Waking up with mask off?

[snowdrop]

Strange thing lately... I've been waking up in the night and find the mask off

I don't remember doing it and it isn't that I've forgotten to put it back on after going to the bathroom (I wake to go to bathroom and I find the mask already off).

I'm fairly new to CPAP use (3 months), but had adjusted really well. I use a FF mask due to a deviated septum. My pressure is fixed at 6 and my AHI is consistently below 1. No trouble with leaks or comfort.

Last night my mask was on for 2 hours, then off for around 3 hours, then back on for 3 hours. I've been waking up feeling rested, unlike pre-CPAP where I woke up feeling like death.

Has this happened to others? Any ideas why I am suddenly doing this? Or how I can prevent it? I don' want to accidentally go back to feeling like I did before.

Edit: I should add that I have had a cough/cold thing... Maybe that's why??

[OpalRose]

Could possibly be the cold, or could be your pressure is too low. With a full face mask at a pressure of 6, you may feel air deprived. You could try to bump it up to 7 and see how you feel.

There has to be a reason to pull off your mask. Are you sure it's not too tight?

[trailrider]

Stuffed passages from a cold can affect everything. For some reason your brain still believes you should be breathing! And off goes the mask if you are not getting enough air in.

Maybe increase the pressure to 7 for a night while you are stuffed up.

[snowdrop]

I've never adjusted the pressures. Off to figure that out!

My AHIs were around 2 at a pressure of just 5, my RT set it at 6 for good measure. Apparently I just need a whiff of pressure to keep everything open.

[trish6hundred]

Hi snowdrop,
I agree on raising your pressure a notch to 7, it might be that in your sleep, you are feeling air-depribed and thus the need to take your mask off.
Good luck and I hope you get over your cold, soon.

[truetopath]

It very well could be, with being congested that you require more pressure to power through. Probably your brain being goofy and telling you to take the mask off because it's not enough air. Hope you feel better soon!

[PaytonA]

I have never taken my mask off completely while asleep but once I woke up in a panic and in the process of literally ripping my mask off my head. Did not undo any straps or anything just ripped it off. Never did figure out what caused the panic. With my 20 cm/H2O pressure, it certainly was not because I was feeling air starved. It may have been the result of a dream with something on my face suffocating me. It has never happened again.

Best Regards,

PaytonA

[snowdrop]

Problem solved, I think!

I loosened up the straps a wee bit and my cold in slowly improving.

Thanks for the suggestions!

[Mark Douglas]

During an ill advised attempt to rescue an "adult" step daughter (I say ill advised because it seems she is a psychopath and raising more of the same - wife did warn me about her adopted daughter) and her two small children I was forced to put a motion triggered CCTV system inside the house to protect our stuff. (I told the kids it was a General Observation Device)
I am thinking of using it while I play with the cpap machine I pick up tomorrow. Downside is I used $5 cameras and the LEDs are not pure IR and will bug me. Probably hear me cursing through the mask LOL
.
Might be very revealing

[trailrider]

Snowdrop, congratulations! Glad its working out for you! Hope you get over your cold soon.