6 Things You Didn’t Know about CPAP Masks
Posted on 09 October 2009
My ridiculous pic from the first night of the sleep study. Rocking the sex-ay.
I’ll start wearing a CPAP mask and using the machine soon when I sleep; for now, I’m just waiting for the unit to arrive. My first mask will be the “pilot type” mask that covers both the mouth and the nose since I have allergies, frequently have a stuffy nose, and mouth breathe sometimes. And I really don’t want to wear a chin strap to keep my mouth closed. (Oh, I need to wear it all the time — days, too? Shut UP, y’all.)
Here are some pearls of wisdom I learned from my two nights at the local sleep study center to diagnose my (ugh) severe obstructive sleep apnea. I’ll bet you don’t read this anywhere else:
- Your lips will get chapped if you use the larger mask that covers your mouth. I use Burt’s Bees Lip Balm … mmm, honey scented.
- Don’t freak out if the mask sucks on your face. The second night of a sleep study is the “titration,” when they figure out what mask type and air pressure will work best for you. They adjust the pressure during the night and monitor your oxygen level. Even though I’m a deep sleeper, I about came up off the bed the first time the air pressure changed and that mask felt like it was sucking in and out on my face. Anyone who saw the first Aliens movie will understand why the creepiness factor redlined.
- Face farts will also be part of your life. The mask gets a good seal to the face, but if you roll around a lot at night (particularly on your side) or if your mouth sags open, you could break the seal. With the air continuing to blow in, you can imagine the delightful sounds you make. (I swear … I’m going to just have to lose weight instead.)
- You become a human leaf blower. The system blows out any extra air via a vent. I know this because my husband also wears a CPAP mask, and many is the night that he’s rolled over, snuggled up to my back, and blown a cold gust of CPAP air across my neck. We are going to be a gusty, happenin’ kind of couple.
- Do you worry about suffocating if the power shuts off or the machine fails? I am that worrywart. But the sleep clinic’s staff assured me that the masks have a valve that will let room air flow in if that happens.
- Cough or sneeze with the mask on. Just try. Go ahead, I want to watch. *snicker* It’s like throwing something into the wind. Talking is even weirder. The first time you open your mouth, the air blows in and ever so slightly inflates it.
With all that said, it’s worth it to wear. People with this condition are up to three times more likely to die prematurely. And like anything medical that you Google, it pops up a nightmare list of linked problems, particularly heart disease.
Sheesh! And I just wanted to quit doing the head bobs at my office desk. ;o)
6 responses to 6 Things You Didn’t Know about CPAP Masks
Leave a Response
-
-
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License. -
Subscribe
But think of all the cool Darth Vader impressions you can now do for Halloween! “Luke, I am your MOTHER!”
BTW, I wear one too!
LOL at the ‘Darth Mommy’ idea. I think I’ll use that one! Glad to hear you’re wearing a CPAP mask if you need it. I’m a bit claustrophic about having something over my face like that, but I’m game. Anything not to be on the verge of falling asleep all the time!
You captured the sleep study/cpap experience very well. I’ve been using the cpap around 6 weeks now & am finally getting somewhat accustomed to it. My fiancé – who says she wasn’t bothered by my snoring – calls me the creature from the black lagoon, but humor is a necessary coping strategy with something like severe osa. She wears an occlosal guard which never bothered me either. anyway thanks for the insightful post and good luck. My new ent doc says if I lose weight my apnea should go away. But he knows it’s hard to lose weight despite never having been heavy himself. I’m lucky to have found a dr with empathy!
Thx for commenting, Tom! My husband and I have joked about his CPAP mask, so I totally agree that the dark humor will carry me through the awkward stage of learning to wear one of the darned things too.
I know I should lose weight too — it should help me with this and other health issues. And I want to. It’s weird how I don’t just go ahead and do it, though. In the meantime, I’m grateful to have a doc who helps me deal with issues like this. She’s the one who suggested the sleep study when I mentioned severe daytime sleepiness. I was thinking it was just the meds I take.
(
All,
I went thru the whoel cpap nightmare. It was not doing it for me. S I had my uvula removed, tonsils removed, etc etc. What a waste. I lost about 20 lbs and all the symptoms went away. Also I started drinknign 3 quarts of water a day and my regurge went away as well.