How do you prevent your mask from leaking? The air hits my eye & wakes me up.
Hi I’m Sherry aka Gimpy Bear 40, I have sleep apnea also. I got rid of the nose/mouth mask and now i have the nasal pillow one. The head band still goes around my head but now i just have two little silicone straw like tubes that rest on my nasal pasages. It is wonderful. The old one like you said used to leak too and the air would blow into my eye and i would wake up with a dry and pus filled eye. Mine is made by ResMed Swival and it comes in a blue case from Wright and Filihipis. Also make sure your face is oil free at night and keep mask clean. I put it on and then turn on machine and it gets a good suction that way. Moving around at night gets it moved around though. Good luck…sherry
Hello Sherry,is your new mask called Mirage Swift # 2 Thanks…Jim
Hi, I also have had problems with EVERY mask I’ve tried leaking and blowing in my eyes, yuck!!! I now use the nasil airflow which is like the pillows, and I love it! I just have these little tubes going in my nose and a chin strap. It is so wonderful, it almost feels like I have nothing on. Kind of like the tubing used at hospitals to give patients oxygen. Have you ever tried something like this? Kelly
Hi,
Could you tell us the model of the airflow tubes that you use? They
sound like they could be what I need as well.
Joseph
I use the nasal pillow style too but sometimes - often - it feels like I’m not really getting enough air. Since I also have asthma, this isn’t a good thing. I sometimes wake up to find that I’ve pulled the mask off during the night.
Elen,
Check into the Mirage Activa mask. It’s the most comfortable of all the masks I’ve tried. You don’t have to pull the straps tight. And it doesn’t leak.
Frank
Frank,
Thanks, I’ll have to check out the Mirage Activa mask!
Elen
I have both the nasal pillows and the nose mask. I alternate between the two of them to keep my nose from getting too sore. With the face mask, I experienced leaking in the corners near my eyes. So I came up with a solution – moleskin. You can buy moleskin at your local pharmacy. I cut a strip of moleskin to fit over the bridge of my nose and down toward the corners of my eyes along the line where my mask fits. The moleskin is soft, so it does not irritate my skin. It has provided a very good seal in those areas where my mask falls a slightly bit short of fitting me. I fit it over my nose at night just before putting on the mask, and take it off in the morning and place it next to the CPAP machine. It works very well and has cut down the leaks toward my eyes.
I’ve picked up a new mask, the Mirage Liberty which is technically a full face mask but in reality is kind of a hybrid using the nasal pillows with a very small lightweight piece that also fits over the mouth so that when I have problems breathing through my nose I can mouth breath and still get the benefits of using my cpap. It’s a major improvement over ripping my nasal pillow style mask off simply because I can’t breath through my nose because of a cold or something.
I absolutely love it! It’s really comfortable to wear and I’m actually sleeping through the night finally! The only problem is that I’ve noticed that the mouthpiece portion of the mask seems to be causing skin irritation - only in one small area, but I’m concerned that it might spread. Any ideas on how to deal with the problem, other than alternating between the two masks?
I may have to get a CPAP (my sleep study hasn’t happened yet…) and I was wondering what the big deal is about wearing it. Everyone seems to complain about them but my doctor says they can save your life.
Yes, Crowchick, they can save you life, but that doesn’t mean that they are always comfortable to wear. There’s also some trial and error to find the mask that’s right for you. While I liked the nasal pillow type that I originally had, I have difficulty wearing it if my nose is stuffed up (which since I have severe allergies and am very prone to upper respritory infections, it often is) Because of the way it’s designed it also means that I’m pretty much limited to either sleeping on my back or on my left side since turning over to my right side can mean risking pulling the cpap machine off my night table (I’ve done that twice).
I like my new mask but it still causes some problems. I’ve noticed that I have some skin irritation from the part that fits around my mouth (the new one is a hybrid - a combination nasal pillow with an attached piece that covers the mouth too so that I can mouth breath and not lose the benefits of the cpap) and one side of the nasal pillow insert is a bit too large for my nose and is causing nosebleeds. In spite of the problems I’ve encountered I wouldn’t even consider NOT using my cpap. I no longer get the thundering headaches that were a half step down from migranes and that I’d been waking up with almost every morning before I started using the cpap. I’ve also found that the anxiety attacks that left me afraid to go to sleep have completely gone away. (Gee, do you think the fact that I was stopping breathing multiple times each night might have been the root cause of the anxiety attacks? -_^ )
Yes, we complain because it isn’t always pleasant to use the cpap but it sure beats the alternative! ^o^
I have anxiety attacks at night too! Funny, I never thought they were due to the sleep apnea. I never made that connection. It makes sense.