3 Weeks of Using My New Full Face Mask and All the Expectations I Had Were Wrong

I found a new full-face mask that goes under my nose and alleviates the pain and pressure from other full-face masks on my nose.

Three weeks into continually using my continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machine every night, and everything I had assumed would happen was wrong.

Excited to use my new CPAP mask

I was so excited I found a mask that was not the most comfortable (it leaks a little), but it was the least painful of the masks I’ve had this past year.

I thought using my machine regularly, I would have energy, my migraines and fatigue would be better, and I would generally start feeling better.

Heading into this third week, my daytime fatigue and tiredness have increased.

My sleep quality did not improve

As my numbers improved in the My Air App, I thought that the quality of sleep would get better. My sleep doctor was confident that using my CPAP would help alleviate some of the pain of fibromyalgia since there is a strong correlation between sleep and chronic pain.

As I reflect on the past 3 weeks, some of the nights that I was closest to 100 on the My Air App were my worst nights of sleep. Hours spent with the mask on, hoping my mind and body would get the memo that the mask is on and it is time to go to sleep.

I remember looking at the machine to see that it had been on for 2 hours and I was still awake. Then by the time my body finally went to sleep, I ended up hooked up to the machine for 10 to 12 hours while only 6 to 7 of those hours were actual sleep.

More migraine days than normal

Knowing that obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) can contribute to my migraines, I thought that using the CPAP would cut the number of migraines days, but in the past 3 weeks, I have had a few more migraines than normal.

Every assumption that I had in using my CPAP was wrong.

I felt like I was in a vicious circle. I got the CPAP to help with migraines, and then I strap a mask on my face that causes more migraines. My hope was since nothing else has helped my migraines, the CPAP would be the answer to all my problems.

CPAP is just one piece of the puzzle

I realized breathing during my sleep was just one piece of the puzzle that is my health. The past 3 weeks have let me know that using the mask daily is just one hurdle in improving my overall sleep quality and health.

Now that I am using my machine, the next step is to get with my sleep doctor and find something to help with my insomnia which should make using my CPAP more productive if I can actually fall asleep during the 30-minute ramp.

Adjusting my expectations

My sleep has been bad for so long. I realized that I have to adjust my expectations and that things are not going to change in a few weeks and maybe not even a few months. But the CPAP, as much as I hate it, is a necessary evil.

How long did it take you to start seeing the benefits of using your CPAP?