[Symptoms] FFM Vs. Nasal Pillows. Issues with both!

[vintshave]

I have been on APAP for a long time. My pressures are on the high side (avg around 16). For the last several months, I have been using a FP full face mask. Seal is decent and my AHI is generally below 1.5. The problem is that I wake up around 40 times a night with horrible dry mouth. The humidifier doesn't help at all. I also suffer from vivid nightmares (I don't know if this is related). This happens every night. This hasn't been a problem throughout my entire CPAP use history, but it has been for months.

So I had the bright idea yesterday of ordering a nasal pillows mask and a chin strap to keep my mouth closed. I've been testing it out tonight while awake. I can feel my stomach, chest (I have a hiatal hernia) and pretty much my entire digestive system being filled with air. My ears also pop. This did not happen at all with the full-face mask.

Am I doing something wrong? Is there anything I can adjust to get the nasal pillows solution working properly?

John

[Sleeprider]

You can turn down the minimum pressure by up to 3 cm based on your profile for use with nasal pillows. They apply pressure much more directly. You can judge whether to keep the pressure reduction in a few days. If you are using a resistance factor for your mask in the CPAP, make sure you change from your full face setting to one appropriate for the new nasal pillows.

Good luck, and let me know how this works out.

[trish6hundred]

Hi vintshave,
WELCOME! to the forum.!
Good luck to you as you continue your CPAP therapy, hang in there for more responses to your post.

[chill]

Welcome!  40 times a night?  That is awful!

It is quite interesting the differences in the effects of a set pressure with different mask types.  As SleepRider said, you can lower the pressure with nasal pillows.

Another thing to try for the dry mouth (which is caused by mouth breathing while asleep) is a soft cervical collar which you should be able to find in any drug store.  It fixed the dry mouth problem for me when a chin strap did not.

[vintshave]

Welcome!  40 times a night?  That is awful!

It is quite interesting the differences in the effects of a set pressure with different mask types.  As SleepRider said, you can lower the pressure with nasal pillows.

Another thing to try for the dry mouth (which is caused by mouth breathing while asleep) is a soft cervical collar which you should be able to find in any drug store.  It fixed the dry mouth problem for me when a chin strap did not.

Man, it's tough being single and a CPAP user! That whole setup (especially adding in the collar) is REALLY intimidating to the opposite sex :p

[chill]

yeah, it has not at all increased my sex appeal!  Luckily I am married.

[Marillion]

I would suggest being alive and relatively healthy is a lot more appealing than the alternative though... ;-)

I too get the air popping in my ears if my APAP is set too high. As suggested above, make sure you select "nasal pillows" or some other reasonable facsimile on your machine and I would turn the pressure down a couple of notches.

[Hydrangea]

I agree with setting the mask setting to pillows.

I use a nasal mask, but when I switch to a FFM I definitely need higher pressure (ie: +3cm or so). So it seems you're experiencing the same idea - maybe needing a lower pressure for the pillow.