ideas for dealing with mask draft?

[Hope1952]

One of the sleep distractions I experience with cpap is the draft from the mask exhale blowing on me all night. It makes my arms & sinuses ache, depending on which direction it's blowing. I'm afraid the covers will block the vent when I try to deflect the flow from hitting my arms. Any suggestions that have worked? Thanks!

[Nord]

Of course you have to be careful as blocking the air flow could/ will raise CO 2 levels... but I have experimented.

I for one, do not recommend anything...
Any restriction will raise Mask Resistance and increase noise level.
But, I have heard that Gauze bandage in very few layers may break up the air pattern enough w/o increasing resistance or noise very much.
You MUST NOT block the ports initially or while you sleep... so don't get any tape or heavy material too close.

Nord

[Janknitz]

I wrap my arm up in a sheet or blanket so that it's not blowing directly on bare skin. I'm kind of hoping this will feel nice in the summer, since I don't have AC But that cold flow was miserable when the weather was cooler!

I've started to have my 4 a.m. "hotflashes" again (I think between leaks and my machine being set too low, I have a big apnic event about that time the machine can't clear) and I've been cooling myself off by cupping my hands and directing that flow back to my face for a few seconds.

If you look on the lab rat fixes page, there is a suggestion to deflect the airflow, but you have to be careful. The vent is very important to let the carbon dioxide which is a byproduct of your breathing out of the mask. If that flow is somehow restricted, it can increase your CO2 levels and that is dangerous. So keep that in mind when trying any fixes.

[elena88]

hi there..

Well, I have read that some people use a little towel, or baby blanket and put that on their arm where the draft blows on it,
I make sure I only set my head on the edge of the pillow (DME showed me this) so that the mask doesnt get loose and the draft
does not richochet off the pillow back at me, which also makes a bit of a drafty noise, not to mention the cold air..

If it always lands on your hands you could wear comfy gloves to bed, or put leg warmers on your arms, (even pull those over your hands
if you dont want to wear gloves.. )

Sometimes a long sleeve shirt will do the trick..

do you have a cpap pillow? that might also help..

[Tanna]

With me the draft blows up into my eyes, and I'm trying with all my might to get used to it.

[elena88]

With me the draft blows up into my eyes, and I'm trying with all my might to get used to it.


oh my, that must be very distressing!

I wonder why the draft is going straight up like that?

sometimes I hold on to my hose so the little swivel points downward when I go to sleep...

I sort of feel like a kid holding on to a binkie or something

Perhaps an eye mask would help?

Im sorry that is happening to you..

[Janknitz]

Tanna,

You should not put up with air blowing in your eyes. Over the long-term that can cause corneal damage. No mask should have an outlet that is blowing in your eyes (unless it's bouncing off another surface and back to your eyes) so I suspect your mask is leaking.

You need to take care of that! You are also not getting optimal therapy if your mask is leaking. It would help if you would post your equipment so we can see what kind of mask you have. Some are more prone to leaking around the nose bridge, and that's often the cause of air blowing in the eyes. There are tweaks you can do to prevent that blowing, or you may need a different mask or a different size.

It's definitely not something you should try to get used to, so let us know what's going on so we can help.

[Hope1952]

Thank you all for the helpful suggestions. I wasn't intending to alter my mask, I just wanted ideas to help keep the draft off of me while I'm sleeping. I have drafts from the room humidifier, the room air filter, the a/c, and the cpap mask. All disturb my sleep. I'll try long sleeves and turn down the thermostat on the a/c, and use a nice, soft baby blanket. I love the idea of deflecting the air back in my face for hot flashes. lol. Thanks!

[Tanna]

I realized that I did have a mask leak on the bridge of my nose. I adjusted my mask several times last night and finally got a tight fit. I turned the exhaust draft facing downward and voile no more air blowing into my eyes. Thank you so much for your response, I never would have realized I had a leak.