02-14-2013, 01:51 PM
Leaks and liners
After only three nights I am giving up on the RemZzzs liners. To recap, I asked Naturs Design which liner to order for use with my Wisp mask. The Wisp is too new on the market for them to list it on their web site. They sent me four samples at no charge to see which ones would fit the Wisp mask. Three of them clearly wouldn't work at all, and I have tried the fourth one, resulting in the worst leaks ever. Last night I hit a peak of 68 L and, looking at SleepyHead, it appears that I was under 24 L for maybe 20% of the night. According to their web site the liners are supposed to help with leaks, but I am getting the opposite results.
The major part of the problem is that I am a very active sleeper. In the consultation with my sleep doc after the sleep study she said I was "thrashing." She did not use the term "restless leg syndrome" or any other medical term, so I am not sure exactly what she meant by "thrashing." She seemed to think that it would go away after getting the sleep apnea under control, but I bet it hasn't, in spite of AHIs almost always under 2. Plus, I sleep on one side and then roll to the other side constantly throughout the night. The mask gets dislodged from all this movement.
The Wisp is my ninth mask. All the others leaked badly too, although most were worse. With all of the nasal masks I tried loosening the headgear, tightening the headgear, and various stages in between. The best luck I had was with the Mirage Vista using its headgear so tight that it almost hurt.
Fortunately, I am not a mouth breather, although I can't stand any mask that places something above my nose. Nasal pillows or nasal masks without a forehead support are fine.
A couple weeks ago I even tried glue. I have a glue stick made by the Post-it ™ notes people. I know this glue is washable as well as repositionable. But it didn't make any difference. I always wash my face well before bed, bu the glue remains tacky for maybe an hour or so, then the oils on my face make it lose its grip. I don't know any way to stop my skin from producing oil.
Mention has been made here of using sealant obtained from a dive shop. I suppose I might find some if I take a trip to the coast, but there are no dive shops here. And anyway, it's winter. I looked on Amazon, but couldn't find any, but I probably lack adequate search-fu.
I also note that some here use silicone ear plugs which they roll out. I looked at ear plugs in local stores, but not one of the packages made any mention of what they are made of. Looking through the plastic bubble they all looked pretty foamy, probably not malleable silicone.
I considered fashioning a full-head mask out of a plastic bag that I could cinch around my neck with a big rubber band. That made me think of glass diving bells. And that made me think of spacesuits. Maybe I could borrow a spacesuit from NASA and use it as a full-body mask.
I could use suggestions, or a line on where I can buy a used spacesuit. Or brand names for sealants and earplugs. I've got to get these leaks under control.
The major part of the problem is that I am a very active sleeper. In the consultation with my sleep doc after the sleep study she said I was "thrashing." She did not use the term "restless leg syndrome" or any other medical term, so I am not sure exactly what she meant by "thrashing." She seemed to think that it would go away after getting the sleep apnea under control, but I bet it hasn't, in spite of AHIs almost always under 2. Plus, I sleep on one side and then roll to the other side constantly throughout the night. The mask gets dislodged from all this movement.
The Wisp is my ninth mask. All the others leaked badly too, although most were worse. With all of the nasal masks I tried loosening the headgear, tightening the headgear, and various stages in between. The best luck I had was with the Mirage Vista using its headgear so tight that it almost hurt.
Fortunately, I am not a mouth breather, although I can't stand any mask that places something above my nose. Nasal pillows or nasal masks without a forehead support are fine.
A couple weeks ago I even tried glue. I have a glue stick made by the Post-it ™ notes people. I know this glue is washable as well as repositionable. But it didn't make any difference. I always wash my face well before bed, bu the glue remains tacky for maybe an hour or so, then the oils on my face make it lose its grip. I don't know any way to stop my skin from producing oil.
Mention has been made here of using sealant obtained from a dive shop. I suppose I might find some if I take a trip to the coast, but there are no dive shops here. And anyway, it's winter. I looked on Amazon, but couldn't find any, but I probably lack adequate search-fu.
I also note that some here use silicone ear plugs which they roll out. I looked at ear plugs in local stores, but not one of the packages made any mention of what they are made of. Looking through the plastic bubble they all looked pretty foamy, probably not malleable silicone.
I considered fashioning a full-head mask out of a plastic bag that I could cinch around my neck with a big rubber band. That made me think of glass diving bells. And that made me think of spacesuits. Maybe I could borrow a spacesuit from NASA and use it as a full-body mask.
I could use suggestions, or a line on where I can buy a used spacesuit. Or brand names for sealants and earplugs. I've got to get these leaks under control.
