New Dreamwear making noise

[PEF]

Hi - mask problems again. I have become used to my pillow masks not making any noise.

I tried the Dreamwear I got last week. It is a small and seems to fit just perfectly - not too tight and not too loose. And it is extremely comfortable. I love not having the hose in my way.

Anyway, it was great while I laid on my back, but when I turned on my side to go to sleep (I am a side sleeper), the mask started making noise when I inhaled. Sort of an "air sucking in" sound, sometime sounding raspy. I tried to ignore it because it was not too bad and fell asleep. All night long, the mask noise would wake me up when it got louder. At several points when the noise was loud, I noticed that the headgear had slipped up the back of my head and kept adjusting it. The noise would subside, but not go away completely. I did not feel so good in the morning.

So I thought I maybe did not have the cushion seated properly, so the next night I tried to get it to stop making noise when I turned on my side and pressed the side of my face into the pillow. At one point, I had it so it did not make noise, but when I had to get up and put the mask back on before going back to bed, the noise was there again and I could not get it to stop, so I put on one of my pillow masks.

Does anyone what the problem could be?

I checked the machine LCD (do not have Sleepyhead yet) to see what the leak rate was. Normally, on a good night, my leak runs around 4 to 7L/min. This night it had jumped to 16L/min. This was not much of a therapy problem, but may have been enough leak to wake me up. Whenever my brain hears noise, it thinks "OH My GOD, LEAK!!! and then wakes me up" I need to start sleeping through this stuff, but I have been so spoiled by the pillows.

It is possible I am thrashing around in bed so that the hose pulls on the masks and interferes with the seal.
It is possible that I just need to get used to some noise.
It is possible I need help with effective hose management. I do have a hose hanger. When I set it up so it comes out of the sky, it seems to be pulling on the mask at times and when I set it up so I have slack on the bed, I have to readjust it each I turn over, but it does not pull as much.

As an aside, I had a lot of trouble fitting my Amara View without leaks. I found some really detailed instructions on this site about how to fit the mask. It started with removing all the headgear and hoses and lying down, turning the machine on and play with it with your fingertips until the mask cushion sealed. Then slowly start attaching the other stuff while keeping the seal. It was really hard to keep the seal while attaching the headgear, but I had my husband help me at one point. Now I am working on attaching and unattaching the clips while keeping the seal. I have been practicing a lot with it during the day, taking short naps with it. I think soon, I may be ready to try sleeping with it. It is amazing how well this process works and the patience it requires. This mask is amazing when it is fitted correctly.

Anyway, if someone who uses the Dreamwear could help, I will appreciate it.

[LSAT]

I have found that when you find a mask that works for you without many leaks...Stick with it! Don't experiment every time a new mask comes out.

[PEF]

You are probably right. That is pretty much what my husband keeps telling me.

[englandsf]

The cross wise slits in both those masks don't seem to work with my big wide nostrils. The P10 rules for me.

[PEF]

Yes, I have wondered about those cross-wise slit too (in the Dreamwear). It is possible I am getting some vibration when I inhale. The slit is also very small. I need the small frame, but maybe need a medium cushion. I don't know if you can use a small frame and medium cushion.

I would like to make this mask work because there are nights when I just cannot handle the "hose" issues. I love the P10 and Swift FX, but have constant battles with the hose in front. I also have nights when my nose just does not feel like having something stuck in it. That is why I wanted to try this mask.

Last night I switched back to my old standby, the Swift FX and that made noise too. I made some changes to the bungee cord I have attached to my hose hanger and that noise stopped.

[Janknitz]

It would help to narrow down the sound.

There are two vents, one in the elbow of the hose connector and one slit in the front of the nose piece. Is it possible that either is occluded or blowing on something to make the noise when you are on your side?

Are you feeling more leaks around the nose on your side? First try repositioning the nose piece. Then, I had that issue, and since I mostly lie on my right side, it worked to pull the strap a little tighter on the left side and a little looser on the right to make up for the pressure of the pillow against the mask. Note that these were little, tiny adjustments.

Are you hearing the airflow through the silicone tube along the side of your face you lie against? That may be relieved by trying to push that silicone piece SLIGHTLY forward or backward. I also find that pulling the silicone band at the top (near the hose connection) slightly forward or back sometimes helps with that.

I think there's no problem with using any size nose piece with any size frame, so you can try a medium nose piece with your small frame.

[PEF]

Thanks so much, Jan, for your suggestions. I am going to experiment today with the mask to try to determine exactly where the noise is coming from and then follow your suggestions.

However, I just realized last night what has been happening. It has been so strange because I was doing so great and then 3 nights ago, I began having what I thought was mask problems again. Even when I went back to my Swift and P10, the back straps were riding up my head which never happened before. I have been feeling as bad as I felt before using CPAP. Last night I finally figured out what was going on that may have a lot to do with my lousy night's sleep the last 3 nights. So I wore my P10 last night which NEVER moves or makes any noise. I woke up around 4 am with the mask making noise and the head strap at the top of my head so that the mask was almost off. I pulled the strap down and tried to get back to sleep, but couldn't right away. Then, the electric power went off. So I took the mask off and still could not sleep. Then the power came back on after about 15 minutes, so I put the mask back on and tried to go back to sleep, but could not sleep because I was nervous about the power. Anyway the upshot is that the power has gone on and off 5 times since, each outage has lasted from 5 to 15 minutes. My husband and I both think that the last 2 nights, the power has been going on and off without me waking up, so I have probably thrashing around in bed causing the masks to make noise and the straps to not stay in place.

Can anyone tell me if this situation is dangerous?

[LSAT]

Thanks so much, Jan, for your suggestions. I am going to experiment today with the mask to try to determine exactly where the noise is coming from and then follow your suggestions.

However, I just realized last night what has been happening. It has been so strange because I was doing so great and then 3 nights ago, I began having what I thought was mask problems again. Even when I went back to my Swift and P10, the back straps were riding up my head which never happened before. I have been feeling as bad as I felt before using CPAP. Last night I finally figured out what was going on that may have a lot to do with my lousy night's sleep the last 3 nights. So I wore my P10 last night which NEVER moves or makes any noise. I woke up around 4 am with the mask making noise and the head strap at the top of my head so that the mask was almost off. I pulled the strap down and tried to get back to sleep, but couldn't right away. Then, the electric power went off. So I took the mask off and still could not sleep. Then the power came back on after about 15 minutes, so I put the mask back on and tried to go back to sleep, but could not sleep because I was nervous about the power. Anyway the upshot is that the power has gone on and off 5 times since, each outage has lasted from 5 to 15 minutes. My husband and I both think that the last 2 nights, the power has been going on and off without me waking up, so I have probably thrashing around in bed causing the masks to make noise and the straps to not stay in place.

Can anyone tell me if this situation is dangerous?

What would be dangerous? Power goes off you automatically breathe through your mouth.

[PEF]

Yeah, but the thing I forgot to say is that I had my mouth taped shut. Today, my husband bought a power pack/ surge protector for the CPAP that will set off an alarm if the power goes off.

[PEF]

Hi Jan, I inspected the vents in both the elbow and nose piece and determined that neither is occluded or could be blowing on anything.

I re-positioned the nose piece a little.

I also adjusted the straps so that when I sleep on my right side, which I usually do, the strap on the right is a little looser than the one on the left to allow for pulling of the mask on the right side.

I do not hear the noise in the plastic tubes on the sides of the mask or on top near the elbow. Where I hear the noise is on the right side of the nose piece (the side I sleep on) when I inhale. I do not hear anything on the exhale. It almost sounds like the air is getting slightly blocked on the right side of the nose piece. Or that right part of the nose cushion is creased and the air makes noise going through it. The slit in the nose piece is wide enough, but maybe not tall enough.

Can I ask you a couple of questions? Does the air that comes in from the top need to go down the tubes on both sides or only one side? When you sleep on your side, doesn't the air get somewhat blocked on the side on which you are sleeping? I ask because, when lying on my back, I hear nothing.

I also noticed that when I experiment with the mask during the day, the noise is barely perceptible with all the normal "daytime sounds". But at night it is so quiet here that it sounds louder, so maybe I should just create a little background noise, like soft music or a "white sound" tape.

I am also going to have to do something about the back strap riding up, IF that keeps happening. As I said in my last post, there have been some power issues here the last few nights that may have effected my sleep. So I will try again in a few days. Tonight I am going to use my P10 because I am so tired.

[Lucyhere]

Can I ask you a couple of questions? Does the air that comes in from the top need to go down the tubes on both sides or only one side? When you sleep on your side, doesn't the air get somewhat blocked on the side on which you are sleeping? I ask because, when lying on my back, I hear nothing.

Hi PEF... not Jan but thought I'd take a stab at this... air comes in from the top and goes down both sides. And no, air doesn't get blocked on the side you are sleeping on... at least not with mine. I can feel both sides filling with air as it comes down... and sleeping on my side isn't affected. (Side sleeper too).

On the noise issue... when it's dark and quiet, you tend to "hear" things you wouldn't normally hear during the day. May I suggest you think about the white noise you mentioned in one of your posts; even a small fan would help. You also need to tell your mind that the sound of the white noise (fan) is a comforting noise.

I recently received my small size DreamWear and it's terrific. Like with all masks, the correct fit of the mask and pillow is what matters and helps to eliminate noise. I tried the DreamWear in a medium and took it off before an hour had passed... uncomfortable, noise, etc. The correct size definitely helped any air leaking and noise.

I also do something else you might try... I toss the hose back and over the top of my bed pillow after I settle in and get comfortable. Just another thing for you to try.

[PEF]

Hi Lucy,

Thanks so much for answering my questions. It all makes perfect sense.

I do wonder about hose and fit issues. Unfortunately, I am not able to try on a medium just to see how it fits. The small seems to really be the right fit for me, just snug enough, but not too tight. I noticed that when I make the strap too loose on the sleeping side, it makes noise. I just think I need to play with it more during the day when I am not tired.

You said you have the hose in back of you over the pillow. Maybe I could describe how my hose is set up and you could tell me if this is ok: I have one of those hose hangers that attaches between the mattress and box spring. It is positioned at the head of the bed behind me. I control the height with a bungee cord attached to the hose hanger. I do not have a headboard on my bed. So the hose sort of comes out of the air behind me. It SEEMS like the hose does not pull on the mask even when I turn over, which is what I want.

[yaconsult]

It sounds like you are doing everything right and have the hose management under control. I use the same type of hanger with my AirFit P10 and adjust it so that when I am on my back there is a loop hanging down that doesn't quite touch my body. I find that this gives me enough slack to be able to roll left and right during the night as much as I want without the mask being pulled by the hose and breaking the seal.

I used to use a Breeze which had the nice feature of the hose being at the top of the head, but the P10 is a much, much lighter and more comfortable mask.

[Lucyhere]

[quote="PEF"]

You said you have the hose in back of you over the pillow. Maybe I could describe how my hose is set up and you could tell me if this is ok: I have one of those hose hangers that attaches between the mattress and box spring. It is positioned at the head of the bed behind me. I control the height with a bungee cord attached to the hose hanger. I do not have a headboard on my bed. So the hose sort of comes out of the air behind me. It SEEMS like the hose does not pull on the mask even when I turn over, which is what I want.[/qduote]


Hi PEF... your set up is working well for you, so of course it's right. If the hose was being pulled you would definitely know it. I didn't realize you were using a hose hanger. I think you are getting there... maybe a few more tweaks here and there, but it sounds like you are going in the right direction. My main mask is now the DreamWear, but I do keep my P10 in the draw just in case. I was sure I wouldn't find anything better than the P10!

[Sleepyv]

I tried the Dreamwear and had leaks when I sleep on my side. I toss and turn a lot so it woke me up several times a night and It was noisy. I did love the hose on top but could not get a fit that did not leak.