how to reduce leaks with dreamwear mask

[Hydrangea]

Once I'm lying down, I tuck the hose between my pillow and headboard, so it sort of catches the hose. This works well for keeping the hose well-positioned, not having too much hose up on the bed, but also giving it room to move.

[Mark71]

I've been experimenting, and here's my conclusion (short story long):

At my sleep study, the tiny chick was picking what she thought would fit me - she picked the M head thing and then L nose cushion.

It worked well. But if I rolled on my side, I needed to reposition it and even use my pillow to hold it in the proper place.  I didn't know any better.

So DME gave me that set-up for home. Fine. I just tried not to be on my side much. Read comments here, and decided I could prove this mask is better than my side-sleeping mask-repositioning experience.

In measuring my nose on the paper that came with the mask, I measure anywhere from a M, MW, or a L for the nasal cushion. So I ordered the M and MW from Amazon.

Low and behold, the M fits me SO much better!  I can roll over, and have no need for any repositioning!  It stays put, doesn't leak.

So... I'd encourage you to try the variety of sizes.

I have a decently large head, and a large nose... and the M head thing and the M nose cushion fit me the best.  In fact, the head thing (silicon tubes that come down the cheeks) is snug on my cheeks.

So maybe you could try smaller ones of both the head thing and the cushion.

My experience follows this as well.  I am a big guy and everything I buy is XXL.  Hat, shoes, gloves, shirts...Except for the dreamwear mask.
I have a HUGE head (cant buy a fitted baseball cap large enough to go around my head) and still the medium frame fits well and if anything, is on the verge of being to big. If you looked at me, you would think I have a big nose, yet I need a small cushion for the dreamwear.  So I would encourage users to try a variety of sizes too and probably smaller than you think. 
One other thing is I read alot about not having a mask fit too tight.  But, with the dreamwear, I find it works better if I have it fairly snug and that small adjustments can make a big difference.
Good luck to you, and just keep trying.  You will succeed eventually!

[cronkster]

I've been using a wide (about 3 inches) elastic chinstrap which secures with velcro, and it doubles as a way to secure the mask from moving around.  The chinstrap comes with a couple of inch wide secondary straps which you put at each side of the chinstrap, once you have it on, and then around the back of your head in about the same place as the mask headstrap.  The chinstrap straps keep the chinstrap from creeping forward on your head, and keep the mask's strap from creeping forward as well.
In addition, the chinstrap, once in place from the top of the head just behind the mask connection and down to the chin, overlaps the side tubes of the mask a bit, further securing them from shifting around.  
So the protocol is to put the mask on, put the chinstrap on, and then the chinstrap securing straps.  Then jiggle things around  a bit until everything feel right.
The chinstrap securing straps aren't very long, so I put them together to make one longer strap that attaches with the velcro to each side of the chinstrap when it's in place.

[cronkster]

I use a hose hanger stand for hose management.  I think they're called CPAP hose hangers on amazon.  It fits between the mattress and foundation and allows the hose to dangle down to your head.  Works well with this mask and keeps the hose out of the way while allowing for movement.  No more snagging and tugging.

[Sam Wallis]

I just got a DreamWear and it was leaking like crazy.  The only way I could keep it from leaking was to use a finger and thumb to hold it to my nose, which doesn't work when you go to sleep.  I suspected the frame was too long, so I tested that by sticking my hand on top of my head with four fingers under the frame in the area where the hose meets the frame, and sure enough no leaking. No sleep either with my hand on top my head.  Next night, I folded up a wash cloth to the right thickness and tucked it under the frame at the top of my head after I had the mask on.  Problem solved, too loose a frame was fixed by padding underneath it to get it to the right amount of snugness under my nose. (just had to make my head bigger  )  I will be sticking with DreamWear and a washcloth, and when I get a new mask, I will just order a small frame instead of a medium one.

[cronkster]

My experience seems to be similar.  I struggled a long while with the dreamwear, gave up on it and have had good results with the Wisp.  But I decided to give the dreamwear another try just for the heck of it, and now seem to be having better luck with it.
A few things seem to be important in my case - 1. making sure my moustache is well trimmed - and I mean with minute, detailed attention, so that stray whiskers don't prick and scratch me at the nosepiece, 2. placing the headstraps at the correct angle - at the back of the head rather than down below the back of the skull, 3. keeping face, hair and the entire mask clean prior to sleep to increase the tackiness/grab of the fit,  and 4. using a small enough nosepiece size.
Compared to other mask types, the business end (nosepiece) of the dreamwear has very little contact area with your skin, so if you're using too large a size which extends too far to the side of your nose, it can easily get pushed out of position by either direct contact, or even by being pushed by the arm of the frame tube, when side sleeping or moving around.  But if I use a small nosepiece, the edges curve up around the sides of my nose slightly, fitting the nosepiece into place and resisting any side forces put on it by the headgear when the side of my face is on the pillow, the bed or whatever.
As said by others, check that the headgear can be adjusted to about midway between your ear and eye socket,  use the smallest nosepiece that feels okay, make sure everything is clean, and put the headgear straps horizontally or only slightly below horizontal at the back of your head, rather than angled radically downward, because the nosepiece is designed to be held against your skin between lip and nose rather than pushing up against your nostrils.....once it's in position, air pressure, not strap tension, provides the seal, and it should remain comfortable rather than giving you a pig snout.  Positioned correctly, it will also not tend to become angled upward toward the tip of your nose during sleep and out of sealing position.

[Donna]

Opal, I was provided a Dreamwear medium frame from my DME (without measuring). After large leaks and watching the sizing video, I determined that medium was too large for me. The DME company wouldn’t replace the frame. I ordered a small one from Amazon (pretty cheap) and it fits much better. That may be an option for you.