[Pressure] Help me de-chipmunk

[Millstone50]

Lately when using the F20, I am awoken around 5-6 hours into therapy with puffy cheeks. I imagine that this is due to my usual need for increased pressure at this time of night when REM starts to get heavy... around 8cm and I start to experience this. I'd like to remain asleep! The tongue thing may work at the onset of sleep but there's nothing keeping it there the whole night. What would you suggest?

[desaturator]

Lately when using the F20, I am awoken around 5-6 hours into therapy with puffy cheeks.

Perhaps this is something you eventually get used to? It happens to me as well, but it no longer wakes me up. It happens less when I sleep on my side, and when I position the mask so that it tends to keep my mouth closed. But, in the end, I think I've just adapted to being a chipmunk.

BW, DS

[StevesSp]

This happens rarely to me, but when it does, it's in response to leaks. The machine goes a bit mad trying to maintain pressure but can't respond fast enough when the leak is intermittent. it therefore ramps the pressure up but, if the leak 'fixes itself' (for instance when I move) it continues to pump hard for a little while.

I guess this also happens with major OSAs.

It might be that newer/smarter machines can deal with this better?

[Sleeprider]

You are using 6-20 pressure according to your profile. Maybe we should start by looking at why your pressure increases at night and optimize to keep pressure lower. We have a lot of tips and tricks for controlling pressure in the airway with the back of the tongue. This usually is practiced more diligently for nasal masks and pillows than full-face masks, but it is still more comfortable and effective. Read the "mouth breathing" section of the Mask Primer wiki http://www.apneaboard.com/wiki/index.php..._Breathing

[Millstone50]

So I've actually gone to 8-20. This makes the machine not have to reach as far to get to FL and OA reducing stages (which for me is around 9-10). I found that always being on my left side and keeping pressure against that side of my face stops the problem... it's always my left cheek that balloons up.

[Geer1]

I would imagine this will decrease with time, body naturally learning to part lips etc (since you are using a FFM).