Mask Leaks

[Jerseyguy]

I've been having mask leaks for a while. I use a Eson2 nasal mask size medium.
1. My nose sometimes hits the sides of the plastic. So I'm thinking it might be just too small.
2. My mask is brand new first time using this mask so the coushin is not degraded.
3. I thought it could have been due to that I don't have too much extra give in the house but I recently got a 10ft hose up from the normal 6ft
4. Because of my acid reflux I need to sleep with my back towards the machine so when I'm i do my mask fit I'm not in my normal sleeping position. I try to move as gently as I can ask to not pull on the mask.
5. I use "Dial Basic" soap which i don't believe has any moisturizer actually most of the time, it dries out my face
6. As you can see from my sleepyhead report the pressure goes up just before the mask leak gets bigger.

cpap022518.JPG (200.93 KiB) Viewed 449 times

[Sheriff Buford]

Know that after falling asleep, your muscles in your face will relax. This may cause a mask to leak when it doesn't leak when you go to bed. Some masks will leak more than others. Most of the different masks I've tried out were eliminated because of the leak rates. It appears your leak rates are high when an event occurs and when you need the extra pressure to treat an event. If this can't be stopped, you may need to try a different mask.

Sheriff

[RebOSA]

I've used a Fullface mask for years now. I found a nasal mask has a lot of drawbacks in terms of not ensuring mouth leaks and being more problematic with colds, etc. But with the greater area of mask perimeter comes greater mask leak potential issues. I reckon I've had 7 or 8 FF masks and they have all had different designs in terms of the silicon, whether there's cushioning material or air cushioning and how the headgear attaches to the mask...clip design, etc. The thing every mask has had in common has been the (in)ability to tighten the mask just right to prevent leaks without breaking clips and things. I often have been woken by vibrating silicon on my face (and often have had dreams of different types of motorised equipment, such as earthmovers, just befpre waking to realise its mask leaks lol). And I had just as many issues (if not more) with nasal masks. The thing I found with FF masks is that I am between a medium and a large size. If I choose medium I get the silicon's edge cutting into my face and leaving more marks. If I go with the large (which I tend to now) my face buries deeper into it putting more of the silicon surface (not edge) against my face and less likelihood of a leak (that wakes me). My new machine says they still happen within acceptable ranges, but I don't think they're as bad (but my old machine didn't record this type of data - new machine is less than a week old) as I had with some masks. It's second nature to me now (as these leaks have trained me) to hold my hand against the mask when I sleep. I don't know if you've considered a FF mask, but it might be worth it. All masks are designed to break in some way or other so you either need new headgear or a new mask within 6-12 months (as a general rule), but I've found I get better value from a FF mask generally. But then, I have learned to get comfortable with it on. Others I know find the less contact of the nasal mask and even the pillow mask to be better - my 1st mask was a nasal pillow one, and I still have the $300 mask in brand new condition as I could not stand it inside my nostrils....and it still leaked too!