Problems and Solutions for Sleep Apnea Masks

Even though sleep apnea masks help people all over the world sleep better every night, many apnea patients have trouble with their masks or machines, especially when acclimating themselves to new products. Three of the most common problems are skin irritation, bloating, and dry air irritation, and fortunately all of these can be solved.

Skin irritation occurs in patients whose CPAP masks are too tight—so tight, in fact, that they leave red marks on wearers' faces. To solve this problem, begin by loosening the straps on your mask. If this doesn't help, you may have to replace your mask with a larger model.

Sleep apnea patients may also become bloated, a condition which actually occurs from swallowing too much air at night. To prevent this, experts recommend experimenting with different sleeping positions, particularly on your side, to note how it effects your breathing. Even something as simple as adding or removing a pillow can make a difference.

Last, dry air irritation occurs as a natural symptom of the air from sleep apnea machines, which is technically classified as an irritant. Dry air irritation can manifest itself in the form of chapped lips, sore throat, or even nosebleeds. Wearing chapstick to bed will help a little, but to really address this problem you need to invest in a humidifier to attach to your CPAP machine (or a machine with a built-in humidifier).