Newbie side sleeper mouth breather needs mask suggestions

[Madalot]

I'm with Freshair and Roster. I am mostly a side sleeper but wake up occasionally on my back. I'm a chronic mouth breather due to stuffed up sinuses (runs in the family). I am using two soft fake down pillows that smash down well. I found that hanging off the edge of the top one allows me to sleep well with minimal shifting of the mask and leaks. I use the Mirage Quattro and it works well and find that I breathe through my mouth a lot.

I've seen people here say they hate the 431, which is the ONLY mask that works for me. I tried to the Mirage Quattro and didn't last an hour on it!

This is the thing -- I think each person's face is different so what works for one won't work for another. You have to try them to see before you can determine which will work for you.

I hope you have the option of trying a few different masks until you find the one that works for you.

[roster]

I'm with Freshair and Rooster.

Freshair must have pulled a sneaky one. I looked but didn't see you all night.

[Silent Sleeper]

I have always been an open mouth sleeper and that is where my snoring and gasping seemed to come from. Since being fitted with my CPAP, and it being the gel nose peice, I found right away that when you position your tounge in the roof of your mouth, to keep the air pressure from going out through your mouth, it is just second nature to keep it that way even when you fall asleep. I have not since day one had any trouble being just a nose breather. I did however hat the first gel nose peice that I had and the pain caused by having to tighten the straps so tight to keep the nose peice sealed on my face. The pressure at the top of my nose and on my upper lip often kept me from being able to wear it over two hours. I went back in and was fitted with the Sleep Weaver. Need I say more! It is heavenly! The straps are all elastic and very comfortable and the nose peice is completly soft causing no discomfort. To my surprise, I was able to roll from my back to my side and the mask remains sealed. It is so pliable that I think you'll find it will work great for you as a side sleeper. I can't say enough about this Sleep Weaver mask! No more waking up trying to reseal that mask two, three, or more times a night. Put it on, go to sleep and forget it til you wake in the morning. I used to loose so much sleep waking and resealing the gel mask that it wasn't worth the effort to wear it. So glad I switched to the Sleep Weaver. It's a whole new world of sleep!

[roster]

In my estimate this forum by has been plagued by Guest posts and new member posts praising the Sleep Weaver mask - posts by people (or one person) who have a financial interest in promoting the mask.

It is so pliable that I think you'll find it will work great for you as a side sleeper. I can't say enough about this Sleep Weaver mask! No more waking up trying to reseal that mask two, three, or more times a night. Put it on, go to sleep and forget it til you wake in the morning. .... It's a whole new world of sleep!

That sounds like something someone who has a desire to write advertising copy for Sleep Weaver would write.

If the mask works great for you, fine, post about it.

But I personally am discounting by 100% anything good written about the Sleep Weaver by a guest.

"A whole old world of skepticism"

[ChelseaChestnut]

I have seen a sleep weaver mask, and I highly doubt it would work for me. Those things are so flimsy!! I don't know how anyone could ever get a good seal with out adding tape or something to it. My DME didn't highly recommend them either. I absolutely loved the Swift FX for her when it came to how it felt against the pillow when I was laying on my side. It almost felt like it wasn't there. My goal is to find a full faced mask that is as comfortable as the Swift FX. Wish me luck!!!

[rested gal]

The cpap pillow I like best personally (everyone's different -- others might prefer a different one) is this one:

https://www.cpap.com/productpage/papill ... illow.html

I've tried some other brands of pillows designed for cpap users, but the Double Edge PAPillow made by "PAPillow" suits me best.

As for masks --

the hard plastic pushing into my face.

Chelsea, that's been my problem with each and every FF mask I've ever tried over the years -- a bunch of them.

I'm a mouthbreather during sleep, even though I don't mouth-breathe while awake. Every FF mask I've tried was either too uncomfortable or too leaky to let me sleep anywhere near as well as I can sleep with nasal pillows masks or even with traditional nasal masks.

One nasal pillows mask in particular lets me burrow the side of my face into any kind of regular bed pillow when I switch from the PAPillow sometimes just for a change. The nasal pillows mask I use is Aeiomed's "Headrest."

Not many DMEs are aware of the "Headrest" mask or of Aeiomed -- the company that makes it.
Here are a bunch of discussions on this forum about it:
LINKS to HeadRest nasal pillows mask topics (same mask has had other names: Aeiomed Aura, then Headrest, then Invacare Twilight NP, then back to Headrest again.)
viewtopic.php?t=3098

One of the best things about the Headrest nasal pillows mask is that the exhaust vent is located up above your eyebrows. It vents straight up, like a little chimney, making it easy for me to sleep on my side with face buried in a soft pillow without blocking the vent. Great for sleeping in any position, including sleeping on one's stomach. That placement of the exhaust vent also means it's not going to blow against your arm when sleeping on your side, or blow against the bedcovers or bed partner.

I wouldn't be able to wear the Headrest (or anything but a Full Face mask) however, if I didn't put tape over my mouth. Been taping my mouth for almost seven years now. Taping is well worth it to me -- to be able to wear masks I find far more comfortable than FF masks. I think it's great that others have found FF masks that suit them. I'm glad I found "tape."

LINKS to: Mouth leaks - Air Leaks - Tape - DIY Guard
viewtopic.php?t=8011

[fadedgirl]

RestedGal...see this link. I wanted to check out the mask you like. It appears the Headrest will not be available much longer?

http://www.aeiomed.com/

[rested gal]

omg! Thanks so much for the link, fadedgirl.

I really hate to hear that.

Very glad I've accumulated a stash of Headrest masks that should last the remainder of my lifetime. I hope.

[ozij]

Oy.
That Aeiomed Headrest is such a great mask if you can breathe through your nose! I loved it when I could use it.

[Jersey Girl]

I did find that a cpap pillow helped me greatly. I settled on the regenesis buckwheat hull pillow from www-pur-sleep.com. Very comfortable and I can easily carve out a spot for my mask/hose/vent. No fighting with my pillow. Just a wonderful, comfortable sleep - and I always sleep on my side!

Regards to all,

Jersey Girl

[ChelseaChestnut]

After looking at the masks this afternoon, I have settled on the Mirage Activa LT. I did try on the Mirage Softgel, but decided it was just too heavy. I was planning on getting a full face mask, but after talking with the guy at me DME, it was decided that I just won't be comfortable enough with a full face mask. I am a little concerned about being able to breath only through my nose, but the Activa felt better than the Swift FX in that respect. I was a little disappointed that Judy, the person at my DME that has been helping me this whole time, was not in the office today due to her little one being sick. The guy that helped me was okay, but he wasn't as knowledgeable in what I have been going through and was very nonchalant about all of it. I am planning on ordering a regenesis pillow next payday and will have to suffer through with my regular pillows unti then. Wish me luck and I will keep you all posted.
ChelseaChestnut

[Janknitz]

I'm curious to see how the Activa works out for you. If you are a dedicated mouth breather, seems like you are going to have the same issue with the activa as well.

You said you felt like you couldn't breathe at all in the Swift--sometimes it's because you need a larger size of nasal pillows and sometimes people find they have to bump the pressure up just slightly for a nasal pillow mask.

And in any case--nasal or nasal pillow mask, good "nose hygiene" is needed to keep you clear (saline nasal rinses, nasal steroid spray, oral antihistamines, or a combination of any of these).

[rosacer]

If you have problems with you nose getting stuck you need to fix that.

I suffer from allergic rhinitis, if I don't use the corticosteroid spray as I should, for sure I will wake up in the middle of the night feeling my nose is blocked and unable to breath freely, even if I'm using a nasal mask (with the nasal pillows it's worst still).

Try to see a Dr. and get something for your sinuses (a corticosteroid spray is the only solution if you have the rhinitis problem). When you will be able to breath properly you will see the huge difference in you sleep.

And let me add, the corticosteroid spray has not the side effects of cortisone because it's only a small topical dose. I have been told that by several Dr.s and specialist.

Rosie

[Vladesch]

I do fine sleeping on my side with my current mask (see my sig).
Sometimes I even lie on my stomach, but I need to "shape" my pillow a but to make this work.

For me a nose only mask couldnt work. I have bad sinus problems which arent going to go away without an operation, so a lot of the time im mouth breathing.
Works fine for me though.

[dtsm]

RestedGal...see this link. I wanted to check out the mask you like. It appears the Headrest will not be available much longer?
http://www.aeiomed.com/

It clearly states only the cpap units discontinued but the headrest will continue to be supplied. I also called Aeiomed to confirm the same!