Hi USMCCAM...I am pretty new at this but I can tell you what helped me with the suffocating feeling. While many people like the ramp feature which on my machine starts at 4 (they gave me 45 minutes to fall asleep) and then it progressed to 6, I felt like I wasn't getting enough air. I don't use the ramp and just start at 6 pressure and it is very comfortable. That way I haven't spent 45 minutes struggling to breathe and getting anxious and frustrated. I also went to the medium size pillows for my mask which is one size up from the small that I started with. I loosened my mask and it does not leak. All this made the breathing much more comfortable. I hope this helps in some way.

CeCe55