mask noise

Hi, not sure my last post went through. I am new to cpap, had my machine 3 1/2 weeks. I have a ResMed S8 elite and a Mirage Swift II nasal pillow. I like the mask much better than the nasal mask they used on my sleep study but it seems noisy. I usually wake up after a couple hours sleep because of the air coming out the exhaust port of the mask. I have a chin strap ordered and have tried mouthtaping. So far the results are the same. Whenever I start my machine I get a message that says High Leakage last session. Does anyone have any pointers to help me out? I've thought about a full face mask but not sure about that. My settting on the machine is 14 if that helps any. Right now my wife won't sleep in the same room as the cpap and I'm to the point I'd rather sleep with her than the machine. Any help would be welcomed by both myself and my wife. Thanks.

1. *Why* won't your wife sleep in the same room as the machine? If my husband tried to make me choose between him and CPAP, frankly, that shows he doesn't care enough about my health for it to be worth staying with him, so I'd choose the CPAP.

2. Try putting a window fan in the room ... if the machine and mask are louder than the window fan (even on a low setting) you've got problems.

3. If the air out the exhaust port is loud, make sure there's nothing covering the exhaust port. I know my mask makes a funny noise if there's anything within about 3" of the exhaust port, it needs to be completely clear.

4. Are you sure you're using the right size pillows and the mask is properly fitted to your head and face? You shouldn't get a High Leakage error just from the exhaust port, I don't think, so the mask must be leaking elsewhere also.

5. Are you sure you're not mouthbreathing? If you're mouthbreathing, (1) that could cause the high leakage rate (2) it could also cause you to wake up multiple times a night due to pressure differential and (3) you should be using a full face mask. In my totally unprofessional opinion, chin straps and taping should only be used for people who occasionally open their mouths slightly for no reason at all; anyone who actually mouth breathes needs a FF mask.

I use silicone earplugs, they are comfortable and block enough sound that I can sleep. Only thing is it's necessary to wash my ears as well as face before bed, otherwise they lose their stickiness rapidly.

http://www.macksearplugs.com/product2.htm

Cotton or foam earplugs are also possibilities.

tumwater wrote:Hi, not sure my last post went through. I am new to cpap, had my machine 3 1/2 weeks. I have a ResMed S8 elite and a Mirage Swift II nasal pillow. I like the mask much better than the nasal mask they used on my sleep study but it seems noisy. I usually wake up after a couple hours sleep because of the air coming out the exhaust port of the mask. I have a chin strap ordered and have tried mouthtaping. So far the results are the same. Whenever I start my machine I get a message that says High Leakage last session. Does anyone have any pointers to help me out? I've thought about a full face mask but not sure about that. My settting on the machine is 14 if that helps any. Right now my wife won't sleep in the same room as the cpap and I'm to the point I'd rather sleep with her than the machine. Any help would be welcomed by both myself and my wife. Thanks.

From what I've read here, the Swift is a noisy mask. (I've never tried a nasal mask)
Do you take off your mask BEFORE shutting off your machine? That will also account for high leakage.

If I were you, I would strongly consider a Quattro mask.....(properly sized and adjusted) it's very quiet.

Den

My experience with the Swift is that it is a very quiet mask, unless it's leaking. When it leaks it can get very loud. Make sure all of the joints are together correctly and make sure you're getting a good seal on your nose. You might have to move up to a larger pillow and fuss a lot with the straps to get it fitting you correctly. Good luck!

I too use the Swift II and find it to be very quiet. The noise issues could be from the slider bar not completely closed. The leak issue could be the headgear sliding up in the back causing the pillows to leak. One of our posters, Steve, posted a fix for that. Use a strip of the hook side of velcro and attach it to the inside of the back strap. There is self stick velcro available and after placing it in the position you want, simply staple it to the headgear for added protection in keeping it from coming off. The "hooks" gently adhere to your hair and prevent the headgear from riding up. Works wonderful, is comfortable, washable and helps keep the mask stable and the pillows in place. I had the original Swift and that mask was noisy but I had great success with it. I've tried a bunch of masks but always come back to the Swift II.
Good Luck!

After getting some advice from folks here on setting up the Activa mask I have found it to be the quitest that I have ever used.