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Air from exhale valve in eyes and arms

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DiligentApricotLeopard8586 +0 points · about 8 years ago Original Poster

i.ve read a few posts on mask issues so i.ll try a few. Last night was my first hose head night. The excess air that vents through the mask make my arms cold. I sleep curled up like a shrimp. Okay so tonight i wear long sleeves to bed. During the night the hose swiveled to accommodate my rolling around. That made the exhaust value spray directly into my eyes. I lost seal many times and the pressure made my cheeks puff out like a dog with their head hanging out the car window at 65mph. Temporary solution was to hold the pillow full face mask in place long enough to seal the gap and fall asleep. I tightened the straps a few times but i think it.s when i burrow into the pillow that moves the mask.

Have people switched pillows to neck rolls to prevent mask shifting! I.ll try making a hose guide on the head board so it still swivels but not all the way around.

"Sleep, perchance to dream!" Wm Shakespeare

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DanM +1 point · almost 8 years ago Sleep Enthusiast Support Team

Hi @DiligentApricotLeopard8586. I have never switched pillows, but I did start positioning my pillow a bit differently, with my head at the edge of the pillow. There are special pillows for CPAP users, which can easily be found by doing a quick internet search. I have not tried them, but some patients have told me they have found them helpful. If you continue to have issues with mask fit and leak, I encourage you to contact your equipment provider to consider whether having your mask fit checked may be helpful.

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DiligentApricotLeopard8586 +0 points · almost 8 years ago Original Poster

I tried a standard neckroll/bolster style pillow. It helped from keeping the mask from moving. It.s a big hard for all night so my next experiement is to take some of the stuffing out. It.s cheaper than the $80plus for "CPAP" pillows.

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BrainsNeedSleep +0 points · almost 8 years ago Sleep Commentator

I have one of those jigsaw-puzzle-piece-looking "CPAP pillows" but found it was not comfortable -- though reading the commentor's remarks below about taking some stuffing out of a different pillow makes me think I could try that for a fix on the PAP pillow... I do what Dan does, and position myself toward the edge of the pillow. Also I use a latex pillow that gives better support for my neck, and it has a bit of a curve away at the ends, which helps. I have learned to sleep with an arm or hand tucked under a pillow here or there to help get "just the right" balance of comfort and mask-not-leaking. It takes a little trial and error, which can be hard to put up with when you're already tired, but I hope you persist until you find what works well enough for you most of the time!

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BrainsNeedSleep +0 points · almost 8 years ago Sleep Commentator

And definitely doing something that helps the hose move unimpeded whilst you move around in your sleep will help a lot. I have a headboard with a concave top edge, and the hose slides nicely along it just fine.

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