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I am a 75 year old man who has been on a CPAP machine for 3 years now. It is VERY successful. I went from 37.5 events per hour to a ten day moving average of well under 2. For years my daily score on mask fit has been "good." Now I am getting notices of 15 L/min with the advice of simply "adjust." I recently got a new chin strap from my provider. I have tried adjusting the head-gear straps, but it does not seem to make a difference. I am using a ResMed AirSense 10 with the N10 nasal mask. Any ideas beyond the pictures in the user manual? Thanks, Bob
Unless you have software like SleepyHead it is pretty hard to determine the cause of the leaks. Assuming your data is being transmitted so your provider has access to it, you may want to ask the provider to look at the detailed data for their opinion. The possible causes are:
Mask not adjusted properly and just generally leaks too much. Or the mask is getting old and losing flexibility.
You are changing position in the night and in particular when side sleeping you are moving the mask causing it to leak.
You are opening your mouth and air is leaking out your mouth. The chin strap should help with that.
This said, I'm not sure that 15 L/min is all that high. It perhaps can be improved, but at the same time is not that big of a problem. My 3 month average leak rate is 23 L/min.
wiredgeorge
+0 points
·
over 6 years
ago
Sleep
Enthusiast
The CPAP machine can compensate for minor leaks; 15L/min is kind of minor. Minor leaks become a problem when the air escapes into your eyes and makes sleeping difficult. I am not familiar with your mask type but the cushion may need to be changed. Most insurance providers allow replacement cushions. Medicare allows 3 cushions every 3 months I think. Not sure if your mask uses cushions but they do soften and not seal as well with age. If you are cleaning the mask part that contacts your face, make sure you are not using a bleach containing cleaner. I use mild hand soap. If your therapy is effective and your AHI is low, don't worry so much about mask leaks.
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