Your mask is half the battle.

At Yes CPAP, we've walked with hundreds of sleep apnea sufferers, and discovered that most new users, ourselves included, feel most comfortable with a compact, low profile mask such as the Philips Dreamwear Silicone Pillows Mask.  In fact, we estimate that 70% of our patients go on to successful CPAP therapy using this mask.  The remaining 30% tend to do well on the Philips Dreamwisp mask (for those with larger heads and higher pressure needs, somewhere in the range of 15cm H2O and above).  

• Best CPAP mask for most beginners, with good price to performance ratio
• Very comfortable frame and reduces leaks
• I use this myself. 
• Comes with M frame which fits most people.
• Comes with 4 nose piece sizes - S, M, L and MW (Medium Wide). You will most likely find one that fits you.
• Carbon dioxide vent on nose piece may produce gentle constant “air escape” audio that might irritate a small minority of people.  For those who are concerned about this, another similar mask is recommended - Resmed p30i.
• Updated headgear design - headframe now loops away from the ears
• Silicone material at nosepiece should last longer than previous generation Dreamwear Gel Pillows mask. 
• Average lifespan of a new CPAP mask is around 6 months, before giving way to poor seal and "melty" / gooey frames.

Other Recommendations

• People with larger heads would benefit from the Resmed P30i mask, or the Philips Dreamwisp Mask.