Full face mask for side sleeper?

I am new to cpap. I have moderate to severe sleep apnea and have recently gotten a Resmed Airsense 10 Autoset machine.

I usually sleep with my mouth open and a nasal mask did not work for me. The problem is that I need a full face mask but I also sleep on my side. I have tried the Resmed Quattro Air and Phillips Amara full face masks. When I try to sleep on my side, it is very uncomfortable and difficult to get to sleep. Also, sleeping with the side of my face contacting the pillow seems to push the mask out of place and cause leaks.

I would greatly appreciate any advice. Thanks to all.

CarolS

I would usually just sleep on the edge of the pillow when wearing a ffm.

CarolS wrote:I am new to cpap. I have moderate to severe sleep apnea and have recently gotten a Resmed Airsense 10 Autoset machine.

I usually sleep with my mouth open and a nasal mask did not work for me. The problem is that I need a full face mask but I also sleep on my side. I have tried the Resmed Quattro Air and Phillips Amara full face masks. When I try to sleep on my side, it is very uncomfortable and difficult to get to sleep. Also, sleeping with the side of my face contacting the pillow seems to push the mask out of place and cause leaks.

I would greatly appreciate any advice. Thanks to all.

CarolS

Right! You may need a different bed pillow. There are quite a few that have either been designed for this therapy or will work better with it than the "standard" (fiberfill) pillows.

Do a forum search on things like "buckwheat" or "Chiroflow" and you'll find some discussions about them.
I'm a dedicated side-sleeper and use a full face mask. My bed pillow is listed in my profile (below). Was using it for years before I started this therapy and it has worked well with it.


Den

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I have your same set up with the mask and the machine. I'm a side sleeper as well and just sleep on the edge of the pillow. Since I started that way I've stop having issues with my mask.

Good Luck!

I'm a side sleeper and I used a Quattro mask for about 3 years almost exclusively. I hung the mask off the side of the pillow and used one of those tempurpedic/orthopedic pillows with a "ditch" in the middle that helped too.

BUT, I also had some issues with pressure on my lower jaw from the mask that ended up shifting teeth because the mask wasn't fully hanging off the edge. It pushed my bottom teeth on one side toward the center, leaving a gap which is causing me problems now--food gets caught constantly and it's really annoying, plus hard to keep clean enough since a pocket has formed in the gum.

If I had it to do all over again, I probably would not have used that mask exclusively (it's still nice to have when my nose is congested and I can't breathe through a nasal or nasal pillow mask).

IF you are a dedicated side sleeper, it's worth exploring a chin strap or taping to learn to breathe exclusively through your nose at night. Now I use a Wisp mask and love that there's no pressure on my teeth.

If you can handle a firm pillow I recommend the Buckwheat Hull pillow. It can be shaped to fit your needs and your face/mask will not settle in.

I like my ResMed Airfit F10 FFM. It never seems to dislodge if I bury the side of my face in the pillow. I've tried just about every popular FFM mask out there and this is the only one that is reasonably forgiving if you move around while you side-sleep. In the past I've noted several folks on CPAPtalk who really don't like this particular F10 mask, but by and large, I think it's a big hit for ResMed (not that they need even more money than they've already got ). The downside is that it is expensive like most new mask designs that are released to the public.

Sir NoddinOff wrote:I like my ResMed Airfit F10 FFM. It never seems to dislodge if I bury the side of my face in the pillow. I've tried just about every popular FFM mask out there and this is the only one that is reasonably forgiving if you move around while you side-sleep. In the past I've noted several folks on CPAPtalk who really don't like this particular F10 mask, but by and large, I think it's a big hit for ResMed (not that they need even more money than they've already got ). The downside is that it is expensive like most new mask designs that are released to the public.

The regular price is right in line with many other FF masks.

Sorry to read about your issues. I am also a side sleeper... I use the Zzz-Mask Full Face CPAP Mask by Probasics.

I like that it does not have the forehead support, and more then anything else I like the price. Compared the price to Resmed masks this mask is half price, and the replacement cushions are about half also. The mask works well for me, but every one is different. I have high pressure settings of 23/19, and so far served me well.

I wish you well...

I agree with LSAT especially, but everyone has given you good answers. They are all things you might try to find out what works for you.
I used Quattro Air, then switched to AirfFit10, both FF masks. I like them both, but my preference is the F10 as it has no forehead strap. I'm a side sleeper, and I usually bury half of the mask in the pillow. It doesn't seem to matter what pillow I have, I've been traveling off and on in the last 6 weeks, and every hotel pillow was different, but it made no difference in how I slept. For some people, the pillow is a game changer and only one pillow will give them a good night's sleep. For me, the pillow was not the concern, it was the darn face farts! I found out about mask liners and strap covers; once I started using those, that was what changed the game for me!

CarolS wrote:I am new to cpap. I have moderate to severe sleep apnea and have recently gotten a Resmed Airsense 10 Autoset machine.

I usually sleep with my mouth open and a nasal mask did not work for me. The problem is that I need a full face mask but I also sleep on my side. I have tried the Resmed Quattro Air and Phillips Amara full face masks. When I try to sleep on my side, it is very uncomfortable and difficult to get to sleep. Also, sleeping with the side of my face contacting the pillow seems to push the mask out of place and cause leaks.

I would greatly appreciate any advice. Thanks to all.

CarolS

I have the same machine but use the ResMed AirFit F10 full face mask and am also a side sleeper, granted I only have three nights in but I have had no problems with any leaks at all and I have full contact with the pillow. I will also at times sleep with my face in my hand and it still does not dislodge the mask or with my face on my arm. You might check with your DME you can usually get a different mask for no charge in the beginning.
Good luck.

Sir NoddinOff wrote:I like my ResMed Airfit F10 FFM. It never seems to dislodge if I bury the side of my face in the pillow. I've tried just about every popular FFM mask out there and this is the only one that is reasonably forgiving if you move around while you side-sleep. In the past I've noted several folks on CPAPtalk who really don't like this particular F10 mask, but by and large, I think it's a big hit for ResMed (not that they need even more money than they've already got ). The downside is that it is expensive like most new mask designs that are released to the public.

I second these comments. I'm a side sleeper and I have NEVER had a full face mask as comfortable, easy to wear and non-leaking as this. You gotta try it.

G550 wrote:

Sir NoddinOff wrote:I like my ResMed Airfit F10 FFM. It never seems to dislodge if I bury the side of my face in the pillow. I've tried just about every popular FFM mask out there and this is the only one that is reasonably forgiving if you move around while you side-sleep. In the past I've noted several folks on CPAPtalk who really don't like this particular F10 mask, but by and large, I think it's a big hit for ResMed (not that they need even more money than they've already got ). The downside is that it is expensive like most new mask designs that are released to the public.

I second these comments. I'm a side sleeper and I have NEVER had a full face mask as comfortable, easy to wear and non-leaking as this. You gotta try it.

A habit of sleeping with my palm under the cheek forced me to ditch F10 in favor of Mirage Quattro, which also better covers my mouth and therefore lowers leaking.

I can see this as being a major issue for me. I barrel rolled during my sleep study which the tech remarked was quite impressive. Sleep is typically on my side of stomach. I don't sleep on my back at all. Are there other good masks for tummy sleepers?