Modification to the Dreamwear Nasal Mask

[cronkster]

I'm a mostly side sleeper and although I like the Dreamwear mask, I too have a slight problem with it shifting and losing its seal sometimes as I move around.  But I think I've found the answer that will make it the perfect mask for me.  I have a 2 1/2 inch wide elastic chinstrap which comes with a couple of separate 1 inch wide by 8 inch long, velcro-ended stiff elastic straps for extra securing.  I attached these straps, one to each of the side tubes of the dreamwear. After putting on the mask in the normal way, I connect those straps below my ears and behind my head and voila!  This is the extra securing that the Dreamwear is lacking. The extra straps tend to stay in the curve of the mask's side tubes and don't restrict the air flow. I've tried pressing on a surface with my cheek and the straps now prevent the mask tube from shifting the nosepiece.  And the setup is still comfortable and quick to put on and take off.

Why it took me so long to come up with this is beyond me.

[readyforsleep]

Great idea!

[Fats Drywaller]

I attached these straps, one to each of the side tubes of the dreamwear. After putting on the mask in the normal way, I connect those straps below my ears and behind my head and voila!  This is the extra securing that the Dreamwear is lacking.

Awesome, thank you!  That sounds very good.  I'll have to try that some time (at the moment, my Brevida and I are back together), because I prefer the DW cushion to the DW gel pillows if the cushion can be made to work.

Along the same lines, it occurred to me that it might be feasible to kluge up a diffuser for the Dreamwear gel-pillows nosepiece (to mute the hissing) using a piece of gauze of the appropriate size and two small strips of first-aid tape.  I'll give that a try some time also.  Of course the gauze layer needs to be thin so as not to defeat the purpose of the vent.

[Vitamin J]

we need pics!

[Walla Walla]

I attached these straps, one to each of the side tubes of the dreamwear. After putting on the mask in the normal way, I connect those straps below my ears and behind my head and voila!  This is the extra securing that the Dreamwear is lacking.

Awesome, thank you!  That sounds very good.  I'll have to try that some time (at the moment, my Brevida and I are back together), because I prefer the DW cushion to the DW gel pillows if the cushion can be made to work.

Along the same lines, it occurred to me that it might be feasible to kluge up a diffuser for the Dreamwear gel-pillows nosepiece (to mute the hissing) using a piece of gauze of the appropriate size and two small strips of first-aid tape.  I'll give that a try some time also.  Of course the gauze layer needs to be thin so as not to defeat the purpose of the vent.

Blocking the vent is not a good idea. The mask was designed for that specific vent rate to prevent CO2 buildup. Any reduction of flow at all could be dangerous.

[Fats Drywaller]

Blocking the vent is not a good idea. The mask was designed for that specific vent rate to prevent CO2 buildup. Any reduction of flow at all could be dangerous.

In that case the mask becomes much less viable for some folks, because of the noise, and those who haven't bought it yet and who care about that detail are warned to skip it altogether and get something else. I guess it's just another of those "caveat emptor" situations.

But could it be that the homebrew modification to the cushion variant will persuade some Dreamwear users to switch from nasal pillows to cushion?

In any case, I have to confess that I've never liked the Dreamwear's frame and headgear, compared to the existing alternatives.

So we're all guinea pigs in the big CPAP-mask test lab. So it goes ...

[greenhousedc]

@cronkster - How does this not pull the pillow away from the nose?

[greenhousedc]

@cronkster I'm assuming your mod would be placed like this?

[cronkster]

No.  The straps are more horizontal.  They actually lay across the ears and go pretty much horizontally back from the curve of the mask arms to the back of the head, and end up close to, or even over, the regular headgear straps at the back of the head.
Even though they end up in nearly the same place as the regular headgear straps at the back of the head, the reason they work is the position on the mask they pull from.....slightly lower down on the mask than the regular headgear - and the fact that they're less stretchy and not pulling at an angle.
They do not pull the mask away from the nose, because they're pulling it directly back AT the upper lip, directly beneath the nose.  That is all that's needed to maintain the seal - the fexibility of the cushion and the air pressure do the rest.  
If you roll around on your pillow, the nosepiece will be restrained from moving in either direction by the straps, because they make a complete circuit, with friction, around your head, and keep the cushion from going left or right.  The straps I use are thicker and more substantial than the headgear straps, but still comfortable.

[gregger]

Cronkster,

Thanks, sounds very intriguing. Could you post a picture of the straps? I'm sure a few of us would be interested in sourcing these somehow.

Ideally a pic of the set-up would be great but I get the privacy issue!

-- G.