mask liners and leaks

I made some mask liners out of an old t-shirt, and overall, it's been much more comfortable. I can loosen the mask quite a bit more, and it doesn't feel like it's leaking. However, just because I can't feel the leaks anymore, does that need they are gone, or am I just not feeling them because of the cloth?

Two things are happening. First, it does reduce some leaking. The mask will grip the fabric better than it does the face. However, it does not reduce all leaks. Instead, it will make them quieter. No face farts. No squeaking. No squawking. But you need to be certain the leaks to not get to the point that your unit is unable to deliver effective therapy. Some leaks are okay. Too much of a leak - even with mask liners - is not okay.

Hope that helps.

That's very helpful, thanks. Is there a way to tell if my mask is leaking excessively with the type of machine I have?

Hea83ther wrote:Is there a way to tell if my mask is leaking excessively with the type of machine I have?

No the machine you have doesn't collect any data leak or otherwise. In fact it does not even have the ability to compensate for leaks like other machines do. Please see the description of this machine here at their website.
http://www.fphcare.com/osa/cpap-solutio ... e-600.html

Yeah, I looked at the website and didn't see anything about leak control, but I wanted to double check to make sure I wasn't missing something. I think I would be feeling it if it was leaking too much, even with the liner, but maybe not.

-Thanks-

Unfortunately there is no way to know for sure how much leak you are having or not having with your machine. We think we would notice it or it would wake us up. Sometimes we wake up and sometimes we don't. I one woke up with my nasal pillow blowing air into my ear. When I looked at the report I saw that the nasal pillow seemed to have come out 45 minutes prior to my waking up from the leak.

Best you can do till you are able to get a machine that will record some useful data is to do what you are doing and get the best sleep you can and go by how you feel. Obviously not ideal but sometimes we just have to deal with our limitations. If you are sleeping well.... finally...and don't seem to be having any leaks then you just have to go with that for now.

I'm not sleeping well at all, but I think that is due more to insomnia than the time I'm asleep with the mask, and I've only been on it a week and a half. I was having a terrible time with leaks then made the liner. It seems to have helped quite a bit. Once I get used to sleeping with it, I guess I will just go with how I feel. If I still feel crappy, I will look into it further once I've met my insurance deductible.