I love my CPAP. I sleep like a teenager. I went straight for the nasal pillows and haven't looked back. An odd thing I do though, is keep a stick of Chapstick in my drawer and I grease up the nostrils really well before bed to reduce friction.
CPAP is awesome!

I did a lot of 4 nights of it not working the quit for a month or two then try again. Took me almot a year. Just keep trying, in about 7-10 days your will adjust. It may vey well suck. You need to keep on it. I was really close everytime and just quit Don't, just don't quit. Quit is not an option. Now I sleep like a baby.

Also, when figuring out the proper mask, it may help to keep a close shave. Mustache and gotee have always made my mask problems worse. You can grow it back once your body adjusts. in the meantime it will help alot in getting started

This will very well save your life and improve your quality of life.

I had sleep apnea for so many years before finally getting to the VA to do a sleep study. Results came back as severe and they had a CPAP to my house within a week. It took 3 masks before I found the right one.

The first night using it, I only slept 4-5 hours but it felt like I slept 12. My wife said to me for years that I kept choking myself awake at night. Years of irregular sleep on active duty really messed up my sleeping. It was a way of life for us. My snoring got so bad my wife moved out of our bedroom.

I've been using it for maybe 6 months and it's been a life changer. If I sleep for 8 hours, I feel totally refreshed for the following day.

I guess everyone is different. I've noticed no improvement in sleep or quality of life. I mainly went for the sleep study because my family said I was snoring the stucco off the house. I have kind of a hybrid mask. Fits under my nose, and over my mouth. Main fight is finding the right tension while remaining as comfortable as possible. I usually get up once during the night and I've found that I can't get back to sleep if I try and put the thing back on. Several times I have just ripped the mask off my face and have no recollection of doing so. Real fun trying to find those damn magnets the next day.

PASig is right on target there is no one size fits all. Get a mask fitting by your equipment provider. Also, ask the sleep lab what mask they titrated on you. This will get you in the right direction. Good luck.

I very much like my Phillips dreamwear nasal which is nose only but not pillows. The pillows drive me nuts but as stated, everyone is a little different. Its worth sticking with it.

Seems like the ResMed F30 or F30i gets pushed quite a bit now by sleep docs.

This is considered a full face mask for people like me who tend to breathe through their mouth (I have a severely deviated septum) but are a hybrid type where the mask sits BELOW the nose and only over the nostrils and the mouth.

I tried both of these models and just could not make them work for me, always felt like that connection at my nostrils was tough to keep in place. Ended up with the ResMed F20 which works very well and is an over the nose type. Think fighter pilot oxygen mask. It’s very comfortable and works for me both sleeping on my side and back.

OP: if your doc/DME doesn’t seem willing to let you try a mask that you like, you can always order one from CPAP.com to try out. You will just need your sleep doctor’s prescription uploaded to them for a full mask assembly.

This is the one I like and use:

ResMed AirFit F20:



Other brand’s type masks like this have these huge forehead pieces which this one does not have and IMO has to be easier to put on and more comfy.

quote:

Originally posted by PASig:
Seems like the ResMed F30 or F30i gets pushed quite a bit now by sleep docs.

This is considered a full face mask for people like me who tend to breathe through their mouth (I have a severely deviated septum) but are a hybrid type where the mask sits BELOW the nose and only over the nostrils and the mouth.

I tried both of these models and just could not make them work for me, always felt like that connection at my nostrils was tough to keep in place. Ended up with the ResMed F20 which works very well and is an over the nose type. Think fighter pilot oxygen mask. It’s very comfortable and works for me both sleeping on my side and back.


This is the one I like and use:

ResMed AirFit F20:

She looks like she's ready for some fun, like role playing in Top Gun! Goose there's a bogie on my tail...

Seriously look at the Fisher Paykel Masks The seem to seal matter than the resmed's for many people. We always strived for the most minimal mask that works.

quote:

Seriously look at the Fisher Paykel Masks The seem to seal matter than the resmed for many people.

Which is comparable to the ResMed F20? I've been using that for years, but do have occasional seal challenges.

Looks like maybe the Vitera? Simplus looks more trimmed down. Both are "breathable", while the F20 is fully sealed with the OEM connection valve. Any impact on pressure, or noise, from that?

Apologies to OP for sidebar, will take elsewhere if you like.

I too encourage you to make it a commitment. It didn't take me long to get used to it, but sleeping is my superpower. A very dear friend of mine was having a variety of cardiac issues, got diagnosed with pretty severe apnea, and only tried the nasal pillows. Declared them to be bullshit and not working, just blowing air out his mouth. Tried to suggest a full-face which he poo-pood.

About 3 months later he died of a heart attack at 0200. Not sure the CPAP would have saved him, but repeatedly stopping breathing on top of cardiac issues sure didn't help. Dammit.

quote:

Originally posted by Georgeair:

Apologies to OP for sidebar, will take elsewhere if you like.

No apology needed and please keep it here. Any discussion from those with experience welcome and appreciated. Especially equipment suggestions as I doubt the first try is going to work. Just got a copy of the DME order and the "replace chin strap every 6 mos" stands out as, "oh crap!", but, hey, you never know.

Thanks to all contributing!

https://www.fphcare.com/us/pro...care-products/masks/

Call them they will give you their comparable to resmed masks. AND they are generally less expansive than the big-name brand.

Just an observation, but it seems to me that it’s interesting that that two of the largest players in the CPAP market appear to be Australian?

F&P
ResMed

quote:

Originally posted by pace40:

quote:

Originally posted by Georgeair:

Apologies to OP for sidebar, will take elsewhere if you like.

No apology needed and please keep it here. Any discussion from those with experience welcome and appreciated. Especially equipment suggestions as I doubt the first try is going to work. Just got a copy of the DME order and the "replace chin strap every 6 mos" stands out as, "oh crap!", but, hey, you never know.

Thanks to all contributing!

There’s a lot of that bs floating around. I think they are just trying to sell product. I replace my straps when they wear out. They DO wear out though. I usually replace mine every couple of years when they get too stretched out to seal properly. They also want you to replace masks often and uv treat all your hoses every day. Im sure its all good advice, but overkill in my opinion. I clran my mask when it gets too oily. Every week or so with soap and water, the hose i almost never clean. My wife has worn out one or two hose, we just replace as necessary. Unless your insurance covers it, I wouldn’t worry too much about replacing things on their schedule.

quote:

Originally posted by jeffxjet:
Unless your insurance covers it, I wouldn’t worry too much about replacing things on their schedule.

I don't mind reasonably replacing parts as needed. The "oh crap" was for a vision of a chin strap wrapped around my head.

I also use the ResMed AirFit F20 and I also use a chin strap to help keep my mouth closed. When I lay on my back I really have a bad tendency to mouth breath even with the chin strap so I try to sleep on my sides.

Edit to add: started with cpap about 20 years ago and progressed to a bipap. I can not lie down and got sleep without using it.

Very much going to be a personal preference issue.

Personally, I use the ResMed nasal pillows. I found that I have to wear a chin strap to keep my mouth closed, as the pressure tends to open my mouth (and the face masks didn't seal well with my facial hair).

I also like the top of the head hose connection, as it makes side sleeping much easier.

quote:

Originally posted by gjgalligan:
I also use the ResMed AirFit F20 and I also use a chin strap to help keep my mouth closed. When I lay on my back I really have a bad tendency to mouth breath even with the chin strap so I try to sleep on my sides.

Edit to add: started with cpap about 20 years ago and progressed to a bipap. I can not lie down and got sleep without using it.

Why are you fighting to keep your mouth closed with the full-face F20 which is designed for people to breathe through nose and mouth???

Did you mean the N20 which is the nasal only version?

I use a bipap as well. I could not get a good seal with the two nasal pillow style masks I tried. But the F30 is a dream. I added this pads to almost eliminate marks.

https://www.amazon.com/Strap-C...mFtZT1zcF9hdGY&psc=1

After a two week adjustment I have used the device every night for two years every nigh. Can't. even nap in the recliner without it now.

I should mention that I have a goatee as well. It matters.

I use nasal pillows and a chin strap to keep my mouth shut during sleep. If you are having trouble exhaling with a cPap, make sure you try a BiPap before you give up.

Slight thread drift: Has anyone flown with a CPAP as a carry-on? This site says it's doable.

https://www.cpap.com/blog/flying-with-cpap-machine/

My wife has one (ResMed Air Curve 10) and we're thinking about a return trip to Europe in a few months. She will NOT use the device in flight.

Is flying with a CPAP doable? FWIW, we have easy going, friendly TSA at MLI.