Anchoring your NPs

[TyroneShoes]

I really like the NPs, because they only touch you in one place. But there is a downside to that, which is since they only touch you in that single place, this does not anchor them against hose movement as well as, say, a FFM might. It only takes a bit of hose movement to twist the NPs so that the pillows are not evenly pressed against your nostrils; move the hose to one side, and its too much pressure on that side, and too little pressure on the other side, for instance.

This isn't that annoying, but I found that it tends to cause small leaks that can cause enough wind noise to wake me when I am in lighter stages of sleep.

So the other day I dressed the hose straight up to run from my forehead to the back of my head (xPAP is on a veranda behind the bed) and used a little velcro tie attached to the headgear. Now the pressure against my nose stays even, I don't get the little leaks anymore, and I am not awakened. My airway works best when the pressure is pulling up against my nose a little bit anyway.

I had tried this with the Swift FX, but gave that up when I went to the P10, because the headgear was iffy until I got used to is. But it should work well with about anything.

Only two nights in, but AHI is about 40% lower as well (1.1). Might be worth a try.

[kaiasgram]

There are a few NP masks that come with a velcro loop on the top to route the hose upward. I agree that this helps to stabilize the NPs. I hope they never discontinue the Aloha!

Using large enough size pillows helps too -- if they're too small it's easier for them to get moved around more. When they're large enough they hold pretty still once they've sealed.

[PaulaO2]

Each mask is a little different. I found the Nuance fit better if I draped the hose down rather than up.

With them making nasal pillows more and more lightweight, keeping the little bits of plastic and silicone in place is getting difficult.

[storywizard]

Currently using the Nuance, will try the hose up tonight, I have the same issues as Tyrone...I also have an Aloha mask on the way...looking forward to trying it..

thanks for the post..

Storywizard

[kaiasgram]

Currently using the Nuance, will try the hose up tonight, I have the same issues as Tyrone...I also have an Aloha mask on the way...looking forward to trying it..

thanks for the post..

Storywizard

One of the nice things about the Aloha is that you can adjust the angle at which the pillows sit under your nose, a feature that's not available on most other NP masks. The angle adjustment option is in addition to the usual loosening/tightening options. The ability to adjust this angle helps when routing the hose up -- any "tug" on the mask from the hose isn't as likely to pull the pillows out. Jason has a good review of the Aloha on his YT channel. There's an additional angle adjustment option on the headgear as well.

I'll be interested in how you fare tonight with the Nuance. My dear cousin sent me a Nuance because she loves hers and thought I'd love it too -- but when I tried to route the hose up I found it tugged on the pillows in a way that made it too easy for the pillows to pull out -- of course I didn't futz with it for very long because I wanted to go to bed -- so back to my tried-and-true.

In addition to routing the hose up from my mask, I also have it going up and back over the headboard of my bed -- then to the machine. I think this helps stabilize the whole setup even more.

[Mosquitobait]

I use the Airfit P10 and while I rarely get leaks, I keep injuring my nose. Not sure what is happening because it typically doesn't start to hurt until I've been up for a couple of hours. I know it's bruised. I'm using the Sleepweaver mask again tonight for that reason (comfy, but leaks). I'm going to use a clippy thing to clip the short hose to my pj top to see if I can stabilize the P10 that way. I think maybe the larger hose is pulling the shorter hose and thus the mask awry, causing the bruising.

I can't stand anything going up between my eyes. I get that it is more stable, but it just doesn't work for me psychologically (not claustrophobic - just don't like things touching my face).

[TyroneShoes]

...

In addition to routing the hose up from my mask, I also have it going up and back over the headboard of my bed -- then to the machine. I think this helps stabilize the whole setup even more.

So do I, and I agree. I have a hosehanger that drops it straight down at pretty much wherever I want it.