Mask options for stomach sleepers?

[MaxINTJ]

I currently have a Dreamwear mask, and I like the fact that the hose is top mounted. However, I do not like the vent in front and I find the side pieces are a bit thick and easily felt when my head is on the side.

Are there any options where the hose AND vent are out of the way? Perhaps with a less substantial side "strap"?

I have not seen any such devices, but I'm sure I haven't looked as much as everyone on this forum combined...

Thanks

[Pugsy]

The venting issue will give you more options to look at than the hose being in front.
The ResMed P10 nasal pillow mask has a vent that is silent and you can't feel at all unless your hand is about 1 inch from the vent holes.

There aren't very many masks with the hose attached at the top. There used to be a few in the past but those have been long since discontinued. They actually involved more bulk on the top anyway. Some were quite weird looking.
I will do some looking around to see if there is anything else besides the DreamWear but I don't think there is much out there.

Now I will share with you something that I thought about doing with the DreamWear. As you know it has 2 vent holes and the top one where the hose attaches never bugged me but that lower one I found it annoying at times. Usually when I was laying almost face down on my bed pillow and the air was bouncing back in my face. I think that I would feel safe partially deflecting/diffusing that lower vent with something covering that vent hole. I have some very cheap generic filters that are really porous (not the good filters) that I thought about attaching to the mask at the vent hole so that the air could still escape but would be diffused more like the P10 diffuses the venting.
With the top vent still fully opened I felt comfortable partially diffusing that lower vent hole. I even went so far as to play with it while awake and putting my finger totally over that lower vent hole...and with my other hand at the top vent hole I could definitely feel the increase in air flow out the top. If it can't flow out the lower vent hole it increased the flow out the top.

Even the chance of blocking the vent holes has always made me a bit nervous but I think that since the DreamWear has the 2 holes and if I used something very porous only on the lower vent that the chance of there being a problem would be very small.
I recently changed back to the P10 though so didn't pursue the DreamWear experimenting.

Now there are some nasal pillow/cushion masks that will have the hose attach at the nose and the attaching part really isn't all that noticeable when laying on the face/side. The hoses are very soft and flexible...much more flexible than the DreamWear hose at the top.
So not all hoses are as rigid as that hose is. You can lay on them and not feel like you are laying on a big bulky lump of plastic.

[Julie]

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[palerider]

I sleep on my stomach sometimes, I use the P10

[bwexler]

I like the SleepWeaver cloth masks.
The Elan is a bit softer than the new 3D. By adjusting the path of the hose I can usually eliminate leaks. A bad night is about 2%, typical is zero.

[MaxINTJ]

I sleep on my stomach sometimes, I use the P10

Now that will not work. I wore a similar one for my sleep study and the hose was a) always in the way and b) always getting tangled in my arms as I grabbed or hugged pillows or if I tried to put my arm under a pillow for a bit more elevation.

Plus, I paid attention last night, and in my natural position, my nose is less than 1/2" from my "mattress" (3/4" plywood) so any protrusion gets in the way. Even the Dreamwear gets in the way, frequently leaks, and/or blows air back into my eyes in my natural position.

I am worried about starting to use the CPAP again once my neck is cleared up. What if it happens again? What if it gets even worse? I haven't gotten more than 4 hours of crappy sleep in 3 weeks now and am in pain all day so it's a big worry for me.

[ChicagoGranny]

my nose is less than 1/2" from my "mattress"

https://jet.com/product/detail/d474fe2c ... df60c8a7eb

[MaxINTJ]

my nose is less than 1/2" from my "mattress"

https://jet.com/product/detail/d474fe2c ... df60c8a7eb

LOL, that would work for about 2 minutes...

I use feather pillows because they are able to be formed - unlike polyester filled ones. Anything solid is not going to work. Plus, with that solution, what happens during the @10% time I back or side sleep?

[ChicagoGranny]

what happens during the @10% time I back or side sleep?

How did you ever get started sleeping face down? (I wish you would quit calling it stomach sleeping. It's face-down sleeping. Stomach sleepers turn their head to the side.) Do I remember correctly that you have been sleeping face down on plywood for 50 years? How did you get started?

[MaxINTJ]

what happens during the @10% time I back or side sleep?

How did you ever get started sleeping face down? (I wish you would quit calling it stomach sleeping. It's face-down sleeping. Stomach sleepers turn their head to the side.) Do I remember correctly that you have been sleeping face down on plywood for 50 years? How did you get started?

Hmmm.. Well, I have always front slept (the 50 years number). The sleeping on plywood came about after I herniated my L4-L5 disk (moved wrong in bed apparently) and I found sleeping on the floor gave me pain relief, so I have been sleeping on a solid surface for @15 years. My face is usually between 0 and 45 degrees pointing down and I have no idea how or why I sleep like that, but I find it comfortable and it keeps light out of my eyes (from back when I used to sleep well past sunrise).

Honestly, I don't remember if I ever had my face at 90 degrees while stomach sleeping - potentially I never did, because that is supposed to be bad on the neck and spine.

I was told during my sleep study that I was the first person they ever tested that slept on the floor....

[ChicagoGranny]

Honestly, I don't remember if I ever had my face at 90 degrees while stomach sleeping - potentially I never did, because that is supposed to be bad on the neck and spine.

Can humans even turn their head 90 degrees? Maybe some have trained for flexibility and achieved it. I certainly can't turn my head 90 degrees at my age. Maybe 75 degrees if I strain.

Anyway, the Falcon position does not call for 90 degrees (http://www.uarsrelief.com/sleeppositions.html). It might be 60 degrees or a bit more. When I sleep in the Falcon position, my head is about 50 degrees.

45 degrees pointing down

At 45 degrees, you are about in the Falcon position as far as the head is concerned.

I have no idea how or why I sleep like that

I have a suspicion that you found this position best because obstructive sleep apnea is less severe than in other positions. Do you think your spine will be comfortable while backsleeping on plywood if you use CPAP to control sleep apnea?

[Pugsy]

I have a suspicion that you found this position best because obstructive sleep apnea is less severe than in other positions. Do you think your spine will be comfortable while backsleeping on plywood if you use CPAP to control sleep apnea?

There's no diagnosis of OSA. In lab sleep study came up with AHI less than 1.0 if I remember right. Well below the 5.0 line in the sand for sure.
CPAP trial was just something to try to see if it helped because they couldn't come up with anything else.
There's the chance it might be UARS but there weren't a lot of RERAs mentioned if I remember right if it was even mentioned.
He has crappy sleep quality, that is for sure, but as to why that hasn't been determined. He doesn't come close to meeting the diagnostic criteria for OSA though.

Given the positional difficulties for sleep in general and mask issues and the potential neck issues and the fact that it's not even a for sure OSA or even UARS thing going on, maybe going back and re-evaluating the need for cpap might be something to do.
Not all crappy sleep comes from OSA or UARS.

The initial cpap trial idea was more of a "let's throw some stuff on the wall and see if anything sticks..or helps".
He's using the VA system for medical care ....at least that was what was being used for the sleep study and cpap trial.

[MaxINTJ]

Given the positional difficulties for sleep in general and mask issues and the potential neck issues and the fact that it's not even a for sure OSA or even UARS thing going on, maybe going back and re-evaluating the need for cpap might be something to do.
Not all crappy sleep comes from OSA or UARS.

The initial cpap trial idea was more of a "let's throw some stuff on the wall and see if anything sticks..or helps".
He's using the VA system for medical care ....at least that was what was being used for the sleep study and cpap trial.

Actually, at this point I am hoping it's UARS - I can't imagine what else would disturb me 30 times per hour and wake me up 4 times per hour. In fact, I probably don't want to know.

[Pugsy]

I know that UARS is what you are hoping for because it can potentially be fixed but given your positional issues....I really think that UARS needs to be specifically ruled in or out.
There is a sleep study available designed to look for UARS. It's not something that is commonly done...gotta sleep with that PES thingy so that they actually measure the airway patency. Not all sleep labs can do it and I am pretty sure that the VA system doesn't include that special test.

I have a bad neck (among other bad things) and I have been down the road you are on with your neck. My issues were eventually fixed as best they could with surgery and dead person's bones and a metal plate in my neck.
Your lower back issues and sleeping position issues and mask issues really complicate how effective cpap could even be IF (big IF) UARS is the culprit.
And now you add in neck issues. That DJD and disc potential issue will always be there even once this initial acute stage passes. The least little positional issue could trigger another acute stage. I have been there myself and the least little positional thing could maybe cause it to blow up. Remember how you ended up with the herniated disc in the lumbar spine and how easy it was to do that?

There is no easy fix for your mask issues...the DreamWear is pretty much it in terms of choice given your other positional issues and even it isn't perfect (no mask ever is perfect anyway).
I have racked my brain for a mask that would work for you given all the positional and personal preferences issues you present and there isn't one that I can think of.

Even without all these various positional and personal preference issues....if (big IF) it is UARS...it's not an easy thing to try to fix. The data the machine gathers is pretty much useless for evaluating UARS therapy effectiveness. The actual AHI is useless because you don't have much of a pre cpap AHI to try to improve on to start with.

You know I don't beat around the bush....you have some significant hurdles to overcome if it is UARS and I am not so sure that it is UARS.
I know you want it to be UARS and I can fully understand why but wanting doesn't make it happen.

You can of course choose to proceed with the cpap use in an attempt to maybe get lucky but it's going to take a lot of work and patience and we both know that you come up short in the patience department.
I really, really think that in your situation given all these substantial hurdles that actually ruling in or out the UARS thing is the way to proceed. And I know that is easier said than done given the VA system. It's not easy in the regular medical system. Wouldn't surprise me one bit if the doctor says "UARS what" if it is mentioned to him.
You need a doctor who can really think outside the box and most VA docs won't fit in that category.

[MaxINTJ]

You can of course choose to proceed with the cpap use in an attempt to maybe get lucky but it's going to take a lot of work and patience and we both know that you come up short in the patience department.
I really, really think that in your situation given all these substantial hurdles that actually ruling in or out the UARS thing is the way to proceed. And I know that is easier said than done given the VA system. It's not easy in the regular medical system. Wouldn't surprise me one bit if the doctor says "UARS what" if it is mentioned to him.
You need a doctor who can really think outside the box and most VA docs won't fit in that category.

Well, how would you recommend I proceed? At least I know "positional issues" can indeed cause and aggravate spinal problems (luky us)

What else could be causing my (lack of) sleep issues? Any ideas? From anybody?

As much as I hate CPAP, I had hope it would at least allow me to get some sleep