How tight should my mask be? Is it too tight?

[Ihaveapnea]

I have to tighten my mask so that the end of the strap is sitting just below my ear lobe, but not behind it? If I don't pull my straps that far back, the mask moves during the night. Is that considered to tight?

[DariaVader]

It’s important not to over-tighten your mask. Doing so may be a sign that you have the wrong cushion size or an incorrectly adjusted forehead support. Most masks have a "floating" fit.

[Ihaveapnea]

How do you know when it is "over-tightened?" I have to pull the lower straps back to just below my ear lobes. Is that too far back?

[oneeyedrifter]

Hard to say, but i would guess, if the cushoin compresses more than half. As Daria says most cushions are made to seal and float on the skin compressing enough to seal. Tighter to account for movement. If you over tighen the mask, a wripple can form somewhere along the cushion breaking the seal.

[Ihaveapnea]

I've tried 4 different masks and I wouldn't say that any of them were able to just sort of float over my skin without them leaking significantly. My current mask leaks far less than the others, but it certainly needs to be tight otherwise it moves up my face and leaks and sort of seals my mouth completely shut. How far back on your face do your bottom straps usually go? Do they reach the part of your face that is directly below your ear lobes?

[chill]

People have different sized heads and ears, etc. Trying to get the mask fitted by where the end of the strap is on your head vs someone else's is a fool's errand. Also, for full-face masks, higher pressures generally require tighter straps. At 10, your pressure is not very high. You should be able to wear the mask without it being very tight on your face.

A more productive place to focus might be "How am I sleeping?". I am guessing the answer is not on your back. For side or stomach sleepers, you may need to adjust your sleep position to avoid putting pressure on the mask and dislodging it. I sleep on my side and position my head at the edge of my pillow with the mask mostly hanging off into the air. There are special CPAP pillows that might help you. For stomach sleepers, google for "Falcon Sleeping Position".

[MitchS]

With my full face mask I have found when I first start my machine I should be able to feel the cushion inflate when I pull the mask slightly away from my face.

[Sleeprider]

Since your mask seems to migrate upward, try to make a soft strap that goes from both sides under your jaw and acts as a hold-down. Several other members here have made lightweight straps that do this, and it acts to help keep the mouth closed and the mask in position.

[sanman55]

Hi everyone...this is my first post...I am a week old user at 70 years old.I had a range setting of 5-20 but it was blowing my face off..I am a back sleeper so I thought I would be at an advantage...
I tried all the fitting procedures but leaked like a sive..Finally my dr. set my value to a high of 16...That helped but still problems..Last nite I tried the remzzzs liner and it was great...Could loosen up the mask quite a bit and it sealed...The issue with me is its like $1 a day...thats $365 a year and thats a lot for me. My insurance will not pay for that..
There is so much material hear....great but ......
Look forward to these discussions..I really want this to work, even shaved part of my beard to be sure that was not hurting my seal...Thanks to all

[Beej]

Use a REMZZS as a template and cut out a bit of flannel then see if it works similarly. That would be washable and reusable.