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Advanced Respiratory and Sleep Medicine, PLLC

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How to Get Used to Your CPAP Machine

Positive airway pressure (PAP) is the only treatment for sleep apnea that can return your breathing to normal. Most people find it uncomfortable initially. CPAP is something you must get used to. Following are steps for helping you get used to your CPAP machine.

  1. Brief nightly exposure is the key to getting used to PAP. You have likely had sleep apnea for years. Don’t feel like you have to treat it 100% from day one. The method to get used to PAP is called desensitization. To be successful, the only thing you have to do is put your PAP on nightly. Then it is just a matter of time until you are comfortable with it.
  2. Start by putting on your PAP during the day. Learn how to adjust the straps to make them most comfortable. Leave it on for 20 or 30 minutes just to get used to the feeling.
  3. Once you are used to the feeling of PAP, start putting it on when you are trying to fall asleep. Leave it on for at least 30 minutes. If after 30 minutes you are awake and it is bothering you, take it off and go to sleep. The next night put it on again for at least 30 minutes. Usually, within the first 2-4 weeks, you will learn to fall asleep with it on.
  4. If you fall asleep with PAP on and wake up in the middle of the night and it is bothering you, take it off and go to sleep. Put your PAP on at the beginning of the next night.
  5. Let your equipment supplier or physician know immediately if the mask is leaving sores on your face. That means you need a different mask. Mask should never leave sores. Here are some helpful tips for choosing the right CPAP mask.
  6. Let your equipment supplier or physician know if you are unable to keep the mask from leaking.
  7. If your mouth is excessively dry with PAP, make sure you are using your humidifier correctly. If that does not work, let your physician know. Dry mouth may be due to oral venting (opening your mouth while sleeping). There are treatments for this.
  8. If you are having problems with nasal congestion, try using Neil Med Sinus rinse followed by fluticasone propionate nasal spray before bed each night. Both are over the counter. If that does not work, let your physician know.