Questions about the Amara View Mask

[MitchS]

I currently use the P10 nasal pillows and a chin strap. The last few weeks my leak rates have been slowly creeping up regardless of what I do. I have even tried a soft cervical collar with the P10/chin strap combo. I would like to get rid of the chin strap. Masks previous to the P10 include the Quattro Air FFM, the Amara Gel FFM and the Nuance Pro nasal pillow mask. When I first switched to the P10 my leak rates were acceptable as long as I used a chinstrap to help with mouth leaks and to help to keep the P10 straps from slipping around as I move at night. I tend to be an active sleeper.

I am considering the Amara View. How well does it work with a beard and mustache? I could shave the beard but would prefer to keep the mustache. Also, how stable is the head gear and mask. I tend to end up on my stomach, back and both sides sometime during the night.

Thanks,
Mitch

[SleepyBee]

hi, I have an amara view.

first up, I got it because I was having trouble with mouth leaks with my N10. plus leaks and pressure points.

I thought a nose mouth mask would help.

sadly I didn't get on well with it.

it is small and light and the nose bit is very good. on the other hand I had big leak issues on my cheeks, if I rolled around it would dislodge producing more leaks. I don't think it would work with any facial hair.

I also found ( and I think this is more to do with mouth masks) my mouth kept inflating which felt weird.

it's also made of quite a hard plastic so although the seal cushions are soft, it can dig into your face abit.

it also tended to blast off my face at the higher pressures I needed (12ish). if I used it at low pressure a lot of the leak and seal issues went away and because I didn't need the straps so tight it was much more comfortable. maybe if you use low pressures it may be for you

the killer bit was my AHI climbed up

I shifted to the dreamwear which has pretty much the same nose seal (which does work with a moustache). my AHI took a nose dive back below 5.

to get around my mouth puffing I did a couple of things
I went to bed consciously pursing my lips (imagine holding a pencil under your nose with your top lip, don't tell me you've never done that!)

I also lightly pushing my tongue against the roof of my mouth. not exactly clenching my jaw, but definitely holding it closed.

this seemed to make a real difference and my AHI dipped again

I also tried the exhale relief function set to max (-3cm on the exhale) which really made a difference, my AHI is sub 2 now.

bottom line, the Amar view might work but my experience wasn't great.

good luck!

[cands]

I am having success with the Amara View.

My 6 month average AHI is 0.7.

I started with a goatee. My leak rates were so bad I shaved it off. I was very sad, but my time above leak rate has gone from about 14% to under 1% on average, with many nights now of zero leaks.

I shave every second day. If I leave in an extra day, my leak rate starts to rise.

The mask is tricky to adjust. It took me a lot of experimentation to get it right. Too tight and it hurts like crazy, but doesn't leak. Too loose and it leaks like crazy, rides up my face and generally is a pain in the arse.

My average pressure is about 13.

Some tips for adjusting that work for me:
Make adjustments to the straps in very small steps - fine tuning is the key.
Keep the crown strap well back on your head.
The top straps should be just above the ears - as low as possible without touching the ears.
The bottom straps should be positioned as low as possible. Just before going to sleep I tuck my fingers behind them and gently pull them down. This seem to help stop the mask from riding up my face.

The mask is pretty forgiving for side sleeping when adjusted correctly.

Good luck if you decide to try this mask. It works for me. (With a few compromises)

[MitchS]

hi, I have an amara view.

first up, I got it because I was having trouble with mouth leaks with my N10. plus leaks and pressure points.

I thought a nose mouth mask would help.

sadly I didn't get on well with it.

it is small and light and the nose bit is very good. on the other hand I had big leak issues on my cheeks, if I rolled around it would dislodge producing more leaks. I don't think it would work with any facial hair.

I also found ( and I think this is more to do with mouth masks) my mouth kept inflating which felt weird.

it's also made of quite a hard plastic so although the seal cushions are soft, it can dig into your face abit.

it also tended to blast off my face at the higher pressures I needed (12ish). if I used it at low pressure a lot of the leak and seal issues went away and because I didn't need the straps so tight it was much more comfortable. maybe if you use low pressures it may be for you

the killer bit was my AHI climbed up

I shifted to the dreamwear which has pretty much the same nose seal (which does work with a moustache). my AHI took a nose dive back below 5.

to get around my mouth puffing I did a couple of things
I went to bed consciously pursing my lips (imagine holding a pencil under your nose with your top lip, don't tell me you've never done that!)

I also lightly pushing my tongue against the roof of my mouth. not exactly clenching my jaw, but definitely holding it closed.

this seemed to make a real difference and my AHI dipped again

I also tried the exhale relief function set to max (-3cm on the exhale) which really made a difference, my AHI is sub 2 now.

bottom line, the Amar view might work but my experience wasn't great.

good luck!

Thanks for sharing your experiences, SleepyBee.

I've tried everything I can find to stop the mouth leaks, the tongue suck method, a chin strap, a soft cervical collar, etc., etc. The chin strap and tongue suck method have been enough up until just recently. I'm still not in large leak territory but my AHI, which was consistently less than 1 is getting erratic and my sleep quality is starting to decline.

I am having success with the Amara View.

My 6 month average AHI is 0.7.

I started with a goatee. My leak rates were so bad I shaved it off. I was very sad, but my time above leak rate has gone from about 14% to under 1% on average, with many nights now of zero leaks.

I shave every second day. If I leave in an extra day, my leak rate starts to rise.

The mask is tricky to adjust. It took me a lot of experimentation to get it right. Too tight and it hurts like crazy, but doesn't leak. Too loose and it leaks like crazy, rides up my face and generally is a pain in the arse.

My average pressure is about 13.

Some tips for adjusting that work for me:
Make adjustments to the straps in very small steps - fine tuning is the key.
Keep the crown strap well back on your head.
The top straps should be just above the ears - as low as possible without touching the ears.
The bottom straps should be positioned as low as possible. Just before going to sleep I tuck my fingers behind them and gently pull them down. This seem to help stop the mask from riding up my face.

The mask is pretty forgiving for side sleeping when adjusted correctly.

Good luck if you decide to try this mask. It works for me. (With a few compromises)

Thanks for the tips, cands. They will be very useful if i decide to go with the Amara View. This is going to be out of pocket so I haven't decided yet. I'm also considering the new AirFit F20 FFM. In the mean time I have dusted off my Quattro Air FFM to use until I make a decision. It is the most comfortable FFM I have right now.

Thanks again for your responses.

Sleep well,

Mitch

[Gideon]

I was having horrible problems with Pillows and Nasal masks (Aptiva, Eson, FX) used with chinstrap
VERY Significant Mouth leakage, I had no trouble with mask seal with any of those.
My beard /mustache is very similar to Santa (think Miracle on 34th st Santa)

Also had VERY significant beard or eye leakage with Quatro, F10, Simplex.

Went in for a fitting with my DME and came out with an Amara View. It sealed even with my beard. I'll report back after several nights on it.

[MitchS]

Thanks bonjour.

I'm looking forward to your update.

[Gideon]

Working so far
With Amara View (Note the leaks or lack of them)

http://i.imgur.com/kwbZMu8l.png

and the disaster before

http://i.imgur.com/ZJt66Bwl.png

(I'm not allowed to post links yet, even of Sleepyhead software)

[Gideon]

The good (Amara View)


And the bad INasal and chin strap not doing much good.
(so much leakage I wasn't sure I was even catching the events.

[MitchS]

Looking good. Your leaks and your AHI are both way down. You have a lot more beard than I do so the mask should work for me. I think I'm going to have to try it.

Thanks for the update, bonjour.

Sleep well,
Mitch

[Gideon]

I think a key to the Amara View working for me is the oral/mouth is sealing really high on the chin, right at the beard line, and at the edge of my lips/smile and the nasal portion seals above the mustache, thus avoiding most of the hairy predicament. I will press inward on the mask to achieve a seal then tighten the lower straps to that point.