[Product Review] ResMed F40 Full Face Mask (* new *)

[elliotg]

I have been using the F40 mask on and off got some moths now. It seems very comfortable and has very low AHIs (often as low as 0) and (providing I use a loose neck collar) only low leaks.  Almost perfect. However, I wake up each moaning when I have used it with a nasty headache which can hang about for some hours. Looking at the Oscar results I see that I have a continual flow limitation up to about .3 which is enough to cause my pressure to stay up to my full pressure (currently set to 9) for most of the night.  So I am not really getting any benefit from the APAP functionality!

I have tried higher pressures but this only has a marginal effect on the flow limitation level, and introduces more leakage. 

I do not know if the headaches are due to the need for having to use a loose foam collar to discourage mouth breathing or the mask itself. Without the collar I get very large leaks. I don't get the Flow limitation issue with my F20 mask, but this is much more uncomfortable and more prone to large leaks. I would love to  make the F40 my main go to mask, but the headaches can be an issue.

Any feedback will be appreciated!

[robbob2112]

Try mouth tape instead of the collar. The wrong height collar can cause all sorts of neck issues.

[RayBee]

I can address the headache issue.

I can get headaches with any of the ResMed headgear being too tight. My headaches' focal point id the back of my head where the strap convergence is located. The material where all the straps come together is neither padded enough or large enough to distribute the pressure over a sufficiently large enough area to prevent my headaches. My headgear induced headaches usually last for a few days.

I have to balance several things on a razor's edge it seems. Headgear too tight = nasty headache. Too loose = leakage around the cushion that can keep me from falling asleep. IPAP Max pressure too high = aerophagia resulting in very uncomfortable bloating, and propensity of cushion leakage. Too low = efficacy falls off. EPAP Min pressure too low = feeling of being starved of air occasionally. Too high = difficulty in falling asleep.

It's kind of a dance I play with the equipment. There in lies the beauty of this forum. Lots of experts here (I am not an expert, only experienced with my personal journey) can help you tweak your settings and equipment to make for the best PAP adjustments possible for you.

Hopefully you can get to the point of being able to do the dance on the razor's edge and get things sorted out quickly. There are lots of variables to this game.

All the best.

Ray

[elliotg]

Try mouth tape instead of the collar.  The wrong height collar can cause all sorts of neck issues.

I have just ordered a box of Somnifix mouth strips to see if this works for me.  I will let you mow!

[JonathanBravo]

What kind of pillow do you use? What position do you prefer to sleep in? 

I agree with RayBee that strap tightness can be an issue - that would actually make a lot of sense since it seems to happen more with one mask type than another. I find the F40 pushes my jaw back because of the straps on the bottom, and it's a real battle to get the strap tight enough to keep the mask on under high pressure, but also not so tight it gives me pain. I would suggest you try playing with the straps and adjusting - play around with the mask while you have 'leak test' on your CPAP.

I lean away from it being a mouth breathing/tape issue, but it's worth trying everything.