Activa and Large Leaks

[Sleeping With The Enemy]

I wear the activa mask, my pressure is generally between 7-9.

The problem is I'm having hours of leaks every night, I'm not going to take my mouth, what am I suppose to do?

Switch to full face mask? What is this doing to my sleep? My AHI is 1.4.

Any suggestions?

Heidi

[sleepyred]

Sorry you are having leaks! I was having the same problem. I tightened the head piece and then loosened the velcro to the nasal piece VERY loose. Just tighten it enough to feel it on your face. Don't forget the piece at the top which is adjustable and can take pressure off the bridge of your nose.

When you turn your machine on, you should feel, like someone else said before me, the octopus fitting onto your nose. I thought it was crazy too, but the more I loosened the bottom straps, the less it leaked. I have a pressure of 7 and I think that might be a disadvantage to masks, nasal pillows working as well. Just a guess and not backed by anything!

I do use a chin strap which does help me a lot. I put it on over my mask making sure the strap is actually on top of the 1st (top strap) of my headgear.

Hope this helps!

[Roger...]

Hello Heidi,
I have the same problem with my Activa. My mask isn't what is leaking, it is my mouth when the APAP pushes the pressure towards my current upper limit of 14cm H20. I need more pressure than my high side setting to sleep on my back, but with my mouth acting as an unapproved pressure relief, I have to keep the upper pressure down and stay sleeping on my side.

For me, Taping my mouth would be ritualistic abuse, so I purchased the RESMed Ultra Mirage full-face with terrible leak results. I could try to put a noose around my head to see if the increase pressure to keep my mouth closed helps to contain the pressure better, but the images of that approach seem to look too much like hanging.

While my stubble won't like the tape, it seems to be a popular approach.

[Sleeping With The Enemy]

I've got to figure out something, anyone else try a full face mask with better results?

[rested gal]

My AHI is 1.4.

Unless that number was a typo, I'm not sure why you'd want to switch from the Activa that you like just because of leaks. If you're getting an AHI that low (or anything below an AHI of 5.0) it seems that your machine in compensating nicely for mask leaks -- just like it's supposed to.

If the leaks themselves aren't disturbing your sleep and waking you up, it looks like things are going well for you. No?

[Sleeping With The Enemy]

I'm sleeping fine, just concerned about the large leaks of 2-4 hours a night.....

[Janelle]

For mouth leaks you could also do what I do, and what has been working almost 100% for the last 9-10 months. Simply position your tongue tip against the back of your lower incisors. Very lightly. Believe it or not this actually forms a seal at the back of your throat. You can even talk this way with the xPAP running and you won't have any leaks. For me it has become the automatic place to rest my tongue now, and I do it unconsciously.

RE: the Activa. YES, you need to have the straps loose. Even with only a 7 pressure, if you have an APAP, that pressure might go higher and you need to have the ability for the straps to be loose enough on the masks, not necessarily the headrest, for the mask to fully inflate. If it can't, you'll have leaks.

If I get leaks around the eyes, when lying on my side or repositioning, I just wiggle the mask back and forth a bit or push it one way or the other, until I get a seal. Sometimes I use my fingertip and push the seal kind of back under, too.