Basic Mask Information!
Posted: Mon Dec 28, 2015 8:03 pm
I posted this from my blog. I hope someone can benefit with some general information over the three main style of masks and what they can offer! This is how I feel towards the mask and I hope it helps!
What type of mask interface is comfortable or troublesome for a patient? This is a much debated topic with a high amount of opinion, which is a great thing! A high amount of opinion shows how important it can be for a patient to find the right mask fit. I have used this analogy for a great number of patients and I stand by it to this days. A CPAP mask fit is just like the shoes you wear, sometimes they are comfortable and sometimes they are not; sometimes what works for one patient will not work for another; sometimes you have to put a great deal of thought into your next mask you choose. The market is flooded with an assortment of interfaces that it can be very difficult to choose a style, let alone something functional, for a new CPAP user. Let's touch the four types of CPAP mask interface "styles" and then we will move forward into the right fit for you!
Style number one: Nasal Mask
The first style that most new patient's associate with CPAP therapy is the nasal mask. The reasoning for this styles name is pretty self explanatory, it simply covers the nose entirely reaching from the upper lip to the bridge of your nose. This style has progressed greatly in the technology applied in the recent four to five years offering a great number of masks on the market that are much lighter and more conventional for the more modern style of CPAP machine's available to patients.
This style offers versatility with a patient that may struggle slightly with mouth breathing and exhalation discomfort. The mask will allow the exhaled air from a patient to exit through more space allowing for it to be slightly more comfortable that a nasal pillow style of mask (we will get to in a moment). A nasal style also provides more support for users that movement factors into their sleep habits disturbing the mask seal. More support equals less leaks in most situation.
The style does have a few cons that typically can arise and changes per patient. A few of the most common are irritation of the skin either on the bridge of your nose, cheeks or upper lips due the mask being over tightened or improperly fit. Most of the time this problem can be corrected with a simple headgear adjustment, but sometimes an entire mask change is required to remedy. This style is a typical choice, and popular, amongst users.
Style number two: Nasal Pillow
The second style is nasal pillow. I describe nasal pillows in a little bit different way to the patient's I work with. It is a bit of a different style of mask to wear due to the interaction it creates between the patient and the therapy. Whereas the nasal mask above is much more traditional in expectations, the nasal pillow is somewhat unpredictable as to if a patient will acclimate well or struggle throughout the night. So, as I said before - here is how I describe a nasal pillow stly of CPAP mask! Have you ever met a person that truly has an understanding of wine and enjoys to drink it? That person typically understands why they enjoy a particular brand or type of wine and can tell you exactly why they enjoy and what they expect when taste it. This is the same for the nasal pillow mask user - typically these patient's have a higher tolerability to CPAP pressures and can tell you exactly why they prefer the nasal pillow of the other style of mask. It isn't that these users are "picky" or "particular", they just understand the mask fit more than others.
This masks style greatest strength is it's convenience of minimal headgear which makes the style the least cumbersome. This can be especially important for the female population of CPAP masks as it helps with feelings of claustrophobia, night sweats and overall discomfort in anyway to headgear (which the male patients receive benefit from as well!). This style does have drawbacks that cripple it greatly causing it to a very specific fit for certain patient's and somewhat difficult for some technicians to use. The pressure interaction with this mask and the patient can cause high amounts of discomfort and even irritation of the skin within the nairs. This mask is somewhat risky to trial for a brand new patient, but if you are comfortable with the fit then it is likely the style you will use for life.
Style number three: Full Face Mask
The third style is the dreaded full face mask for some patients. The mask already has a great deal of anxiety from most patients as it covers more area of the face, has the most head gear and makes you feel like Darth Vader. Let's be honest, this style is more cumbersome. There is no denying this fact! Compared to a nasal pillow you are basically going from a Corvette to Humvee, but that is not the right mindset to adhere to when this mask is used and unfortunately patient's are forced into using this mask without the option of another. Where a nasal mask and nasal pillow mask both require the patient breathe only through their mouth, the full face mask allows the patient to breath through both the mouth and nasal passage. The mask can help with patient's that have struggled with congestion causing a highly stuffy nose to patient's with plain mouth breathing that cannot be overcome.
The style's greatest strength is simple, you no longer must keep your mouth closed causing a discomfort throughout the night - not at all and not ever. The full face mask will substitute the air through either your nose or your mouth. The problem is that due to the size of the mask it is susceptible to more mask leak and discomfort due to the weight of the frame and size of the headgear. However, DO NOT BE AFRAID OF THIS STYLE!! It is not a terrible thing to wear a full face style of mask when it is clinically needed or even for comfort in mouth breathing. The mask can offer a high level of relief to a patient.
Here is my advice on this style, plain and simple. If you have never worn a nasal mask or a nasal pillow mask; wear one before jumping to a full face. If you cannot tolerate the nasal styles, then move to a full face mask. This will help you with your mental ability to tolerate.
I hope to be going over each style and what they can off on a more detailed post coming soon, but I hope if you are on the fence about what mask to choose and why that this can help you! The one greatest bit of advice that I can give you is find a doctor, respiratory therapist or CPAP technician that truly cares about your mask fitting! Remember, that your fit is just that -YOUR FIT! You're an individual and you will have a different feeling on each mask than others. So find someone to work with you, fit you and offer detailed suggestions.
Sleep well!
What type of mask interface is comfortable or troublesome for a patient? This is a much debated topic with a high amount of opinion, which is a great thing! A high amount of opinion shows how important it can be for a patient to find the right mask fit. I have used this analogy for a great number of patients and I stand by it to this days. A CPAP mask fit is just like the shoes you wear, sometimes they are comfortable and sometimes they are not; sometimes what works for one patient will not work for another; sometimes you have to put a great deal of thought into your next mask you choose. The market is flooded with an assortment of interfaces that it can be very difficult to choose a style, let alone something functional, for a new CPAP user. Let's touch the four types of CPAP mask interface "styles" and then we will move forward into the right fit for you!
Style number one: Nasal Mask
The first style that most new patient's associate with CPAP therapy is the nasal mask. The reasoning for this styles name is pretty self explanatory, it simply covers the nose entirely reaching from the upper lip to the bridge of your nose. This style has progressed greatly in the technology applied in the recent four to five years offering a great number of masks on the market that are much lighter and more conventional for the more modern style of CPAP machine's available to patients.
This style offers versatility with a patient that may struggle slightly with mouth breathing and exhalation discomfort. The mask will allow the exhaled air from a patient to exit through more space allowing for it to be slightly more comfortable that a nasal pillow style of mask (we will get to in a moment). A nasal style also provides more support for users that movement factors into their sleep habits disturbing the mask seal. More support equals less leaks in most situation.
The style does have a few cons that typically can arise and changes per patient. A few of the most common are irritation of the skin either on the bridge of your nose, cheeks or upper lips due the mask being over tightened or improperly fit. Most of the time this problem can be corrected with a simple headgear adjustment, but sometimes an entire mask change is required to remedy. This style is a typical choice, and popular, amongst users.
Style number two: Nasal Pillow
The second style is nasal pillow. I describe nasal pillows in a little bit different way to the patient's I work with. It is a bit of a different style of mask to wear due to the interaction it creates between the patient and the therapy. Whereas the nasal mask above is much more traditional in expectations, the nasal pillow is somewhat unpredictable as to if a patient will acclimate well or struggle throughout the night. So, as I said before - here is how I describe a nasal pillow stly of CPAP mask! Have you ever met a person that truly has an understanding of wine and enjoys to drink it? That person typically understands why they enjoy a particular brand or type of wine and can tell you exactly why they enjoy and what they expect when taste it. This is the same for the nasal pillow mask user - typically these patient's have a higher tolerability to CPAP pressures and can tell you exactly why they prefer the nasal pillow of the other style of mask. It isn't that these users are "picky" or "particular", they just understand the mask fit more than others.
This masks style greatest strength is it's convenience of minimal headgear which makes the style the least cumbersome. This can be especially important for the female population of CPAP masks as it helps with feelings of claustrophobia, night sweats and overall discomfort in anyway to headgear (which the male patients receive benefit from as well!). This style does have drawbacks that cripple it greatly causing it to a very specific fit for certain patient's and somewhat difficult for some technicians to use. The pressure interaction with this mask and the patient can cause high amounts of discomfort and even irritation of the skin within the nairs. This mask is somewhat risky to trial for a brand new patient, but if you are comfortable with the fit then it is likely the style you will use for life.
Style number three: Full Face Mask
The third style is the dreaded full face mask for some patients. The mask already has a great deal of anxiety from most patients as it covers more area of the face, has the most head gear and makes you feel like Darth Vader. Let's be honest, this style is more cumbersome. There is no denying this fact! Compared to a nasal pillow you are basically going from a Corvette to Humvee, but that is not the right mindset to adhere to when this mask is used and unfortunately patient's are forced into using this mask without the option of another. Where a nasal mask and nasal pillow mask both require the patient breathe only through their mouth, the full face mask allows the patient to breath through both the mouth and nasal passage. The mask can help with patient's that have struggled with congestion causing a highly stuffy nose to patient's with plain mouth breathing that cannot be overcome.
The style's greatest strength is simple, you no longer must keep your mouth closed causing a discomfort throughout the night - not at all and not ever. The full face mask will substitute the air through either your nose or your mouth. The problem is that due to the size of the mask it is susceptible to more mask leak and discomfort due to the weight of the frame and size of the headgear. However, DO NOT BE AFRAID OF THIS STYLE!! It is not a terrible thing to wear a full face style of mask when it is clinically needed or even for comfort in mouth breathing. The mask can offer a high level of relief to a patient.
Here is my advice on this style, plain and simple. If you have never worn a nasal mask or a nasal pillow mask; wear one before jumping to a full face. If you cannot tolerate the nasal styles, then move to a full face mask. This will help you with your mental ability to tolerate.
I hope to be going over each style and what they can off on a more detailed post coming soon, but I hope if you are on the fence about what mask to choose and why that this can help you! The one greatest bit of advice that I can give you is find a doctor, respiratory therapist or CPAP technician that truly cares about your mask fitting! Remember, that your fit is just that -YOUR FIT! You're an individual and you will have a different feeling on each mask than others. So find someone to work with you, fit you and offer detailed suggestions.
Sleep well!