Does the CPAP Mask cause puffiness and dark circles under your eyes?

Hello @cece55, There are many causes of waking with puffiness and dark circles under the eyes. You can research that. The last thing I read was drinking too much water before bed causes the liquid to build up underneath your eyes--not sure if I buy into that. Personally, due to allergies and heredity, I have always had under-eye puffiness and dark circles. I hate it. If I had to guess, I would not blame the mask. That being said, previous masks and even the nasal pillows I use now squeeze my face into an ugly, puffy looking shape. With masks, I have had problems waking up with creases on my face in the mask area and other areas, and masks sometimes contort your face so maybe pressure pushed upward toward my eyes. Sleep docs and respiratory therapists will tell you that it is not good to strap your mask too tight and that a tiny bit of leakage is normal, but the leakage wakes me up and I spend the whole night adjusting my mask, quite counterproductive to a good night of sleep. I am curious about the heated tubing because I have never tried it, but if it is warm in Florida and you don't need the heated tubing, I personally would try exchanging for regular tubing (not medical advice, just what I would do.) Do you really need the heated tubing as in medically or because it is too cold breathing without it? I live in a house with no heat and very little insulation, so it gets nippy in the winter, but I have never been offered or needed heated tubing? What kind of machine do you have? I don't know about my previous machine, but it recently was replaced with a DreamStation Auto which has the option to turn on preheating of the humidifier tank, prior to use. That might help, depending on your machine. Honestly, I am more comfortable breathing cooler air. I need the humidity, but the heat feels suffocating to me, a bit of a dilemma.

The short answer to your question: I believe when I used full-face masks, I experienced some increased puffiness, but that was quite a while ago. Now, using the nasal pillows, I have not noticed any excessive puffiness but I don't always pay attention these days since I'm not working. I don't know if I helped you at all, but that is my story and I'm sticking to it. @johnbishop I know you have been stalking my posts. 😂😂 Do you have any issues with increased puffiness or dark circles under your eyes that you can trace to your mask? With all your mask issues, I think if anyone was going to help with this issue it could be you.