nose breather in training

[cberistain]

I've had the cpap machine for over a year now. I started with nasal masks but quickly found I was a mouth breather .. chin straps/tape didn't solve the problem so I ended up with face masks. Any leaks from the facemask causes me to be restless and it tickles/itches until I wake up.. So every so often I try the nasal masks again to see if I'm now 'trained' . Usually I fail .. but a week ago I tried again and for 4 days now, I've been using nasal mask/chin strap/collar with no large leaks or even medium size leaks.  Strange that I don't feel any leaks yet ResMed reports leaks in the 4-7 range.

I first tried nasal pillows.. medium size first, large size second.. both cause irritation. Next I tried the mask with memory foam .. it seems to be OK and is comfortable. Again, I can't feel any leaks.. but again ResMed reports leaks in the 4-7 range.

Question 1: any other nasal masks/brands I should try before settling for the memory foam mask?

Question 2: should I just be satisfied with the leak rate or should I continue to try to reduce it?

thanks/charlie

[Nightynite]

Hey Charlie, leaks are an ongoing problem for many of us. I for one can never achieve zero leaks but I think I can manage them pretty good. I found out my leaks usually occur when I’m changing position due to my mask bumping the pillow. That prompted me to try sleeping on the edge of my
pillow since I’m a side sleeper and try hanging my nasal mask over the end.

I tried those cpap pillows with the cutouts and they were a no go. The one pillow I like now is the one with foam chunks you can add or remove. For me it was just figuring out what was causing the leaks.

[cberistain]

I'm a side sleeper as well... and I have a cpap type pillow .. it doesn't work and is uncomfortable for me.

I'm pretty sure I cause the leaks by moving around in my sleep .. don't know how to solve that problem .  :-(

[Dormeo]

Any leaks that don't wake you up and are under 24 l/min are nothing to worry about. Don't give them a thought. Congratulations on a problem well solved!

[Rcgop]

There are 3 types of leaks, mask, mouth, and lip leaks. Masks leaks can only be solved with the right mask of course. But, for me, the only way I controlled mouth leaks was by using the “correct size” cervical collar. Mouth leaks come from the jaw dropping. I use a 3 1/2 inch collar which keeps my jaw closed. Lip leaks come from pressure forcing air past your lips. I refuse to tape to control lip leaks. Over time and upgrading to the Resmed AS11 (soft mode) my leaks went down. Now zeros are not uncommon. 

Bottom line. Keep trying different equipment to include pillows. Get comfortable and have patience.

[cberistain]

excellent advice!