Pillows versus Cushion, thoughts?

[macmermaid]

Got my Dreamwear FF mask two days ago, and had a bad experience - the machine said 10 AHIs. I want to have it for the times I get a cold or sinus infection. The My Air report said I had major leaking, but I did not feel any leaking out of the sides of the mask. Weird. I took a nap yesterday, fell asleep reading on the bed.

So back to cushions last night and had 0 AHIs! Still having itching sometimes during the night, which really isn't a big deal, expect if I pull it off to itch my nose, my My Air score will go down! No nodding off today. So maybe the AHI count actually relates to how tired I am.

[Fetou]

I go back and forth.

Cushion Pros:
1) Easier exhale
2) Less "invasive" feeling, subjectively

Cushion Cons:
1) Way more air blowing on you even without leaks, and makes a lot of noise
2) More leak problems with position changes, less secure seal
3) Less consistent fit from night to night

Pillow Pros:
1) Quieter, less air sensation moving around your face
2) More secure and consistent fit

Pillow Cons:
1) They're in your nose!
2) More difficult exhale

Overall I prefer the pillows because they don't wake me up as often. Definitely have seen improvements on the pillow cons when they are just lightly sealing in the nostril, and not too far inserted. Hoping that some extra pressure support/relief will help as well.

[Stom]

Well, one disadvantage of the Dreamwear cushion over the pillows is that sometimes the edge of the cushion vibrates like a reed under my nostril and I have no idea how to quiet it down Haven't had that problem with pillows.

[prodigyplace]

Got my Dreamwear FF mask two days ago, and had a bad experience - the machine said 10 AHIs. I want to have it for the times I get a cold or sinus infection. The My Air report said I had major leaking, but I did not feel any leaking out of the sides of the mask. Weird. I took a nap yesterday, fell asleep reading on the bed.

So back to cushions last night and had 0 AHIs! Still having itching sometimes during the night, which really isn't a big deal, expect if I pull it off to itch my nose, my My Air score will go down! No nodding off today. So maybe the AHI count actually relates to how tired I am.

Did you change you machine settings from pillows to full face mask? It may have miscalculated the leaks.
Since the mask has a larger volume the setting may affect the pressure accuracy too. Not sure.

[macmermaid]

oh thanks, did not realize there is a settings change!

[Pugsy]

You might want to read up on your machine at the provider/clinical manual.
Mask settings changes is covered along with some other useful information.
https://sleep.tnet.com/home/files/resme ... -guide.pdf

I doubt that having the wrong setting would be the reason for a massive change in leak rate though.
I have used the wrong mask selection and then go change it to the correct mask type and I can't really spot all that much of a difference in the leak report. Maybe 5 L/min at the most. It isn't something that is super critical IMHO and past experience.

[Stom]

I doubt that having the wrong setting would be the reason for a massive change in leak rate though.
I have used the wrong mask selection and then go change it to the correct mask type and I can't really spot all that much of a difference in the leak report. Maybe 5 L/min at the most. It isn't something that is super critical IMHO and past experience.

A quick look at the intentional leak graphs between the Dreamwear FF and Nasal Pillows (couldn't find my cushions manual) shows a intentional leak rate difference of about 3LPM at 10cm, which increases with pressure, but not radically. So, yeah, using the wrong mask setting isn't going to cause a massive difference in the reported unintentional leak rate.

[palerider]

I doubt that having the wrong setting would be the reason for a massive change in leak rate though.
I have used the wrong mask selection and then go change it to the correct mask type and I can't really spot all that much of a difference in the leak report. Maybe 5 L/min at the most. It isn't something that is super critical IMHO and past experience.

A quick look at the intentional leak graphs between the Dreamwear FF and Nasal Pillows (couldn't find my cushions manual) shows a intentional leak rate difference of about 3LPM at 10cm, which increases with pressure, but not radically. So, yeah, using the wrong mask setting isn't going to cause a massive difference in the reported unintentional leak rate.

In modern Resmed machines, the mask setting is more used to pressure compensate for different mask flow resistance. Not leak calculation, since leak baseline is pretty trivial to calculate in the device.

I've measured pressure differences at the machine with different mask settings.