Sleep Apnea Support Group

Sleep apnea is a common sleep disorder characterized by brief interruptions of breathing during sleep. People with sleep apnea partially awaken as they struggle to breathe, but in the morning they may not be aware of sleep disturbances.

984 Members

1,450 Posts

0 Online

geobrian 03/20/2013

Hi all. I'm new to this too. I've just had my machine for a couple of days. The first night I only wore my mask for about 3 hours because I just couldn't sleep. Last night was better and I had the mask on all night, but I woke up with a red sore across the bridge of my nose when the mask had been rubbing all night. I use the F&P Flexifit 431 full face mask. Is there something I can put on my nose to help with the irritation, like a band-aid, or will that interfere with getting a good seal? Maybe there is a different mask I can try. I'm definately a mouth breather.

Tez62 03/20/2013

geobrian, welcome, you can use a Bandaid it still should keep the seal, it's possible you straps could be too tight, you don't want a sore to develope, also two tips for new people, use mask liners, you can buy them over the net or I can give you the instructions on how to make them and have your hose coming from above your head not by your side, it saves getting tangled and pulling the mask down which causes leaks and the pushing on the nose. You can buy a hose lift over the net or make one yourself or if you have a bed head have the hose coming over it.

SpringLady 03/20/2013

Hi Geobrian,

I have been on CPAP for 3 months and my biggest issue has been my nose. I use the mask liners but still nose issures. I tried a couple of nasal pads. The one that I am currently using has really helped the ResMed Gecko Nasal Pad. If you really like the mask try that pad.

harry3333 03/22/2013

welcome
you are doing better than many new CPAP users, try to readjust mask and put facecream on nose
with a FF mask you need a humidifier usually
remember to have daytime naps using CPAP if you can, also you dont need to sleep on your back only

geobrian 03/22/2013

Thanks for the comments. I've been using a little band-aid for now, and it seems to be working great. Still tring to adjust to the mask, but it's only been a few days. I'm using an auto-pap set to 5-15. It's usually at five and it doesn't feel abnormal at all. Sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night and can tell that the pressure has been bumpbed up because it's harder to exhale and the mask starts developing some leaks. I'll probably try a different mask soon just to see if it makes a difference. Otherwise, so far so good.

SpringLady 03/23/2013

Keep the good work up!

Join the Conversation