Dreamwear FFM Troubleshooting

[Schmammy]

I have used CPAP therapy for over 15 years. Early on, side sleeping made minimal mask contact essential. I settled on the N10 and had no problems for YEARS.

About a month ago, I was awakened during the night by intense abdominal pain. My belly was extremely distended, and I began belching as soon as I got up and moved around. Aerophagia. I did the research (had never heard of it before) and went through several chin strap options before discovering a physician's video on constructing your own using a ball cap and velcro. This solution totally addressed the mouth breathing, returning me to 100% great, leak free, sleep. The problem is that adding the cap and strap (no stretch) is incredibly uncomfortable, making falling asleep (never an issue before) a real challenge. Also, the ball cap is hot to wear.

Looking at mask innovation since I last considered a FFM lead me to the Amara Full View and the Dreamwear FFM. I opted for the Dreamwear because (1) of the location of the hose attachment and (3) the pliability of the mask (not the silicone seal). I'm one week into my 30 day trial, and I'm incredibly frustrated. The first two nights were hell because of various leaks and loud noise created by flapping silicone. I'm using the small headgear and get a comfortable fit easily. My machine readout and MyAir report both support the poor leak control. After researching again, I ordered the Remzzz liners which immediately stopped the flapping noise but the leak report is still dismal. The leaks awaken me several times each night.

I need to make a decision whether to keep this mask or return it.

I have significant sinus problems, particularly during fall and winter, which makes me want to switch from the N10 to a FFM. All things considered, the Dreamwear is likely my best choice. I have watched videos about adjusting the mask and headgear as well as have read extensively on this and other community forums.

How can I (1) accurately evaluate whether the leak issues are critical and (2) further troubleshoot the mask to decrease leaks?

[Pugsy]

Welcome to the forum.

If leaks are waking you up during the night they are unwanted no matter how big or little they are...because anything that disturbs our sleep is unwanted.

In terms of therapy effectiveness (if the leaks weren't waking you up)...your machine can actually compensate for quite a bit of excess large leak before it throws in the towel.

Are you using available software to see just how far into large leak territory you are going or are you just relying on MyAir or the data on the machine's LCD screen?

To really evaluate leaks and therapy effectiveness you need to use available software and see just how bad the leaks are and for how long.
See this thread.
viewtopic/t158560/How-to-post-images-for-review.html

and here to get SleepyHead software if you didn't know about it.
https://sleepyhead.jedimark.net/

[Schmammy]

Does the sd card need to be formatted any particular way in order for Sleepyhead to read data?

[palerider]

Does the sd card need to be formatted any particular way in order for Sleepyhead to read data?

Yes, it needs to be formatted the way the machine formats it and writes to it.

[Stom]

Does the sd card need to be formatted any particular way in order for Sleepyhead to read data?

Depends what you mean by "formatted".

If you are talking about the disk format, then no, it does not need to be formatted in a "special way". Sleepyhead accesses the card through your computer's operating system, so any card your computer can read, Sleepyhead can read. SD cards are typically formatted in FAT 32. So no special formatting is needed.

If you mean the data format that Sleepyhead can import an interpret, then one could say "yes" in the sense that sleep data isn't stored by PAP in a handy universal, publicly documented format. Sleepyhead can import the data from certain PAP machines that the author of Sleepyhead (and associates) have decoded, and only those machines.

[Stom]

Does the sd card need to be formatted any particular way in order for Sleepyhead to read data?

Depends what you mean by "formatted".

If you are talking about the disk format, then no, it does not need to be formatted in a "special way". Sleepyhead accesses the card through your computer's operating system, so any card your computer can read, Sleepyhead can read. SD cards are typically formatted in FAT 32. So no "special" formatting is needed, they are used in the format they come in.

If you mean the data format that Sleepyhead can import an interpret, then one could say "yes" in the sense that sleep data isn't stored by PAP in a handy universal, publicly documented format. Sleepyhead can import the data from certain PAP machines that the author of Sleepyhead (and associates) have decoded, and only those machines.

[Jas_williams]

Does the sd card need to be formatted any particular way in order for Sleepyhead to read data?

If the Resmed Autoset does not like the SD card it will format it. Just make sure it’s empty first time you put it in your machine

[Schmammy]

I have my first Sleepyhead report ready to screenshot. But, I somehow messed up the time lapse on the graphs below the first one (Events). How do I get those graphs to show the entire elapsed time within one screen without scrolling again?

Nevermind. I just re-imported the data.

[Schmammy]

Last night I used the N10 because I had to return the Dreamwear FFM in order to get the smaller sized mask.



https://www.dropbox.com/s/mho2j6jn43uzn ... 8.png?dl=0

[palerider]

I have my first Sleepyhead report ready to screenshot. But, I somehow messed up the time lapse on the graphs below the first one (Events). How do I get those graphs to show the entire elapsed time within one screen without scrolling again?

Nevermind. I just re-imported the data.

Zoom out, either with a right mouse click, or down arrow (up arrow to zoom in, left and right to scroll.

[Righteous]

I finally tamed my Dreamwear FFM leaks with Silent Night liners, and moving to a larger mask size. The measurement card showed medium for me, but it always leaked around the nose and cheeks. Upgrading to the large and tightening the straps significantly means I can toss and turn with zero leaks. Also the flapping silicone for me was caused by moisture, which the liners took care of. My leaks are near 0 and I routinely have AHI of 0.2 - 0.4 rather then 2.0+ before getting the fit right. No more leaks also means I sleep thru the whole night.

I did buy all the different mask sizes to experiment with. It was an investment but I figured it would pay off in the long run. I found all the different sizes on Amazon for a reasonable price.

Keep at it... you’ll get there!