Sleepong on back

[jmgalason@comcast.com]

I saw a posting that said you should not sleep on your back with a full face mask. Is this true? Why?

[PST]

With or without a full face mask, many people (perhaps most) experience more obstruction of their breathing while sleeping on their backs than they do on their sides or bellies. This shows up in sleep studies. It may show up as a higher AHI while back sleeping, or as a need for higher pressure to achieve the same AHI. For example, my doctor wanted to prescribe a pressure of 19, but when I told him that I had gone to sleep on my back only because instructed to do so by the technician, and that I could be relied on to sleep on my side, he reduced that to 15. It is harder to document at home, since it is difficult to know in the morning when one was sleeping in a particular position, but people who have made a concerted effort to learn to stay on their sides have reported improved results.

[brazospearl]

In general, back sleeping causes more apneas than sleeping on your side or tummy. That's true no matter which mask you wear.

[chunkyfrog]

Before CPAP, I found sleeping on my back had become uncomfortable, and I became habituated to side-sleeping most of the time.
Now I am able to sleep every-which-way; and my back, shoulders, and neck feel worlds better.

[maskhead]

I'm only 6 months into this but i find that with the mask (Quattro) I can only sleep on my back which is not my natural position. by about 5:30 AM I wake up all stiff and
take off the mask and sleep on my side very comfortably for another few hours.

[Goofproof]

I'm only 6 months into this but i find that with the mask (Quattro) I can only sleep on my back which is not my natural position. by about 5:30 AM I wake up all stiff and
take off the mask and sleep on my side very comfortably for another few hours.

DUH! Get a different mask, and throw that one out, also next time choose a mask with a lower exhaust vent rate. That will help your treatment. Jim

EDIT FOR THE DUH: The DUH was meant for Sleeping on your back, Don't do it period.......

[PST]

I'm only 6 months into this but i find that with the mask (Quattro) I can only sleep on my back which is not my natural position. by about 5:30 AM I wake up all stiff and
take off the mask and sleep on my side very comfortably for another few hours.

Lots of people (including me) sleep comfortably on our sides with the Quattro. I don't want to discourage you from trying other masks, but you could also try different pillows. There have been many threads on best pillows for side sleeping.

[Patrick A]

I sleep on my back most of the time. Since I got my new machine I have found that I am sleeping on my left side more often, than I did before but sleep on my back most of the time...go figure.