Stomach sleeper needs HELP

[aaronkeith]

Hello all,

I have had OSA for many, many years and am taking another stab a cpap after a couple of unsuccessful tries years ago.

I currently am using the Sleepweaver mask and am able to fall asleep on my side quite easily.

The problem is that I am a stomach sleeper who tosses and turns A LOT and I always end up waking up in the morning with the mask off, having pulled it off two hours or so into the process.

I think that if I could stop tossing and turning and stay on my side, I would be OK, but I am VERY UPSET that the same pattern seems to be repeating.

The Sleepweaver is much more comfortable than other masks I have tried (which include about every other style...seriously, about five years ago I tried 6 or 7 different ones).

I have some other potentially serious health and life issues that are being adversely affected by my OSA and I need to succeed this time.

Has anyone cured themselves of stomach sleeping? (I have tried a full-body U-shaped pillow to no effect)

Is there a way to stop tossing and turning and keep the mask on?

Please help.

Thanks

[MaxDarkside]

Has anyone cured themselves of stomach sleeping?

I'm a stomach sleeper and prefer it that way, my OSA is much less. I think this is generally true. So you may not wish to cure that, but the tossing and turning. I'm not sure what to suggest.

[apneawho]

Google the Falcon position for sleeping as an option. I am also a stomach sleeper. I have found I can use an extra pillow under my side/stomach to allow me to sleep in an almost stomach position with ease. I have nasal pillows.

[thankfulheart]

I, too, am a stomach sleeper and would dislodge my mask at times. I have corrected that by using a PAPCap to stabilize the mask, first of all, by attaching it various places. As it is now, that puppy doesn't budge for the most part. The second thing I did was to purchase a buckwheat hull pillow (I did not get mine from PurSleep where the PAPCap is from, but my next one will be...I like the removable cover). The buckwheat hull pillow makes it very easy to get comfortable and provides indentations for the headgear. It also gives better support to the neck and is cooler, if you tend to overheat when you sleep. The other Godsend has been a featherbed from The Company Store. I have found that once I settle into a comfy position with everything aligned, I very rarely toss and turn anymore. My kids call it my "nest".

[greg-g]

I'm a stomach sleeper as well, and I believe it's all really a question of hose management and the correct pillow.
My hose goes back over my head using a head band and velcro to a hose hanger.
I sleep with my head on the pillow with the mask just on the edge.
For me it works very well, and I toss and turn all night.
Keep trying

[Julie]

What I did - it's radical, but works for me -

I have a relatively inexpensive but good memory foam bed and, using an electric carving knife, cut a 3" wide (you can play with width and rounded top edges once you have the basic cut) x 3-4" deep trench starting at the top of the mattress and extending towards the foot by 10-12"... When I sleep, the mask sits in the trench diagonally and because I use one of the few masks that vent NOT directly from the right angle point of the mask:hose connection, but higher up in the mask, the vent is not blocked by the foam or bedding...

[Suzjohnson]

Google the Falcon position for sleeping as an option. I am also a stomach sleeper. I have found I can use an extra pillow under my side/stomach to allow me to sleep in an almost stomach position with ease. I have nasal pillows.

I looked it up as suggested, and gave it a try last night. Wow, what a difference! Neck problems have prevented me from sleeping on my stomach for years - just can't get my head turned enough. Oddly though, not using a pillow beneath the head and elevating the torso with a pillow worked great. Wore nasal pillows and put headgear under chinstrap which minimized movement, and all of my numbers this morning were excellent. I will try using my ffm tonight and see if I encounter any problems. This is superior, by far, to side and/or back sleeping and if you love sleeping on your tummy and haven't tried this position yet, please do.

Suz

[insylem]

I googled Falcon Sleep Position too and it took me right back to this website.
wiki/index.php/Sleep_Positions

Anyways, I also am a stomach sleeper. I'm going to have to try this too, because Im always bumping my mask into the pillow makeing it leak

Thanks

[aaronkeith]

I tried the Falcon position and it puts a very uncomfortable amount of pressure on my face and jaw against the pillow. I don't see how this could work for anyone.

I'm really, really discouraged as no one seems to have an answer for me, as there must be others like me who have had similar issues.

[Lizistired]

I always loved sleeping on my stomach with my arms wrapped around the pillow. I couldn't when I first started cpap so I guess I just quit trying. Well duh. I have hose management now and the blowing air isn't so cold in the summer. I move around alot too but with hose going up to a hook, the hose dance is much easier.
Thanks for starting this thread. I hadn't even tried it again until I saw this thread. With the swift fx, my leaks have actually been better the last few nights, and last night I checked my O2 and my average was higher. I think sleeping on my stomach probably keeps me from tucking my chin in.

[Julie]

Hey, we tried.

[Lizistired]

I tried the Falcon position and it puts a very uncomfortable amount of pressure on my face and jaw against the pillow. I don't see how this could work for anyone.

I'm really, really discouraged as no one seems to have an answer for me, as there must be others like me who have had similar issues.

I think many of us sleep with the mask off the edge of the pillow. We experimented until we found something that works for us. Good luck to you.

[CollegeGirl]

Can't believe no one's mentioned this yet. I'm a dedicated stomach sleeper. I've been using CPAP for seven years now, and I've spent the vast majority of that on my stomach! A treasured member of this forum suggested the AEIOMed Headrest mask to me, and it saved me, treatment-wise. Now, these CAN be a little leaky if they don't fit exactly right, but search this website for "pantyhose strap" and you'll find an easy and cheap solution if you have that problem. These masks are pretty much made for stomach sleepers. The nasal pillows are soft, and the vent expels the air up toward the headboard. It's hard to explain, but I get to sleep with my face flat on my pillow every night (or even buried into it... heh).

[portiemom]

Hi, I am a dedicated stomach sleeper, and have tried very hard to change to a side sleeper, not going to happen due to spine problems. I used the falcon position for many years and it was great, no pillow, through the years I modified this falcon with pillows or towels under my rib cage, leg, arm etc. There is a armband type pillow you can use that actually wraps around your arm wherever you like, kind of like a soft collar they use for neck injuries, they come in pairs so if you toss and turn you have one one each arm, these may work for you. I will try to locate the website if you like, and post it here. I am going to try the Regeneris pillow from Pur Sleep also. I also have a solid latex mattress, not memory foam that really helps as well. Good luck and keep us posted on your progress and what works and doesn't.

[Lizistired]

Hi, I am a dedicated stomach sleeper, and have tried very hard to change to a side sleeper, not going to happen due to spine problems. I used the falcon position for many years and it was great, no pillow, through the years I modified this falcon with pillows or towels under my rib cage, leg, arm etc. There is a armband type pillow you can use that actually wraps around your arm wherever you like, kind of like a soft collar they use for neck injuries, they come in pairs so if you toss and turn you have one one each arm, these may work for you. I will try to locate the website if you like, and post it here. ...

That sounds interesting, Sounds perfect for me. I switch left right left all night like I'm trying to low crawl in my sleep.