Toss & turn side sleeper, which mask?

I am a toss and turn side sleeper, and sleep for short periods on my back. I have been on cpap for less than a week. Which mask will my pillow not interfere with? I am using the original swift and it feels comfortable on me until I turn to the side that the tube is on and then I can't lay flat on the side of my head or it pushes the pillows out of my nose. I sleep in an awkward position and then I wake up with a stiff neck and sometimes a headache. I have been looking at the Nasal Aire and a couple others but at present I am most interested in finding out more about the NA. I tried a
(???)Comfortselect nasal mask on the night of my titration and compared to the pillows, I really didn't like it.

tnurse,

I had the same experience with the Swift. If you want to stick with nasal pillows, you might want to switch to one of the interfaces that has the tubing going up the front of your head rather than the side. Such as:

Twilight NP/Aura/Headrest (it keeps changing names)
Comfortlite 2
Bravo
Adams Circuit
OptiLife (tubing goes straight down the face rather than up)

I currently use the ComfortLite 2. These various interfaces work differently for different people, and some on this forum have found various ways to deconstruct or modify the masks/headgear to make them more workable or comfortble. Many people also add a stretchy strap (such as the leg from a pair of panty hose tights) tied around their interface to gain stability.

Another thing to consider is getting a bed pillow that is comfortable, yet allows you to hang the front part of your face off the edge of the pillow when on your side so the mask is not dislodged. One popular one is called a papillow. Some people use a memory foam pillow or the Target Shapable pillow. I have even seen posts from people who have and love pillows filled with buckwheat hulls.

Here is a post from about a month ago that discusses masks for side sleeping and the buckwheat pillows.

viewtopic.php?t=21249&highlight=buckwheat

If you check out that previous post, look for the posts from Rested Gal for a bunch more helpful links.

Good luck.

Janna

Thanks for your ideas, I will check out the link to that other post you recommended. I appreciate any advice, I really want to make cpap work for me, I feel so much better in just the few short days I've been using it.

I'm a moving sleeper. I sleep on each side and on my back. Since starting CPAP therapy, I don't hog the bed and snore in my husband's ear anymore. I swear by the Optilife. Occasionally when I am on my side, the pillows move, but it's maybe once in the night. I also use a down pillow so I can move it out of the way of the mask when I turn on my sides.

There is a fix for the Swift that helped for me with side sleeping:

viewtopic.php?t=4290


This link is on this page that gives other tips for fixing the Swift and other masks.

viewtopic.php?t=15104

Whatever mask you use, it may help to tweak it some to keep it stable especially for side sleeping.

In addition, some people use the papillow, found here:

https://www.cpap.com/productpage/papill ... illow.html (comes in smaller single edge version, too). I don't use it but it's on my wish list. Right now I use a "slippery fiberfill" pillow that simulates down. I'm allergic to down. This helped quite a bit.

I'm a dedicated side sleeper, since it helped me get my AHI down to sleep exclusively on my side. (After finding my optimal pressure and controlling leaks).

Good luck!

Tnurse.......

My 2nd mask was a Comfortlite II.....and it did pretty well.

Following rested Gal's lead, I decided to try out an Aura. For me, it does a better job than the CL II. I have not, however, "decapitated" the Aura as Rested Gal has done to her's. I added a pad (for comfort) between the headpiece and my scalp (I'm nearly bald....no "hair padding")......and a chin strap....a try at prevention of mouth leaks (only partially successful).

Believe it or not, I had 0.0 AHI scores for the past three nights. My normal score is now around 0.4.......and my average for the past 10-months is 0.9. I started treatment last September. After a lot of experimentation, I set my machine to provide pressures between 9.5 cm and 13 cm. I like to use my ramp feature....and it begins at 8 cm. My C-Flex setting is on "2".....and my humidifier is set on "2".

I have to sleep on my side because I have mouth leaks when I'm on my back. I'm working on a mouth guard that will push my tongue back....and hopefully this device will allow me to sleep in any position without mouth leaks.

I suspect that sinus drainage plays a big factor in what my AHI is from one night to the next. I use both types of filter on my "M" series....the coarse foam filter....and the fine white filter.....in order to help keep out any allergins...... and help keep my sinus drainage at a minimum.

For a pillow, I use a Goosedown model from "The Company Store". I purchase them with the optional "extra fill". That way, they start out a little "plump"....but settle into perfection after a year or so.

My hose is suspended above my head at the end of a swinging arm.....a pot-plant arm drafted into duty to keep my hose out of the way. The hose has a cover to help prevent "rain-out". I find, however, that most of the moisture that condenses in my mask comes from....I think....my exhaled breath.

The nose-piece on the Aura is "tweaked" to the best of my ability.....bent so that it fits my facial structure. I use lanolin (for breast-feeding moms) on my nares every night. This trick helps prevent any soreness.....and helps with the seal.

Finally, I use one more trick to help prevent tossing and turning. If I lay in one position for a long period....and if I'm on a soft mattress that doesn't dissipate my body heat build-up very well.....I have to periodically roll over to another position that will allow excess body heat to radiate. I believe my excess body heat may be made worse by shallow breathing.....which doesn't allow much body heat to be transferred by exhaled breath.

To try and keep the heat build-up between me and the mattress at a minimum, I sleep on top of a modified "Kool-Shirt"......a device NASCAR drivers use to keep themselves cool while inside a hot race car. NASA originally developed the technology to keep the astronauts cool while suited up for work outside their space craft. The Kool-Shirt is cooled by water pumped through small, flexible tubes sewn into a piece of fabric.

My reason for explaining my "mattress cooler" is to bring attention to a "heat dissipation problem" as possibly being a factor in your "tossing and turning". I realize that you probably won't go to the lengths I have (NASA/NASCAR Kool-Shirt) to get rid of the heat......but, there may be simpler things you can do if you realize that "body heat build-up" is a problem.

I hope you find some of this info useful.....We all want to see you be successful!

Gerald

Sorry about the previous post being attributed to "Guest"....but the software (it must be really cheap) that runs this forum is a major pain in the kazutsa when it comes to "logging in".

Gerald

tnurse wrote:I am a toss and turn side sleeper, and sleep for short periods on my back. I have been on cpap for less than a week. Which mask will my pillow not interfere with?

I turn over from one side to another a couple of times a night, and while I can tolerate them, none of the side sleep solutions for a Swift are really that great, IMO.

My favourite mask is a Fisher & Paykel HC 405.... this is a nasal mask that has a hose which connects to a swivel on the front of the mask, so its easy to keep the hose out of the way of the pillow.

II think the HC405 has been replaced by the HC407 for new product sales, but the basic hose arrangement remains the same.

Cheers,

Bill

Everyone's mask needs are different, but I absolutely love the Headrest mask (formerly Twilight NP and Aura) for sleeping comfortably in any position. I'm a toss n' turn side-sleeper mainly.