Posted by Frank on December 06, 2001 at 20:46:43:

In Reply to: The mask boogie man? posted by Jefferson on December 06, 2001 at 09:22:05:

You take it off because in some way or another it is irritating you, and your natural reaction is to remove the irritant. You do not remember it because it is normal not to remember things that happen in such a short time when you are in a sleep state. Some possibilities are:

Congestion and dryness, cured with a heated humidifier.

Mouth breathing. No humidifier in the world can keep up with mouth breathing. So you get all dried out. It can be really painfull. And you will suffer apneas because you will get no therapy when all of the pap air is going in your nose and out your mouth. A full face mask cures this. Also a strap to keep your mouth closed. Reno Tom's design is highly regarded. Some folks tape their mouth closed.

Incorrect settings. The pap must be set to your needs. Your needs may have changed, the titration may not have been all that accurate due to a number of reasons, the pap may not actually be putting out the pressure that it is set at.

The mask becomes dislodged, and you therefore get no therapy so you react to an apnea.

You experience a central apnea and remove it in response to feeling suffocated. This would be more likely if it also resulted in an awakening.

Your sleep between sleep cycles might be light enough so that the natural action of the pap is enough of a stimulant to cause you to remove it. A sleeping pill might help this. This might also be more likely if you have a hard time getting to sleep in the first place.

It is a real common problem that has been much discussed here. I am sure that there are other causes, but this is a start.

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