Leaks

[khauser]

I had, on a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being the best, probably a 3 in terms of sleep quality last night. I was awake a LOT, and as far as I can tell I am waking up because of leaks. I use nasal pillows, currently a 2 week old Aloha set. I'm overall quite happy with it. Last night was the first bad night (in terms of leaks) that I experienced.

Here's the thing: I'm not talking about BIG leaks at all. In fact, on the LCD it doesn't think I had any "Large Leaks". They're small. I don't even FEEL them, but I HEAR them. That wakes me up ... certainly enough that secondary issues get involved. My back starts hurting. I make that worse every time I adjust the mask (because I have to hold my head off the pillow).

I'm thinking about trying ear plugs to see if that helps.

Does this happen to everyone? I see LOTS of talk about leaks but it isn't clear whether we're talking major leaks, minor leaks but that go in the eyes (that would be quite annoying) or like I have, minor leaks that one only hears...

[avi123]

I would try another type of mask. Those nasal pillows masks are prone to dislodgements and thus causing leaks. You can't have proper treatment with leaks.

[SusieG]

I have been having issues with small leaks too... really annoying! I probably don't hear them as much as most people because I sleep with a fan going all night (need to get a white noise generator for the winter though). I am getting used to the small leaks though, and have started waking less often to them. We just need to remember to not sweat the small stuff, I guess. Your stats are going to tell you if they are a problem.
Hang in there!

[Pugsy]

Try a new set of nasal pillows. Try a different size maybe.
Avi is anti nasal pillows...doesn't really have any experience except his own dislike for them just because he didn't have good luck and seems to think that since he couldn't make them work that they are inferior and no one should use them. That's not true for everyone. He also thinks that a nasal pillow mask is only for women. Real men wouldn't be caught dead in a "girlie mask"

No, not everyone has leaks that are low level and just accept it. Any leak that disturbs sleep (even a tiny leak) is unwanted and not acceptable. What you are describing is not acceptable and we don't try to hide it with ear plugs.
A leak doesn't have to be so big that it goes into large leak territory to be a problem. If it disturbs sleep in any way it is a problem and a solution needs to be found.

I am assuming that with fiddling with the nasal pillows the sound goes away...if it doesn't and is always present then check your connections to make sure they are secure. If the nasal pillow is not properly fitted on the short hose there will be extra noise.

[khauser]

Try a new set of nasal pillows. Try a different size maybe.
Avi is anti nasal pillows...doesn't really have any experience except his own dislike for them just because he didn't have good luck and seems to think that since he couldn't make them work that they are inferior and no one should use them. That's not true for everyone. He also thinks that a nasal pillow mask is only for women. Real men wouldn't be caught dead in a "girlie mask"

No, not everyone has leaks that are low level and just accept it. Any leak that disturbs sleep (even a tiny leak) is unwanted and not acceptable. What you are describing is not acceptable and we don't try to hide it with ear plugs.
A leak doesn't have to be so big that it goes into large leak territory to be a problem. If it disturbs sleep in any way it is a problem and a solution needs to be found.

I am assuming that with fiddling with the nasal pillows the sound goes away...if it doesn't and is always present then check your connections to make sure they are secure. If the nasal pillow is not properly fitted on the short hose there will be extra noise.

LOL! There's pretty much ZERO chance of me abandoning nasal pillows. As anti-pillows Avi is, I am equally anti-everything else. Pillows are the only solution I've found that I can breathe in. Mind you I haven't tried a full face mask, but I have a beard and think nasal pillows are the best.

There's ALWAYS been leaks ... it's just that last night there seemed to be way more.

I am using the large size right now. I have used the large size of nearly every set of pillows I've tried. Smaller sizes tend to go IN my nostrils.

That said, when the Aloha arrived I noticed that the pillow construction was a little different, and decided to try the medium first. It sat on my nose, but tends to go inside a bit once the pressure goes up, which is why I went to large. But maybe I'll give it another go. I could have had the straps too tight...

[rhashimoto]

I just switched to the Aloha. I've found that the vent can make a fair bit of noise and it's easy to confuse it with a leak. If you route the hose over your head then the vent will point downwards, and if that's close to anything - pillow, sheet, you, etc. - it makes noise. You could try a different hose routing and see if that improves anything (that can also improve or worsen actual leaks).

[Pugsy]

I am the same way ...I don't even want to try anything other than a nasal pillow mask. Been there, done that a long time ago and didn't care for it.

You know that the nasal pillows do get tired. Most people get more than 2 weeks of use but it wouldn't be unheard of for it to get tired this soon.
So you might try a new in the Large size as well as revisiting the Medium.

If the noise goes away with reseating the nasal pillows...then we assume the noise is related to the nasal pillow and fit.
Some people are just noise sensitive. Least little sound will wake them up.

[avi123]

khauser, why don't you try a traditional nasal mask like my or the Activa or the Blues? They all go well with bearded men.





See my leak rates during the last year:

The values that you see in the table are Medians of the nightly values of the year.
As a software eng., you probably understand this statistical meaning.



IMO, no poster on this board can present such envious treatment.

[Pugsy]

My median leak rate for my S9 usage for almost a year is also 0.0 with AHI 1.7.
And I don't need a chin strap either.

IMO, no poster on this board can present such envious treatment.

[avi123]

My median leak rate for my S9 usage for almost a year is also 0.0 with AHI 1.7.
And I don't need a chin strap either.

IMO, no poster on this board can present such envious treatment.

Comment,

Yes, you're from the showme state but you don't show concrete evidence. Only words, words, words.

[khauser]

I just switched to the Aloha. I've found that the vent can make a fair bit of noise and it's easy to confuse it with a leak. If you route the hose over your head then the vent will point downwards, and if that's close to anything - pillow, sheet, you, etc. - it makes noise. You could try a different hose routing and see if that improves anything (that can also improve or worsen actual leaks).

It's not the vent. Wish it was. It can be fixed by re positioning the mask on my nostrils (the hose is in the same orientation).

My median leak rate for my S9 usage for almost a year is also 0.0 with AHI 1.7.
And I don't need a chin strap either.

IMO, no poster on this board can present such envious treatment.

Comment,

Yes, you're from the showme state but you don't show concrete evidence. Only words, words, words. Mostly lies, as I remember.

There's absolutely no call for what you said here. I don't know why it is so important for you for other people to use the same mask as you, but if that mask works for you I am happy for you. It will never, ever work for me. You didn't even understand why ... it has nothing to do with facial hair (go back and re-read ... you'll see that comment was about full face masks). Nasal masks force my nostrils closed and I am unable to breathe.

Sharing your experiences is great. Trying to force them on people, not so much. Just saying...

[Pugsy]

Yes, you're from the showme state but you don't show concrete evidence. Only words, words, words. Mostly lies, as I remember.

Don't ever call me a liar again.
You are entirely too full of yourself. Did you really think I would make a statement that I couldn't back up? And don't go accusing me of using someone else's report.
I don't have anything else to do today...if you want another pissing contest I will be happy to oblige.

Shows some nights not used...remember I have another machine that I use. The PR S1 machine.
This also includes nights with the Bella Loops which I did experience some large leaks with due to adjustments needed to be done in tiny stages to get it just right.

[kaiasgram]

khauser, when I've experienced leaks with my Aloha it's been due to one of two things:

Time to replace the pillows

*** Mouth leaking -- and it doesn't take much of a mouth leak to produce a sleep-disturbing sound. I've got mouth leaks under control now but I used to wake up to an extremely loud whooshing sound that stopped instantly when I closed my lips back together.

[RogerSC]

My median leak rate for my S9 usage for almost a year is also 0.0 with AHI 1.7.
And I don't need a chin strap either.

IMO, no poster on this board can present such envious treatment.

Yes, nasal pillows here...for the last year:

Median: 0.0
95th percentile: 1.2
Maximum: 7.2
AHI: 1.4

No chin strap, either.

I'm sure that there's lots more people here that use nasal pillows that are doing better as well or better than I am.

[khauser]

khauser, when I've experienced leaks with my Aloha it's been due to one of two things:

Time to replace the pillows

*** Mouth leaking -- and it doesn't take much of a mouth leak to produce a sleep-disturbing sound. I've got mouth leaks under control now but I used to wake up to an extremely loud whooshing sound that stopped instantly when I closed my lips back together.

It isn't mouth leaking ... I'd be aware of that, but I appreciate that advice!

I'm hoping two weeks is a little soon to have to replace them. I am going to wash it (I don't do that enough) and try some of that Lansinoh lanolin ointment I've been hearing about.
Thanks!