Nasal Pillows Exhalation Issue

I tried to switch from a full mask to nasal pillows, but i couldn't exhale with it on so I couldn't breath normally. Therefore I could not use the nasal pillows and reverted back to the full mask.

My question is how do nasal pillow wearers exhale, with those pillows stuck into your nostrils?

Cpappa wrote:My question is how do nasal pillow wearers exhale, with those pillows stuck into your nostrils?

Through our noses just as with a full face mask.
Seriously, it shouldn't be anymore difficult to exhale with pillows than with a FFM, assuming the pillows are being worn properly. I will say, that in my experience at first, a given pressure "seemed" greater when using pillows compared to a FFM, but after a while, it wasn't noticeable. Additionally, many have noted that the same AHI could be obtained with a lower pressure using pillows as compared to a FFM.

We exhale through our nose and through the nasal pillow. I never even need to open my mouth and breathe quite comfortably through my nose only. I breathe as easily with/through the nasal pillows as I do through my nose with no mask on at all.

What nasal pillow mask did you try and what size nasal pillow?
What pressure are you using? Are you using exhale relief on your machine?
Was the problem you simply couldn't exhale against the pressure or was it that you felt like there was enough air movement and you felt like you were suffocating?

And the nasal pillows aren't "stuck in the nostrils"...only the tiny inner cone is barely inside the nostril and doesn't touch anywhere inside the nostril. Nothing touches except the outer rim of the pillow touching the outer nasal opening and even then it just rests there.
People tend to either use too small of a nasal pillow and/or have the straps so tight the pillow gets pulled into the nostril and when that happens it can't inflate properly and the air can't move like it should.

Cpappa, when I started off on cpap therapy they tried me on a variety of masks from FullFace to Pillows. I had a hard time with the pillows because I felt like I couldn't breathe. I ended up getting a Nasal mask. It took several months for me to find a mask that would work for me and I could sleep with. I actually ended up with the Swift FX which I used for several years. It just took a little time to get used to.

I am wondering if you have them upside down. I can get air, but cannot exhale when my nasal pillows are upside down.

I think Pugsy is on the right track (as usual), I wonder if you need to step up a size on the pillows. I bought the pillows to use when I needed a break from the FFM and have now gotten to like them so much that I use them alot. The first one I tried was the small and it seemed like a good fit but I ended up taking it off after a few minutes because of the exact problem you are describing, went to the medium and it was a daylight and dark difference. And Jay Aitchsee is right also, I have noticed my AHI is a bit lower on nights that I use the pillows.

Thanks to tiny vent holes in our masks, we can exhale. (Mesh in the P10 mask)
The mesh in my P10 got clogged up, and I was able to clean it with a Water Pic.

chunkyfrog wrote:...
The mesh in my P10 got clogged up, and I was able to clean it with a Water Pic.

I cleaned the mesh with my WaterPik yesterday after reading your comment in an earlier thread. Also, used it to clean my HH water tank.

Thank you all, excellent responses. I am using a Small size so maybe i could try the Medium, although the small head strap fit my head better. I never heard of "Exhale Relief" so that's something to consider also.