I sleep better with FFM. Why??

I sleep better with a full face mask.

But the FFM leaks more.. because if i roll to my side invariably it bumps my pillow or something and the seal is not precise.

It is very uncomfortable. I need to make it tight to lessen chances of leak and I can feel those tight straps. That does not feel good.

Or I can make it less tight and deal with waking up multiple leaks from the leaking and needing readjustment.

If I use a nasal mask I do not breathe or open my mouth. My mouth is never dry and sleepyhead data has no indication of leaks (but i do get some leak indication on FFM)

I tried nasal pillows last night and they really bothered me. I woke up in the middle of the night.. i think i was having an OSA because i ripped them off as if I couldnt breathe.

But I really enjoy the respironics dreamwear from a comfort standpoint. I have used them for a week and I dont feel it on my head and it works great.. but I get terrible sleep. I wake up exhausted.

I have gone back and forth enough times. I will wear my FFM tonight and I will get some amazing sleep. But i really want the nasal to work because I move around in my sleep and it is more forgiving to rolling around and not waking me up.

How do we explain what is happening to me? If I wear FFM, I wake up a lot from the mask hitting the bed but I sleep so incredibly well. If I wear nasal I wake up much less, if at all, but I am exhausted in the morning. AHI on both is good but FFM is always below 1, nasal is 2-3.

Two possibilities---a mask liner (pad a cheek, etc.), or looser straps.
Weird, but adjusting headgear is counter intuitive--looser fit does not create as many wrinkles/leaks in the silicone.

I very well could be the pillow. With a FF mask I feel it's important not to have a soft pillow. Check the CPAPfit pillow.

Doublev wrote:leaks

Some tips:

To reduce unintentional mask leak -

- Make sure the mask is fitted properly. (See mask manufacturer's video.)

- Make sure the headgear is adjusted properly (See mask manufacturer's video.)

- If you use a low ramp pressure or a low minimum pressure, you should fit and adjust your mask at the higher pressures it is operating at for most of the night. You would temporarily change the machine pressure settings while you do the fitting and adjusting. It's best to do this well before bedtime before you are tired and ready for sleep. Don't forget to change your settings back to the ones you prefer.

- Make sure to use good hose management - the hose should not pull on the mask. Notice how your hose is positioned between machine and mask. It should be positioned to minimize any pull on the mask. Hose management is an individual practice. How it is done depends on the mask, the position of the machine, your sleeping position and other factors specific to the individual.

- If you still have problems, learn from the forum what mask liners are available.

- If your mask still has excessive leak, try other masks. Many people report trying several masks before they find one that works well for them.

Note: Links to just some of the mask manufacturers' instructional videos can be found on the forum host's website - https://www.cpap.com/cpap-masks.php and https://www.youtube.com/

- CG

I obsessed about the mask moving initially, too. The CPAPMax pillow solved that problem. It's still fully supportive, but has a cutout so there's nothing pressing the mask.
http://a.co/4ybDbC5