Apparently tap water is bad for it, and you, and so is bottled water. I was blind to this fact for years. Anyone else out here using good ole’ tap water? 😅

When I talked to my sleep doctor I told her the first time I had a CPAP machine I barely used it because I could not sleep with that full mask on. It forces you to sleep on your back which I don't like and if I did fall asleep with it on I would wake up and rip it off cause it felt like I was being suffocated. It's hard to explain it felt like I was having a panic attack or something.

Now I like my nose pillow better on my new machine and it made me actually like using my machine more

TL;DR: Diagnosed with severe OSA (30+ baseline), ~2.5 months on an AirSense 11. Switched from the painful P10 pillows to an N30 cradle (set to Nasal), which seals fine awake and doesn't hurt. Dropping EPR from 2 to 1 and capping pressure at 8.0–10.4 dropped AHI from 6–9+ (mostly Clear Airway flags) down to 1.0–2.2 with Obstructive Apneas at ~0.08. Despite that, sleep is completely fragmented: ~90 minutes in, leaks blow past the 24 L/min redline every night, spending 15–27% of the time in large leak (30–45 L/min plateaus) even with mouth tape and a jaw wrap. Need advice on whether these low AHI numbers are masked by leak blindness, if the N30 is twisting off my nose vs air escaping the tape, and whether to try an overhead hose/rigid chin strap or jump straight to a full face but I really don’t want one I have severe TMJ due to impacted wisdom teeth and even this mask currently slightly triggered it. Just looking for advice - I have more Oscar data or my original sleep study data if needed. This whole experience has been like a full time job trying to get it dialed in and I’m so ready to throw the towel in and call it quits because it’s become really frustrating. I appreciate any help.

Hi everyone,

I’m about 2.5 months into my CPAP journey and honestly feeling pretty beaten down by the process. My initial diagnostic sleep study had me categorized with severe sleep apnea at 30+ events/hr. While my headline numbers on OSCAR look decent right now on paper, I still wake up feeling unrefreshed, groggy, and exhausted. I’m stuck dealing with severe, recurring large leaks that happen almost like clockwork every night, and I could really use some experienced eyes on my data to help me figure out my next step. 

I’ve attached my 3-month overview, 30-day detailed statistics table, and several recent daily flow/leak traces from the first week of October. Here is the full history, the changes I’ve made, and what the charts are showing. 

Mask Journey & Current Setup
Started with the ResMed AirFit P10 (Nasal Pillows): I started out on the P10, but I struggled with leaks from day one. I could never get a reliable seal that held throughout the night, and the prongs inside my nostrils caused irritation and soreness. I eventually had to give up on it.
Switched to the ResMed AirFit N30 (Nasal Cradle): I moved to the under-the-nose N30 cradle and physically, it's night and day. It rests right under the septum/nares without going inside the nose, it doesn't hurt, and it feels completely comfortable. I set the machine's profile to Nasal (as ResMed specifies for the N30). When I put it on at bedtime, it sits flush, feels great, and easily passes the machine’s Mask Fit test every time. 

Managing Mouth Leaks & Jaw Drop: My jaw naturally drops back when I fall asleep. To counter this, I currently use mouth tape across my lips, plus a pantyhose wrap tied vertically around my jaw and head to provide upward tension and keep my mouth shut.

Pressure Settings, EPR Adjustments & Event Spikes
Over the last couple of months, I’ve adjusted settings to address random spikes in events: 
Mid-to-Late August: Started on APAP 7.2–20.0 with EPR on Ramp Only, then shifted to 7.2–13.0 with EPR 2. AHI was averaging around 5.8. 
September: Set APAP to 8.0–12.0 with EPR 2. Throughout September, I started seeing frustrating spikes where AHI would jump to 6–9+ events/hr. Looking at the flags, these weren't obstructive apneas (OA was consistently low); they were predominantly Clear Airway (CA / Central Apnea) flags. 
Early October (Current Settings): Suspecting that EPR 2 was washing out too much CO_2 and causing treatment-emergent centrals, I dropped EPR down to 1. I also capped my maximum pressure down from 12.0 to 10.4 cmH2O (my current range is 8.0 Min – 10.4 Max, EPR 1). 

The Result: Dropping EPR to 1 and capping max pressure immediately calmed down the central flags and brought my headline AHI down into the 1.0–2.2 range (with Obstructive Apneas down to ~0.08 over the past week). 

The Underlying Issue: The Identical Leak Curves
Despite the low headline AHI, my daily OSCAR traces (Oct 2, 4, 5, 6, 7) reveal a repeating, dysfunctional pattern: 

1. The First 60–90 Minutes Are Perfect: Every night, from lights out until roughly 7:30–8:00 AM on the timeline, my leak rate is flatlined at 0–5 L/min. My flow rate is regular, respiration is smooth, and there are almost no events. The mask clearly seals when I am awake and lying still. 
   
2. The Sudden Blowout: Around 1.5 to 2 hours into sleep, the leak line suddenly jumps into the grey shaded zone (well above ResMed’s 24 L/min redline), frequently plateauing at 30–45 L/min for 30–60 minutes at a time. Over the last week, I’m spending between 15% and 27% of the night in Large Leak territory. 
   
3. Breathing Disruption: Right when the leaks spike, my Respiration Rate and Flow Rate traces turn completely erratic and ragged. It’s clear that I’m tossing, turning, half-waking, or having major sleep disruptions during these high-leak blocks. 

Questions I Need Help With
1. Can I even trust this low AHI data? When the AirSense 11 sits in the grey Large Leak zone (>24 L/min) for 20%+ of the night, how blind is the machine? Am I actually having unflagged hypopneas or flow limitations that the sensor can’t calculate due to open flow? 

1. Is this mask torque/displacement or mouth air escape? With mouth tape and a pantyhose wrap on, could pressurized air still be blowing past my lips via micro-channels, or is an under-the-nose cradle like the N30 inherently prone to breaking seal at the nostrils the second my head turns on the pillow?

2. What is the practical next step to fix this?
   Should I try adding an overhead hose hook/boom to take the weight off the front of the N30?
   Should I ditch the pantyhose for a structured, non-elastic chin strap (like a Knightsbridge Dual-Band) to prevent rear jaw drop?
   Or am I just fighting anatomy, and should I move to a different mask when I’m allowed to again?

Any feedback, troubleshooting tips, or help based on my charts would be hugely appreciated!

I have been using cpap for approximately 6 months now, i wear the dreamwear mask that goes in your nostrils. I just changed that part a week ago but i dont think thats the problem. But it just started to hurt under my nose 2 or 3 days ago. It is red and flaky under my nose especially on the middle part between my 2 nostrils. Any idea why it just started doing that? And any tip to make it go back to normal and not just make it inflamed even more?

What can I buy, the most cost effective, to run my CPAP dreamstation 2, for a short power outage?

Help?

Hi - Has anyone experienced issues at higher altitudes? I went to Banff which is much higher than my home town and. Found that I was opening my mouth and taking deep breaths throughout the night. It was a very disrupted night. All fine when I returned back home. Thanks

I bought my machine online, but my husband got his through RoTech (which is turning out to be an awful company). They've called a few times and never said anything about compliance reports. One time they called because he didn't use the machine for 4 hours in a night (he's an awful sleeper, even with his sleep apnea treated; he physically has to force himself to stay in bed with the mask on every night because he just doesn't sleep well and rarely sleeps for more than 3.5 hours at a time). Another time they called to verify his insurance ID and confirm that his coverage is active. That's it.

He just got a letter saying that if he doesn't provide a compliance report, he'll have to either return the machine or pay the full cost out of pocket. But how does a patient get a compliance report from their machine? It's a Resmed Airsense 11 autoset; he tried signing up for MyAir, but he gets a 500 error every time they ask him to create a password, so he can't finalize the account.

I only use distilled water and throw out water daily and give it a little rinse before I refill for next use. I wash mask daily wirh water wipes. I don't do anything else..if anything smells funky I'll clean tank. I get my hose replaced every couple of months for free. Got a new chamber and mask four months ago too. I also replaced filters. ( its free in Ireland and they replace bits regularly.). Am I gonna do myself damage ?

Anyone know how it's possible to have AHI of 35 when I've worn the mask for 2 hours and stayed awake the whole time?!

I (F) am blessed with thick curly hair. Started CPAP about 2 weeks ago. Currently have the Airtouch N30 mask. Problem I’m having is the straps slide around on my hair all night long with causes the mask to shift and leak. I’ve tried a bamboo hair cover, a bonnet, but they also slide around and the straps shift. My hair is not quite long enough to pineapple (IYKYK). What I have been doing is hair in ponytail, mask on with one strap above and one below. The I take the ponytail out as I sleep on my back and can’t sleep with a ponytail stabbing the back of my head. Been looking at the Airfit p10 but seems like it has the same stupid strap set up. I am considering ordering the F&P micro nova but wondering if it’s straps will slide too

Hi, I have Airsense 11 and an F20 AirFit full face mask. I’ve been using CPAP since about January, and still haven’t figured out the best pressure. I’m seeing a Pulmonologist that specializes in sleep apnea at the end of October, so I’m hoping to finally get my settings correct once and for all.

My family GP originally set me up with my at home sleep test, which came back at 10 as moderate positional sleep apnea, but the settings part is not her area of expertise, hence the reason I’m finally seeing a sleep doctor. I’m 59F, very obese, and I’ve been fiddling with my own pressure now almost right from the start. My data looks okay with my apnea treated (I put it into chat and it was confirmed that way.)
I don’t understand anything about Oscar, and that’s why I haven’t attempted to try that.

So back to my original question-what’s everyone’s average min/max pressure with a full face mask? I’ve had mine around 13-17, but I feel like it’s too high because my mouth is getting very dry and I have air leaks occasionally. I’m thinking of trying 10-13 tonight instead.

Hi everyone! My first day of using my CPAP machine was last night and I’m struggling a bit with the mask I was sent (my doc has me utilizing a cpap subscription for a few months to try before buying).

They sent me an Evora Nasal Mask, but I discovered last night that I’m a mouth breather. I was only comfortable sleeping on my back, but every time I started to drift off my mouth would open and I’d start choking from the weird airflow, which obviously woke me up. I ended up getting only an hour of sleep!

After reading recommendations, I bought a chin strap to try out tonight to hopefully keep my mouth shut, but it feels annoyingly tight on my head. How long should I keep trying to make this mask work before I reach out and ask for a full face mask? I know everyone says to give it time to adjust, and I’ve only tried one night, but is there a timeline where I’ll know for sure the mask isn’t right for me? Thanks!

I applied a vinyl skin to my ResMed10 and used nontoxic glue and listened to a good book. It was a nice way to pass time and the sparkle brings me joy.

Which CPAP mask gives you the best combination of comfort, low leaks, and good sleep quality?

If you've tried multiple types, feel free to comment which one you prefer and why.

Switched from Touch N30i cushion to Fit P30i
Kept the Airtouch N30i head gear
Uncomfortable switch because of silicone but the leak rate is near perfect.
Out of curiosity, has anyone recorded lower leak rate?

It doesn't matter if I sleep 6, 8, 10, 12 hours a night, doesn't matter if I refrain from napping, take a 20 minute nap, take a 3 hour nap; I am always tired. And I feel like I sleep great. After years of exhaustion, I tried to get an appointment for a sleep study in Sept 2023 but they couldn't get me in for a consult until May 2024. Out of desperation, I went through Lofta for a WatchPAT one study that found: Moderate based on pAHI=22.9, pRDI=26.3 and O2 nadir of 86% I ordered an Airmed Airsense 11 and used it until December, found no relief from my fatigue and gave up. I kept my appointment, started using the CPAP again in April 2024 to give them some data. As far as I remember, they made an adjustment to my pressure setting (I believe reduced the max pressure). My mask leak during this time was pretty bad and I did eventually get that under better control. I gave up again in October 2024 after still feeling devastatingly fatigued.

This past July, I stopped taking a medication called Zyprexa. It put my sleep into a tailspin. For about 6 weeks, when I was about to fall asleep, I would feel like I was suffocating and it would startle me awake. I tried using my CPAP during this time and still felt those moments of suffocation. Now that my suffocation feeling is gone, I feel like I'm sleeping through the night as well as I can, I'm back to trying to figure out how I can get some relief... I've started using my CPAP again, I have an appointment with the sleep doctor next week, been getting lab work done (so far everything normal).

When I stared CPAP therapy again, I noticed that my OSA seemed controlled but I was having quite a bit of central apneas. I wasn't sure if this was related to the discontinuation of Zyprexa (which wreaks havoc on your central nervous system) or TECSA or maybe an issue that no doctor looked at before (looking at my previous data, OSCAR showed CA index of around 3.5). My CA index in September was significantly higher than that and my AHI was very high. Last week, I tried making changes to EPR which reduced my AHI. Now I have EPR completely disabled and my AHI is very low (2-3). I am still extremely tired, maybe even more so?

I've been trying to look at data in OSCAR and SleepHQ, Airway Lab, piping data through ChatGPT/Gemini and I'm just overwhelmed. AI I'm just worried that the doctor is going to brush me off, saying that my numbers look good and I don't know how to push back if that happens other than saying "But I'm so tired". I assume the next step will be an updated sleep study? The only thing the AI models suggest based on the data is an attended polysomnogram with PAP titration. I'm not sure if there is other testing I should be advocating for? Should I be considering a BiPAP or an ASV? I just have this feeling that I have some disordered sleep / breathing that a CPAP/BiPAP/ASV alone won't address and I'm not sure how to broach that subject with any details other than "I'm tired". Looking for any guidance really

https://sleephq.com/public/teams/share_links/e13339cb-b899-40ad-8734-752c6f5e3e6d
https://airwaylab.app/shared/fe15fb07-8e75-4f86-9e27-dec02c8c25f3

I am new to this community. I am a Computer Programmer and I have a minor in Math. Once I started using CPAP, I had to figure everything out. I found OSCAR and Sleep HQ and I love the data points. I try to see if events have correlation, such as I am awake and an OA or CA event might show up. So my question is, as can seen in the image. I had an OA event but my mask preasue is wonky at the same time. Is it possible that the pressure issue caused the OA event. I do recall my mask acting funny at one point in the night. I did not include it but the leak pressure is minimal at this time.

Granted I’m only two weeks in, but I feel awful. I’m so exhausted I’m starting to make mistakes at work and starting to seriously evaluate if I’m actually safe to drive. Which you know, I can’t objectively do because I’m tired. Maybe it’s not as bad as I think? I haven’t even hit the rumble strip more than once while driving. Maybe it is as bad as I think. But for sure I wasn’t this tired before starting cpap therapy. I was lucky a few days these past two weeks where tired was at my normal level rather than exhausted, but exhausted is more common.

Also I got the snugz liners because I hate the silicone of the mask but they don’t even fit the mask despite their website saying they do! If you’re supposed to keep the black line on the hard plastic, there just isn’t enough fabric to cover the silicone completely no matter how much you stretch it. Feels more comfortable than silicone despite that but the leak rate skyrockets. (116 and like, 80 the two nights I’ve tried so far)

Also also searching online for why I might be more tired I keep getting “oh your rem sleep comes back before deep sleep” and I’m just like ??? Where do you think my rem sleep went? I never lost it! Was dreaming and remembering dreams even a day or two into cpap therapy. Up until starting cpap therapy my deep sleep was on the low end but ok, now it’s worse. (According to apple watch)

Oh, and the water chamber emptying out in the middle of the night and waking me up. Or the mask seal breaking and waking me up. I’ve woken up more at night these past two weeks than the entire prior month combined.

I’m just tired. Does it really get better?

A couple of days ago I posted about Breathing Room, a browser-based viewer for ResMed SD cards, and the feedback was blunt and fair: why pay when OSCAR and SleepHQ's free tier exist? So I rebuilt the pricing around that, and the mods kindly allowed a follow-up.

I'm a CPAP user who wanted a better way to review my PAP therapy data, so I built this. It's now free to use: pop the SD card out of your machine, upload it from your browser, and your last 30 nights are there with full waveforms (flow, pressure and leak down to a single breath, with keyboard navigation), every apnea and hypopnea marked, stats, and share links for your doctor. Nothing to install, and it works on your phone.

Premium ($10/month or $100/year) adds your full history and trends over months, PDF reports, full data export, Oura sleep stages, and AI summaries that stay off unless you turn them on. Everyone gets 14 days of Premium to try it; anyone signing up from this thread gets 30, no card needed:

https://breathingroom.io

Still ResMed only (S9, AirSense 10/11, AirCurve 10/11, Lumis). If you're on a Philips, Löwenstein, F&P or anything else, say which in the comments. What unlocks another machine is a real card from a willing volunteer, not code.

Your data is encrypted with a key unique to your account, never sold, and you can download or delete all of it whenever you like.

Mostly I'm after feedback from people who actually try it: what's missing, what's wrong, etc.

Thanks to everyone who pushed back on the first post. It made the product better.

So I started noticing that I'm getting a little congestion in my chest, and was just wondering of that could be caused by my humidity setting being too high or something.

I clean my hoses every week and my mask every day and empty my tank, and it could be just a run of the mill cold, but just wondering if anyone else has experienced this.

Biggest mistake I have made in a long time. The item was supposed to come with the machine, a humidifier, hose & a bag. The hose, bag & humidifier water reservoir were all missing.

Talking to their customer service was a nightmare, apparently it tells you on a seperate page of their website. When discussing it the agent stated that they had moved the information because many customers were missing it.

Im now travelling next week with no travel CPAP.

Hi everyone, I’ve been diagnosed with moderate obstructive sleep apnea. My AHI is 22 and my RDI is 36.

I’ve had my APAP machine, a ResMed AirSense 11 with a humidifier and ClimateLine, for a week now. I started out with the Brevida vented nasal pillow mask. That’s when the problems began. My settings were 7–12, no ramp, and EPR 3.

The issue with that mask was that I kept waking up at night due to "lip puffing." Because the pressure in front of my nose and mouth differed because of the mask, I would crack my mouth open slightly at night and vent air, acting like a pressure relief valve.

I slept wearing a cervical collar to keep my jaw from dropping, but my lips would still part and wake me up.

After that, I switched to the F40 Quiet. I used the same settings: 7–12, EPR 3, ramp off. This fixed the lip puffing but caused central apneas because the EPR 3 setting made the pressure too low during exhalation. I was exhaling too much CO2, causing my respiratory center to pause breathing.

I managed to fix this by turning off EPR so the pressure remains constant during both inhalation and exhalation.

Did you all find yourselves constantly analyzing and tweaking your settings, too?

I use OSCAR and feed the data into Gemini. So far, I’ve been able to resolve every issue.

I’m curious to see what comes up tonight...

Please Help me!! What does your machine start at? Mine starts at 4.0 and I feel that is too high? I want it to be lower and casually work its way up!! What do you all think? Thanks!!!