Video shows me waving my arms and touching my face mask all night! What should I do?

[KidCharlamagne]

I started using a CPAP almost a year ago and eventually moved to an ASV 6 months ago. My fitbit and Apple Watch have been indicating that I'm still waking up throughout the night, so I decided to set up a security camera to record myself while I slept. 

The recordings are pretty shocking. I'm CONSTANTLY waving my arms around in the air and touching my face and mask. Sometimes it's one arm, sometimes it's both arms. It looks like I'm bewitched or casting spells, as I slowly wave my hands around, periodically touching my face mask.

Has anyone else had this problem? I'll be asking my doctor about this when I see her in a few weeks but I'd love to hear about how common this might be and how others have handled this. I'm wondering if some part of me is trying to take off the mask. When I'm awake, the mask is pretty comfortable and my AHI is now less than 1, so I can't imagine this has anything to do with gasping for air. I'm using an f&p Evora full face mask. 

My fiance says she never noticed me doing this before starting the CPAP/BiPAP/ASV journey, but maybe she just doesn't remember. 

What do you guys think? Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

[Gideon]

Do any of your sleep tests mention PLM? They should if they were in lab tests.

[Sleeprider]

Your movements sound like "parasomnia" https://www.healthline.com/health/parasomnia This unconscious movement at night can appear in many forms, and is usually either REM or NREM. Diagnosis starts with awareness and often requires a sleep study. I is important because it is a form of arousal that can interfere with sleep and cause symptoms of fatigue, and of course it can interfere with CPAP therapy by movement, mask removal, etc.. It seems you are not acting in a way harmful to yourself or a bed partner. Diagnosis is beyond the scope of the forum, and should start with a discussion with your doctor of what you're seeing. I suggest you start with your primary doctor and see if he has any solutions you can try to help you sleep more soundly. This may indeed be a new behavior since starting ASV therapy, and may very likely pass in time as you adapt.

If you have an Oscar chart an you know about what time these behaviors occurred, it would be interesting to see how it shows up on the charts.

[DaveL]

Welcome to the forum!

Did you touch your face and move your arms around before you used your OSA equipment? (Maybe a video taken of a nap without your gear on and without your machine would show whether you're more rested...

A shot in the dark...do you have another mask to try? What mask do you use? How long have you used this mask?