Mask Coming Off in the Night

[dustable]

I'm a very recent user to CPAP machines, having only gotten mine about two weeks ago. I actually love it and feel super lucky that I don't think I'll need to cycle through machines/masks like most seem to have to do. Unfortunately, while I find mine super comfortable, I've started waking up in the morning with the mask completely off. I have no recollection of this happening overnight, so don't think I'm doing it purposefully. I'm using the ResMed Airfit P10 Nasal Pillow, which I believe it one of the most unobtrusive masks out there. So much so that I don't notice it's gone overnight. I've got a clip with a velcro strap that ensures the hose isn't falling too far, plus have gone down to a smaller size headgear in case it was looser than it needed to be. The only other option I can think of is to buy headgear to hold it on, but that just seems excessive. 

Do people have suggestions on how to fix this issue? Any help would be greatly appreciated!

[mesenteria]

Hi.  You also don't recall turning over, moving or thumping your pillow, pulling up the covers, or when you awakened briefly just after a dream.  You may even have spoken or listened to a bed partner.  Rubbing your nose, coughing, rising to use the John....the list goes on. 

However, you'd like some help to get the full benefit of your purchase and the therapy it promises, and that you need for good health.  I think you might need to get a different mask, possibly, or get different headgear that makes what you wear much more difficult to remove.  Ideally you'd have some kind of audible alarm given by the machine when it finds the back-pressure going so close to zero.

Others have solved this problem, so please wait for their contributions.  One possible solution, a temporary one ideally, will have you using a mild tape or contrivance that makes the removal of your mask all but impossible unless you are much more conscious...at which you will hopefully teach yourself not to attempt to remove the mask.

[roberts]

That happens to me to when I eat late heavy dinner...For me it is harder to breathe properly and I take off my mask unconsciously...

[GuyScharf]

Install OSCAR, put an SD card in your machine and then import it into OSCAR. Take a screenshot of a day and post it. That may give some hints about what is happening.

For example, when my wife tears her mask off, which she sometimes does, it is because she has moved into a position where she had lots of apneas, the machine is increasing pressure to its limits, and she can't stand the pressure. So she tears her mask off, incidentally changing position at the same time so the apneas stop. But she doesn't get a good night's sleep without the CPAP machine.

In my case, sometimes I have woken to go to the bathroom, removed the mask, then fallen asleep again before getting up.