Respironics DreamWear Gel Nasal pillow mask review thread

[ShinRyoku]

Right now the DreamWear Gel Pillows is my favorite mask. I only wish it would extend a bit further into my nostrils like the Resmed P10 does. The DreamWear Gel Pillows are sometimes nudged a bit out of my nostrils during sleep, and the leak wakes me up since I'm a very light sleeper.

The P10 stays put for me, but the hose gets in the way and wakes me even though I use a HoseBuddy for tube management. A DreamWear headset with P10 pillows and exhaust would suit me perfectly.

[Holden4th]

Right now the DreamWear Gel Pillows is my favorite mask. I only wish it would extend a bit further into my nostrils like the Resmed P10 does. The DreamWear Gel Pillows are sometimes nudged a bit out of my nostrils during sleep, and the leak wakes me up since I'm a very light sleeper.

The P10 stays put for me, but the hose gets in the way and wakes me even though I use a HoseBuddy for tube management. A DreamWear headset with P10 pillows and exhaust would suit me perfectly.

I agree with the idea of making the pillows just fractionally longer for the reasons you've stated.

[mw757]

I tried the Dreamwear with gel pillows and wasn’t thrilled with it. Until they figure out how to diffuse the exhaust port, it will remain a distant third behind my P10 and Brevida.

[SusanWink]

my AHI is sometimes close to 5.

How about you use available software and see exactly what is going on with that AHI?
https://sleep.tnet.com/equipment

There are several possible reasons for the higher numbers now and let's see if we can figure out for sure what is going on and then decide best road to take to resolve any issues you might be having.
How new are you to therapy?
Are you sleeping soundly or is your sleep fragmented by a lot of wake ups?
Let's see what that AHI is composed of to see if it's a pressure thing or something else. You need to use the software to see what that AHI of 5 is made up of.[/quote]

Hi Pugsy

Thank you for the quick reply. I have been using a Dreamstation for about 3 weeks. I seem to be sleeping more soundly than before CPAP. I do wake up sometimes, but not nearly as often as I did before.

Here's the result from one of the higher AHI dates:



Thanks for your help!

Susan

[Jas_williams]

If that was my chart I would raise the minimum pressure by 1cm that will help to clean up the charts

[Pugsy]

Thank you for the quick reply. I have been using a Dreamstation for about 3 weeks. I seem to be sleeping more soundly than before CPAP. I do wake up sometimes, but not nearly as often as I did before.

Here's the result from one of the higher AHI dates:

I couldn't see your AHI but if this is a rare thing then I don't know that I would worry much about the AHI for a rare random night this early in your therapy.
Now if you see this type of results more nights than not...yeah, maybe increase that minimum pressure 0.5 to 1.0 cm.

No need to redo this image but in the future if you post an image...take a look at this thread for what we like to see so we can help you the best. Also maybe start a thread of your own so your questions won't get lost in an old thread like this mask thread.
viewtopic/t158560/How-to-post-images-for-review.html

[SusanWink]

Thanks y'all!

[Mark S]

I have had nothing but problems with this mask .Change to this over a month ago on the advice of a sales person and since then they have replaced 5 oxygen generators because of the alarms going off in the middle of sleeping. They have blamed everything from the tubing to bad electrical . This whole time I have asked it could possibly be the mask and they said no. Guess what? It’s the mask . If you lay on your side it pinches the air filled straps which makes the O2 gen think you’re not breathing then the C-pap alarms . Terrible design

[oldseminole]

I've been happy using this gel pillow mask for about two years. Recently my DME supplier switched to the Dreamweaver silicone pillows since Respironics plans to replace the gel pillow with the silicone pillow. I used the new silicone pillow for several nights and I'm very disappointed in this new product. It doesn't fit my into the base of my nostrils, it leaks, and it collapses thereby reducing the airflow. The silicone pillow is flimsy, cheap, and collapses when new. What a terrible product from Phillips in my opinion. I'm going to purchase more gel pillows while I look for a new pillow mask.

RIP Dreamwear Gel Pillows!

[TuningSnork]

I tried the Dreamwear with gel pillows and wasn’t thrilled with it. Until they figure out how to diffuse the exhaust port, it will remain a distant third behind my P10 and Brevida.

tl;dr: Does the new silicone nasal pillow diffuse air better than the gel nasal pillow, or maybe I got a fake/defective gel pillow since it creates a veritable windstorm in my bed?

I realize the quote at top is from 4 years ago (!) but I'm hoping folks following this thread can offer me some updated wisdom
Specifically, I've been using the P30i nasal pillows for a while but have been increasingly frustrated at the discomfort of the headgear (I sleep on my side).
My sleep doc encouraged me to try the Dreamwear nasal pillows, and I grabbed what I guess is an OEM set (headgear, etc.) off of Amazon out of an interest of expediency vs. waiting for my next DME insurance-paid drop.

Pro: The headgear DOES seem more comfortable than the P30i headgear and I'm delighted it doesn't slip 'n' slide on my head!
But... huge con: WTF is with the exhale port on the pillows?!?!? Like... it's constantly blowing at 4200 mph, despite me having a not-huge pressure setting (11).

This seriously disrupted my sleep last night because it felt like someone was blowing through a straw with all their might against my arm

Thanks in advance for letting me know if even the new Dreamwear nasal pillows just inherently blow a ton of air all the time so I know whether or not it's worth my money to order a genuine replacement to try out!

[Pugsy]

Thanks in advance for letting me know if even the new Dreamwear nasal pillows just inherently blow a ton of air all the time so I know whether or not it's worth my money to order a genuine replacement to try out!

You probably didn't get some weird aftermarket DreamWear nasal pillow....because there is no diffused venting with the DreamWear mask.
You probably got the real deal.
As far as I know none of the Respironics masks offer diffused venting.

[TuningSnork]

Thanks for the quick reply!
And wow! I'm just... kinda gobsmacked here. And I have... now more questions!

1. Doesn't this drive anyone else nuts with regards to a large, focused jet of air?
2. Why are there two exhaust holes vs. just one at the top of the head?
3. It feels like I'm getting a lot less air in my nose (despite a good seal) vs. my P30i; is that likely the case, or just my imagination because the exhaust air isn't defused?

Now I just wish I could have a combo of the Respironics headgear with the Resmed nasal pillows!

[Pugsy]

Doesn't this drive anyone else nuts with regards to a large, focused jet of air?

It might but then again the vented air shouldn't be hitting someone unless it's bouncing off something.
I actually tried this mask when it was first released years ago and I didn't have a problem with the venting.

Why are there two exhaust holes vs. just one at the top of the head?

Because that is the way it was designed and think how forceful the vented air would be with just one vent hole.
Mask manufacturers don't ever tell us why they do anything.

It feels like I'm getting a lot less air in my nose (despite a good seal) vs. my P30i; is that likely the case, or just my imagination because the exhaust air isn't defused?

Just your imagination but I do understand that imagination can be very real.

Finally everyone is different in how they view masks....one man's treasure is another man's trash...I tried the P30i and hated it so bad I didn't even try to sleep with it.

If you are wanting the hose to attach at the top....your choices are limited.

[TuningSnork]

Thanks for the additional info!
And re the jet of air... I sleep on my side and the air shoots right at my forearm. But maybe I'll get used to it
Thanks again!

[Pugsy]

Thanks for the additional info!
And re the jet of air... I sleep on my side and the air shoots right at my forearm. But maybe I'll get used to it
Thanks again!

It's long been a complaint about the vented air...either hits us somewhere and is annoying or hits spouse and is annoying to them.
We learned to move so the air didn't bounce off us or better yet...once the diffused venting came to be we changed masks.

See if you can figure out someway to get the arm out of the way of the air stream.