There are pillows designed for CPAP - they look really odd with various divots, but they really help side-sleepers as they support your head, but don’t push your mask off. Places like cpap.com and Bed Bath & Beyond sell them.
Thanks! Side sleeping is much more comfortable for me so if a new pillow will help it’s worth checking out for sure.
I’ve had to settle with sleeping only on my back, which after a few weeks didn’t bother me, but it was an adjustment.
It really does.
I use nasal pillows and the only problem is what to do with all the time. I went from 10-11 hours a night of terrible sleep to just 5 hours and I feel better than ever. Been using one for almost 6 years.
I’m with you on finding the lower pressures annoying. Some people benefit from them because they find the high pressures too hard to breathe against when they first put it on, that’s why they built in the ramp feature. The ramp feature can be modified (changing the starting pressure or the ramp time) or turned off completely – either your DME can do it for you (sometimes remotely or by sending you a new card, sometimes they have to manually do it) or you can google for instructions for your specific model of CPAP. I **HIGHLY ** recommend that you do not mess with your regular pressure (too low and it’s not effective, too high and it can cause another type of apneas) by yourself, but adjusting/turning off your ramp feature is something that’s completely up to you.
I personally find the nasal mask to be better as a side sleeper, but everyone is different. I us the Mirage Activa LT – which was supposedly designed for active sleepers, so it’s built to move around a bit.
Are your leaks around the bottom corners or up into your eyes? I tend to set the top adjustments on my headgear to a point that’s comfortably tight without giving me a headache, then use my bottom adjustments to control leaks – a little tighter if it’s leaking from the bottom, a little looser if it’s leaking up into my eyes.
By my regular pressure I assume you mean the 12 that it eventually ramps up to? When I turn on the machine it actually starts at 12 but I hit the “ramp” button that turns it down to 5 and sets it for the slow increase to 12. Maybe I’ll try leaving it at 12 right off the hop and see what happens.
The leaks are almost always around one side of the bottom or the other. I only have leaks around the eye area when I’ve been trying to re-set the bottom straps (for leaking there). I swear though my morning headaches are from pressure changes - as in a “I feel a thunder storm coming” way, ya know? Is that possible? Maybe I’m just not used to that much air while I sleep.
Been CPAPing for 3 years. First machine was set at 15. I got an AutoCPAP last year. It delivers a 10. Set from 8-15. So the non auto was too high and I had leaks and whistles. The auto works a lot better.
There are many types of masks and you shouldn’t have to settle for the first one they give you. I was allowed to try a variety of masks, but because I am an side/stomach sleeper, a mask with nasal pillows was my preference and I still use one (although a different one) after 6 years.
I believe, without any cites, that the insurance companies just push the cheapest type of mask to you, but that with a little pressure, would give you something a bit better even though it might cost them more.
Make sure you complain to your sleep therapist about the mask and even if it is the correct one, it might need some adjustment or tightening.
This is going to make you feel so much better, but you needn’t be uncomfortable, and being unable to sleep isn’t going to help at all.
ETA: Oh, yeah, I just found out that my insurance covers periodic replacement of all CPAP items (possible with the exception of the machine itself). Make sure you understand this and replace the filters, hoses, etc. as often as allowed (and as you can afford them).
Bob
I second what others have said, Try different masks till you find one you like.
Buy a Auto CPAP machine, they are the best.
[QUOTE=urban1a]
ETA: Oh, yeah, I just found out that my insurance covers periodic replacement of all CPAP items (possible with the exception of the machine itself). Make sure you understand this and replace the filters, hoses, etc. as often as allowed (and as you can afford them).
[/QUOTE]
Just as a rough guideline, my insurance (BCBS) covers replacement mask cushions (the part that actually touches your face or goes into your nose) and filters every two weeks, hoses and mask frames every three months and headgear (the straps that hold it all on your head) and humidifier tanks every six months. The DME is in the business of selling these things, so they (mine, at least) have no problems pushing the stuff out on schedule. About two and a half months after I got the machine, they called to confirm what mask I was using, then a box of stuff arrived a few days later.
I’ve been at 100% coverage since March this year, so the machine and all of the supplies have been “free” to me so far. I don’t know what the costs will be next year once I’m back to having to meet the deductible and annual out of pocket maximum at the sual 80/20 split.
I found out through my husband’s work coverage I can replace everything pretty much but the actual machine every 6 months. I also have 30 days to keep trying different masks, which is handy. I think I’ll try a different one to see the difference. I can also get a heated tube to warm the air but frankly, about the only thing I DO like right now about this is the cool air on my face. Does anyone have the warmed air feature and does it make any kind of big difference?
The idea isn’t to warm the air just for the sake of breathing warm air, but to prevent a phenomenon called rainout, where water will condense out of the air and in extreme cases, make a bit of a gurgle or even a clog if there’s a loop in the hose. More often, you just get a wet nose, depending on how your hose runs. Whether or not you’ll have rainout depends on the room temperature and humidity, the humidity level you select on the machine and the air pressure. Some people without fancy newer machines and hoses just wrap the hose in a fleece wrapper to insulate it if they’re bothered with rainout.
I’m another Swift FX nasal pillow user. I started with an “over the nose” mask for the first month and really didn’t like it. I’m something of a chronic nose scratcher and it just annoyed the heck out of me. When I switched to the FX, it took about a week to get used to and frankly I was surprised that I could even do it. When I had my sleep test done, the part that I hated the most was the nasal cannula. (sp)
Now it’s about 2-3 years later and I’m unrealistically proud of my 100% compliance rate. It does get better. I still wake up in the night and roll over and have to move the hose and readjust my mask several times but it’s totally worth it given the quality of sleep that I’m now getting.
The other thing that I like is that if I wake up in the middle of the night and find myself sweating, I can take my mask off and point it at my face and it’s instant cool down. Or, if it’s really cold in the bedroom (my wife is at the hot flash age), I can pull the covers completely over my head and it never gets stuffy under there. I am also totally safe from monsters.
Heh - I hide under my pillow and blanket all the time and really like that I have an external air source.