Question:
Why am I taking my CPAP off?

I am 7 weeks post-op and have been using my CPAP since last August when I was diagnosed with sleep apnea. I believe it is set on level 5. For several weeks now I will go to bed with it on but will wake up in the middle of the night and the mask will be off my face and machine will be off. I've cleaned it and changed the filter. I have no memory of taking it off my face during the night. What's going on? Sometimes I will wake up with a headache so I'd like to figure out why this is happening.    — Sarahlicious (posted on May 26, 2003)

May 26, 2003
Hi, Sarah, I have had a CPAP for 10 years (mine is set at 14, if you can believe it!)... my advice would be to ask your doctor ASAP about it, he/she is the only one who can figure it out for sure... it could be your mask is out of adjustment, or you could be taking it off unconsciously. If you need it, and it is off, you probably aren't getting enough oxygen, that can cause a headache or worse!
   — Tim W.

May 26, 2003
If you are just beginning to take it off then maybe your weight loss has caused it to need to be adjusted. Five is a low setting, but if you are waking up with headaches then you might still need it as that could be caused by low oxygen. You probably should go for another study and/or titration.
   — Lisa N M.

May 26, 2003
Sarah, My opinion is 180 degrees from the other posters. I believe your body is telling you it's time to put the machine away. The pressures are likely too high now and subconsciously you are removing it. As your weight goes down it would be unusual to need to increase the pressures. <p>I am one who is somewhat like you. I started on BiPAP at 22/18, 3-1/2 weeks before surgery. I likely had sleep apnea for about 2 years before it was diagnosed but because of a daytime sleep disorder I wrote off the symptoms to not being totally compliant with my meds. About 10 days before surgery my sleep doctor reduced the pressures to 17/14 because the details of the study showed that at that setting the majority of my apneas were gone and were within a normal range. I was complaining that I was having so much pressure on my front teeth from my bottom teeth. It was because of the severity of the pressures. I stayed on that setting till surgery. I never had any problems adjusting to the machine and mask and from day one slept great with it. That was until after surgery! <p>After surgery my surgeon asked that I stay off the machine for 1 month. In the hospital the only problem I had is that my oxygen level would drop below 90, so I would have a low degree of oxygen when sleeping. I found that I slept fine that first month without the machine until about 3 days before the 5th week. All of the sudden my Fibromyalgia flared up and I thought maybe it was due to not sleeping as well, so I went back to using my machine. I woke up the next morning with very sore ribs and muscles. I did not put it together. It took me till after 3 nights of sleeping with the machine and waking up and barely able to move from the pain to realize it was from the machine. It felt like I was about 4 days out of surgery. I stopped using the machine and it took 10 days for the pain to subside. I waited about another week and tried it again. In the meantime my doctor had the machine lowered to 14/11. I tried it again and the same thing started to happen. I only used it one night for about 5 hours and I was already feeling the pain. It was then lowered to 12/9. The same result happened. Finally it was lowered to 10/7. I was now about 10 weeks out and still trying to find something I could tolerate. I tried this setting for about 3-4 days and found I slept worse on this setting than I did with nothing. I could tolerate the setting. The only problem I was having without using the machine is I was waking up with my teeth hurting horrendously! The machine greatly reduced the teeth pain, but I was not refreshed in the am and was dragging butt all day. My sleep doctor had me quit the machine as he decided things must have changed enough that it wasn't worth messing with anymore. He plans to retest me in June or July to be sure things are gone before he officially calls me cured. I am 16 weeks out and have used my BiPAP a total of 5 or 6 days since surgery and am doing fine. So it is not impossible that you no longer need it. Many people are off their machines in 6 months, so maybe in your case it's just sooner. <p>Fortunately they were still renting my machine as it was a very expensive one ($3500) because I needed BiPAP and also a machine that would go over 20. There are only 3 machines made that can do it. We only paid for 3 months of rent. I'm glad I won't end up with an expensive machine machine and nothing to do with it, as it is illegal to sell it. <p>You definitely should not just quit but get in contact with your prescribing doctor and see what he or she wants to do. If you are sleeping okay and feeling refreshed they may opt to just have you quit it and wait a few months till you have more weight off. As far as the headaches that could be from allergy related things since it is that time of year. Call the doctor and let them advise you!
   — zoedogcbr