Dreamwear nasal pillows vs. full face mask

[arnoblalam]

Hi Apnea Board,
I'm looking for advice on choosing the right Dreamwear mask. I started therapy 5 weeks ago and was initially given the Dreamwear Full Face Mask since I mentioned being a mouth-breather. However, after doing some research, I learned that treating OSA often reduces mouth-breathing. There are also techniques like using a chin strap, soft cervical collar, or mouth tape to manage it.
I recently switched to the Dreamwear silicone nasal pillows, and my AHI dropped from 1.90 to 0.66 (for reference, during my sleep study, my AHI was 36), with my pressure decreasing from 13 cm H2O to 8.5 cm H2O. Based on my OSCAR data, I adjusted my APAP range from 5-15 cm H2O to 7-12 cm H2O.
At first, I had minimal leaks with the nasal pillows, but lately, the leaks have increased, and I’ve noticed I sometimes wake up with my mouth open. I’ve started using mouth tape, which has helped, but the overall leak rate is still higher than before.
When I use the full face mask, the leaks are lower, but my AHI and pressure increase, often waking me up. Last night, I switched from the full face mask to the nasal pillows mid-night.
I’ve attached an OSCAR screenshot of both sessions (earlier in the night: ffm, later in the night: nasal pillow). Any advice on mask choice or optimizing my setup would be greatly appreciated!

[Nightynite]

Welcome to the board, understand your problem, we have all experienced the same thing one time or another. Unfortunately leaks and mask choice is such an individual choice to find what actually works. I also use the DW but with the cushions and that’s what works for me. I tried the pillows and I kept bumping them and created leaks. The cushions have a little flex and just work for me.
I still get leaks but I just manage them because they’re not bad. By the way, I have a box full of mask that never worked. So stick with it and experiment is all you can do.