Keep waking up with leaks

[Kadenz]

I have a Liberty hybrid and I use a pad-a-cheek liner. I have a Resmed S9 APAP. The pressure starts at 4 and ramps up over 45 minutes. The minimum pressure is 8 and the max is 20.

I fall asleep okay most nights, but I invariably wake up when the pressure goes over 18 or so and it starts leaking. I start the ramp over again (because there is NO chance I'll fall asleep with it at 18 cm), pressure ramps up, I wake up again. After about 4 hours of this I am ready to cry and I just take it off so I can sleep a little bit before work.

This is the best most comfortable mask I have found (I've tried multiple) and the liners are a godsend. The leak is on my cheekbones and I think it is the air on my cheeks and in my eyes that wakes me up.

Do you have any suggestions? My sleep doctor and DME are basically like, you're never going to get rid of all the leaks so deal with it the best you can. I made an appointment with my regular doctor to see if I can get medication to sleep through the night. The ONLY way I can sleep soundly through the night is to not use the machine, which obviously is not an option. Surely there is something else I can try?!

Please note: I cannot use nasal pillows only. I cannot breathe through my nose involuntarily. I have a cleft palate and other issues from birth. (I've had issues with people not believing me on other boards, so I am emphasizing it here to deter "use nasal pillows instead" answers.)

I would definitely follow the advice to try the Mask Fit feature, if your machine has it. I read about it on this forum very recently and gave it a try. It reduced my leaks to a very low level.

(I don't know how I would have managed without the advice and support that the Apnea Board provides, so many thanks everyone!)

[steveg11sings]

I am still trying to find the right pressure and thanks to this forum I am looking forward to using the data card data to review how well I am sleeping. After a year of frustration it was determined that I am a "mouth Breather" and now have a full face mask.
I am experimenting with a new mask ( ResMed Quattro FX ) but am finding that at a pressure of 12 it leaks later on in the night. Last night I turned the presuure down to 8 and it seemed to stop the leaking but I feel quite tired today.
Tough question but what is the average pressure that people need to set their CPAP machine at to stop the apnea from occurring ?
thanks

[Shastzi]

Hi Kadenz,
I reccomend cleaning the sealing surface daily with Dawn (non concentrate) dish washing soap (for hand washing dishes). Any skin oil causes leaks to form at the higher pressures. (any good hand dishwashing soap that is a good de-greaser should be ok)

If you have any hair growing in the beard area that happens to be where your mask seal rests that is going to have to go.
So clean, dry and free of hair should get you in the ballpark.
If you have already arrived at this stage then you might have to try using the S9 leak test feature.
That will run the pressure up so you and adjust your straps and get rid of those stupid leaks.
When you are satisfied with the leaks being abolished you can just hit start and you will be back in your usual cycle,

Good Luck!

[Cobra4x4]

Your pressure requirements should have been found out through a sleep study, Its the only accurate way to get a proper diagnosis.

Every persons needs differ because of differences in muscle strengths (Throat, nasal & mouth), size and shape of ones body parts in particular face & throat. Possible other medical issues may factor in as well therefore pressure requirements really are an individual thing.

It has been said on many sites that the majority of people with sleep apnea will require a pressure of at least 10cm.

Changing pressures without knowing what your doing could lead to unexpected complications.

Going from 12cm down to 8cm is a huge drop (33%) and you will feel the negative effects very quickly, you would be better off trying to re-fit the mask so as to stop or at least reduce the leaks.

[zonk]

I am experimenting with a new mask ( ResMed Quattro FX ) but am finding that at a pressure of 12 it leaks later on in the night. Last night I turned the presuure down to 8 and it seemed to stop the leaking but I feel quite tired today.
Tough question but what is the average pressure that people need to set their CPAP machine at to stop the apnea from occurring ?
thanks

Hi steveg11sings, welcome to apnea board
Me too had to lower pressure with Quattro full face mask to keep on during the night otherwise leaked like a sieve as pressure goes above 10
I've tried different size, washing, mask liner, watched the videos about swing and seal of little or no avail

In my case mouth breathing habit than anything else so when moved to a nasal mask and chinstrap, I was able to breathe thru nose and keep the mask on all night at treatment pressure

Try mask fit at treatment pressure, preferably lying down and gradually increase pressure by small increment

[trish6hundred]

Hi steveg11sings, WELCOME! to the forum.!
Hang in there for more suggestions and best of luck to you.

[PaulaO2]

I don't think there is an average pressure (yes, there probably is one mathematically). We're all different in so many ways.

Average leaks are the same way. Every face is different, every sleep pattern is different, etc etc. Which is why there are so many masks on the market.

That said, stop messing with your pressure! A jump of 3 for just one night proves nothing. A lower pressure may or may not result in less leaks but now you feel like crap.

You say you are using a full face mask because you breathe through your mouth at night. Have you tried a chin strap?

[Sleepster]

I am still trying to find the right pressure and thanks to this forum I am looking forward to using the data card data to review how well I am sleeping. After a year of frustration it was determined that I am a "mouth Breather" and now have a full face mask.
I am experimenting with a new mask ( ResMed Quattro FX ) but am finding that at a pressure of 12 it leaks later on in the night. Last night I turned the presuure down to 8 and it seemed to stop the leaking but I feel quite tired today.
Tough question but what is the average pressure that people need to set their CPAP machine at to stop the apnea from occurring ?
thanks

Please don't post the same information in duplicate threads. People are trying to help you by responding, and having the same information in two places makes it hard to follow along.

I have merged the two threads and deleted the duplicate post.

[Shastzi]

Sorry Cobra4x4,
Your information is outdated.
There are MD's out there now publishing papers about sleep apnea therapy as NOT being any kind of magic rocket science.

The smart APAP machine gathering data every night has become an even more powerful tool for analysis than the formal (and expensive!) sleep study.

All the sleep study reflects is a "spot check" or "snap shot" on how well the patient can sleep with 20 tons of disruptive electronic crap hooked up to him/her.

While this can be useful to nail down some of the rarer issues, standard consumer electronics are more than sufficient for most patients and indeed can sound the alarm if any thing out of hand is going on.

We have come a long way, baby!

Peace, Love and Carrots!

=^.^=

[Mark Risley]

Have you tried goggles to protect your eyes? They serve top purposes. You can't feel the irratiting leak and your eyes don't dry out. Check the product tranquil eyes