Shallow Breather...what is the best mask type?

[BigLou]

Hello again.......I am a shallow breather and am just curious if others have found that they can breathe or at least perceive to breathe better with a particular style of mask.....particularly between nasal, ffm, pillows. I am wanting to try a nasal or possibly a ffm only in an effort to control leaks but am concerned I will be struggling to breathe. ( I am not a mouth breather).....do these type masks help or hinder leaks or is it most likely an individual thing? Again, not too hip about hardware on my face.......trying Aloha now. Pressure on APAP mode 9.6-11.4., EPR 2. Will someone share their experiences please. Thanks.

Lou

[Xney]

It depends entirely on what's comfortable. A mask which is bigger which is more comfortable/fits better is superior to a smaller mask. However, most people tend to like smaller masks IF they fit well.

Some people like the "space" a bigger mask gives them, some people hate it because it feels like wearing something big.

I would say try on as many as you can if you get the opportunity to. The biggest adjustment, besides having this alien facehugger on you at night, is breathing against the pressure. I found the pillows make that pressure more "direct", so it was weird at first. But over time, I've liked the pillows a lot.

[AbbyNormal]

I barely breathe as well. I've gotten my mits on a Swift FX (nasal pillow) and it works great for me so far. My leaks are a bit high, but I think I need to go to the next size up. I tried a nasal mask and my numbers looked fantastic, but I'm claustrophobic to the extreme and couldn't tolerate wearing it. Like Xney said, just try as many as you can and see what works best for you. Good luck!

[Lizistired]

I liked the Swift FX and LT. I have just gotten the Sleepweaver Elan (4 nights) and am really excited about it. I don't know why, but it is more comfortable though it does take some adjustment and patience and I seem to mouth breathe less than I did with the Swifts, which is really important to me. I hate waking up trying to pry my lips off my teeth!!
Be patient, the right mask is the goal.

[Gerald]

I learned about the Aura Headrest by Aeiomed....from Rested Gal (I consider her the "Mother Superior" of this forum).

I will not use anything else.

In addition, I tape using 3M Blue 2" #2080EL from Lowe's paint dept....and my AHI stays at about 1.1.

I'm a shallow breather.

Gerald

[lazer]

I learned about the Aura Headrest by Aeiomed....from Rested Gal (I consider her the "Mother Superior" of this forum).

I will not use anything else.

In addition, I tape using 3M Blue 2" #2080EL from Lowe's paint dept....and my AHI stays at about 1.1.

I'm a shallow breather.

Gerald

Gerald,

Do you happen to have a mustache? I'm considering taping but am concerned about this aspect.

[Gerald]

Sorry.....no mustache. I can't see how tape would comfortably work with one.

[neverbetter]

Your shallow breathing will be addresses by your Autoset. I shallow breathe as well as all the other problems. The Aloha is working great for me so far. If I get sick and my nose gets too stuffy. I still need to flip to my Hybrid for some mouth relief.

[BigLou]

Thanks for all your replys. I am still working with/using my Aloha mask and am doing OK with AHI's usually <1 but still feel no better than sleeping with the Swift LT. Those little pesky leaks that pop up on ResScan many times correlate exactly with apneas, sometimes not. I think I just rumble around too much in bed between 2-4 am. I need my wife to tie me down! . Still not resorting to nasal masks to control leaks though due to claustrophobia. I guess I need to stop this obsession with perfectionism.