Sleep Quality and Mask usage

I sleep with a full face mask and find the quality of sleep diminishes after about three weeks of use(per mask). I try not to clean the pillow with hot water as this makes it softer. I try to use them as long as possible as insurance only pays for so many per 3 months. I buy a few extras on amazon to have. As the silicone on the masks gets softer I feel I don't get the same quality per breath, even though mask leak is good.

Is it just me? Any thoughts on the matter?

I noticed the same thing with my nasal pillows. I soak them every morning in cold water so they do not get soft.

vincec2019 wrote: ↑

Sun May 19, 2019 8:59 am

I sleep with a full face mask and find the quality of sleep diminishes after about three weeks of use(per mask). I try not to clean the pillow with hot water as this makes it softer. I try to use them as long as possible as insurance only pays for so many per 3 months. I buy a few extras on amazon to have. As the silicone on the masks gets softer I feel I don't get the same quality per breath, even though mask leak is good.

Is it just me? Any thoughts on the matter?

You are talking about "pillows" but you show the F20 Full Face mask in your profile. That uses a cushion..not pillows. If you are using the silicone cushion, it should last many months. I use a different mask with silicone cushions and mine last a year. I rarely wash it and just clean it nightly with a baby wipe.

I haven't had that problem. I use a nasal cushion and wipe it down with a cotton pad soaked in alcohol. Once a week or so I soak in hot water and dr bronners peppermint soap to get it super clean. I have a few times boiled it with hot water and baking soda as was suggested on here, that restores the tackiness of the silicone. The only time I switched cushions was when I went from a medium to a small about 2 months ago.

Thanks for the feedback. Yes, it’s covers the nose and mouth, so that would be a pillow. I still get mixed up on the terminology. I do feel that the silicone gets soft after a few weeks. I’ll try the wipes, and boiling them as suggested.

This is a pillow
This is a cushion

babydinosnoreless wrote: ↑

Sun May 19, 2019 11:09 am

This is a pillow 778F1208-5F3A-4BAF-A538-E3EFF249026C.jpeg


This is a cushionCD01C87D-E487-4C3B-AC86-AAF0DE72C12E.jpeg

this is your brain on drugs.





any questions?

vincec2019 wrote: ↑

Sun May 19, 2019 10:35 am

Thanks for the feedback. Yes, it’s covers the nose and mouth, so that would be a pillow.

No, that's a "cushion".

vincec2019 wrote: ↑

Sun May 19, 2019 10:35 am

I still get mixed up on the terminology.

Try to avoid that. mixing up terminology makes it harder for people to help you, and much harder if you try to search for answers.

vincec2019 wrote: ↑

Sun May 19, 2019 10:35 am

I do feel that the silicone gets soft after a few weeks.

I used my first mask cushion for FOUR YEARS. Had a spare, never needed to use it.

vincec2019 wrote: ↑

Sun May 19, 2019 8:59 am

I sleep with a full face mask and find the quality of sleep diminishes after about three weeks of use(per mask). I try not to clean the pillow with hot water as this makes it softer.

Silicone is good up to about 500 degrees F.

Think about the silicone kitchen tools, spatulas, turners, etc.

vincec2019 wrote: ↑

Sun May 19, 2019 8:59 am

. As the silicone on the masks gets softer I feel I don't get the same quality per breath, even though mask leak is good.

Is it just me? Any thoughts on the matter?

You won't like my thoughts on the matter... Since I'm going to say it's all your imagination. If the leaks are good, *that's all that is actually having any effects on the cushion effectiveness.

I don't even know where to start imagining what you mean by "I feel I don't get the same quality per breath" quality of WHAT per breath?

Thanks for the replies, and the patience as I get more familiar with the jargon. I do think it is my imagination. Ocd attaches itself to anything of importance in a persons life, so I do tend to worry and overthink it.

My concern with the breath was that as the cushion gets more worn the mask will be closer to my face and somehow will effect my breathing, but after reading the replys I can see that’s not the case. And now I can save a bunch of money by using the masks longer!