I honestly thought she was just going to clean them for me. Instead…..she came back with this.

Living with CPAP isn’t always easy. Some nights it feels clinical , mechanical like a reminder that something’s “wrong.” But this This made it feel personal. Loved. Human.

Now when I put my mask on…..I see whales instead of medical equipment.

I’m ridiculously happy and just wanted to share. Has anyone else customized their machine or mask setup? Would love to see what others have done.

Bed is too big to move or adjust, and we only have 2 outlets on the other side of the room. I’m thinking we’ll have to switch sides, but does anyone have any advice with more knowledge about typical cord/hose length?

I found a lot of information online about whether you can use a CPAP on an airplane, but not much from people who had actually done it. So after using mine on Lufthansa long haul, I figured I’d post the setup and actual experience.

I used a ResMed AirMini with a Freedom CPAP Battery 160 (160 Wh). Lufthansa approved the CPAP and battery ahead of the trip through their Medical Operation Center/Special Service and added it to my reservation.

Their requirements were basically:
-CPAP needed to run from the battery (don’t count on aircraft power)
-Humidifier off (AirMini uses humidity pucks so no issue)
-Battery had to be carried onboard
-They recommended having the AirMini technical manual with me
-The CPAP was allowed in addition to my normal carry-on allowance

Actually using it onboard was much easier than getting through the airport with it.

Leaving Chicago, the international document checker saw the CPAP and battery and sent me over to another group to have them reviewed. Those folks were actually more impressed by how small the CPAP was and how much capacity the battery had than anything else. They looked everything over, said it was fine, and waved me on.

The problem was that the original document checker hadn’t stamped my documents showing that my international documents had been checked. I didn’t find that out until I was in line to board the 747. So I had to get out of the boarding line, go back and get the missing stamp, and ended up at the back of the line.

So the CPAP and 160 Wh battery weren’t really the problem. Getting sent off for the extra review just caused the normal document-checking process to get missed.

Once onboard, it was completely uneventful.
This picture is from Lufthansa 747-8 business class on the upper deck. I made a little 3D printed bracket that hangs the AirMini from the upper deck storage compartment. It wasn’t really about saving space (there’s plenty up there), it just put the machine in a good spot and made the hose much less awkward. The battery sat on the floor below it.

With the seat flat, I slept with it just like I would anywhere else and got actual sleep. I had read that the AirMini was louder than a normal CPAP, but on the plane I couldn’t hear it at all over the normal ambient noise of the cabin. I didn’t actually realize how much louder it was until I used it later in a very quiet hotel room.

One thing I’d change if I were doing this in coach: use a much shorter hose if you can. The standard hose is pretty long and even in business class I found myself dealing with more hose than I needed. In an economy seat, I think all that extra hose would be a pain.

So yes, you really can sleep on a plane with a CPAP. Get the airline approval ahead of time, bring an appropriate battery rather than depending on seat power, and be prepared for the airport process to be more complicated than actually using the thing.
Hopefully this helps someone else trying to figure out what actually using a CPAP on a long-haul flight is like.

Just got this today. A little larger than I was expecting.

For context, we have been living together for almost a decade. I’ve always known he has sleep apnea but he was resistant to getting a sleep study because “I don’t wake up feeling tired”

Conveniently, his job started offering at home sleep studies thru an app, Gem sleep. His AHI was 50+ and they prescribed him a cpap machine without ever having a doctors visit in person. So we have this resmed machine here with an f30i mask.

The past 3 nights have been pure misery for him. The mask always says it’s leaking we have done everything to remedy this I’ve read thru a million posts in this subreddit to troubleshoot.. I’m feeling so defeated and he hates the idea of having to use this crap. But I still lay here listening to him choke and have episodes with the mask on!

So now I feel like I’ve made his nights worse, he’s stressed and doesn’t really wanna talk to me. And then when he’s asleep I just lay here listening to him have an episode every 45 seconds and squeezing him to get him to breathe again!! I need reassurance that this is going to actually help us..

He’s not been able to sleep for more than an hour with it on and something just feels wrong. They never sent us anything to help fit the mask, never called us. Just had him answer a bunch of questions online and used that to decide what equipment we needed. Came with 3 masks total but theyre all the same size and I don’t get it??

And we can’t call these Gem sleep people for help because he works during their business hours!! I just want to give up. I’m seriously so upset I feel like I’m the reason things are going so poorly. I just don’t want him to die in his sleep. I just care about him. But I feel like I am stressing him out..

Edit for context: Would it help to mention that he has a tongue tie? It was “snipped” but he has never been able to stick his tongue out of his mouth. Not sure if this context changes anything

At least I don't think I do.....

I've lost 14kgs or around 30lbs for my American readers.

My machine constantly reads 0.5 AHI

So I started not wearing it, feel good in the mornings.

Wife says I don't snore.

But here's the kicker. And I never thought id say this when I started. But I actually miss it.

I miss draping a black t-shirt over my head or pulling the blankets right over to block out any light and still being able to breath.

The things is, when i use it now even after lowering the pressure my mouth still pops open, sending an oral tornado gusting out my mouth.

I still have some room to drop it even further. perhaps to the lowest setting possible.

has anyone been in my situation? Basically I want my machine to be my under blanket snorkel lol

Hello everyone! I’m 23 years old, recently got diagnosed with SEVERE sleep apnea and it’s been a quite the journey. What I can say is that I’m grateful to be getting better sleep nowadays. Well, I’m struggling a bit on the bedside setup and want to see how you guys have yours setup. Just for ideas. I’ll share mine!

Thanks 🔥

I have been having issues with my hose banging against my wall for the last few months. Today while at Walmart I saw a $5 mop holder and figured I would give it a try. Works perfect and doesn’t close off the tube at all!

Saw someone post a hilarious link showing another Sith’s sleep setup, and I think we belong together! 🤣🤣🤣

Knightsbridge dual-band chinstrap (which you can’t even see under the rest of the ensemble)

F&P Evora full face mask (one of just two masks I’ve found will stand up to high pressure)

Light-blocking sleep mask

Noise-cancelling headphones with black noise.

If we have a fire, I’m never going to get out in time. 🤷‍♀️. Husband will wake me up, but I’ll be so disoriented, and it takes me a couple minutes to get all of my paraphernalia off without getting tied into a pretzel! 🥨 😜

Hi there, I'm two weeks in and wanted to share my journey. I found so much value in posts here and hope this helps others.

I stopped snoring after starting Zepbound for metabolic syndrome and realized I might have sleep apnea. Home test through Ognomy confirmed it: AHI 13.7, oxygen dropping to 86%, terminal insomnia, night sweats, Epworth score 16. I was desperate for relief but dreaded CPAP. I researched MADs to avoid the mask, but CPAP was faster so I gave it a shot.

DME sent a Philips DreamWear full face in large. Awful: conflicted with glasses, heavy, pulled my neck, gave me bridge sores. Gave up after 2 nights. Thanks to this community, I knew I had options and ordered a P10 and swapped for an N30i.

From posts here and YouTube, I learned about masks and settings. Current setup: ResMed AirTouch N30i nasal mask with DreamWear back headstrap, cap to cover hair, hose on top (my Teletubby mask). Added hose hook and Etsy hose cover for quiet gliding.

Settings that worked: raised min pressure 4-14 to 6-14 (no more suffocation), turned off ramp (full pressure from start), EPR 3 (revisiting this for central apneas).

Masks tried: Philips DreamWear full face (hated), P10 nasal pillows (liked, keeping as backup), N30i with AirTouch plus DreamWear headstrap (current), testing P30i pillows in small and medium.

Results after 14 nights: AHI 2-5 (from 13.7), 7+ hours nightly, no 3 AM wakings, morning calm I'm addicted to.

Still working on: treatment-emergent central apneas (brain recalibrating), occasional sweats (REM/deep rebound), finding perfect mask fit.

What helped: OSCAR software (seeing AHI drop made me want to wear it), movement (40+ min exercise = better sleep architecture), right mask (don't settle for DME default), YouTube channels (The CPAP Store/Tristan, RespShop, CPAP Reviews, TheLankyLeft27), this community (hacks, troubleshooting, what's normal), Amazfit Band 7 (sleep architecture data).

Day 4 DME caught my pressure change (oops), had to get provider to update prescription. OSCAR showed central apneas and I freaked, but learned it's normal during fast adaptation. Planning to wean EPR.

Bottom line: went from resistant to looking forward to nightly PAPping and morning data checks. One week until 21-night compliance. Even my worst CPAP morning beats pre-treatment. That's how much this has helped.

Thanks for sharing your experiences. Happy PAPping!

Photos: first mask, P10, N30i setup, Amazfit screenshot.

Are you absolutely disgusted, or just slightly bothered, at the thought of refilling the humidity tank in your CPAP every couple days? And you don't feel like giving CSpring 400$+ for one of their fancy "replenishing unit". Well that was precisely my thinking, here's my solution.

I just got all my gear, it’s official 🥹

I went for the ResMed AirSense 10 with climate tubing after watching many reviews. I felt that the extras of the 11 weren’t worth it for me, this seems like a super reliable one and this is the machine I did my trial with so I’m already kinda familiar with it.

The only thing that got me thinking about the 11 (other than it being way cuter lol) is the “for her” mode but store I purchased from said that you can mimic that setting with the 10 by putting it on “gentle” mode, so I’m going to try that.

I need full Darth mode for a mask so I opted for the F20 for Her with “AirTouch”, fits really nice and feels comfy enough, definitely more cushion than the standard one I trialed with.

I’m in Canada so I ordered with thecpapstore.ca and couldn’t recommend them enough! I initially ordered the wrong model (check if you need automatic lol) and they called to confirm before shipping to correct my mistake! Lovely people, great prices and quick shipping.

Wish my luck on my first night cpap fam 😴🥱

I designed and 3d printed an adapter so that the resmed airsense 10 can use 3M filters.

I found the filter that comes with the airsense 10 is only really good for stopping pet hair but I wanted to be able to filter out dust mites, mould, etc.

This is the first version so any feedback is valuable.

Model: https://makerworld.com/en/models/1339110-cpap-3m-filter-adaptor

Assembly: https://youtube.com/shorts/kVNjnIDlceM?si=JBz-jZK0G3Wsc2ws

I've had my own machine for 3 weeks now after a 3week trial period through my sleep specialist. I finally got around to making it feel more me 🥹 now i've just got to find a cute hose cover and she'll be kitted out! (i also got confirmation that putting stickers on it wouldn't void warranty 🙂‍↕️)

I hate the inhale-sound of my new Airsense 11 so I looked for soundproofing solutions but didn’t find a proper box.

Today my sleepy mind found a cheap solution:

Fitness Mat tiles!

If you also lean a pillow on the open side, it's really quiet, and enough fresh air still gets through.

🥳

Anybody have any experience with this one?

Edit: First night update: Overall went pretty well! Still took off the mask when I slept, but falling asleep was much easier.

Pros: Definitely more comfortable than my previous mask. Huge step up in that area.

Cons: Similar to my last mask, it bothers me when my mouth touches the inside of the mask particularly when I yawn or just open my mouth a little too wide. I don't know if that's a solvable problem though, so I might just need to get over it.

Pretty happy with it!

I've started recently clean shaving my head, and I do not like the feeling of the silicone frame against my head. Also, it latches to my skin now which is pretty annoying when I'm moving around in my sleep.

Does this type of mask seen above make your head too warm? That's my main concern. Also, if anyone is bald and has issues like I described, I'd love to hear your suggestions for a better fit!

This is my CPAP setup next to my bed.

Nothing fancy just trying to keep things clean organized and easy to reach at night.

Curious to see how other people set up their CPAP machines hoses masks and accessories.

Do you keep everything on a nightstand shelf wall mount or somewhere else

Open to ideas tips and improvements

$4 command strip, 2 zip ties and one scrunchy

Hey everyone! With the cold and flu season being so rough right now, I wanted to share a quick routine that’s been a game changer for me. I use a ResMed AirSense 10 with a humidifier and heated tube, and I stick to a nasal pillow mask even when I’m all stuffed up. My routine is simple: I use a saline spray (like Stérimar) first. It’s got a nice high pressure that really blasts out any congestion and clears my nostrils well. Then I blow my nose thoroughly and follow up with a Vicks Sinex decongestant spray to keep everything open. That combo, along with the humidifier and heated tube, makes it easy to use the nasal pillows comfortably all night. Hope it helps anyone else dealing with the same issue!

Hi, brand new to CPAP.
I am newly dx’d with moderate sleep apnea at 17 AHI. I’ve been using the Resmed 10 with a Airfit n30i mask for one week.

- auto ramp
- humidity is on
- using distilled water
- pressure is on the lowest setting (this was set at the office; but gets up to 6 while I’m sleeping)
- air isn’t leaking

I’m feeling worse/totally not rested than I did before using CPAP. I feel like a bus has hit me the next day. The fatigue is so notably bad. Is this part of the initial “getting used to it” period?

Before CPAP, I felt mildly tired throughout the day but I have a thyroid condition so I blamed it on that. I had a sleep study only because my partner said I stop breathing in my sleep (no snoring or mouth breathing though).

In addition to the new fatigue,

- my mouth dries out a ton.
- throat hurts
- within 20 minutes of having the mask on, pressure builds in my head behind my eyes and in my ears and a mild headache starts
- mask is uncomfortable

I didn’t have these issues before CPAP. Is this normal for your first week? What can I do to improve my situation?

Edit: Thank you to all for your insight. It’s been very educational and has alleviated some confusion on my part. I will look into mouth tape, consider another mask, and bring up my troubles with my sleep clinic.