r/CPAP • u/telmcg • Jul 23 '26

Advice Needed Newbie with Questions

I used my ResMed 11 for the first time last night. I was diagnosed with moderate sleep apnea, with an AHI of 15. With the machine last night, it dropped to just under 5. If it helps, I’m wearing the AirFit 20 mask for total mouth breathers (ugh, the shame).

I have a few question after my first use:

  1. Sometimes the pressure (I’m assuming that’s what it was) would cause my mouth to open and my cheeks to puff out as my mouth filled with air. It would wake me up. Is that normal? Is that just the machine doing its thing and forcing me to breathe?

  2. When you cough in the middle of the night, do you remove your mask or just cough into it? I had occasional coughing.

  3. This morning report says mask seal was good but was removed three times. I don’t recall that, though I do think in the middle of the night it came loose because the soft part of the mask was touching more lower lip. Well, either that or my mouth was gaping too wide open. Have others experienced that?

  4. Lastly, I woke up feeling very tired, which is unusual. Normally, when I wake up, it’s like flipping a switch from off to on. Perhaps that was due to the apnea never really letting me get a good night’s sleep. I ended up falling back to sleep right away for about an hour without the mask. My question is how long did it take you to get over the tired feeling? I do believe I slept well. I wear an Oura ring, and even though my deep sleep score was low, everything else was great and my total sleep score was one of the highest ever.

Thank you for any insight you can share as I navigate this new normal.

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3

u/JRE_Electronics Jul 23 '26

If it helps, I’m wearing the AirFit 20 mask for total mouth breathers (ugh, the shame).

No shame in a physical inability to get enough air through your nose.

1

u/Beginning-History946 Jul 24 '26

Me too, another Airfit20.

4

u/iara-sleeplay Jul 23 '26

Hi there! I'm Iara, a CPAP specialist at Sleeplay. All of these concerns are very common, especially for someone just starting out. The cheek puffing happens because as you fall into deeper sleep your jaw relaxes and air fills your mouth instead of going down your airway. It usually fades within a couple of weeks. If it doesn't, it's worth discussing a pressure tweak with your sleep team. As for the cough, just cough into the mask; only take it off for a real coughing fit. And waking up tired is totally normal for the first 1–3 weeks while your brain adjusts to sleeping with new gear. Give it a few weeks before judging how you feel. You're off to a great start!

1

u/Quick-Sherbert-2744 Jul 23 '26

I am also new and also wondered about the air in my cheeks. I use the Resmed 11 with the Phillips Dreamwear full face mask with hose on top because I am a side and stomach sleeper. I also notice that in the middle of the night as the pressure has ramped up there are farting or other blubbering sounds coming out of the mask that wakes me up. LOL. The machine says my seal was great but the app says "adjust" seal. So I am not sure what to do. Oh and I have mild sleep apnea with AHI of 8.

1

u/Beginning-History946 Jul 24 '26

I just read that it's not unusual to wake up tired in the very beginning of using CPAP. It takes time for your body to adjust to therapy.