[split] Bleep Sleep Mask

[skiajl6297]

Question for you Bleep users. I have used the system for several nights, and I have found that my nasal seal is awesome. I confirmed it by plugging the ports, and testing before sleep, and again in the morning by inflating my nostrils with the port hole covered by my finger. There are clearly no leaks coming from the adhesive/ports that stick to me.

However, each morning after using, I am seeing reported leaks on my machine - often large leaks. I have checked the Bleep connections and believe I am securing the tubing correctly, but my machine is still saying that I am leaking. Any leaks must be coming from the tubing or interface with the adhesive ports.

Is it possible that my aerophagia is being captured by the machine as large leak? Or is it more likely that I havent secured the hose to the ports correctly? Or could this be mouthbreathing/aerophagia showing as a large leak?

Narrowing down my mask fit issues keeps pointing to me problems vs equipment problems.

Thanks Bleep users!

[jaswilliams]

Can you post a daily graph?


Also are the ports still firmly attached when you wake up ? If you try plugging the ports thing then as well. If the ports are still firmly attached don’t leak and the mask is quiet when sleeping then I would be looking at mouth leaks as the possible culprit.

[booksfan]

I agree with jaswilliams that the likely culprit is mouth breathing. I will occasionally have leaks reported and do sometimes recall waking with either a very dry mouth or (sorry!) drooling, both obviously corresponding with an open mouth. The leaks very, very rarely stray into large leak territory (over 24), and never for any extended time period, so I don't really worry about it.

I would do as suggested and post a couple of charts. There are others on here who can give you specific help once they see them (not me   ). Also, IF that does not help, you should try contacting Stuart at Bleep. He is wonderfully helpful. He really does not mind helping people who are having issues!

Good luck!

[Dreaming1]

If the seal is good in the morning when you get up and you don’t hear an audible leak when you turn your cpap on, meaning it’s relatively quiet except standard vent white noise, then it’s almost always  going to be mouth breathing. If the leak graph shows peaks and valleys in the leak rate, it’s the mouth causing the leak, as the bleep can’t seal itself and come unsealed and then reseal it self again throughout the course of the night. If it’s a consistently high leak, then maybe a connection problem. Are you catching all the barbs in the qr-sockets over the ends of the ports? Really need to see your report to determine possible causes. If I had to bet, it’s the mouth. You could try mouth taping one night and see if you have that problem. On top of that, my pressure came down by two when I started using the bleep because there wasn’t a leak. You may need to adjust yours down a bit, which could help with mouth breathing.

[ranjean]

I have used the Bleep mask for a few nights now, and it is the best solution for a mask I have found so far.  (I have been seeking masks with no face straps as my turning over in the night dislodges them.)

The nasal seals are very good.  There is room for improvement, however.  The instruction state users are to align the plastic air tubes in the Dreamports with the angle of our nostril.  That is fine, but most nasal mask manufacturers are aware our nostrils are not parallel.  IE:  Our nostrils angle away from each other as they near the wide end of the nose.  Unfortunately, the attachment points on the hard plastic yoke of the Bleep mask are parallel. Therefore, when I attached these to the ports in my nose, which are angled, it introduces a bias in the connection.  This doesn't seem to put pressure on my nose, but I believe this is what makes the ports hard to connect to the hose yoke.  

Detaching at the Dreamport when groggy is not easily accomplished, due to the small "levers" that must be released on each nostril.  They are even harder to attach, requiring a mirror, a light, and bifocals.  Therefore I detach at the swivel where headgear attaches to six foot hose from machine.  Now I have an elephant trunk hanging down in front of my face which makes it hard to get a drink of water in the night.  

Also, the dangling hose from the mask is to smells what a stethoscope is to sound.  So a pro tip is to hold the end away from anything you might encounter in the night you don't want a whiff of!

Lastly, someone says the daily cost of the dreamports is $2.  Even if you figure the daily cost of  replacing most nasal pillows monthly is a dollar a day, this is still way more expensive.

[ranjean]

I meant to add that even though I do not like straps across my cheeks, I still like something to keep the hose near my forehead.  Since the hose for the Bleep mask leaves the yoke on a downward sweep towards my chest, I can only attach the hose to a forehead strap if I put a horseshoe bend in it.  

And leaving the hose dangling loose around my chest is not good with my rolling-over tendencies, don't you know.  So there is room for design improvement there as well.

[booksfan]

 I detach at the swivel where headgear attaches to six foot hose from machine.  Now I have an elephant trunk hanging down in front of my face which makes it hard to get a drink of water in the night.  

Also, the dangling hose from the mask is to smells what a stethoscope is to sound.  So a pro tip is to hold the end away from anything you might encounter in the night you don't want a whiff of!

Two very valid points!

I bought a pack of straws that I keep in the bedroom. I use one in my Tervis water bottle that I keep at my bedside every night. It is much easier to get a drink with the "elephant trunk" while using a straw!

[Dreaming1]

Oh, yeah, get a tube rod to hold the main tube over your head. I bought the blue in the video and it’s about $14 on Amazon. Big improvement on use with bleep. [commercial link removed] Search amazon for North-American-Healthcare-JB5651-Holder

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[Dreaming1]

Since the link was taken down in this case, the name of the product, FOUND ON AMAZON, is made by North American Health + Wellness and called CPAP HOSE HOLDER. It’s blue and costs about $13.99.

[Dreaming1]

You should watch this YouTube video Stuart posted up at Christmas. The angles on the ports are supposed to be adjusted around the angles of your nostrils to create a straight and parallel connection to dreamway connector. It’s possible le to make them straight in most cases by pointing the tails of the tape out toward your earlobes. If you call Stuart on cell phone he’s got a prototype diffuser he’ll mail out for the vent. It’s great! I get my ports with insurance, but have a friend I turned on to it that pays cash and he pays about $1.20/night to use it...so much cheaper than $2 when you look around.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=L-pRVlAo6Ic