04-23-2024, 10:33 AM
Mask recommendation for a sensitive side-sleeper who might have an unusual face shape
Hi, I’d love some advice on buying the right mask. I’ve been using a CPAP for two months, and on most nights I feel a lot better than I used to, and OSCAR indicates I am breathing fairly well. But I find the mask very uncomfortable and spend a lot more time awake in the night than when I don’t use the CPAP. Some nights are awful, and on those I don’t get much deep sleep or REM. I’ve had a few nights of magical, uninterrupted sleep, but there’s no much rhyme or reason to how that happened. I replace parts at least as often as recommended.
Fitting a full-face mask is hard because I have a bumpy nose and a narrow lower face (even for a woman). I’m between the small and medium sizes with an AirFit/AirTouch F20. My skin is stretchy and moves easily due to Ehlers Danlos. I sleep on my side and tend to roll onto the front of my face, pushing the mask sideways, even with a CPAP pillow with a cutout. To make matters worse, I’m very sensitive to the pain caused by tight headgear, and if I leave it looser I get leaks — it seems like I’m either waking from pain or from leaks, and lately it’s both. Mask liners and a gel nose pad only made matters worse.
I think I usually breathe through my nose but sometimes through my mouth, possibly due to mild nasal congestion. I’ve been taping my mouth half-shut, and that seems to work well, letting me breathe through my mouth as needed while preventing excessive jaw movement. I'm not sure I can completely avoid mouth-breathing. I tried taping my mouth all the way shut and using nasal pillows, but my sleep quality was abysmal, OSCAR showed a lot of leaks, and I woke up a couple times having forced my mouth open.
I think chin movement contributes to the fit issues, but I'm not sure I want to keep my teeth closed, because I tried a chin strap and that made it it feel harder to breathe by forcing my tongue backwards. My doctor says I have a big wide tongue and low soft palate, and I have a narrow, crowded mouth, so I think there’s not enough room in my mouth with my teeth closed.
I tried a Fisher & Paykel Evora under-the-nose FFM, hoping that would alleviate fit issues at the bridge of my nose, but the holes didn’t line up right with my nostrils with any of the sizes, and the mask seemed too wide for comfortable side/front-sleeping anyway. I thought the nostril hole issue would get even worse if I rolled onto my front in the night and pushed the mask sideways. I didn’t actually sleep with it on.
I’d love some suggestions on what to try next. A different under-the-nose FFM might work, especially with one big nostril hole instead of two little ones. Has anyone used the (discontinued) Resmed Mirage Liberty? I’m wondering if the nasal prongs would help. Or perhaps a very different over-the-nose FFM, like the Philips Amara, which has a forehead attachment, would stay in place better? Or maybe any other over-the-nose FFM would work just as long as I'm not in between sizes. I would especially like to avoid headgear that is tight at the back of my neck or base of my skull.
Fitting a full-face mask is hard because I have a bumpy nose and a narrow lower face (even for a woman). I’m between the small and medium sizes with an AirFit/AirTouch F20. My skin is stretchy and moves easily due to Ehlers Danlos. I sleep on my side and tend to roll onto the front of my face, pushing the mask sideways, even with a CPAP pillow with a cutout. To make matters worse, I’m very sensitive to the pain caused by tight headgear, and if I leave it looser I get leaks — it seems like I’m either waking from pain or from leaks, and lately it’s both. Mask liners and a gel nose pad only made matters worse.
I think I usually breathe through my nose but sometimes through my mouth, possibly due to mild nasal congestion. I’ve been taping my mouth half-shut, and that seems to work well, letting me breathe through my mouth as needed while preventing excessive jaw movement. I'm not sure I can completely avoid mouth-breathing. I tried taping my mouth all the way shut and using nasal pillows, but my sleep quality was abysmal, OSCAR showed a lot of leaks, and I woke up a couple times having forced my mouth open.
I think chin movement contributes to the fit issues, but I'm not sure I want to keep my teeth closed, because I tried a chin strap and that made it it feel harder to breathe by forcing my tongue backwards. My doctor says I have a big wide tongue and low soft palate, and I have a narrow, crowded mouth, so I think there’s not enough room in my mouth with my teeth closed.
I tried a Fisher & Paykel Evora under-the-nose FFM, hoping that would alleviate fit issues at the bridge of my nose, but the holes didn’t line up right with my nostrils with any of the sizes, and the mask seemed too wide for comfortable side/front-sleeping anyway. I thought the nostril hole issue would get even worse if I rolled onto my front in the night and pushed the mask sideways. I didn’t actually sleep with it on.
I’d love some suggestions on what to try next. A different under-the-nose FFM might work, especially with one big nostril hole instead of two little ones. Has anyone used the (discontinued) Resmed Mirage Liberty? I’m wondering if the nasal prongs would help. Or perhaps a very different over-the-nose FFM, like the Philips Amara, which has a forehead attachment, would stay in place better? Or maybe any other over-the-nose FFM would work just as long as I'm not in between sizes. I would especially like to avoid headgear that is tight at the back of my neck or base of my skull.
