1st Time User...awful night

[Emilia]

On your way to pick up your new nasal pillow mask, stop by a pharmacy or big box store and go to the baby aisle. You should buy a tube of Lansinoh cream...it is used by nursing moms, and is pure lanolin. It has a sticky/tacky consistency that will not only protect your nostrils from irritation, but will help get a good seal on the pillows. You only need a dab on the openings of your nostrils to do the trick. I had read about this on here before I got my pillow mask, and I used it from the first night. I have never had any of the irritation that others complain about so it is worth every penny of the $9-10 price...it'll last a very long time since you use very little.

Best of luck.... hope the pillows work well for you. Remember, the key is to not make the mask tight, and the pillows should just rest against the nostils not protrude into them!

[LoQ]

On your way to pick up your new nasal pillow mask, stop by a pharmacy or big box store and go to the baby aisle.

And don't forget to stop by the feminine hygiene products aisle to pick up some panty liners for padding your headgear.

[casadelane]

Have you considered a nasal mask? I've tried all types of masks and settled with a Nasal Mask from Resmed. You should look into one. They work best with slight to major movement at night... in my opinion.

Nasal Pillows: Had too many issues keeping the seal and the slightest movement would cause a leak.

FF Masks: I've tried the Hans Rudolph, Respironics and both Resmeds masks. The best one of the bunch for me was Resmeds Quattro but I still find it difficult to sleep on side without it leaking in my eyes or out my lower chin. I use it when my nasal passages are blocked.

Nasal Mask: Best one for me turned out to be Resmed Sofgel. It is tough on the bridge of the nose but it does not leak (if you set it up and adjust it right). I can roll around all night long, side to side and that mask just sits there. NO LEAKS... but since I'm a mouth breather I wear a bit-n-byte appliance to keep my mouth shut. Works for me.

[Janknitz]

If your "nose pillows" is either a Swift LT or a Swift FX, here's how to fit them properly (in case your sleep center doesn't know). They should never hurt, though you may be slightly tender the first few days.

First, loosen the headgear but don't put it on your head.

1. Hold the nasal pillows up to your nose. The cone shaped pillows should rest against the outside of your nostrils (NOT in them) with only a very small portion of the narrow end of the cone penetrating into your nose--and that little part should not really touch the sides or the septum. If you feel the pillow too much against the inside of your nose, go up to the next size nasal pillow.

2. Turn your machine on. The nasal pillows will inflate and you will feel them kind of "stand up" against your nose (and you can see this if you look in a mirror). They need to be fully inflated to adjust the headgear (so if your sleep center adjusted them without the machine turned on, you need to redo it or they will be too tight!).

3. Now pull the headgear over your head and tighten the straps just enough to stop any leaking. The fit should be slightly loose, but not so loose that you lose the seal if you turn or tilt your head.

Putting a little Lanisoh Cream (medical grade lanolin, available in the baby aisle of your drug store as nipple cream for nursing mothers) will reduce any friction and many people find it helps get a good seal between your nostril and the nasal pillow. You can also use KY Jelly or Ayr Gel.

If you like your nasal pillows and will keep them, you can sew some velcro hook tape to the INSIDE of the back strap to keep the strap from slipping around against your bed pillow when you move your head. If you have a Swift FX, you might find a hose hanger/management system helpful so the somewhat heavy slinky hose does not pull the nasal pillows down away from your nose.

[robysue]

Adding another couple of tips about fitting the FX here:

The backstrap (non-silicone strap) is the one that pulls the pillows more correctly into place. If the little cone part of the pillow is hitting the inside of your nose, you may need to tighten the backstrap slightly.

Don't pull the backstrap too far back on the back of your head. It's supposed to be above your ears, not down around your neck. If it slips down over your ears, you'll need to tighten that backstrap to keep it above the ears. [This is a real challenge for me. Nights were it works, I sleep really well; nights where that backstrap keeps slipping down over my ears are bad and filled with leaks.]

Tightening the top silcone strap will most likely NOT seal the pillows correctly. Tightening the top strap tends to pull the pillows directly up and into your nose too much. You may want that top strap really loose: When my FX is adjusted just right, there's actually plenty of space between the top strap and my head.

[elena88]

You can train yourself to protect your nose pillows by using your outside free hand while you are sleeping on your side.....
while lying on you left side... push your right hand down into the bed or pillow right under your pillows.. or you can make a fist
and push down.. or hold a fist position sort of like holding an ice cream cone a little under your chin to make a safety basin for your pillows..

If you do this before you go to sleep, you will start doing it naturally while sleeping.. when you roll over, just use the other hand..

To start off with, it might be easier to make sure your pillow stops like a cliff right at the edge of your face, so your pillows have a drop off
point.. ... the key is using your hands to protect them.. Until you learn how to do this, you might have some leaks, but dont worry, it just
takes practice..

You may, even though you havent before, start to breath thru your mouth here and there, that wil show up as a leak, and cause your pressure to go up
if on auto, or you will lose a bit of therapy too.. but that can be fixed too, by taping your mouth.. its not bad, there are easy and comfy ways
to do it.. just ask about it if you need too..

good luck! I hope you love our nose pillows! it takes quite a bit to adjust them, so dont get discouraged.. it might be days before you have them
all snug and comfy but not tight.. that will hurt your lil beak!