My CPAP nightmare last night...

Ok I'll start off by saying.. I'm not sick or suffereing from allergies. Not yesterday, not today.. not any time recently. I'm also pre-op.

So last night I wake up in the middle of the night gasping for air and coughing like I had just swallowed water. I even had that feeling in my nose like I had just snorted water. My throat today still has that weird water/cough feeling as if I inhaled water.

Then after waking up I proceded to go into a sneezing fit.. I just layed in bed sneezing one after another for almost 30 minutes. My nose was so stopped up I thought I was getting sick, and couldn't put the cpap back on because I couldn't breathe.

I have been using it for about a week now, and I wake up every night with some kind of issue. First it was dry mouth, so then I used the water vapor, and now this. I'm wondering if I'm still opening my mouth and need a chin strap?

Any advice?

Does your CPAP mask cover your mouth as well as your nose?  My mouth frequently opens while sleeping so I went with the full mask.   Even with the water vapor I still get an occasional dry mouth but it's much better than with just a nose mask.

Is the humidity adjustable on your machine? The respiratory therapist told me that as we get into the more humid months that the humidity level will need to be lower. She said when it's too high people say their face feels wet. Maybe you need to try sitting in bed for a bit with it on and try different humidity levels? I keep my humidity level high in the winter (around 5.5 out of 6) and it keeps me from getting that dry throat feeling. Just sharing my experience with it...could be the mouth thing.

Sounds like you have a gremlin in your humidifier chamber.  Seriously, did the dial on your humidifier get turned up accidentially? (My cat has done this before) Have you recently started using your air conditioner? I know I need less moisture when the central air is on or it is humid outside.  Doesn't sound like an open mouth issue either.  I am having dry mouth and know it is because I am opening my mouth.  Didn/t have this trouble 60 pounds ago and have already had my pressure reduced.  I would like to use my mask that covers both nose & mouth but it doesn't fit anymore.  I suggest clean everything including the water chamber (I am assuming you have one).  Start again with fresh water and new/clean filters.  Put the humidifier setting on #1.  If it happens again, you probably have a gremlin and need to call your cpap supplier to come and shoo it out.  Good Luck, hope you sleep better tonight!

As per the above posts; Humidity and possibly you are opening your mouth.   The three things I have learned, in my 8 years of CPAP now APAP, are; (1) time using CPAP with a proper fitting nose mask and a chin strap to keep my mouth closed  (2) adding humidity and (3) taking Fluticasone Propinate nightly, its a prescription steroid, that does not make your nasal passage dependent upon it to stay open and does help me keep my air wave open under all conditions, day after day, year after year... (they give me that generic but, I think the big brand name is Flonaze)   I don't have allergies either, that I know of and I found this stuff helped smooth everything out, over 6 of those 8 years of experience with CPAP.... I have gone from 13 pressure to a low of 7 now.... I hope I can get off of it by the time I hit my goal weight...

 I had similar issues when I started cpap last fall.  My nose just seemed to get stopped up using cpap, also nose felt cold.  They changed the tubing to climate line tubing and nasonex for nose.  I was told it was rainout - too much moisture in they hose/ tube, the new tubing really helped.  In addition I also added a hose cover, it really helped.  I also agree with other suggestions about adjusting humidity.

You may have too much humidity.  Also, make sure your hose droops low in the middle in between the machine and your nose, so the excess moisture collects at the bottom of the loop.  Make sense?  I have heated tubing, which eliminates this problem, but I did hook one of those 3M stick-on hooks above my bed, and I loop a hair band around the tubing to hang it on the hook, which allows a good angle from the tubing to my mask/nose.  I don't know if this makes sense, or not. 

I find that I need to change things up sometimes for no reason except tolerance.  I use nasal pillows, and am square in the middle between Small and Medium.  I find that sometimes the small works better, and sometimes the medium works better.  If I use the small, I need more humidity, the medium requires less humidity. 

I sailed along great with my nasal pillows for the first 6 months or so, but after I lost weight and my triple chins, I found that I needed a chin strap. 

Shhh...  don't tell anyone, but I also adjust my own pressure, depending on my AHI rate.  Sometimes I use 9 and sometimes 10. 

I love my CPAP, but once it a while I have to make some adjustments to maximize my comfort.