Hi everyone,
I’m looking for some advice or to hear from people who have experienced something similar.
I have severe obstructive sleep apnea, with around 65 events per hour before starting CPAP therapy. I currently use a CPAP machine every night, and until now, I thought things were going relatively okay.
However, tonight something happened that really scared me.
I usually fall asleep and sleep on my side, but tonight I woke up on my back, literally gasping for air. I had the feeling that I had completely stopped breathing. I was wearing my CPAP mask, but I use a nasal mask, not a full-face mask, and my nose was so congested that I could barely get any air through it.
My nose gets blocked on and off. Usually, one nostril is still open, but tonight it was probably completely blocked. I wondered whether I was essentially unable to breathe because the CPAP was delivering air through my nose, which was completely obstructed. I don’t know whether I also tried breathing through my mouth while asleep.
I can breathe normally again now that I’m awake, although my nose is still congested.
What worries me even more is that my CPAP machine shows “Cheyne-Stokes: 2% (1 day)” in the information menu. I’ve been reading about Cheyne-Stokes respiration and central sleep apnea, and I’ve become concerned about whether this could indicate something more serious, such as a heart problem.
I also take testosterone gel (Tostran) as part of my hormone therapy. My hemoglobin previously reached 183 g/L while I was using five pumps daily, so my dose was reduced to three pumps. I’m now wondering whether the elevated hemoglobin, testosterone, and severe sleep apnea could be connected to my concerns about my heart.
I’m not assuming that I have heart failure or central sleep apnea, but I’d really like to understand what might be happening.
My questions are:
Can a completely blocked nose make a nasal CPAP mask ineffective enough to cause an episode like this?
Would switching to a full-face mask that covers both the nose and mouth help prevent this from happening again?
How seriously should I take a Cheyne-Stokes reading of 2% on my CPAP machine? Can the machine distinguish actual Cheyne-Stokes respiration from other breathing problems?
Can severe obstructive sleep apnea, testosterone therapy, and elevated hemoglobin contribute to heart problems or central sleep apnea?
Has anyone experienced something similar, and what did your sleep specialist recommend?
I’m planning to contact my sleep specialist about the episode and the machine readings. I’d appreciate advice from people with relevant experience, especially anyone who has dealt with Cheyne-Stokes readings or switched from a nasal mask to a full-face mask because of chronic nasal congestion.

Visitor here... Wanted to share about my husband's sleep apnea journey in hopes that it may help someone since he went from severe to light apnea without CPAP.

In February 2023, his snoring was the noise of a helicopter hovering over bed. His breathing stopped very frequently. He would literally hold his vape in his sleep and hit while asleep. His apnea was diagnosed as a moderate.

By late 2023, it was severe and he refused to do anything about it.

I supported and encouraged less vape use and he finally quit the vape while asleep and, for the most part, at night.

Fast forward to today: he has light apnea and not every night. The less vape he uses the less apnea occurs when asleep. He uses a pillow that isn't too poofy and helps align the airway. If he sleeps on his side I barely hear him snore too.

A tip from a friend in Argentina (where folks definitely can't afford CPAP machines).... his doctor recommended he grab a t-shirt and sew tennis balls on the top of the backside. This keeps him off his back when he sleeps as the body will toss to the side to avoid the discomfort. This has worked for him for years! Also helps to train the body to sleep on the side even without the shirt.

Note: addictions are tough! My husband is now 7 years sober so he is working hard at ditching vape :)

hi all, awaiting sleep study, assume near decade long apnea sufferer. I'm very interested to see what changed for those who are serious gym junkies after CPAP helped them if it did, I come from a fitness background for reference, I am on cycle currently so I am not natural but despite perfect diet, training and PED I feel like I'm running on 20% in life in general... daytime sleepiness is crazy I run on 400-800mg caffeine daily, and I'm always playing Russian roulette if my body will just not budge or I'll have a great session.

for bit more information if anyone can relate I had dabbled in peds when I was much younger pre apnea which yields incredible results, despite being on more stronger peds and in great control of blood work and what not my body is struggling, I'm yet to do study but I've been told for past decade I snore insanely loud, and gasp for air multiple times when observed by my partner or parents, my smartwatch always reports half or more sleep time off actual time I fell asleep to wake, and I always have dips from 80-70% blood oxygen every night every hour. I believe it's larger then normal tonsil but also a vensular mass which is behind one tonsil restricting my airway to around a straw when my throat collapses. hoping CPAP helps as surgery might be off the table.

TLDR: for those who were avid suffers how did CPAP help you and by what scale when it came to muscle gain, progress, strength and energy.

thank you !

Is this a safe space guys????? Please be nice but I think I don’t wash my full face mask as often as I should. It’s been fine, I’ve noticed breakouts here and there but the past 24 hours I’ve noticed a sensitive red ring of irritated skin from my nose to my mouth where the mask falls.

I am pretty sure the issue is the mask isn’t being washed enough so I am going to work on that

But I am wondering if you all have discovered any way to soothe or make that feel better or heal quickly in the meantime?

Thanks!!!

Hello! Did a sleep test and was diagnosed with Mild Apnea with nocturnal hypoxemia. Pulmonologist said a MAD might work for me. Provider set me up with a pretty advanced device from Prosomnus that measures Oxygen and calculates ODI each night, sending it to an app on my phone. I'm tolerating the device really well so that part is great. The upper tray stays on the same setting, and you advance with different lower trays. I'm up to level 2 on the lower tray, and I'm only seeing marginal improvements. No snoring, so that's one win, but ODI is about the same and saturation is still averaging about 94%.

They ordered more trays for me, I believe a level 3 and level 4. What settings did others have before they saw success? I'm worried this means it's not going to work for me.

Hi!

I am hoping for some guidance. I was recently diagnosed with Barrett’s esophagus. Barrett’s was not evident during a Nov 2025 endoscopy, but found in March 2026. Interestingly, in December 2025, I did a sleep study and was put on a CPAP. I’ve found as I have continued CPAP therapy, my heartburn has worsened despite significant lifestyle changes and dietary changes. I wake up with a bad taste in my mouth and feel like a balloon. I also have a burning esophagus. It has worsened the longer I continue Cpap and also worsens with PPI usage.

My GI doctor and Pulmonologist have been relatively unhelpful and I’m not sure what to do or ask but I’m worried treating my apnea is worsening GInconcerns.

I'm brand new to CPAP and using a ResMed AirSense 11 with an AirTouch F30i full-face mask.

I'm having this weird suction/popping sensation when I exhale, especially when I breathe deeply. It's almost like the air I'm breathing out is clashing with the air coming into the mask, and something suddenly pops or releases. I can hear it AND feel it in my mask. It's hard to explain! LOL. I

It doesn't happen with every breath, but I also breathe deeply in my sleep, so it keeps waking me up. I think it's coming from the vents or something moving in the mask.

I've been trying EVERYTHING to figure this out. I've adjusted the straps, repositioned the mask about a million times, experimented with the ramp and exhalation relief settings, and changed my pressure range to 6–11. The higher pressure actually feels more comfortable, but the popping still happens.

I've also been practicing wearing the mask while I'm awake to get used to it. I currently have a Medium cushion, but it feels tight against my nostrils, and I'm constantly messing with it to keep it comfortable. I'm planning to try a Small Wide cushion to see if that helps.

My mask leak results have been good, so I'm not even sure this is a leak!

Here's my question: Is this suction/popping sensation just a normal part of CPAP that I need to get used to? Does anyone else experience this when exhaling deeply?

I'm not necessarily expecting to eliminate every little sound or sensation. I just want to reduce it enough that it stops waking me up!

Did you eventually get used to it, or did changing your mask, cushion size, or settings help? I'm exhausted and really trying to make this work! LOL

I’m on my last blueberry muffin batch for the night (I have been practicing baking them myself today.) I’m 3 batches in and boy, my body is tired. I’m also really dirty (I should have bought an apron) but wow. My legs and my arms hurt. It might also be the spoon or materials I’m using because yesterday doing it at a friend’s place wasn’t so bad (I also had assistance though.) Cooking and baking are normal human things. If my legs and feet are tired I mean jeez.

How did housewives used to do it back in the day? My feet hurt.

Hi, everyone, I'll be getting my hands on my device assisted polisomnography test in probably 1-2 days, which is very likely to show what kind of device I need (It's complicated but I can explain this bit if you're curious in the comments). I wanna ask some stuff to you guys:

I've been suffering from OCD, depression, anxiety and social anxiety for a long time. All of these started probably before sleep apnea (I suspect sleep apnea developed somewhere between ages 18-20 and I'm currently 23 right now, but I've been obese since 2nd grade primary school so maybe I had sleep apnea since more than a decade, who knows). What I wanna ask is, can sleep apnea possibly make OCD, depression, anxiety and social anxiety worse? I found limited medical evidence in researches but I saw many posts about the disorders I listed in which people said they saw noticeable improvements in themselves, so I wanted to ask it myself here to hear it first-hand as well.

I also unfortunately can't give you a clue about how stuff felt before and after the sleep apnea starting point since the past feels too "in-evaluate-able" despite remembering it clearly. I know sleep apnea might or might not help me with the problems I listed depending on many variables.

Things might have worsened without me realizing after having sleep apnea, and addressing it can help me reduce them back to non-sleep-apnea days and with the help of my current antidepressants, things may finally feel "good", things may get even better than that I might need less or no meds or I can be stuck like that despite sleep apnea and antidepressant treatment. I just wanna know if there can be a decent or good outcome too, you know. I just don't wanna feel tired, hazy, heavy anymore; I want to be able to enjoy stuff without needing to put insane mental effort (movies, games, anime, tv shows, manga), I don't wanna stress ridiculously in social situations.

Forgot the last but probably very important bit so just writing it here: my AHI in the first test without a breathing device was 92.1

Thanks for reading and also thanks for replying if you do

i’m really scared and physically struggling to be living with untreated sleep apnea and i wanna know how treatment has made peoples symptoms better.

earlier in the year an endocrinologist suspected i have sleep apnea, and bc of my health worsening and my caretaker not really pushing me towards the direction of having appointments due to me falling so much, i never went back. became housebound and couldn’t get bloodwork done bc im a fall risk and nurses are expensive. my symptoms are getting worse, and im on medication like seroquel that can make sleep apnea worse. i went up on it recently bc i can barely sleep anymore. now i wake up gasping for air which is a symptom that actually faded when i went down on the seroquel in the past. i wake up with pressure & swelling in my hands/fingers, face and lips, and feet ankles legs. its literally hard to type on my phone bc my fingers feel like rubber. they’re also shiny??? which is something i’ve noticed. i lucid dream almost every night unintentionally. now in my dreams, i struggle to breathe which i can tell i am physically feeling. but since it’s not a lucid dream im in control of i cant wake myself up, its torture. i have violent lucid nightmares as well, i just had one and im actually traumatized. i’m in the hospital all the time, i bring up almost all the things ive seen specialists for but it’s never enough to be admitted and taken seriously. when i have been admitted, i ended up being told to seek therapy to deal with my fibro pain. i also have to be retested for lupus as my flare up symptoms are worsening. i feel like im in hell every moment of the day and this is just one tiny part of my daily symptoms. i don’t know how this can ever get better and every time i fall asleep i get scared im gonna die in my sleep. this is common for people on seroquel but for me it feels more certain. and psychologically im not all there anymore.

They said the lab was made to look like a hotel room. Am I gonna be able to take my sleep meds? I won’t sleep if I can’t.

Hi guys, whats the best setup for someone with chronic nasal congestion. Full-Face Mask with an Auto-CPAP (APAP) or not? F30i or F20...

I'm relatively new to CPAP, bee on it since July. I started with a rented Resmed Cpap and have now switched to a Philips Apap which I find a lot better. The one down side is that I now have the dreamwear nasal cushions which are causing soreness in my septum, which is painful enough to disturb my sleep. While looking for a solution the main answer seems to be adjusting the tightness of the mask. I did notice that a lot of people mention vaseline, but I have been told that vaseline can damage the silicon and that a water based saline cream is recommended. Any other advise ?

So a little background I'm 24 6'1" 193lbs I'd say I'm pretty healthy for the most part I lift weights 4x a week I don't smoke or drink anymore. I've been struggling with sleep for years. I had issues with sleeping as a teen and took trazodone for a few years to help (don't take any medication anymore or want to). I'd say for about 7ish years I've had terrible snoring I would stop breathing/gasp for air and I wake up usually 5-6 times a night and only sleep for maybe 1-2 hours at a time. I finally took an at home sleep study in January and have mild to moderate sleep apnea with an AHI of 8.9. I bought an APAP machine and used it for about 2 months with zero difference besides feeling somewhat worse in the morning. A lot of nights it's hard to breathe because my nose feels plugged up. I just recently went to see and ENT and he mentioned I have very large tonsils and enlarged turbinates and told me to try out Afrin to "mimic" the turbinate reduction which did help with breathing but didn't affect my sleep at all. I'm going to see another ENT who specializes in sleep medicine and get another opinion on what I should do. After looking into it I feel that it possibly might be my large tonsils that are causing the SA or the main factor in it and hopefully having them removed could fix it or at the very least make APAP more beneficial. Any advice is greatly appreciated thanks!

I’ve had central sleep apnea here and there but nothing like what I’m experiencing now. I got the flu a week ago and that’s when this started. It’s so severe I stop breathing every single stop I drift off and haven’t slept in a week. I went to ER for the flu and told them about this but they didn’t care. I’m so scared. Anyone else have it this severe? And if so what helped you? I’m so confused on why I got it like this from the flu?

When traveling more than a week how do you clean your accessories? At home I do a soapy warm water soak, which likely won’t be an option on the road .

For reference, I'm 25M, 6'0" 186 lbs., 15-16% BF, with a 17" neck. Not sure what else is useful. I attached a list of symptoms in a document as well. Broadly, I have a moderate sleep apnea diagnosis (15.2 AHI, 17.3), and no insomnia diagnosis. I had an in-lab sleep study last Tuesday night, where I only slept 2.5 hours due to a BiPAP titration after a wakeup, where I couldn't fall back asleep.

Beyond this, I have been utterly confounded by a recent development since March of this year, where my sleep duration has steadily declined from 7 hours and 19 minutes per day to 6 hours and 28 minutes this October. Lately, nights were quite bad, at 4.5-6.5 hours, and the two medications I started last week have seemed to help, albeit with massive drowsiness during the day.

Importantly, nobody seems to know why this is going on. My theory is that since I came back from a shoulder surgery last year and started lifting again, my rapid muscle gain literally demanded too much oxygen for my underlying SDB to handle, so I ended up getting flow limitations and apneas/hypopneas/RERAs that woke me up. I have the best physique of my life, and the worst sleep.

I've tried so much to fix it too, as the document shows. I really don't think switching to BiPAP or ASV really matters all that much, and I don't think MAD is good for me because I have jaw clicking. I really want to avoid jaw surgery, and my palate is a normal width, so expansion isn't indicated. In the meantime, I am having a horrid QOL. My brain is fried, I am getting ED because of the SDB that is killing my chances of relationships, I am so tired all the time, I am damn near anhedonic because of it, and I just have no real desire to do much of anything anymore. Are there any actual, unconventional solutions that I can try that aren't insanely expensive or invasive?

Hi everyone,

CPAP hasn't worked for me after several masks.

Anyone switched to a custom MAD?

I've been on CPAP for a while and tried a few different masks, but I just can't use it consistently.

My doctor recommended a custom mandibular advancement device, which I'm leaning towards since I already wear a night guard for grinding.

For anyone who's made the switch, did it actually help? How long did it take to get used to, and did you have jaw soreness at first?

The quote I got is about $3,400 CAD, and my insurance won't cover it since it already paid for my CPAP.

I've started a GoFundMe to help with the cost as i feel wearing this as well as my cpap mask will help.

Thanks

Mike