Trouble breathing with n30i mask

[enigmothy]

My issue is with nasal passage cycle during the night. If I'm sleeping on the wrong side at some point in the night on the same side as my nasal passage that is currently open, the tubing on that side of my face is pinched between me and my pillow. I wake up gasping for breath. The other nasal tubing on the other side of my face is not adequate to bring air to my one open nasal passage. As you know, nasal passages cycles every couple of hours, so this can be a repeated issue. Anyone know of a pillow that won't pinch the tubing? Or another solution?

[Dog Slobber]

use a front attachment (n30), instead of a top attachment (n30i)

[ChicagoGranny]

The other nasal tubing on the other side of my face is not adequate to bring air to my one open nasal passage.

Both the left and right sides of the N30i mask tubing are piped into a single chamber that feeds the slots under the two nasal openings. Before introducing this mask model, ResMed tested this mask with one side of the tubing entirely shut off. The prescribed pressure was delivered to the chamber regardless of which side was shut off. So, the problem is not caused by one side being pinched.

Just speculating,

1. It could be that your prescribed pressure is not high enough to open the nostril that is congested due to the nasal cycle.
or
2. Your problem might not be entirely due to the nasal cycle. It could be that the side you are lying on tends to pinch that nostril.

If either of these cases is true, switching to an N30 mask might not solve your problem.

[enigmothy]

You may be right about nostril being pinched when I lay on the side that has the open nostril. What is the solution? Forcing myself to become a back sleeper somehow? Nasal surgery?

[ChicagoGranny]

As a first step, I would have a consultation with an ENT. She will evaluate your nasal airway and your tonsils. I recommend this for everyone who is having trouble with CPAP.

Forcing myself to become a back sleeper somehow?

Your pressure needs might be higher when sleeping on your back.

Do you think the nasal issue is waking you?

[enigmothy]

Yes, I am pretty confident it is waking me up multiple times per night. Thank you for the helpful advice.

[ChicagoGranny]

You may be right about nostril being pinched when I lay on the side that has the open nostril.

I should have thought of this earlier. When I lie on my side, I position my pillow so that my mask and nose hang over the edge of the pillow.