Anyone have any suggestions for a comfortable CPAP Mask?

Page 1 of 1 [ 5 posts ] 

Fireflyx76
Emu Egg
Emu Egg

Joined: 1 Aug 2018
Age: 48
Gender: Male
Posts: 2

01 Aug 2018, 9:17 am

Hi, I had to get a CPAP about 6 months ago and despite 2 masks and with the 1 mask, 2 different types of nose pieces, I still have a terrible time staying asleep with the mask on. I either wake up very stressed and can't get back to sleep or I rip the mask off my face while I'm still sleeping. I don't snore and I sleep on my stomach with my head turned to the side so a hard mask, or a full faced mask is probably not the best option for me. I'm currently using a Philips Resperonics Dreamwear Mask with a nasal pillow that has "ports" that go slightly up into the nostrils (lots of fun!)

I wanted to know if there were others on here who have to use a CPAP/BiPAP machine and if so, which mask worked best for them if you take into account the position I sleep in, and that I don't need a full face mask?

Oh, I might as well add that all of this is WITH medication to help make me fall asleep, stay asleep, and help keep me relaxed. lol

Thanks!



jimmy m
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 30 Jun 2018
Age: 76
Gender: Male
Posts: 9,537
Location: Indiana

01 Aug 2018, 10:23 am

Sorry. I cannot help you with picking out the ideal CPAP mask. I did have sleep apnea and my snoring was so loud it would keep my wife awake all night long. She was a light sleeper. Five years ago I underwent RNY gastric bypass surgery to lose weight. I had been tested by a professional prior to surgery and they indicated that I had sleep apnea and recommended a CPAP. But I declined because I figured the weight loss surgery would correct the problem and indeed it did. That was over 5 years ago and the sleep apnea is gone. After the surgery, I remember sometimes waking up in the middle of the night and finding my wife hovering over me. I asked her what she was doing and she said "I thought you were dead and I was trying to determine if you were still breathing".


_________________
Author of Practical Preparations for a Coronavirus Pandemic.
A very unique plan. As Dr. Paul Thompson wrote, "This is the very best paper on the virus I have ever seen."


Tawaki
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 30 Sep 2011
Age: 60
Gender: Female
Posts: 1,439
Location: occupied 313

02 Aug 2018, 9:32 pm

https://www.easybreathe.com/Amara-View- ... s8QAvD_BwE

I use this when my asthma is bad. It doesn't cover your mouth and nose like a regular face mask.

I sleep on my side, and the hard plastic bottom doesn't seem to bother my TMJ.

How high are your pressures? This will handle 4.0 mmH20 to 15.0 mmH20 per my doctor.

I use nasal pillows most of the time. I have wound up sleep on my stomch with the above face mask and it didn't bother me.



EyeDash
Deinonychus
Deinonychus

User avatar

Joined: 14 Nov 2013
Age: 67
Gender: Male
Posts: 328
Location: Colorado

02 Aug 2018, 9:44 pm

I use a Fisher and Paykel Simplus 400HC585 mask. It covers both nose and mouth and is pretty easy to adjust. And it's simple to put on and take off without changing the adjustable straps. It took me a couple of weeks to get used to it and it was critical to get the adjustments right, otherwise it would make all sorts of hissing noises or be uncomfortable. Now after a year or so I'm so used to it that not to wear it would be very awkward - I tend to have repetitive behaviors. I also found that the humidifier was really helpful.
Here is a link: https://mms.mckesson.com/product/871054 ... l-400HC585



Fireflyx76
Emu Egg
Emu Egg

Joined: 1 Aug 2018
Age: 48
Gender: Male
Posts: 2

05 Aug 2018, 2:48 pm

Thanks for the replies. FYI, my pressure is currently 12, but my script says I can up it to 13 if needed. I am using a Resmed Dreamwear and I like the overall mask, it's just that the 2 nose attachments I have haven't worked for me. I'm at month 7 on a CPAP and still am lucky to get over 3h on it. I tried the most comfortable piece, which is the "trough" like part that just sits under your nose but it leaks like crazy. I also tried an attachment for the same mask that has the small "prongs" that go slightly up into the nostrils. The Asperger's loves that!

For the first "over the face mask, I can actually get one of those for the Dreamwear mask. It is very similar. As for the 2nd mask I've already tried an almost identical style and it just didn't work with my head on its side on the pillow. I'm currently testing out a Resmed AirFit N20 (think I got that right) and it isn't bad but I'm not used to the hose coming out of the nose, or the air hitting the whole nose straight on. Also for some reason the "gear" that goes around your face has a section that is like a bendable, but still fairly hard plastic and isn't nearly as comfortable as the Dreamwear mask. I actually plan to contact Resmed after the holidays and tell them they need to make that nose piece for the Dreamwear if they want to have a real winner on their hands.

I do use the humidifier since I'll wake up dry as a bone if I don't.

So, 7 months of pretty much nightly use, several trial masks, a couple of different attachments, and medication, and I still usually get between 2 and 3.5h on the CPAP. The amount of improvement over those months has been very slow and often has times where I end up doing worse then when I started.

I knew this would be a hard adjustment but I didn't expect to be where I'm at after 7 months of use. :(