Higher AHI with full face mask

[MaskedSleeper]

I switched from a nasal pillow mask to a full face mask a few weeks back because I had to tape my mouth to avoid major leaks with the pillow mask, and trying to tape over facial hair was a pain (literally). Since switching mask types my AHI has been consistently higher - mostly more central events, but I've also had some OA's here and there that I wasn't having before. Any ideas why this could be? I've attached examples with each mask type.

Nasal Mask

9.13 NPM.png (115.32 KiB) Viewed 2060 times

Full Face Mask

10.4 FFM.png (114.82 KiB) Viewed 2060 times

[Miss Emerita]

Welcome! Both charts show good results. I use the same mask all the time, and sometimes I’ll have a run of nights with an AHI under .5, then a run more like .8 or 1.0. In other words, there’s variation we can’t always explain.

To my mind the big question for you is how you feel. Worse with the FFM or better?

[MaskedSleeper]

@Miss Emerita

Thanks for the input. At this point I feel roughly the same with either type of mask, maybe a little better with the nasal pillows, but not having to mess with mouth taping makes the FFM worth it to me. Another thing with the FFM is I tend to hit my pressure limit a few nights a week for maybe 15-20 minutes at a time, which rarely happened with the pillow mask. Below is an example from last night.

Data 10.5.png (116.11 KiB) Viewed 1965 times

[Sheriff Buford]

I often switch from the Philips Total face mask to the Mirage Quattro. I also get different readings. I've also been sick lately, which also messes with my numbers. As long as they are in range... I keep on pedaling!

Sheriff

[Miss Emerita]

I’d suggest you stick with the FFM. You could increase your maximum a little and see how that goes. But you’re doing well, and you might prefer just to leave your settings alone.

If you’re not feeling as rested during the day as you’d like to, you could try arranging things so that you get more sleep. Most people need more than you’re getting.