Aura too noisy for wife! Please help!

c10000 · Post by **c10000** » Mon Apr 10, 2006 9:54 am

Hi, all,

I started my cpap therapy 1 year ago. I've been reading this board a lot. I bought my gears mostly based on recommendations from this board. But I am a quiet person in terms of posting messages.

I've been using Responics APAP and Activa since March 2005. Activa is great. My only complaint is that it's so heavy.

Based on the high recommendations from the board, I got Aura several months ago. I really liked it. But my wife couldn't stand the noise! She had trouble to sleep if I used it. I finally had to switch back to Activa. The Aura has to go the drawer.

Using my fingers, I could feel the vibrations on Aura's tube around my nose. It looks like the noise is due to the air flow in the tube, especially when it makes a sharp turn around the nose. Does anybody have suggestions/solutions to reduce the noise?

I also wonder if all nasal pillow systems make noise like that, because most of them have to make similar sharp turns? How does the new ComfortLite 2 compare to Aura in terms of noise? And how about ComfortLite 2 versus Activa in noise?

Thanks in advance for your help!

Charles

sleepylady · Post by **sleepylady** » Mon Apr 10, 2006 10:20 am

Charles have you tried introducing white noise into your bedroom to muffle the noise? I now have two Aura's, but find them much quieter than other masks I've tried. My boyfriend needs absolute quiet in order to sleep so the sound of the machine bugs him. He simply uses ear plugs and all is well. For me, the sound of the machine and mask make it so I can't fall asleep. In my case, I use a sound machine at my house and a radio at my sister's and have no problem at all sleeping. I also used the Activa before my Aura and found it too heavy and it leaked too much.

Hope these suggestions help.

Melinda

k.c.snorzalot · Post by **k.c.snorzalot** » Mon Apr 10, 2006 10:22 am

I'm in my 2nd week of using the Aura. Previously, I used the Respironics Comfort Gel mask. I do NOT notice that the Aura seems unusually loud at all. As far as the noise coming from the sharp turns in the nosepiece, I'm a bit unsure of what you are speaking of there. Mine does have curves in the nasal piece, but I wouldn't call them sharp turns by any means.
Was wondering if your wife is a very light sleeper? Or, maybe your pressure setting is very high and that is causing extra noise. I'm perplexed because my Aura seems actually more quiet than my Comfort Gel mask was. Hope someone is able to provide you with some good advice.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Mon Apr 10, 2006 10:24 am

For me, the Aura was noisy too. So was the Swift. I have found the Breeze to be the quietest nasal pillow interface I've tried so far. Everyone's different, but that was my experience.

Born Tired · Post by **Born Tired** » Mon Apr 10, 2006 11:47 am

Charles,
Did you have to bend the wires in the nasal thing to fit your face? When I first got my Aura I needed to bend it a little to make it fit. What I noticed is that the tubing got slightly crimped off where I did the bending. The air didn't seem to flow as well, and I can see that it could cause vibrating. I just made the adjustments in a more gradual way which got rid of the crimping and reopened the tubing. My husband uses the white noiseto drown out mask noise, and he never complains of being hit with the exhaust from the Aura--which was a hugh problem with other interfaces I've tried. I've grown accustomed to the slight swooshing sound of my breathing--kind of relaxing.
Hope things work out for you.
Esther
--

c10000 · Post by **c10000** » Mon Apr 10, 2006 11:53 am

Melinda and K.C.: Yes, my wife is a light sleeper. So, Melinda's suggestion of white noise may not work. But I'll tell my wife and see how she feels.

About sharp turns: Maybe I used the wrong word. It's not really such a sharp turn, I admit. Just wanted to point out where I found the noise came from.

My pressure is not high. My prescription is 8. I set my APAP to 6-10. Most of the times, it's at 6 or 7.

Guest: Thanks for the Breeze suggestion. I might consider trying that one, too.

Thanks for your help.

Charles

c10000 · Post by **c10000** » Mon Apr 10, 2006 12:00 pm

Esther: Yes! I did bend the wires. My nose is slight bent to the right. So, I had to bend the wire on one side a little more than the other wire. That could be the problem. Let me try to adjust the wires again and see if that helps.

Thanks!

Does anyone have experience with ComfortLite 2 versus Aura in terms of noise?

Charles

Snoozin' Bluezzz · Post by **Snoozin' Bluezzz** » Mon Apr 10, 2006 12:10 pm

CL2 is quieter in my experience. The CL with pillows is very quiet in my estimation but the noise of a Swift doesn't bother me as it seems to do for others so take what I say with a grain of salt.

SB

jcarn · Post by **jcarn** » Mon Apr 10, 2006 12:56 pm

for less noise, straighten the wires as much as possible so the tubes don't have kinks .. then do this:

viewtopic.php?t=5962&highlight=rubber+band

sleepylady · Post by **sleepylady** » Mon Apr 10, 2006 1:08 pm

jcarn has some great suggestions, along with the others. My boyfriend is a light sleeper also, so ear plugs work great for him. If you wife is able to wear them, it might work for her. Of course, hopefully you won't need to suggest it if the other suggestions work. I know when I bent the wires, I had to reshape them so there wasn't such "kinks" in them.

Best of luck,

Melinda

hwwhitehead · Post by **hwwhitehead** » Mon Apr 10, 2006 2:23 pm

Hi all. I've been on CPAP for a while but jsut recently found this board while shopping for a new mask and looking for product reviews. I gotta admit, this topic kinda worries me. I just ordered an Aura. In fact, UPS should deliver it today!

I'm really looking forward to the new mask. Been fighting my ill-fitting and always slipping breeze for quite some time and my wife would be happy to not have the air balst at her in themiddle of the night.

My CPAP (a trusty old Sullican V) is on 14 and I use a heated humidifier. I started on a Mirage mask, went to an ADAM circuit, then to the Breeze, tried the NasalAire for a while (too noisy and the tubing pulled loose too easy and too often), went back to the Breeze, now trying the Aura.

Thanks to everyone whose posts I've read and learned from while lurking.

Snoozin' Bluezzz · Post by **Snoozin' Bluezzz** » Mon Apr 10, 2006 2:35 pm

I can promise that you will want the Aussie heated hose found at

http://tinyurl.com/a3ot

It can rainout even with the hose and it is guaranteed to create a waterfall without. I know from all the other posts and hard personal experience.

SB

pharmwoman · Post by **pharmwoman** » Mon Apr 10, 2006 4:21 pm

well I can sympathize with you, my hubby and I are struggling with this!!!
I may try a white noise machine..............

Linda3032 · Post by **Linda3032** » Mon Apr 10, 2006 4:33 pm

Yes to all of the suggestions above:

Straighten the wire.
Use the rubber band trick.
A heated hose (and a couple of hose covers) is a must.
White noise - once you get used to it, it's hard to sleep without it.

Your wife will love the air NOT blowing on her.

Good Luck.

pharmwoman · Post by **pharmwoman** » Mon Apr 10, 2006 5:10 pm

ok where did you get your white noise machine??

Humidifier

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