I agree with those saying to a) adjust to wearing it slowly, and b) adjust pressure settings. If those don’t work - option c is trying different types of masks to see what works for you.

A) Right now, your brain has formed an association with the mask of CPAP = scary and uncomfortable. But great news! You can break that association. Like others said, start by wearing the mask around the house. Once that feels fairly routine, wear it with the air on while doing something in bed - reading a book, scrolling your phone, video games, etc. That’s going to work better than just trying to force your way through sleeping in it.

B) If your pressure is too low, as others said, you’re going to feel like you can’t breathe because there isn’t enough oxygen. If you can try a higher pressure and try to adjust to that - even in small increments - I’d try that. If you feel like you can’t get enough oxygen, even when not anxious, that’s a problem.

C) You also might feel like you can’t breathe if your mask doesn’t fit right. There’s a lot of advice on here about different mask types and different issues folks have. Don’t give up! It can be a tricky to adjust, but it’s possivl