Respironics DreamWear Full Face Mask Review

General Discussion on any topic relating to CPAP and/or Sleep Apnea.
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raisedfist
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Re: Respironics DreamWear Full Face Mask Review

Post by raisedfist » Fri Apr 20, 2018 8:27 am

I tried this mask out for the first time last night. The fit pack is nice - comes with small, medium, medium wide, and large full face cushions.

The headgear is nice quality but I will say that the frame is huge even though mine came with the medium sized frame/headgear. Without tightening that much I still pretty much had to pull the straps in quite a bit to get it to stabilize. A bit annoying since every other mask I've ever owned, I am a straight medium headgear and cushion sized guy.

I ended up trying out the medium sized cushion last night (I didn't find the fitting cutout to be useful). While awake and sitting in bed I tried raising the IPAP pressures by 2 cm h2o (from 12 to 20) every minute or so, to see if it would leak, and I still had zero reported leak at 20 cm h2o. One thing I did notice is that it seemed to cause my cheeks to puff out near the sides of the mask cushion, as if the seal could be broken with farting noises at any moment.

I fell asleep with a set IPAP of 18 cm h2o, and I woke up 3 hours later with a reported leak of zero. However, I did wake up because of (or, just to hear) rather loud noises coming from the mask cushion, I believe because of what I mentioned before - my cheeks puffing out - probably because the cushion didn't fully cover the sides of my mouth adequately. I will probably try the medium wide and large cushions next, to see if more facial coverage by the cushion helps to prevent this.

The mask itself was mostly comfortable - having the mask rest under your nostrils is kind of weird and will take some getting used to. I think even though it's a FFM cushion, it seems to promote nasal breathing more than your average FFM - perhaps due to the way the cushion nestles right underneath the nostrils. While awake it seemed it required more effort to open my mouth - almost similar to if you were wearing a chin-up strip if you've ever done so. My median respiratory rate was a good 4-5bpm less than normal as well, and that value is consistent so I'm inclined to believe it's not random.

The mask venting is quiet as well. Even with an IPAP of 20 cm h2o the airflow wasn't that loud, especially since the majority of air comes out of the top of your skull, so you can position that in a way that reduces noise. I'd compare it to the F&P Simplus in regards to noise level.

The biggest benefits to this mask are that it's less headgear than most FFM, and also it allows you to sleep in more positions if desired. The biggest downside is probably that it seems finding a good fit requires more effort than usual (for me at least).

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baseten
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Re: Respironics DreamWear Full Face Mask Review

Post by baseten » Fri Apr 20, 2018 9:16 am

Hi Pugsy,

You were so helpful to me last year when I was having problems. I was the one who was suddenly having trouble keeping the back door shut with my Resmed P10 mask after 3 years of very successful use, even though I had to tape my mouth and use a chin strap. So the doctor switched me to the Amara View. My AHI increased so he increased the pressures, and gave me a bipap machine to make it more tolerable. That caused complex apnea. They switched me to the Eason Nasal mask, but the more he increased the pressures, the more the complex apnea worsened.

Finally, I reached out to this forum, and you figured out that the pressure relief setting was causing the problem and helped me find a good pressure setting for me. You made it so that the machine isn't really a bipap machine anymore. I had some trouble keeping that back door shut but after a month or so learned to keep it shut.

I had my yearly check up with the doctor last week, and he was very pleased. For some reason, the respiratory therapist misunderstood his notes and thought he wanted me to try a different mask because I have to tape my mouth and use a chin strap to get the Eason to work for me. I have to admit the thought of not having to do that was tempting, even though I'm so used to it now that it doesn't bother me.

She gave me the new DreamWear Full Face Mask. I could not get it to stay sealed after two nights of trying. I went back to the respiratory therapist who also could not get it to stay sealed. She let me take it home one more time to see if I could figure out something with it.

I finally did. I had to tighten the straps a great deal to get it to stay sealed, but it did. None of the other full face masks except for the Amara View would stay sealed once it reached the higher pressures. Unfortunately, the DreamWear caused apneas as soon as I started to fall asleep. I didn't leave the mask on for more than an hour because this happened every time I started to relax. You had mentioned once that the problem with the full size mask for someone with a small face is that tightening it pushes the chin back and blocks the airway.

I was so happy to go back to the Eason, but now my body is not keeping the back door shut again.

I did tell the respiratory therapist about the return of the back door problem. I think she may think I'm crazy. She spoke to the doctor who does not want to increase the pressure settings on my machine and so does not want me to use the Dreamwear. It takes me a couple of hours to fall asleep because of the noises in my throat, but eventually I sleep for 3 or 4 hours before the noises in my throat wake me up. It's just frustrating because I was doing so well.

So my questions are:

1. Could trying the other mask have made my brain think it doesn't have to keep the back door shut, or is there another explanation?
2. Is there a way to get that Dreamwear to fit snugly without over tightening it? I did find the mask very comfortable.
3. Do you think a pediatric full size mask might be the answer? (I could only find one on line, and it covers the entire face).
4. Do you think going to National Jewish Health in Denver would be helpful?

For the time being, I'm trying to be patient and am hoping that my body/brain will learn how to keep that back door shut again.

Thanks so much for your help.

weroberts75
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Re: Respironics DreamWear Full Face Mask Review

Post by weroberts75 » Fri Apr 20, 2018 9:23 am

raisedfist wrote:
Fri Apr 20, 2018 8:27 am

The mask venting is quiet as well. Even with an IPAP of 20 cm h2o the airflow wasn't that loud, especially since the majority of air comes out of the top of your skull, so you can position that in a way that reduces noise. I'd compare it to the F&P Simplus in regards to noise level.

The biggest benefits to this mask are that it's less headgear than most FFM, and also it allows you to sleep in more positions if desired. The biggest downside is probably that it seems finding a good fit requires more effort than usual (for me at least).
I started using this mask three and a half weeks ago. The first couple of nights, I noticed a little more noise initially than I had with other masks, but as my breathing settled the mask became quiet.

Now that my breathing patterns have adjusted to this mask, it is just as quiet as the F20 was for me. My DreamWear FFM passes the wife test, and she wakes with the slightest sound.

Finding a good fit may require a few more adjustments than with other masks, but I haven't had to adjust my headgear at all between the weekly washings.
The night before last I had a small leak but realized that I didn't pull my headgear all the way down in back when I put it on.
That's the key little thing for me to remember right now, pulling the headgear down behind my head until there is no slack there, and then fastening the lower straps.

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Pugsy
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Re: Respironics DreamWear Full Face Mask Review

Post by Pugsy » Fri Apr 20, 2018 9:31 am

baseten wrote:
Fri Apr 20, 2018 9:16 am
So my questions are:

1. Could trying the other mask have made my brain think it doesn't have to keep the back door shut, or is there another explanation?
2. Is there a way to get that Dreamwear to fit snugly without over tightening it? I did find the mask very comfortable.
3. Do you think a pediatric full size mask might be the answer? (I could only find one on line, and it covers the entire face).
4. Do you think going to National Jewish Health in Denver would be helpful?
My responses numbered to go with question number.

1...I think that what happened was you changed the way you did things and the brain forgot the habit and now you have to retrain the brain back to the old habit of having to keep that door shut.
2..Might look at the Small frame if you haven't already. I couldn't keep the medium frame snug enough to have any chance in hell of not being a problem...the fleece side covers might help some but you might just need a small frame.
You can only do so much snugging up with the headgear itself. There was a huge improvement when I changed to the Small frame..wasn't perfect but 1000% better for me than the medium frame.
3..No...hard to fit and I doubt you would like it and if it were me I would probably go back to trying to get the brain to relearn the old trick...if changing to a small frame didn't help. I do understand the lure of not having to do the chin strap or tape thing.
4..Helpful for what? Mask fitting...doubtful....but diagnosing yeah but you already have been diagnosed and I don't know they would do anything any different except maybe come up with slightly different pressure options. They are good but I think how good depends on what problem you want them to help you fix.
In terms of practical experience with just the mask and mouth breathing kind of issues...I doubt that they have any miracle pill for that except hard work and lots of trial and error.

My first thought from all you said...try the small frame with and without the side fleece wraps to stabilize the mask and avoid having to crank those straps down so tight. If you crank down especially that bottom strap it's going to pull that jaw back and close off the airway and you need more pressure....it shouldn't have to be that tight.
If you already have tried the small frame and still unsuccessful...then time to move on because maybe the mask just doesn't suit your face and your needs.

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baseten
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Re: Respironics DreamWear Full Face Mask Review

Post by baseten » Fri Apr 20, 2018 10:28 am

Hi Pugsy,

Yes, unfortunately, it is the small frame. I think you are right and will just keep persisting. Hopefully, I will learn how to do it for longer periods of time.

Thanks for your help as always. Take care.

Viking4aces
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Re: Respironics DreamWear Full Face Mask Review

Post by Viking4aces » Tue Apr 24, 2018 3:42 pm

Pugsy wrote:
Sat Mar 03, 2018 9:57 am
heyslick wrote:
Sat Mar 03, 2018 9:49 am
Pugsy, If there is any leaking from the air vents would it hit your eyes?
Only if it bounces off of something or the vent holes some how or other end up pointing towards the eyes because the insert shifts a bit.
When the mask properly placed/fitted the vent holes should direct the air up and away from the face.
I did feel the vented air but it was because it was bouncing off of something...like the bed pillow or my arm since I sleep on my side a lot with my arm up by my face.

There are 2 venting areas...one on the insert and one up on the top of the frame where the hose attaches but I will be honest...the vent holes on the insert/cushion push more air and it's more pronounced at the insert. The air moving out the vents on the top of the frame...barely feel it but there's a lot of air moving out the vent holes on the insert.
Or at least feels like a lot to me since I am used to the nothing venting of the P10.

Hello Pugsy,

Your interesting comments about the location of the vent holes is exactly what I need to know regarding the Respironics DreamWear Full Face Mask. I only joined this CPAP group yesterday and I posted a question to the thread. I believe you responded to my question because your name seems vaguely familiar to me. Can you tell me anything specifically about how much sound is coming out of the vent holes on this mask? I need to find a mask I can live with and the Veterans Administrations (VA) is not offering me a whole lot of assistance in figuring out which mask is right for me. I know it's hard to quantify a sound level with words but one test I've used for the air flow is when I have cupped my hands in front of the air vent to see how much air flow I can hear as the air bounces off my cupped hands. I've also placed my fingers over my ears to block out any external sounds to listen to the mask itself which doesn't tell me a whole lot but it does give me a sense of how the air pressure is flowing in the mask. My biggest problem is my hyperacusis and the level of sensitivity I'm experiencing with the air coming out of the vent holes. I imagine the reduced amount of mask equipment located on a persons face must be really nice with this mask but I'm curious about the side hoses that deliver the air down to the mouth piece and how it feels against your head when you lay on your side and end up pressing the hose against your pillow.

Thank you,
Viking4aces

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Pugsy
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Re: Respironics DreamWear Full Face Mask Review

Post by Pugsy » Tue Apr 24, 2018 3:55 pm

Viking4aces wrote:
Tue Apr 24, 2018 3:42 pm
our interesting comments about the location of the vent holes is exactly what I need to know regarding the Respironics DreamWear Full Face Mask. I only joined this CPAP group yesterday and I posted a question to the thread. I believe you responded to my question because your name seems vaguely familiar to me. Can you tell me anything specifically about how much sound is coming out of the vent holes on this mask? I need to find a mask I can live with and the Veterans Administrations (VA) is not offering me a whole lot of assistance in figuring out which mask is right for me. I know it's hard to quantify a sound level with words but one test I've used for the air flow is when I have cupped my hands in front of the air vent to see how much air flow I can hear as the air bounces off my cupped hands. I've also placed my fingers over my ears to block out any external sounds to listen to the mask itself which doesn't tell me a whole lot but it does give me a sense of how the air pressure is flowing in the mask. My biggest problem is my hyperacusis and the level of sensitivity I'm experiencing with the air coming out of the vent holes. I imagine the reduced amount of mask equipment located on a persons face must be really nice with this mask but I'm curious about the side hoses that deliver the air down to the mouth piece and how it feels against your head when you lay on your side and end up pressing the hose against your pillow.
I responded to your first post here about mask vent noise.
viewtopic.php?f=1&t=171207&p=1245749#p1245749

I am sorry but I cannot compare the noise from the venting of the DreamWear Full Face mask with any other full face mask venting noise because I have never used any other full face mask. Never even really tried another one. So no experience at all to draw upon.
Everything is noisier than the P10 I use as my primary mask. :lol: :lol:

There's always give and take with our mask choices. If vent noise is a really big deal for you then maybe you might want to look at a nasal mask of some sort that doesn't have very much vent noise.
You have to decide which is the worse of 2 evils...the noise or something else.
And don't assume that if you use higher pressures that you can't use a nasal pillow mask...and just because you might mouth breathe sometimes doesn't mean that you would do it all the time and enough to seriously impact therapy.
Sometimes we have to make compromises and if noise levels is critical to you...look at something besides a full face mask because in general they all will have the highest vent noise.

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ChicagoGranny
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Re: Respironics DreamWear Full Face Mask Review

Post by ChicagoGranny » Tue Apr 24, 2018 4:13 pm

I have four different FFMs. The DreamWear FFM is by far the loudest. But, it's a bit like a white noise machine. I adapted to the sound the first night, and it nicely does some blocking of extraneous noises. YMMV.

weroberts75
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Re: Respironics DreamWear Full Face Mask Review

Post by weroberts75 » Thu Apr 26, 2018 8:29 am

Pugsy wrote:
Fri Apr 20, 2018 9:31 am

If you crank down especially that bottom strap it's going to pull that jaw back and close off the airway and you need more pressure....it shouldn't have to be that tight.
If you already have tried the small frame and still unsuccessful...then time to move on because maybe the mask just doesn't suit your face and your needs.
I concur with the comments about the bottom strap. The DreamWear FFM will definitely pull your jaw back if the lower straps are too tight.

When I put my DreamWear FFM on, I leave enough slack to easily slip my fingers between the straps and my face, because when I lie down and turn the air on the straps tighten.
If I tighten them to what feels like a good tension when I first put the mask on, then they will be overtightened and pull my jaw back by the time I lie down and get the air moving.

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raisedfist
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Re: Respironics DreamWear Full Face Mask Review

Post by raisedfist » Fri Apr 27, 2018 11:34 am

I can't get this mask to work. I've tried two different size ff mask cushions. While awake it seems okay, although the way the top piece rests under/against the nose is kind of uncomfortable to me. I keep waking up in the middle of the night to annoying sounds coming from the mask, even though my machine reports a 95% leak value of 0 l/m.

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dreamingofdreaming
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Re: Respironics DreamWear Full Face Mask Review

Post by dreamingofdreaming » Mon Apr 30, 2018 4:26 pm

I just got mine. It feels comfy. It feels very similar to the nasal version. I'm pretty excited to try it tonight. I have had a cold the past couple of days and noticed some mouth breathing at night. Fingers crossed.

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Re: Respironics DreamWear Full Face Mask Review

Post by dreamingofdreaming » Tue May 01, 2018 12:29 pm

So I wasn't able to sleep all night with this. This has nothing to do with the mask. My cold had me coughing a lot last night and I had to lift the mask up to cough. I thought it would be easier just to use my nasal mask and not have to deal with it. It feels a lot like the nasal mask. Since I was having a lot of congestion, I was able to mouth breath. I think I am going to really like this as an alternative. It's an easy transition.

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Re: Respironics DreamWear Full Face Mask Review

Post by 2ndchance » Fri Feb 22, 2019 11:09 pm

I just had a second sleep study done last night and was given this mask for my titration. It was comfortable and I liked that it does not go over the bridge of the nose.

I did find it noisy though like someone mentioned in this thread and it tended to leak air at the top part of the mask and sides. I am a mouth breather and the sleep tech mentioned this is a good mask for that. I still might insist on the p10 or n30i and use a collar/tape for my mouth. Also the venting from the mask portion was noticeable which is another turnoff.

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raisedfist
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Re: Respironics DreamWear Full Face Mask Review

Post by raisedfist » Sat Feb 23, 2019 7:17 am

I've been using this mask the last 3-4 nights. Leak rates are great and it's reasonably quiet as long as you are positioned in the right way while lying down. The biggest con is that it eventually hurts the hell out of my nose, and today I woke up to a very sore and skin chafed nose. I had to tighten up a bit to get it to fit snugly because of my pressures used. It also could be too big of a cushion but the fit seems good at first. Verdict still out.

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Re: Respironics DreamWear Full Face Mask Review

Post by jpop » Sat Feb 23, 2019 8:10 am

raisedfist wrote:
Fri Apr 20, 2018 8:27 am
One thing I did notice is that it seemed to cause my cheeks to puff out near the sides of the mask cushion, as if the seal could be broken with farting noises at any moment.

I fell asleep with a set IPAP of 18 cm h2o, and I woke up 3 hours later with a reported leak of zero. However, I did wake up because of (or, just to hear) rather loud noises coming from the mask cushion, I believe because of what I mentioned before - my cheeks puffing out - probably because the cushion didn't fully cover the sides of my mouth adequately. I will probably try the medium wide and large cushions next, to see if more facial coverage by the cushion helps to prevent this.
This is exactly what I experienced. I could fall asleep easily with either the large or medium wide mask but eventually end up with the cheek leak. Frustrated I would tighten the Velcro down a bit, wash rinse spin repeat. By the third time I would have the straps pulled tight enough to cause the nasal pillow to distort and leak.

After a couple weeks of trying I got it somewhat better while using breath right strips and making a conscious effort to keep my mouth closed. Some more limited success and nearly eliminating any mouth breathing fortunately I was smart enough to figure out that I could make a go of not having a full face mask.

Another note is the leaks as bothersome as they were, cold drool air on my cheeks, the leaks never showed up in SleepyHead. I’m now settled in on the dreamwear gel pillows, and until there’s a full face hybrid mask, I’ll be keeping the dreamwear full face mask use to a minimum when the gel pillows cause irritation.

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