Why don't more people use a full face mask?

Ok, I'm a newbie user so I'm allowed to ask dumb questions ... right? I have blocked nasal passages when I lay down (unknown reason) so my sleep doc said "You'll need a CPAP with a full face mask and a humidier".

Well TG, that worked ok for me so I am happy. I didn't know anything about CPAPs at the time so I just thought it was normal to use a FF mask. But reading posts here I get the idea that most people use a nose only mask (terminology?). And they have trouble keeping it in place or breathing only through their nose, etc. Why not use a full face mask? It seems so much simpler.

Pardon me if everybody (but me) already knows the answer.

That's always been a mystery to me, too. (still, after 2 1/2 years)
But, then, that's all I've ever used.....a full face mask.

Hope yours continues to work well for you.

Den

The most logical reason, they cost less for a DME to sell, a higher profit margin. If you can only have one mask a FF mask is better, It covers all the bases.

Much failure of XPAP treatment is from handing out nasal masks, with no warning about mouthbreathing, or the ways to control it, that really work.

The good points about Nasal masks are they can be less confining and lighter. However if you don't have a way to see when you are not holding the necessary pressure to hold the airway open. (Data & Software), you can be having treatment failure, and not be aware of it, and that's a shame, But it's not a problem for the DME's, they just sell you another Nasal mask and send you out untreated again. To them it's just even more money. Jim

1) Claustrophobia
2) Heat
3) Skin irritation
4) Poor sealing ability for side sleepers

Cheers,
Barbara

Babette wrote:1) Claustrophobia
2) Heat
3) Skin irritation
4) Poor sealing ability for side sleepers

I am with you Barbara. The FF is uncomfortable.. I sometimes have to wear a FF resperator at work, it sucks, I didn't want the same for sleep!

I have a seizure disorder and even on medication, I still have 1-2 seizures a year. I have always had seizures in my sleep and it's typical to vomit after a seizure which is why I can't use a full face mask. Hope I didn't gross anybody out but my doc will not allow it. I'm sure you'll find many other reasons on this forum. Lots of helpful people here. Missy

Babette wrote:1) Claustrophobia
2) Heat
3) Skin irritation
4) Poor sealing ability for side sleepers

add:
5) Can't speak to partner

6) Makes my eyes cross when I try to read in bed.

Look, don't get me wrong. A FF should be offered to anyone who needs it. I think Hybrids or Liberties should be the starter mask of choice for sleep centers. But once you've been around the block and tried 57 masks, choose the one that works the best for YOU.

Cheers,
B.

extremeliver wrote:

Babette wrote:1) Claustrophobia
2) Heat
3) Skin irritation
4) Poor sealing ability for side sleepers

add:
5) Can't speak to partner

I haven't had any problem with Skin irritation, and I've only ever had 2 nasal masks (still new to the hosehead thing) But I would have a problem with all the others so I agree with them. Especially 1.... I'm scared to death about the thought of having to wear a FF when I get a cold or my allergies really start acting up. Though my DME/Sleep Lab said just to drop in and get fitted for one once I need one... I don't understand why they just don't give you one ahead of time cause why would they want someone with a cold in there getting fitted with different masks. I so don't know what I'm gonna do when I do get a cold and with a ten year old nephew living with me who is constantly catching a cold I know I'm bound to have a cold at least two or three times during the school year. I mean I can't even sleep without the light off, it drives my husband nuts.

Christy

I am a CPAP newbie doing mask roulette. I have tried three face masks. I don't like any of them, including the Resmed Ultra Mirage.

They have similar problems. Mainly, the lower part of the mask will not seal. To get it any way sealing I have to puff out my cheeks painfully. And the strap pressure on the jaw is painful.

I am now trying a Comfort Gel nasal mask and chinstrap, and it is a vast improvement.

well your doc is right, you will need a FF at some point.

But you will get the BEST therapy via nasal mask, or that is my experience with it.

With a nasal mask there is no moving parts like your mandible or lower jaw. Maintaining that seal can be a PIA.

If you can eliminate congestion and control mouth breathing you'll feel better from a nasal. It is so easy to push a FF mask out of kelter where it leaks, when it leaks your therapy goes out the window and not down your throat.

My suggestion:

1. Address your chronic nasal congestion, for this therapy to be successful, you need to be able to breathe through your nose. The nose is there for a purpose, to control the temperature and moisture of the air entering your lungs. Breath through you mouth and you by-pass that benefit.

2. Do NOT use any OTC sprays or steriods. Use only a saline rhino rinse. Go see an ENT and have your nose checked for a deviated septum, if you have one get it fixed you will never regret it. Then you will be able to breathe through your nose. Use BreatheRight strips under your mask, they really help keep you open combined with the saline rhino rinse.

3. If you try a nasal mask, get it larger, the top needs to land in alignment with the center of the pupils of the eye, then it needs to be long enough to reach your upper lip without cutting into your nares. Don't let them fit you with one too small, it can put pressure on the outside of your nose and lead to congestion.

A sleep lab is probably the worst place to fit you for a mask. They will fit you with a mask smaller as opposed to larger because the smaller one will leak less, and for their tests that is all they care about stopping leaks as it throws off their titration. But when you get home it is a different story, you want something that is half-way comfortable and doesn't leave a divot across your nose to wear around the next day.

When I started all of this, I knew I was a mouth-breather and that I had trouble breathing through my nose, especially at night, although ENT examination showed no obvious problems. In my sleep study they first tried me on the Mirage Swift, and within the first few breaths I started panicking because I couldn't get enough air, so they switched me to a full face mask and I slept the rest of the night. The DME sent me home with an Ultra Mirage FFM which I wore relatively comfortably for 6 months, though I did have some small problems with leaking around the eyes. I also found it hot and had a lot of condensation in it from mouth breathing, even though I didn't use a humidifier.

In the meantime I had discovered cpaptalk and started wondering if there was a better mask out there for me. When the OptiLife nasal pillow mask came out, I bought one. And I found that I actually could breathe through my nose and that it was more comfortable for me (a side sleeper) than the FFM. So far I've only had one night where I had a cold and was so stuffed up I got the FFM out, but I found it so uncomfortable that I got little sleep. The next mask I try (I like the OptiLife but alas, it's not perfect!) will no doubt be another nasal mask.

Everybody's different, and a lot depends on your face size/shape and also how you sleep (back, side, stomach, if you toss and turn, etc.), what your pressure is, and other particularities. In the end, the best mask for you is the one that delivers the best therapy and is the most comfortable, whether it be a FFM, nasal mask, pillows, prongs, or hybrid.

Babette wrote: 3) Skin irritation

This is not trivial. The skin irritation across the top of your nose will sometimes not heal and will get infected.

Add to the list

7) Facial pain.

For me, I have a lot of pain and headaches if something is pressing on my face around my nose and sinuses. This happened the night of the sleep study and I woke with a headache. So the pillows or hybrid work for me, but not a tradition nasal and/or full face mask. I suspect also that a full face mask could aggravate my TMJ.

In addition, I have to go to work each monring and having really bad red marks that don't go away till noon is not acceptable. I can get pad a cheeks for the straps. But when I've tried the hybrid the marks are really obvious. If you work with the public, people will be wondering what those marks are and so will your co workers. So a mask that doesn't touch your face except the nares (like the Swift, Bravo, Nasal Aire II) is really great.

If I had to get a different job in order to continue treatment I would. But since there are alternatives, I'm going to use them.

This turns out, like most things to be a very individual choice. By the luck of the draw the sleep study provided an Ultra M which worked well for me. I have an excellent DME, and although I said that I wanted an Ultra M she brought out four different mask for me to try. I still chose the UM. By accident it fits me and seals, I like the fact that the straps do not have to be so tight, I just strap it in place and drive on. I would like to try the Quattro when I add another back up mask. Regards

I don't think I can add anything more than what the others have said. I started out with the Comfort Full 2 mask (full face). I had really bad claustrophobia the first couple of nights. Once I had a good night's sleep, my brain flipped a switch and I was okay with it. But.... I did get the red marks around my mouth and nose. After trying several interfaces, I finally found that the Comfort Lite 2 nasal interface is perfect for me (a side sleeper). I am one of the lucky ones who rarely mouth breathes. It seems my tongue seals to the roof of my mouth once the air flow starts or something like that. I actually have to think about how to breathe through my mouth sometimes when I wake up and want to breathe some COOL air. (I use the heated hose.) I agree that I do need a full face mask for those times when I am too congested - and then I wake up a with a super dry mouth.