Which is the quietest mask?

tillymarigold wrote: But if the air in her room is 4-5°C, and she's not heating the air in her CPAP, then both the hose and the air in it should be at the same temperature. It shouldn't matter *what* temperature that is; rainout happens when the air is warmer than the hose.

I am making some assumptions about the actual conditions, but it would seem that her exhaled air is raining out in her mask. Exhaled air would certainly be warmer than 4C and it also contains moisture.

As a group, nasal pillows seem to be among the most quiet masks. I find both Swifts, the LT and the II to be very quiet.

KatieW wrote:I don't knit, but wouldn't a knitted one be be cozy?

Funny you would mention that, Katie, as I knitted myself a hose cover! We sure do seem to think alike.

Mr. Sock Monkey and I absolutely love it! It's very snuggly -- so much better than hugging plastic!!!



~ DreamOn

DreamOn wrote:

KatieW wrote:I don't knit, but wouldn't a knitted one be be cozy?

Funny you would mention that, Katie, as I knitted myself a hose cover! We sure do seem to think alike.

Mr. Sock Monkey and I absolutely love it! It's very snuggly -- so much better than hugging plastic!!!



~ DreamOn

I think you belong in this thread: viewtopic.php?f=1&t=40884&st=0&sk=t&sd=d

rooster wrote:I think you belong in this thread: viewtopic.php?f=1&t=40884&st=0&sk=t&sd=d

The world is going bananas!

DreamOn, I love your knitted hose cover! Me, I'm a sewer, so I'll just stick with what I know.

rooster wrote:

Sleepybaby wrote:I do not use the humidifier at all.The room temperature is nearly 4-5 degree Celsius.

Holy icicles! Are you sleeping with the windows open?

Yes,with windows open,without air-conditioner.

Autopapdude wrote:As a group, nasal pillows seem to be among the most quiet masks. I find both Swifts, the LT and the II to be very quiet.

I found here in the forum that many people said that the pillow masks are much noiser than the nasal masks.

Last night,I heard and sensed very carefully the noises,which came actually when I inhaled.And quite when I exhaled.When facing the noise issue,it comes when you inhale or exhale the air?

This weekend,I tried both Resmed Mirage Micro and Mirage Activa LT.The sizes are both Large and Wide.However,they were not quiet at all.Even they were noiser than my present Profile Lite.And the noises came continously and constantly,not like my Profile Lite when exhalation was noisy.Now,seemed to fall into CPAP hands again,and very confused and worried about the CPAP therapy effectiveness.Where and what is the quietest mask?

Sleepybaby wrote:This weekend,I tried both Resmed Mirage Micro and Mirage Activa LT.The sizes are both Large and Wide.However,they were not quiet at all.Even they were noiser than my present Profile Lite.And the noises came continously and constantly,not like my Profile Lite when exhalation was noisy.Now,seemed to fall into CPAP hands again,and very confused and worried about the CPAP therapy effectiveness.Where and what is the quietest mask?

Hello, Sleepybaby. For me, I decided that mask noise is a part of CPAP therapy that I just had to accept. It isn't something that would cause me to stop CPAP therapy because I know I am improving my health by continuing.

I can't really recommend any mask in particular because I think they all make some noise. I use both the Mirage Activa LT nasal mask and the AEIOMed Headrest pillows mask. Neither one is "quiet". The mask noise doesn't seem to bother me now as much as it did when I first started CPAP therapy, so I think I have become more accustomed to it.

I have a CD player near the head of my bed that I sometimes use as I'm falling to sleep. I enjoy the sounds of nature, such as rain and ocean waves, so I play CDs of those sounds. I notice the mask noise less and the nature sounds distract me from thinking about my breathing too much.

What is your prescribed CPAP pressure? Do you have the "ramp" feature set, where the machine starts at a lower pressure and gradually reaches the prescribed pressure? I ask because perhaps you are starting your ramp pressure too low. It is sometimes more difficult to breathe then, and may make more mask noise.

Also, is your mask leaking pressurized therapy air out from the sides at all? Or are you just referring to the noise it makes when you inhale and exhale?

I hope that you will be able to become more comfortable so that you will enjoy the full benefits of effective CPAP therapy. Please let us know of your progress.

Best wishes,

DreamOn

Sleepbaby, my vote for a quiet mask would go for the Respironics ComfortGel.

As to rainout; make sure your cpap machine is lower than your sleeping level AND you are either going to need to cover the entire length of your hose in an insulating manner (either purchase something ready-made, or use a home-made solution = lots of suggestions here on the forum.)

Best to you.
Patty

Noted that both Swift Lt & ComfortLite are the quietest perhaps because of the narrower and/or different material tube that is attached to them.

Seems like the masks that attach directly to the main hose are louder because of air echoing in them. Those thick hose covers do nothing to absorb the noise and just seem pull off the mask due to the increased weight.

Sleepybaby wrote:Last night,I heard and sensed very carefully the noises,which came actually when I inhaled.And quite when I exhaled.When facing the noise issue,it comes when you inhale or exhale the air?

I don't know why you are having such a problem with noise and I don't know the cause of the noise and I don't know what you should do about it. However, I will suggest two things.

First, what you describe above sounds like what I experienced with the Respironics A-Flex machine. It is the machine noise, not the mask, that sounds so loud when one inhales. IMO, the A-Flex machine is quite loud. When you inhale, the machine has to speed up the blower to maintain the set pressure. During the acceleration of the blower fan, the motor makes more noise. The noise travels through the hose and can sound like it is coming from the mask. One thing that will help lower the noise perceived is to place the machine below the level of the top of the mattress. I set mine on a low chair which I place beside the bed every night. This has been a good help in lowering the perceived machine noise. I hope Respironics has improved the noise level on their newest machine.

Second, I think when you are first starting out with CPAP, you are more sensitive to any noise from the machine (or mask exhaust vent). This is normal. As your health improves and you get confidence that the system is treating you properly, you may well find that the noise hardly bothers you. In fact, some of us get reassurance from the gentle noise that our health is being protected.

Sleepybaby wrote:... and the noises came continously and constantly...very confused and worried about the CPAP therapy...

Sleepbaby, how do you manage your hose?

Is it laying beside you on the bed and on your pillow by chance?

If this is the case, it may be that the noise you are hearing is the exhaust from the mask's venting area being magnified into your ear as it blasts accross the pillow surface.

I went through this early on in my therapy too; "What in the blankety-blankety-blankety is all this blankety-blankety-blankety noise from this mask??" I said to myself. "THIS can't be right - I can't stand this."

And in trying everything to see what was going on, I eventually discovered that the maddening "continuous and constant" noise was coming from my mask's normal venting blasting in my ear 'cauze it was laying on the pillow....or it was up on or near my outreached arm... or it was semi-confined by the the sheet/blanket.

That is when I searched our wonderful forum to find other ways to manage my hose and thus my venting system. My selection from all the wonderful ideas was to hang it overhead... among other advantages that keeps my venting system away from any surfaces and negates the noise - and believe it or not, I apologized to mask LOL, for blaming it when it was my user error so to speak, and realized it wasn't it's fault at all.

Something to think about? and maybe experiement with? Where a couple of masks are exhibiting the same noise, maybe it isn't really that they are noisy, but that the way they are being used is causing the noise?

Even if my offering isn't the solution, you will solve this Sleepbaby....hang in there. Nothing like a good mystery to get wrapped into eh!??

Best to you, Patzee