Changing sleeping position a lot - how to keep the mask on?

I have a habit of unconsciously moving around in bed a lot and changing sleeping position while I'm sleeping. I found that this has caused my mask to shift and produce leakage. My mask is moderately tight and I don't want to make it much tighter (if possible) because it hurts my face. I tried chin strap but that didn't help much either. I just wonder if anyone has experienced the same problem and has a solution to share. Thanks!

I'm also an "active" sleeper, and have had leak problems. Currently using the Swift FX, which I find more comfortable than the Swift LT, but that's a personal thing. Either one should work fine. I'd suggest trying a different size nasal pillow. Me, I'm in between Medium and Large, so the only time that I have low leaks is with new pillows. But if you're currently using a Medium, for example, try Large and Small and see what happens. It can be surprising, and you should have all 3 sizes in your original packaging.

Also, having these masks too tight can be a problem, they're really designed to be not tight, so that the inflation of the pillow plays a part in holding things together. I find that when I'm adjusting them too tight to avoid leaks, it's time to replace them with new pillows.

If you're having mouth leaks, that's a whole other problem. There you're into trying chin straps, mouth taping, etc. And if that doesn't work for you, then you would go to full-face or hybrid style masks. There's also a chance that you can train yourself (consciously during the day) to position your tongue on the roof of your mouth (a little back from your top front teeth), and hope that carries over into sleep...try it some time with your Swift LT mask, put your tongue on the roof of your mouth, just behind your front teeth, and open your mouth. There shouldn't be any airflow from the mask coming out of your mouth, like magic *smile*. But doing this consciously during the day doesn't translate to doing it while you're sleeping for a good number of people...worth trying, though.

Anyways, getting leaks down reliably can take some working with your mask. There are videos on the internet on fitting the Swift LT (and Swift FX, too). Just go to youtube and search for "Swift LT", and a bunch of stuff comes up...you might find more than just "fitting the Swift LT" ones to be of interest.

is it a LOT of leakage or just a little? if its a little it may not make a difference in your therapy. you could use software if you don't already, to evaluate whether you are getting large leaks and if it is causing apneas or hypopneas.

one idea is to make sure your mask isn't bumping up against your pillow. do you use a cpap pillow? http://www.amazon.com/Contour-CPAP-Mult ... B000VLYHI4 there are lots of different kinds

The Tap Pap doesn't have headgear. It may solve your problem.

RogerSC wrote:I'm also an "active" sleeper, and have had leak problems. Currently using the Swift FX, which I find more comfortable than the Swift LT, but that's a personal thing. Either one should work fine. I'd suggest trying a different size nasal pillow. Me, I'm in between Medium and Large, so the only time that I have low leaks is with new pillows. But if you're currently using a Medium, for example, try Large and Small and see what happens. It can be surprising, and you should have all 3 sizes in your original packaging.

Also, having these masks too tight can be a problem, they're really designed to be not tight, so that the inflation of the pillow plays a part in holding things together. I find that when I'm adjusting them too tight to avoid leaks, it's time to replace them with new pillows.

If you're having mouth leaks, that's a whole other problem. There you're into trying chin straps, mouth taping, etc. And if that doesn't work for you, then you would go to full-face or hybrid style masks. There's also a chance that you can train yourself (consciously during the day) to position your tongue on the roof of your mouth (a little back from your top front teeth), and hope that carries over into sleep...try it some time with your Swift LT mask, put your tongue on the roof of your mouth, just behind your front teeth, and open your mouth. There shouldn't be any airflow from the mask coming out of your mouth, like magic *smile*. But doing this consciously during the day doesn't translate to doing it while you're sleeping for a good number of people...worth trying, though.

Anyways, getting leaks down reliably can take some working with your mask. There are videos on the internet on fitting the Swift LT (and Swift FX, too). Just go to youtube and search for "Swift LT", and a bunch of stuff comes up...you might find more than just "fitting the Swift LT" ones to be of interest.

I think I might just start by trying the other pillow sizes. Too bad the DME that gave me the mask a few years back gave me only one pillow size (small). Any ideas where to buy a package of different size of cushions without having to by the mask?
As for the current cushion, I'd be surprised if the seal has worn off, because I just bought a new one a week ago lol!

oak wrote:is it a LOT of leakage or just a little? if its a little it may not make a difference in your therapy. you could use software if you don't already, to evaluate whether you are getting large leaks and if it is causing apneas or hypopneas.

one idea is to make sure your mask isn't bumping up against your pillow. do you use a cpap pillow? http://www.amazon.com/Contour-CPAP-Mult ... B000VLYHI4 there are lots of different kinds

That's one thing I wonder too. I have Resmed S8 EliteII that gives the readout for leakage in the unit of L/S. My leak swings a lot between 0.02 - 0.20 L/s. Is that a lot? Also, I am not sure if that is complicated by the fact that sometimes I yank the mask off at night. Anyways, I feel the leak needs to be fixed because I can feel the air leak on my face and have a hard time continuing sleeping

CardinalPalmz wrote:


That's one thing I wonder too. I have Resmed S8 EliteII that gives the readout for leakage in the unit of L/S. My leak swings a lot between 0.02 - 0.20 L/s. Is that a lot? Also, I am not sure if that is complicated by the fact that sometimes I yank the mask off at night. Anyways, I feel the leak needs to be fixed because I can feel the air leak on my face and have a hard time continuing sleeping

Your leak numbers are low.

Check EBay for Swift LT replacement nasal pillows in different sizes.

Leak rates for the S8 machines...the on screen data is L/sec...so liters per second and 0.40 is where you don't want to go.
The common 24 L/min that ResMed says is the start of large leak territory...just multiply your L/sec figure by 60 to get liters per minute.
At 0.20 L/sec...that's still half of the 0.40 mark an equals 12 L/min...so very acceptable overall leak number. If I remember right the onscreen leak number is a 95% leak number which means at or below that leak number for 95% of the night.

If you have not tried some sort of hose management system to route the hose overhead you might try it.. having it overhead with some play in it helps lessen the chance that tossing and turning will cause the hose to pull on the mask.

It occurs to me that the Swift LT allows the hose to be affixed to the top of the mask, which kept it out of the way for me. I didn't get a hose management thingie until I got the Swift FX. You may have already tried using the top attachment for the hose, but that tends to keep the hose very stable on the mask as you roll around *smile*. If you're not using this feature of the Swift LT, you might give it a try, that was the main thing that I liked about the Swift LT.