So, I’ve been using the CPAP for 6 weeks now. I noticed a difference after the first night, so I’m glad I’m on it. I have the full face mask. I was wondering how you guys deal with the discomfort of the mask itself; full face or nasal? More specifically, does anyone use any of the pillows designed for CPAP users? What about any other accessories?
I am not a CPAP user, but I have one of the pillows with the four corners. I sleep so much better not having to crush my pillow so my face doesn’t get buried.
My husband uses the nasal. He feels it’s much more comfortable than the face mask.
My husband has a CPAP (full mask) and uses it religiously. He uses a down pillow and smooshes it around to wherever he needs it. He does use a chin strap thingie that helps keep his mouth shut. That’s been an excellent addition, for his comfort and for mine (he’s much quieter when he wears the chin strap).
I use a full-face CPAP mask because I can’t breathe reliably through my nose all the time. I don’t have a real problem with the hose when I’m sleeping, so I haven’t tried one of the pillows. I tried one of those nose gel cushions to help with irritation but I couldn’t get it to stay in place. I would like to find a mask liner that would last more than one day at a time, since I hate to pay for disposable supplies, so if anyone knows of anything good out there, I’d be glad to hear about it.
On summary, I don’t think I’m helping the OP very much here. The only real problem I’ve had with my CPAP is with skin irritation on my face, and I have a lot more wrinkles in those areas than I think I would if I didn’t have to use a CPAP. Fortunately, I’ve never had any reason to be vain about my appearance so this hasn’t bothered me too much.
Roddy
Get a lightweight hose. The first hose I had was very heavy and would pull the mask loose at the slightest movement. Stay away from the disposable hose. It’s light but not very flexible.
If your current mask isn’t comfortable, try another. There are many different ones out there. My first and second masks weren’t doing it for me. The third was good, but the fourth was great. I use this nasal pillows mask. It stays on very well and is quite comfortable. Features I like about it are:
[ol]
[li]The hose attachment has a swivel mount in the center of the mask. I can lay on either side with no problem.[/li][li]The mask itself is just 3 pieces. It’s easy to disassemble for washing and easy to get back together. The straps fit only one way, too, making it that much less frustrating to reassemble.[/li][li]It has a clip on the top of the head strap you can run the hose through. When you move, the movement gets stopped at the top of your head and doesn’t tug on the mask. I tried using the clip but it made me too tall for the bed. It kept hitting on the headboard, hence the suggestion below.[/li][/ol]
Try spring clamps to mount the hose onto your headboard. The weight of the hose is supported by the clamps when the hose comes from above you as you sleep. I use three similar to #617 or #618 from the link. The clamp part goes on the headboard, the hose runs between the handles not the clamps. There’s some “give” on the hose when run like that. You can sit up without taking off your mask and the hose won’t snap your neck.
Please keep asking questions and good sleeping!
My mask has a swivel connector for the hose so I can sleep on either side, but I find myself pushing dents into my pillow for the mask to lay in. I also use a gel cushion on the bridge of my nose; I had a terrible blister the first few weeks.
I used a CPAP for a while a few years ago. I still have it, but gave up.
I had a nose-only mask. My problem: I could only really use it while laying on my back. If I lay on any other side, it was just awkward and clumsy. But I can’t lay comfortably on my back for more than a few minutes. And I’m a horribly restless sleeper. I can’t lay still in ANY postition for very long, and I toss and turn for hours before I fall asleep. I was never sure if CPAP was ever supposed to help with that in the first place.
I felt the CPAP was helpful, if only I could use it. I might still want to try it again. Any suggestions, specifically for what works for a restless person who tosses and turns a lot?
ETA: I might also have trouble breathing through my nose consistently. My nose gets stuffed up much of the time.
ETA some more: I’d like to have one that can be removed and put back on very easily, since I have to jump up to pee so many times in night. That was a problem too.
You definitely need to try a couple of different masks. One of the annoyances with my titration study - and a big part of why I no longer go to that practice - was that basically the tech handed me a mask and put it on me; no discussion of alternatives, the damn thing didn’t fit right, etc. It was a nasal mask, with a forehead bridge, every time I moved funny it leaked, etc.
When the CPAP unit itself was ordered, the DME employee brought it, and a selection of different masks, to my house. She brought out the Swift FX nasal pillow unit, saying she used it herself and most people who tried it didn’t even want to try a different model. I’ve been happy with it. The only downside is that because it’s so lightweight (and only 2 fairly light straps on the head), the weight of the hose can actually dislodge it a little. I’ve actually gotten in the habit of tucking it under my left arm (when I’m sleeping on my right side, with the CPAP on the nightstand, it’s behind me then). When I sleep on my right side, the angle is better and the hose weight doesn’t pull at it as much.
The thing I’m seriously considering trying is a chin strap. I tend to wind up sleeping on my back, and my mouth drops open. I’ve gotten myself trained to keep the back of my tongue up to prevent exhalation, but some still leaks out, causing me to produce intermittent lovely “Kskhhhkssskhhhhhhh” noises. Plus my mouth gets really dry.
I use a nasal mask, but since I sometimes breath through my mouth, I found that this chin strap helps me keep my mouth shut.
As for the comfort of the mask, I think you just need to do some trial and error with the tightness. I was told that having the mask tighter is not always better, because making it too tight can (somehow) cause air to leak.
For a while, I tried using this pillow. I had it turned on its side so that I could lay on my stomach with my face to the side, leaving room for the mask. I found this somewhat awkward, even though I prefer to sleep on my stomach. So although it was very hard to get used to, I started sleeping on my back. Yeah it sucks, but oh well, not much else I can do about it.
I just finally got a mask I can sleep with without pulling off halfway through the night. What a relief!
However, it hasn’t fixed my problem that I actually wake up several times a night to readjust the hose when I want to roll over. The hose is held up by my headboard. Any suggestions?
For a while I was sleeping in a position where the hose went up above my forehead and then around the underside of my pillow, to hold it in place. Then my husband reported that he was hearing a “leaking air” noise from the hose, and we found that lifting the hose higher eliminated this. It may also help with your situation…
First, Mr. Ipsum screwed a little hook into a piece of wood, which he attached to the headboard with zipties. I put a hair scrunchie through the hook, and put the hose through that. This lifts the hose above my head, and if you leave some slack in it, it might eliminate your need to re-adjust it.
We found that, when travelling, most hotel beds do not have a style of headboard that allows us to attach our makeshift hook. But then Mr. Ipsum came through again. He found this CPAP hose holder in a catalog. I bought it to use when travelling and it’s worked out very well.
A clip to attach it to your clothes or bedding?
I’ve considered getting one of these, actually.
Full face masks are awful and cause more people to be non-compliant due to all the issues of comfort, leaks, etc. If you can, try to switch to nasal pillows as suggested. I use the Swift LT. As for the hose pulling on the mask, the LT has a clip that attaches to the strap on the top of your head and a swivel on the hose connection to the mask. This really makes a big difference as it allows the hose to move with your head as you move. Since I have a Resmed S9 Elite, I also use the climate-tube which is a heated tube and is also a slimmer profile so it is lighter and less weight pulling on the mask.
I have tried a few of the CPAP pillows and have yet to find a single one that is worth a damn. I just smash my down pillows into shape to prevent it from pushing on the side of my mask while on my side. The CPAP pillows with cut-outs prevent the mask from being pushed but they’re just not comfortable at all and they all seem to be incredibly small compared to a normal size pillow.
Good luck. I never want to sleep without my CPAP as I feel so much better now than I did before. CPAP still sucks, I’ll never jump-for-joy love it but I begrudgingly accept it has dramatically improved my life. Keep at it, try different masks/pillows/accessories, etc., until you find the right balance that works for you.
I think this is the mask my boyfriend uses. It’s the same one he has used since his sleep study and the only problem he has had with it is occasional rubbing against his mustache. He rarely complains about it and usually when he does, the problem is solved by replacing some or all of the parts. I didn’t know about the chin strap. His mouth doesn’t often drop open but when it does, he sounds like Darth Vader and it’s really annoying.
Anyway, he uses a regular pillow. Our headboard has cutouts on it so he has the unit on the nightstand and the hose passes behind the headboard and then drops down to his head. He never has problems with needing to readjust it (except when he’s in a hotel).
So, basically what everyone else said - find a mask that’s more comfortable for you and try mounting the hose to the headboard (or wall if you don’t have one).