side sleeping with nasal pillow mask?

[jmb521]

I'm hoping someone can help me. I was using the xs size nasal pillow for a while and my AHI was consistently going down and stayed around 1.5-1.8. The one thing that was bugging me....if I slept on my side it would cause a leak. I switched to the next size up...and was then able to sleep on my side without leaks, however now my AHI (I checked this morning) was a 6. This is a 7 day average as the machine doesn't show a daily average. I feel like I didn't sleep again and was starting to notice small improvements with the xs size but was waking up several times a night wanting to roll over onto my side.

I guess I'm confused...does this mean that I have to give up on side sleeping? Can adjusting my mask help? Any idea why going up a size causes my AHI to increase?

Thanks

[Janknitz]

The first thing that comes to my mind is to wonder how long you have been using the same nasal pillows? There is a known "flaw" in ResMed pillows, particularly the LT pillows that after about 3 to 4 weeks of continuous use they get "mushy" and no longer can hold a seal. They need to be replaced regularly.

Many of us are trading out the sizes we don't use on the Great Pillow Exchange on this forum for the sizes we do. That gives you theoretically 3 months of pillows. Many insurers will replace the entire mask every three months. If you are on Medicare (and many insurers follow Medicare guidelines) you can get two new sets of pillows every month.

I sleep on my side all the time with the LT and FX masks. I sleep almost exclusively on my right side, so I have found it helpful to loosen the straps on the right side just slightly and tighten them on the left just slightly. This makes up for the pressure of the bed pillow against the mask.

[Irene P.]

Perhaps a different pillow would help. After trying several cpap pillows, I have found that a buckwheat pillow works for me because I can make a dent in it where the mask is so there is no pressure on it. It works with various masks that I have. Mine is Regenerist brand.