What's the usual sleeping position for CPAP users?

[wandererrob]

I assumed some folks on their backs, some on their sides, but in reading up on things here it seems like side sleeping is actually a problem for a lot of folks. Furthermore, the $1450 mask article makes mention of people wanting a mask that allows them to sleep on their side.

Is side sleeping with a mask this much of a rarity and difficulty? Just curious really as I'm quite new to all of this.

The challenge for me is getting comfortable wearing the thing because I've always been a stomach sleeper. I'm kind of getting some sleep on my side now, but I was specifically told I should not sleep on my back at all b/c they couldn't get the pressure high enough during my study to keep my airway open on my back. The tech actually came in at 3am, woke me, and asked me to roll back on my side.

So, all this to ask, what position do folks normally assume while wearing this lovely contraption?

[Sleepy Boy]

Whatever you can get your mask to let you do. I like to sleep on my side, but get too many leaks, so I try to stay on my back. I've heard that sleeping on your back gets you more apnea, some of the "longtimers on here can tell you better about that...

[yardbird]

I fall asleep every night on my stomach using a Swift LT. Haven't yet figured out how to do it with the Hybrid, but I'm close. I wake up on my back almost every day. Sometimes my side. I think after you get used to the mask, the hose, where it runs, when it pulls, you get trained by the equipment on how to move at night.


Although.... I did almost rip my head off the other day when I tried to sit up quickly in bed and the hose was snagged on the headboard.

[Mebake]

Pre CPAP slept mostly on my side. Now some back but mostly on my side. Limited number of leaks in either position. I am using the Swift LT and love it.

[DyannaK]

I mostly sleep on my left side although I do wake up sometimes on my back. I have a bad back though and tend to toss and turn alot from side to side. When I get stiff and uncomfortable I move to a different position, or generally to my other side.

[Catnap]

I sleep mostly on my side and yes, it does create problems with my mask. I use a water pillow, which helps (conforms well) and I try to kind of hang my face off the edge of the pillow or smoosh the side of my face into the pillow to sort of trap the mask in place. It still nudges it enough to cause leaks around the top fairly often.

[BeanMeScot]

I am a total side sleeper. They couldn't even get me to sleep on my back during the sleep study. I am sure my brain was trained not to sleep on my back.

[dowen]

I sleep mostly on my side and a little on my stomach. The swift LT is a pretty unobtrusive mask.

I am also interested in getting a FFM as my alternate mask, so I too am interested in your question. I do not want to sleep on my back.

See also this thread:
viewtopic/t41552/FULL-FACE-MASK-FOR-SIDE-SLEEPERS.html

[frenchie]

I an a total side and stomach sleeper. I have never been able to sleep on my back. I use the swift LT. I also sleep with the end of the mask hanging off the pillow. I probably wake up with small leaks once a week or so. Im pretty much used to the mask now. I dont know about side sleeping with a full face, but I seem to do ok with the nasal pillows.

[DreamStalker]

toss-n-turn from one side to the other ... good thing I have two sides.

[2flamingos]

i always start out on my back, and then at some point am on my right side - and if I decide to "snuggle" and the outflow does not hit my partner - i am on my left side. Usualy wake up back on my back. NEVER on my stomach.

[tattooyu]

I also use a Swift LT and sleep on my side(s) and have no trouble with leaks. Occasionally, I wake up on my stomach but have positioned myself such that the exhaust vent isn't blocked! Not sure how I do that in my sleep.

Apnea is usually at its worst on your back.

[JayC]

Stomach and side sleeper, with an apparent preference for right side....

Pretty much my Swift LT lets me position much as I did pre-therapy....

There is a "sweet spot" when placing my face on the pillow so that the weight of my head works *with* keeping the headgear firmly in place without excessive tightening. I have gotten to the point that I can place my head most nights .....even with position changes in the night.... without much fussing, and without waking up to think about it. I think I have always hung off the end of the pillow...which is nice as even with the Swift LT I get better results when I am hanging off the edge.

J

[timbalionguy]

First of all, I am amazed at the number of people here who prefer sleeping on their stomach!

Pre-CPAP, I would start on my back, and the switch L side-R side-Back-L side, etc. I found I sleepmuch better on my sides, probably due to lower rate of apneias in that position.

With CPAP, I start out on my back, and then switch to L side. I fall asleep in that position. I eventually wake up, and often the switch to R side. There, I have a huge stuffed animal beside me that I lay against that feels good on the back. But I find for some reason, the mask leaks more on my R side than my side, so I have been sleeping more and more on the L side. I do use the pillow to stabilize the Quattro full face mask, and once I am settled in, it will remain pretty much leak free until I change positions. Can't figure out though why my mask leaks more on one side than the other. I have a very long hose, and that helps ensure that the hose is not pulling on the mask.

After a bit more than a week, I find I am sleeping more most nights and moving less. And last night, I had my first night with an AHI under 10. I hope that these trends continues. (I don't plan to experiment with settings until I have two solid weeks of data to analyze.)

[robertmarilyn]

Although.... I did almost rip my head off the other day when I tried to sit up quickly in bed and the hose was snagged on the headboard.

Ha ha, that is always fun...I've done that several times

I always sleep on my side (can flip from one side to the other while barely waking up...at least once I learned not to strangle myself with the hose )...sleeping on my side was a problem with the Quattro but even when I was trying to fix leaks by laying on my back, I was still having leaks, so I think it is just a mask that doesn't fit me.

The Swift LT for Her works great for sleeping on my side...I've been making sure I sleep on my side for about the last 20 years since I knew I had sleeping problems...I've long had a phobia about sleeping on my back so the habit is very ingrained with me...I'm not sure I can even fall asleep or stay asleep on my back anymore...even if the doctor wants me to do so in my next sleep test.

mar