Can someone help me please

[butterflygirl26]

I have been on my cpap for about a week now, and i have been asking a lot of question, well last night i was asleep and woke up to my mask blowing air into my eyes, so i readjusted it, and then it was leaking out the side. I tightened the straps pretty tight, but didnt help....what am i doint wrong? I am a stomach sleeper if that makes a difference.

[DaveMunson]

If it were mine (my mask), it would mean I did not clean the mask part that fits on my face or should wash my face. The mask when clean seems to stick. Oily skin, don't help either.

Other thoughts, since it is new, is that maybe it is not fitted right. Or the pressure may be high and the mask may be one of those that don't handle high pressure well. It may be the shape of your face is not right with the mask making it easy to blow up.

Finally, if you are on your stomach and the mask was crushed on the pillow, you pressed down on the bottom end and the part near your eyes raised.

From experience, air on the eyes hurts.

[archangle]

Unfortunately, eliminating leaks is not necessarily a science. One hint, sometimes tightening the straps makes it worse.

What is your pressure when you start and what is the pressure when it leaks? (Look on the display on the unit.)

[Sheriff Buford]

I have never heard of anyone being able to sleep on their stomach while using cpap. I was told that those days are over. Even sleeping on my side can jar the mask and start causing leaks.

Sheriff

[Pugsy]

Consider a different mask if you want to sleep on your stomach (or seem to end up there). Check out mine in my Profile below.

Might also consider a change in bed pillows. One that is more forgiving with the mask squished into your face. I use a buckwheat pillow that allows for making a little "nest" for the mask when I want to be on my stomach. Other pillows have a cut out in the foam allowing for mask placement. Modified stomach sleeping in the Falcon position might also help.

Buckwheat pillow has a lower profile and works good with my neck and the metal rod in it but others do well with the other kinds. Pretty much a trial and error thing.

If you are doing okay with the over the nose mask, you might really like the even less presence of the nasal pillow mask like the one I use. I can bury my head in the pillow if I wish and not lose a seal and not hurt me at all.

[gasp]

Ditto on the tight straps - too tight may also cause leaks.

Not that we all don't already have enough equipment in bed with us, but I also use a body pillow so that I can sleep partially on my stomach from time to time. I use the ComfortLite 2 https://www.cpap.com/productpage/Comfor ... -Mask.html

As you can see, the sides of the face are open since the headgear doesn't cover the face. This allows me to have to pillow on the side of my face without disturbing the mask. So, if I put the body pillow under half of me I can mostly face down with my head pillow on the side of my face. I go to sleep like this and then spend the rest of the night sleeping on my sides.

The CL2 mask has the hose coming out the top and I have the hose attached to a hose hanger https://www.cpap.com/productpage/travel ... ystem.html that allows me to move all over the place without thinking about my hose, including the 'partially on my stomach' position.

[CollegeGirl]

I have never heard of anyone being able to sleep on their stomach while using cpap. I was told that those days are over. Even sleeping on my side can jar the mask and start causing leaks.

Sheriff

I sleep on my stomach every night! You just have to find the right mask for you that allows you to do that.

[butterflygirl26]

Unfortunately, eliminating leaks is not necessarily a science. One hint, sometimes tightening the straps makes it worse.

What is your pressure when you start and what is the pressure when it leaks? (Look on the display on the unit.)

I start out at four, then it gets up to 8 within 30minutes

[Janknitz]

Your mask has an air cushion and an air cushion will not seal if it's mashed against your face. It must have room to fill all the way up with the air from your machine.

Try turning off the ramp feature so that you can do a mask fitting at full pressure (you can turn the ramp feature back on after the mask is adjusted).

Now, lie down in bed on your back. Loosen all the headgear from you mask and place it over your face.

Turn on the machine. Use one hand to LIGHTLY hold the mask against your face, just enough to stop any leaking.

With the other hand, adjust the bottom straps, tightening just enough to keep the mask from leaking.

Now, adjust the top straps. They should be fairly loose, but if you are having any leakage around the top of the mask or your nose, tighten little by little. The mask should feel tighter on the bottom than the top--the broader air cushion around your nose should be sealed because it's fully inflated with air.

If you sleep on your side, roll to your side and adjust the straps--again, JUST enough to stop any leakage. I sleep solely on my right side, and find it helps to loosen the straps slightly on the right side of my face and tighten them on the left side to contemplate. That way, the mask doesn't get pushed too far out of adjustment by the pillow.

If you can use a nasal mask, consider a nasal pillow mask as they are much easier to get a good seal and the most comfortable masks by far.