Do you really need a nose mask or full-face mask?

People get prescribed full-face masks if they are mouth breathers. But I find that people breathe through their mouths for one of two reasons:

1. OSA causes the mouth to open at night in an attempt to get more air. In this case, a nasal pillow or nasal mask would solve that.

2. The patient's nostrils are congested or inflamed for whatever reason, so they breathe through their mouth to get more air. However, using a nasal pillow or nasal mask forces the nostrils open so the narrowness is not an issue anymore. This was the case for me. The sleep tech had me use the nasal pillow throughout the night, and my mouth did not open once (and this was without a chinstrap). I only mouth breathe in the day now at times.

So I think a full-face mask is unnecessary. To be honest, I think nasal masks are unnecessary too, since nasal pillows have less of a seal to leak and are less intrusive. I inserted them, and I had no issue whatsoever in my sleep study. They were a joy to wear. Both the nasal mask and full-face mask the tech had me try on in the middle of the night leaked as soon as he put them on, so he said there was no mask he could effectively use on me. It was nasal pillow or bust. He said for some people, nothing works, so they cannot use PAP therapy. They instead have to use a dental device, do voice exercises, or have surgery to cure their OSA.

I agree that too many patients go directly to a FF mask. Of the people I know, those who use a nasal mask adjust much better than those who use a FF mask. However, some people are truly obstructed an a nasal mask or pillows are not viable options.

Funny that your profile say FF mask!

I've been using a nasal mask nineteen years and have no desire to try nasal pillows.

i find my mouth flies open just as im falling asleep, so not when obstructions are happening. although, it could happen then as well im sure
i never really can get that far in with nasal pillows because i cant seem to even fall asleep with them
i wish i could because i like how they feel and it would save me from having to wear a ff mask
that leaks and is old

Maybe just go with a Iron Lung. Jim

D.H. wrote: ↑

Sun Jul 01, 2018 1:10 pm

I agree that too many patients go directly to a FF mask. Of the people I know, those who use a nasal mask adjust much better than those who use a FF mask. However, some people are truly obstructed an a nasal mask or pillows are not viable options.

Funny that your profile say FF mask!

I've been using a nasal mask nineteen years and have no desire to try nasal pillows.

LOL! Yep, as you said above, I made the mistake of initially asking for a full-face mask last year, since I just assumed I would continue to mouth breathe at night! I didn't want the hassle of trying a nasal pillow at first, then going back to exchange it. The sleep tech should have forced me to try the nasal pillow back then, but she never did. She went straight to a medium full-face mask.

I can understand your preference for a mask after all these years. I also didn't realize how some people are truly obstructed in their nose. It would be bad if they were ever kidnapped and tied up with tape around their mouths, like you see in movies, lol.

zackds wrote: ↑

Sun Jul 01, 2018 1:14 pm

i find my mouth flies open just as im falling asleep, so not when obstructions are happening. although, it could happen then as well im sure
i never really can get that far in with nasal pillows because i cant seem to even fall asleep with them
i wish i could because i like how they feel and it would save me from having to wear a ff mask
that leaks and is old

Ugh. I feel for you. My current FFS leaks too, no matter what. And my mouth drops out of it, so it gets even worse (the mask is two sizes too small and I am no longer allowed a free exchange). I constantly have to tug it down.

Goofproof wrote: ↑

Sun Jul 01, 2018 1:34 pm

Maybe just go with a Iron Lung. Jim

Haha, that would work!

did the tech also say to click your heels together three times and wish the apnea away?



funny thing for me. when i first started, thought i was a life long mouth breather too. BUT i've also had a beard since is was twenty. i did NOT want to shave that beard off.

what to do? well, tried the full face mask. too many leaks. tried the nasal mask. too many leaks.

have now been on the pillows for about 2 and 1/2 years. they seem to work for me. and there are certainly no leaks.

i use a soft cervical collar to keep my chin up. i use hairbands to keep my lips together.

works for me.

best off all, i kept the beard.

guess maybe i wasn't a mouth breather after all, eh?

And then some of us just need a full face mask.

I have narrow airways. Even during the day, I will mouth breathe when active. When my iron was low, I was doing it even more (one of the symptoms I complained about when I went to the doctor). As soon as I lay down, I mouth breathe. If I think about it, I can close my mouth and breathe through my nose, so it is clear. But it is not comfortable to keep doing it. And I tried it a couple times while wearing my full face mask. The feeling of the air going in my nose was not comfortable at all.

I will stick with my full face mask. One of these day, I will get around to adjusting my oral mask, as I really prefer it. Nothing over my nose at all, no plugs. The only thing I dislike about that mask is that it forces me to keep my mouth open further than I normal do.

One of the reasons I waited so long to get officially diagnosed and treated for sleep apnea is that I mistakenly believed that nasal masks were the only option. I knew I would never be able to do that.

To the OP and everybody else: Please update your profile to show your current information.