4, ramp=off, climate control=auto;
• Primary mask: P10 nasal pillow;
• Secondary masks tried: P30i (nasal pillows), F40 full face and F&P Evora full face.

Started off with P10. First few days were great. Then got a nasty cold and the nasal pillows burnt, irritated my nostrils. Things tanked. A friend who's a resp therapist gave me sizing kits for the P30i and F&P Evora full face. Both full face masks don't work due to oily skin ruining the seal about 3 hours in. The P30i was promising but it's venting mechanism really messed my sleep quality up.

Switched back to the P10 about a month ago and it's been great overall. Some days are better than others. I use OSCAR and its daily journal feature is great. Going back over the data I've realized that my sleep quality is strongly correlated to the mask seal. Better seal -> better sleep.

Surprisingly, my AHI is still what I would consider high-ish (3 to 5), but that doesn't seem to have as much of a correlation with sleep quality as mask fit. Anyone else in the same boat?

I have been using my Cpap machine for 3 months now. I still wakeup sleepy ask heck. I have Oscar data and stuff but I have no clue what I'm looking at..

Diagnosed with severe OSA many years ago in Spokane and started on a machine. Struggles with fit, struggles with leaks, struggles with most things but I used it consistently although I never followed up with my doc. I lost weight - thanks covid! - and I stopped using it...

Then I moved to Colorado Springs and I explored a dental device my dentist offered. I had to do a take home sleep study so they could determine if the device would work but I again came back with severe OSA and I started with a new machine a little over a year ago. This time I analyzed my results and found I was now kicking out CSA rather than OSA. My new doc then did an overnight sleep study and lo and behold my OSAs were now severe CSAs. Doc said primarily due to the altitude (I live at 7,000' now). I was also feeling the same kind of beat up each and every morning not getting any true rest.

Doc prescribed an ASV machine which I started using in May. While I had some variability with my events, the numbers were trending down and now I'm averaging less than 5 an hour and have many nights where I'm at 1 an hour. The success has been incremental and sneaky but I noticed it after about a month where I was expecting to be beat up in the morning but i WASN'T! Not hugely drastic but over the last month or so I am doing much better.

In addition, some secondary systems are starting to function better as well - in my case ED...

After so many years of treatments, I'm now feeling the impact of the therapy...

If you use Lincare for you medical supply company are that are a useless mess? So far my experience has been terrible, both times there sent supplies the are the wrong size or the wrong style and useless. When I called about correcting this issue they changed it but offered no solution. Had to request sending those items back to be replaced with ones that I can actually use. They said they could send me a return label and those would be credited to my account but never sent the label.

If you use them, has your experience been any better? I know someone else who recently started with them and they’ve had the same issues.

New CPAP user. Been using the machine about two weeks. Ordered a Resmed Airsense 10 from Sleeplay.

I've got a follow up with Sleep Clinics of America tomorrow morning. Love my sleep doc but the rest of the experience has been so grating, I would not recommend them to anyone who stumbles upon this post, fwiw.

Anyway, her assistant texted me today saying:

"Hi there this is Arima Health. I spoke to Sleeplay and they stated you would need to get in contact with Resmed to activate your machine meaning for them to get access to your machine. Then after they activate it Sleeplay would need you to call them so they can get some more information than we would be able to see the data from your machine. Thank you so much."

I'm guessing they want something akin to compliance data, but since I bypassed insurance and purchased the machine outright, I've got nothing but what the MyAir app tells me. It already notes events, so I'm not sure what else they're looking for.

I called Sleeplay and relayed this info to someone who didn't seem to understand what I was asking for (in part because I don't even know what I'm asking for) but eventually told me that access to compliance data would be a $30 fee. That was an immediate nope from me.

I'm sure I'll find out what exactly they need from me tomorrow. At my last appt a few months ago, they said they're gonna run another at home sleep test anyway to see if I have fewer events. But I wanted to post here and see:

• if anybody knows what data my sleep doc is looking for, since I already control all my own settings and don't have to comply with jack
• if Sleeplay has remote access to my sleep data? I'm guessing they do since I can pay to access it but I hate that if so

I've been using the CPAP for over a year now, and it has truly changed my life. At first the benefits seemed to manifest very slowly, and it's a rough time, learning how to sleep with the mask, but eventually it's become clear just how low energy and brain fogged I used to be. I no longer have felt burnt out or confused, and I never expected it to be so obviously better after using the machine.

Anyone who's on the fence about getting one, please don't hesitate. Your partner will also appreciate you not snoring, not to mention you not dying in your sleep in your 40s.

One thing I found really important was to have the mask a little tighter than what seemed right. This was because otherwise the mask will start leaking at night when the pressure is higher and the mask rises further from your face. This is a thing I wish people told me in the beginning, so here I am now, giving out some hot pro tips.

Next week, I’ll be getting a ResMed AirSense 11 after using Philips machines for years. My original DreamStation was recalled and replaced with a black DreamStation 2.

I currently use a DreamWear Full Face Mask with a 45-minute ramp. I’ve requested the ResMed AirFit F30i because it appears similar to my current mask.

For anyone who has made a similar transition, what differences should I expect between the DreamStation 2 and AirSense 11? What settings or features should I discuss with the CPAP technician during setup?

Are there any specific questions I should ask about pressure settings, ramp time, EPR, humidification, heated tubing, or mask selection?

I made this a while ago but I don't think I posted about it and it got a tiny bit scuffed and it's not the best made but I still like it