Mask air leak

[DaveL]

I recently replaced my N20 with an identical N20, brand new, same size.

the head gear on my 6 month old N20 had stretched to heck. the old mask looked great, seemed great. I had leaks with it.

The new one works.

The old one had bit the bullet.

Maybe your old F30 isn't doing so well...

[Big Guy]

I recently replaced my N20 with an identical N20, brand new, same size.

the head gear on my 6 month old N20 had stretched to heck.  the old mask looked great, seemed great. I had leaks with it.

The new one works.

The old one had bit the bullet.

Maybe your old F30 isn't doing so well...

My F30 is only a couple of months old. I'm focusing on proper tension of the head gear straps. The next time I'm due CPAP equipment, I'll request new F30 head gear.

[DaveL]

Great....when I started in this game my first mask lasted 5 years. I did some repairs along the way.

Now they last 6 months

Love your comments. Have you ever asked a technician at your DME if they've worn a mask? With a machine running? Should be a requirement before they help us.

[Big Guy]

Great....when I started in this game my first mask lasted 5 years. I did some repairs along the way.

Now they last 6 months

Love your comments.  Have you ever asked a technician at your DME if they've worn a mask?  With a machine running?  Should be a requirement before they help us.

I'm a noob when it comes to SA therapy and CPAP equipment. But, I'm trying as best I can to get up to speed and learn as much as I can, as fast as I can. 

I'm lucky though. It's been going pretty well for me. Still waiting though, for the feeling better part to kick in.............

[Sleepster]

I'm lucky though. It's been going pretty well for me. Still waiting though, for the feeling better part to kick in.............

Like me, you may just experience gradual (and sometimes bumpy) progress, with no kick!

Was tiredness one of your symptoms? For me, I think the tiredness came over me slowly, taking decades. So slow that it just became the new normal for me, so I didn't complain of it. Looking back, though, I can definitely see a big difference.

[Big Guy]

I'm lucky though. It's been going pretty well for me. Still waiting though, for the feeling better part to kick in.............

Like me, you may just experience gradual (and sometimes bumpy) progress, with no kick!

Was tiredness one of your symptoms? For me, I think the tiredness came over me slowly, taking decades. So slow that it just became the new normal for me, so I didn't complain of it. Looking back, though, I can definitely see a big difference.

My experience is pretty much what you experienced. The tiredness was a big part, which I pretty much dismissed to just getting older. 

And, I just thought that most everyone snored to some degree or another. 

[DaveL]

I'm lucky though. It's been going pretty well for me. Still waiting though, for the feeling better part to kick in.............

Like me, you may just experience gradual (and sometimes bumpy) progress, with no kick!

Was tiredness one of your symptoms? For me, I think the tiredness came over me slowly, taking decades. So slow that it just became the new normal for me, so I didn't complain of it. Looking back, though, I can definitely see a big difference.

My experience is pretty much what you experienced. The tiredness was a big part, which I pretty much dismissed to just getting older. 

And, I just thought that most everyone snored to some degree or another. 

Me too....
I remember my Father's sleep patterns. He was retired navy. His explanation: he could fall asleep anywhere. Instantly.  It was his skill surviving WW2 and the Korean war.
I hadn't heard about OSA until much much later. I remember how he sounded. OSA for sure.

Someone here gave me help when I said I felt like crap at about 8 hours sleep using cpap. My numbers are low too. They suggested I needed to sleep longer. 

I wonder if I'm missing some essential skill?
Should I be measuring blood oxygen level?

For me improvement comes in little steps. I recently went back to my ugly, uncomfortable cpap pillow. I had been using the lovely huge down pillow my late sister gave me, with fond memories of her. (My head position was wrong using that pillow.)

[theres126]

Oh my gosh. And here I was, happy with my 24L leak, mine have been so consistantly high lately (30L-42 L)

[Big Guy]

Of all the things the myAir site tracks for me, air leaks were always a zero for me right from the very start. Even when I switched from the AirFit F20 to the F30 mask. 

But, then all of a sudden, the air leaks took a big jump. I'm still getting some, but not nearly as much as previously. They only seem to show up when I'm using my F30 mask. 

I'm determined to find out why. 

The last 4 nights, my air leakage rate was 2, 2, 4 and 1. Tightening up the head gear straps obviously helped.

[Sleepster]

Of all the things the myAir site tracks for me, air leaks were always a zero for me right from the very start.

A single statistic like the 90th percentile leak rate or the like must be interpreted with care. If the number is high we know we have a problem, but if the number is low further investigation is needed. We need to look at our leak rate graphs. There will be a low baseline (hopefully) when you are not leaking significantly. Look for chunks of time when the leak rate is elevated above that baseline. That's an indication that your sleep may be disturbed by those leaks.