Need Dreamwear advice

I love the Dreamwear mask, but every time I turn on my side, it slips and starts leaking and making loud noise. Does anyone have advice on how to adjust this mask for side sleepers? I switched from the Nano because local DME stopped carrying it. Dreamwear design is ingenious....if it always worked!

Sorry, I really hate to be negative, but I gave up sleeping at night with my Dreamwear for the same reasons. I am also a side sleeper and just could not make it work consistently. Also, on the few nights that I actually kept it on all night, my AHI shop up a lot. I would fiddle around with it and sometimes get it to stop making noise, fall asleep, then it would suddenly wake me up in the middle of the night with loud noises. I really don´t think this a very good mask for side sleepers to use.

But a lot of others on this forum really like it.

You might need the smaller frame if adjusting the back strap just a wee bit tighter doesn't resolve the issue.
Also make sure you are using the correct size nasal cradle cushion...did you get other sizes in your mask package?

The standard packaging is for the Medium frame but there is a smaller and larger frame available.

I have used the DreamWear successfully and I sleep on my side almost all the time but I do a lot of tossing and turning from side to side and once I snugged it up just a little bit more I didn't have it move around at all even with all the tossing and turning I do. It's not my primary mask because I still prefer nasal pillows but I kept it just in case I ever needed it. I don't keep a mask that I won't ever use.

I don't turn in my sleep, so I'm usually awake enough to put my finger up to that little crease below the nose and kind of stabilize the seal against my nose as I turn.

The headgear slips and I've been planning to add a piece of Velcro to the back strap (the stiff side, against the hair, helps hold the strap in place) but I haven't done it yet.

I'm a side sleeper and have used the Deamwear mask with great success. Occasionally I'll displace it but it hasn't been a serious problem. A little nudge will put it back in place. When I changed to it from the Arma View mask my AHI dropped from an average of 3 to 1.

I had to request the small frame and small mask as I was given medium in both at the DME and saw immediately that they were too large. My head is small so I also padded the strap covers to take it up a little bit. When I roll over I generally feel that I need to actually hold the mask in place, but of course I go to sleep and it gets messed up again. I really want to make it work - I'll tighten it tonight and see if that helps.

I've got the Dreamwear and love it. After a couple of days trying to get things right I eventually came up with the following.

Initial tightening should be done with the velcro straps

These straps stabilise the rest of the mask but are not the primary way of ensuring that it doesn't leak.

The silicon band that goes on top of your head can be the most vital adjustment. Get this wrong and leaks are inevitable

Having it too far up your head can pull the nasal piece too tightly under your nose. I know it sounds strange but if it is too close to your nostrils/tight, leaks occur far more frequently.

You need to have the nasal piece just slightly loose (you don't need it jammed up against your nostrils), moving the top silicon band forward from the top of your scalp can accomplish this. However, if you think the frame is too big then go the other way and move it up your scalp. The nasal piece should sit just comfortably under your nose, you don't need to use it like nasal pillows which require a very good seal

The smallest possible nasal piece is what is needed. A small head doesn't necessarily mean a small nasal piece and vice versa. My head is reasonably big (I just fit a medium frame) yet I use a the small nasal piece The pack should have a template that you put under your nose to measure what size you need.

The advantage of having the hose coming put of the top of the mask gives unbelievable freedom compared to other masks and the mask itself is probably the least intrusive of all masks.

Good luck

Holden4th, I am not sure I totally understand your instructions, i.e., which way you are moving the top strap. But last night I did sort of the opposite and went back to the Med size pillow with the small frame and tightened it fairly tight with the Velcro straps. I understood that any nasal pillow should sort of "float" on the face because it becomes inflated with air, but that sure wasn't working for me. The combo last night was more comfortable and I didn't wake up with air wheezing loudly. My leak rate was 22 on ResMed S9, which is high, but a little lower than it has been with this mask. I'm going to stick with this combo a few nights and see if it continues to work. It would be hard to go back to a mask with the "hose on th' nose."

LTen wrote:Holden4th, I am not sure I totally understand your instructions, i.e., which way you are moving the top strap.

I think what Holden is saying is that moving the top strap closer to the forehead makes the mask a bit looser under the nose, and moving it more towards the crown of your scalp makes it more snug on the nose. That's my experience with the DreamWear, anyway. I love the mask for the freedom it gives me (the hose coming off the top is genius), and I sleep on my sides or back with no leak issues. The one issue I did have with it was the back strap sliding up on my hair and making the mask unstable on my face. Initially, I tried the Velcro tip (sewed a piece of the hooked-side to the inside of the back strap, so the strap would catch on my hair and not be able to move up). It worked well enough. But lately, I've been putting my hair up in a high ponytail, and the strap now stays in place without the Velcro addition. Not sure why it doesn't slide up, but it doesn't.

FWIW, I use the small frame (even though I always thought I had a bigger head and might need the medium frame) and the small nasal cushion. The DreamWear is my new mask of choice.

Hope you can adjust yours, LTen, to your satisfaction.

Thanks to everyone. I agree the design is genius! I did know to adjust the top/hose to loosen/tighten. My hair is short short short, so the strap slides up but I have sort of anchored it by catching it in what hair I have. I have had some luck last few nights with small frame, medium cushion, and tighter straps.

Yep, that's been my experience, that it has to be tighter than most air cushion masks. But even being a little tight, it's an incredibly comfortable mask.

I'm a side sleeper too. I spend a lot of time on my right side. I find if I move the pillow so that my ear is at the end and my face is pretty much off the pillow I have better results. Then I "hug" another pillow and use the end to prop up my chin. It sounds like a crazy configuration, but it works for me. It takes the pressure off the side on the Dreamwear and I think it makes for a better flow.

LTen wrote:Holden4th, I am not sure I totally understand your instructions, i.e., which way you are moving the top strap. But last night I did sort of the opposite and went back to the Med size pillow with the small frame and tightened it fairly tight with the Velcro straps. I understood that any nasal pillow should sort of "float" on the face because it becomes inflated with air, but that sure wasn't working for me. The combo last night was more comfortable and I didn't wake up with air wheezing loudly. My leak rate was 22 on ResMed S9, which is high, but a little lower than it has been with this mask. I'm going to stick with this combo a few nights and see if it continues to work. It would be hard to go back to a mask with the "hose on th' nose."

This was what I was talking about and I achieved this by moving the top strap towards my forehaed as Bleeping Beauty mentioned.

The next thing to look at is your pillow. This can also affect mask leaks.