nasal pillows better than full face?

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anonfan1432
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nasal pillows better than full face?

Post by anonfan1432 » Sat Oct 25, 2014 12:53 pm

So i currently have a full face, and i am looking to get into nasal pillows.

It seems like physically a nose only or nasal pillow would simply be better for the simple reason that more of the pressure is actually concentrated on your airways.

I feel like with the full face mask, a lot of the air that blows into the mask just sort of bounces off your face and just fumbles around in the mask, never actually getting into your airways.

It seems like with nasal pillows, ALL of the air is literally getting into your airways.

Yes, there is the issue of the mouth opening or nasal congestion, but provided you manage to keep your mouth closed and you don't have severe nasal congestion, would nasal pillows be more effective?
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Wulfman...
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Re: nasal pillows better than full face?

Post by Wulfman... » Sat Oct 25, 2014 1:16 pm

alexxshadenk wrote:So i currently have a full face, and i am looking to get into nasal pillows.

It seems like physically a nose only or nasal pillow would simply be better for the simple reason that more of the pressure is actually concentrated on your airways.

I feel like with the full face mask, a lot of the air that blows into the mask just sort of bounces off your face and just fumbles around in the mask, never actually getting into your airways.

It seems like with nasal pillows, ALL of the air is literally getting into your airways.

Yes, there is the issue of the mouth opening or nasal congestion, but provided you manage to keep your mouth closed and you don't have severe nasal congestion, would nasal pillows be more effective?
It's all "personal preference".
Do some homework and get a nasal mask and try it if you think it might work for you. Nobody says you can't try one.

I started out with the full face mask in my profile and over the years have tried a couple of other full face masks that didn't work for me. I've never tried a nasal mask of any kind and never will. I knew from the start what I liked and what works for me.......and I'm sticking with it.

"Nasal congestion" can be remedied in a number of ways. Nasal cleansing before bedtime and turning down (or off) the humidification setting works for many. No guarantees that a nasal mask will be a benefit to nasal congestion. If you can't breathe through your nose, your mouth is going to fall open so you can breathe.......and there goes your therapy air.


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Re: nasal pillows better than full face?

Post by palerider » Sat Oct 25, 2014 1:19 pm

alexxshadenk wrote:So i currently have a full face, and i am looking to get into nasal pillows.

It seems like physically a nose only or nasal pillow would simply be better for the simple reason that more of the pressure is actually concentrated on your airways.

I feel like with the full face mask, a lot of the air that blows into the mask just sort of bounces off your face and just fumbles around in the mask, never actually getting into your airways.

It seems like with nasal pillows, ALL of the air is literally getting into your airways.
you'd be apprximately 100% wrong in your 'feel'ing there.

air isn't blown into your airways with any kind of mask, a lightly pressurized area is created outside your oral, nasal, or both opening, this results in lightly pressurized air in your airway, thus helping to split it open. the only air that goes in and out in normal cpap is caused by the expansion and compression of your lungs by the various muscles involved in breathing.

pillow masks and full face masks vent approximately the same amount of air, there's little difference from an effectiveness point, as long as you keep your lips closed when using a nasal, or pillow mask.

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Re: nasal pillows better than full face?

Post by Sleepysuz » Sun Oct 26, 2014 3:23 am

All of the air goes in the airway with either mask. However if you do a search for areophagia you may find that with a full mask some people eat the air through their mouth and swallow it so it goes down the wrong tube. If you look at my posts you will see my experience there. Don't know if it's a rare occur acne but just wanted to point out its a possibility.

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Re: nasal pillows better than full face?

Post by palerider » Sun Oct 26, 2014 9:48 am

Sleepysuz wrote:However if you do a search for areophagia you may find that with a full mask some people eat the air through their mouth and swallow it so it goes down the wrong tube.
if you do a little reading on anatomy, you might notice that the nasal passages, oral passages, esophagus and trachea all share a common area, have you ever noticed how feeding tubes go in through the nose and breathing tubes go in through the mouth?

just food, as it were, for thought.

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Re: nasal pillows better than full face?

Post by chunkyfrog » Sun Oct 26, 2014 9:53 am

palerider wrote: . . . have you ever noticed how feeding tubes go in through the nose and breathing tubes go in through the mouth?

just food, as it were, for thought.
I--And I wonder why we drive on a parkway, but park in a driveway.
Silliness aside, I have found that the less stuff that needs to touch your face, the better seal/fewer leaks.

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Re: nasal pillows better than full face?

Post by palerider » Sun Oct 26, 2014 10:51 am

chunkyfrog wrote:
palerider wrote: . . . have you ever noticed how feeding tubes go in through the nose and breathing tubes go in through the mouth?

just food, as it were, for thought.
I--And I wonder why we drive on a parkway, but park in a driveway.
Silliness aside, I have found that the less stuff that needs to touch your face, the better seal/fewer leaks.
would you like to wait in the sitting room or sit in the waiting room?

the seal size thing makes perfect sense, the smaller the area of seal, the fewer places for there to be a mismatch between face shape and seal.

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Re: nasal pillows better than full face?

Post by MyJanine » Sun Oct 26, 2014 11:02 am

Plus side:
Less stomach gas, bloating, belching, f++ting.
Less straps and head gear BS

Negative:
The exhaust ports on the Swift™ FX Nano Nasal CPAP Mask with Headgear is just plain stupid engineering. A $.002 plastic "bonnet" to somehow re-direct the blast seems uber simple. Experimenting with a DIY bonnet carved from a recycled 1 gallon milk container. While NOT restricting the flow, it attenuates the exhaust rebound away from the eyelids & face.

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Re: nasal pillows better than full face?

Post by TyroneShoes » Sun Oct 26, 2014 11:21 am

alexxshadenk wrote:...
It seems like physically a nose only or nasal pillow would simply be better for the simple reason that more of the pressure is actually concentrated on your airways.

I feel like with the full face mask, a lot of the air that blows into the mask just sort of bounces off your face and just fumbles around in the mask, never actually getting into your airways.

It seems like with nasal pillows, ALL of the air is literally getting into your airways...
What is "more effective" is what works for you. Probably worth a try, but difficult to do without buying one. If you can wait for your next sleep study, you could get a chance to try it out, and if you like it, and insurance agrees, they can put that on the prescription.

But there is a flaw in your logic, in that the pressure, regardless of what sort of mask contains it, equalizes against all surfaces, which is a simple fact of nature, so the pressure will not really be different with a different mask type, meaning it does not really change the therapeutic effect, and it will get "into your airways" in pretty much the same manner and pressure.

Pressure on moving air does change, as does inversely the speed of the moving air, as it interacts with different obstructions or restrictions, due to the Venturi effect/Bernouli principle (same sort of thing that causes lift on an airplane wing). But that is overthinking it usually for the subject of CPAP; the important factor is the pressure, and as long as that is delivered the same, you will get the same pressure, regardless of the mask (assuming no leaks).

That said, when I tried the small NPs, it was more restrictive, which made it seem as if I was unable to breathe out as easily (for those same reasons above, probably). The large NPs do not have that issue, at least for me.

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Re: nasal pillows better than full face?

Post by Wulfman... » Sun Oct 26, 2014 11:25 am

chunkyfrog wrote:I--And I wonder why we drive on a parkway, but park in a driveway.
I've wondered if the words "hemorrhoids" and "asteroids" should have been switched.


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Re: nasal pillows better than full face?

Post by sleepy1235 » Sun Oct 26, 2014 5:03 pm

The nasal pillows are very comfortable for me.

The question comes in regards to the pressure you are using, and whether you will tend to leak air out of your mouth.

I got a head band and keep my jaw pulled up and that seems to work fairly well.

Some people don't like nasal pillows, but I find that it is nice to not have your face covered.

I would definitely give them a try.

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Re: nasal pillows better than full face?

Post by Muse-Inc » Sun Oct 26, 2014 9:36 pm

Innomed/RespCare Universal Hybrid mask is considered a FFM because it has pillows & covers your mouth so no loss of therapy air breathing through nose or mouth.

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Re: nasal pillows better than full face?

Post by Sleepysuz » Sun Oct 26, 2014 10:56 pm

It's an individual thing. I believe Pugsy reported aerophagia with a FFM and uses pillows. My AHI dropped to 1/10 of what it was when I switched. Am in a medical profession and know that how the airways work . Just in my case the air pressure went down the esophagus and that hurts. If more went in belly, less went in my lungs. Perhaps in some people the "trap door" that channels the air to the lungs doesn't stay closed so some of the air pressure takes a wrong turn. Less into lungs means less affective XPAP

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Re: nasal pillows better than full face?

Post by Starlette » Mon Oct 27, 2014 12:22 am

I can tell you from personal experience that I have tried all three types of masks: nasal, pillow and a hybrid. And for various reasons, I could not find the mask that worked for me. At the beginning of my therapy, I was given the comfort gel blue nasal mask. For a long time it worked for me. However, over time the lining began to irritate my skin so much that it was beginning to cause a welt near my nose. Then I began a quest looking for the right mask. I don't know how long it's been, probably around a year, that I finally settled on a whisp nasal mask. Or I may be more correct to say that my "nose" decided for me that it was the mask for me. It was not so much the AHI's, but rather comfort. The old-timers that have been on this forum can tell you how hard it was for me to "dial in" to the correct therapy for myself. I have been dealing with sleep apnea now since 2008. I am happy to announce that what I have been doing with my mask, CPAP, and humidity are all working in harmony together. Yes, I still look at my data in sleepyhead, but that Data does not reflect if my therapy is a success or failure. It is determined that the therapy did its job the night before is in the area of naps during the day. If I have a need to sleep several hours in a day, then I know that that therapy from the night before did not work. Whereas, if my body does not need a nap during the day, then I know my therapy worked the night before in spite of what the data says.

Everyone is different in determining a success or failure in their therapy. I know what works for me finally after all these years in dealing with my therapy and sleep apnea.

Starlette

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Re: nasal pillows better than full face?

Post by fmj13 » Sat Nov 29, 2014 7:45 pm

I tried the Innomed hybrid last night - I've been using the Swift FX since 2011. Not a positive experience - first of all, I could not put it on without having the bedroom light on. Then whenever I inhaled, the oral part swelled, making it hard to sleep. I wore it for about 3 hours, then when I woke up, I switched back to the Swift FX. I am still looking - maybe a sleepweaver Elan? Maybe a wisp? I also previously tried a nuance prop, but did not feel it gave me as good a seal as the Swift FX.

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