Activa vs. Soyala

[Vader]

For those interested, here's my mini-review of the Soyala (nasal mask), presented by comparison to the Activa. I'm just recovering from the flu, so I hope I've captured this properly.


Soyala vs. Activa


For me, it would be tough to place the Soyala ahead of Activa for “First Place”, but it does have VERY considerable merit, and at this point it’s kind of a trade-off.
Activa’s best quality is the absolute ease that which a good seal is obtained. It’s also very comfortable. Unfortunately, Activa is also very big and BULKY.


Soyala PRO’s:

Soyala does not have any of the face sucking “qualities” that are characteristic of the Activa.
It has a very small, lightweight, and unobtrusive design. Precision German engineering, and (mostly)high quality construction. Elbow swivel is fantastic. Great comfort for side sleeping.
Soyala gives a pretty good seal. There’s no blast of exhaust air - like the Activa-- and like they say, "extremely quiet!"

Soyala CON’s:

They could learn a thing or two from the Aussie’s about “Velcro” . Every time I re-adjusted the straps they shredded a little bit.
It’s not quite as kind to the bridge of nose (in my case) as the Activa (but not bad)

I’m eagerly awaiting the introduction of a full face version from Somnotech, although it may be a couple more months from now. There is a full face version in Germany called the “Yara”.
It’s uncertain as to what it will be called in the USA.

It’s way too early to say for certain, but *potentially*, their new FF could be *THE FULL FACE MASK* that I’ve been waiting for.

[rested gal]

Very informative comparison of those two masks, Vader!

A couple of the points you brought out were exactly the way I'd compare the Soyala and Activa when I used them:

As nasal masks go (traditional "cover the nose" type of mask) nothing seals as well as the Activa, bulky though it is.

The Soyala is utterly quiet, and seals well enough to be usable. Much better than so many nasal masks that spring leaks here and there as the night goes on.

[Snoredog]

Keep adjusting the forehead piece to take some more pressure off your nose so it doesn't leave a red mark, I've had a red mark on mine a few times but after adjusting it so it doesn't apply so much pressure to the nose bridge it has been fine. You can also flip the forehead support upside down to change where it rides. I use the center "slot" on mine, you may want to try the closest slot.

I haven't had to play with the velcro after setting it the first night. Compared to other masks it doesn't require near the headgear strap pressure to maintain the seal, I also side sleep. Headgear is not a big thing with me, I have a drawer full of dud masks in my drawer to swap headgear if needed, you can use Respironics, Resmed or just about anything with it.

If you keep using the Soyala, watch your leak rate drop. That swivel elbow is great, if it comes unscrewed on you (usually when hose is overhead and your roll over), just put a drop of hot melt glue at the top of that ring where that notch is and it stops it from doing that. If you unscrew that elbow ring and look at the underside you'll see cogs that hold the ring away from the base, that is the exhaust port(s) on the mask.

Have you noticed any difference in your AHI? Feel any different? That mask does have a higher CO2 retention rate.

I'll probably try the Yara when it becomes available. I'm still using my Soyala every night, it has shown no signs of letting me down going on 2 months use now.

[Vader]

Keep adjusting the forehead piece to take some more pressure off your nose so it doesn't leave a red mark, I've had a red mark on mine a few times but after adjusting it so it doesn't apply so much pressure to the nose bridge it has been fine. You can also flip the forehead support upside down to change where it rides. I use the center "slot" on mine, you may want to try the closest slot.

I haven't had to play with the velcro after setting it the first night. Compared to other masks it doesn't require near the headgear strap pressure to maintain the seal, I also side sleep. Headgear is not a big thing with me, I have a drawer full of dud masks in my drawer to swap headgear if needed, you can use Respironics, Resmed or just about anything with it.

If you keep using the Soyala, watch your leak rate drop. That swivel elbow is great, if it comes unscrewed on you (usually when hose is overhead and your roll over), just put a drop of hot melt glue at the top of that ring where that notch is and it stops it from doing that. If you unscrew that elbow ring and look at the underside you'll see cogs that hold the ring away from the base, that is the exhaust port(s) on the mask.

Have you noticed any difference in your AHI? Feel any different? That mask does have a higher CO2 retention rate.

I'll probably try the Yara when it becomes available. I'm still using my Soyala every night, it has shown no signs of letting me down going on 2 months use now.

I've already tried every possible adjustment, but what actually helped last night was that I put double thickness Nexcare gentle paper tape on my nose. I think it will work out fine.
I haven't really noticed any big difference in how I feel, because I have been feeling pretty good with the Activa as well.

Call me reckless, but I don't really spend time worrying about AHI stats because it seems unnecessary, seeing that I feel very rested and have way more energy since being on cpap therapy.

I've had no issues with co2 retention with the Soyala. All in all, it's a pretty darn good mask. I'd still like to try that Yara though, so I wouldn't have to wear that Ruby chinstrap.

[pippyn]

so, the soyala is good for side sleepers, but what about back sleepers? or folks like me that alternate from side to back frequently throughout the night?

[Vader]

so, the soyala is good for side sleepers, but what about back sleepers? or folks like me that alternate from side to back frequently throughout the night?

I haven't had any mask leak problems while on my back, and I often switch from side to back. The only problem it tends to pose for me is that I mouth breathe a bit when on my back, which is why I wear a chinstrap. For me, an even better fix would be a full face mask, and I'm eagerly anticipating Somnotech's Yara FF. It looks like it's a lot less bulkier than all the others.