side sleeper with Dreamwear Nasal

Hello all, I'm new here though was diagnosed with apnea in 2016. I have not used my CPAP more than I have used it in these 3 years, mostly due to the irritation I've had with the nasal pillows I used to use. I don't think my apnea is that bad (tested at 13.6 events per hour but it may have gotten worse from then since I've gained weight) but I hate the feeling of starting awake, heart racing and sure I'm dying (for all I know, I am). So I went back to the sleep tech and he recommended the Dreamwear Nasal (not the pillows - the other one). I've been using it now for 4 days and I really like it - the hose isn't constantly in my way, I'm not irritated by having something stuck in my nostrils at night and I don't wake up feeling like my whole face is swollen from weird sinus things. However, the seal isn't very good for me. It seems good when I'm sleeping on my back but I'm mainly a side sleeper and apparently I mash my face into the pillow a bit so it seems that the pressure on one side of my face is pushing the nasal "sling thingy" to gape on the opposite side of my nose/face, breaking the seal (I think). Anyone experience this (I suppose this is unique to this design, which I kind of don't want to give up on)? Is this actually a mask fit issue (as in should this thing be snugger on my face so that it doesn't gape, face mashing and all)? Anyone find they have a GREAT pillow for side sleeping that helps with their equipment? I also suffer from acid reflux and hear that left side sleeping is the best for THAT, so sleeping on my back is not my fave choice here. Thanks for any thoughts. -sleepykins (trying not to be)

First, welcome to the forum!

Masks tend to be very personal. What one person likes, another person hates. I've tried two full face masks and cannot get them to seal, or get comfortable. I have tried three nasal pillow types. My first one was the popular ResMed AirFit P10. There was a little irritation with it at first but I found if I put some 1% hydrocortisone cream on my nose first thing in the morning, the irritation went away after a week or so. But I found the headgear flimsy and It would not stay on overnight. My next try was the F&P Brevida. It had better headgear and stayed on, but it irritated my nose, and I was not as quick to get used to it. It also was more bulky and I found it was easier to deflect off my face when side sleeping -- like you are experiencing. So I pawned it off on my wife and she really likes it. My third try was the ResMed Swift FX. I chose it because it had a similar nose fitting to the P10, but much better headgear. It fit great, and stayed on my face really well, but the air vent system was a disaster for me. It seemed there was no position I could find where this jet engine like stream of air was not blowing on me or the covers and then me... The next attempt has been to marry the P10 nose piece to the Swift FX headgear. Here is a link to a thread on how I did it. This setup has been great. Stays on overnight without wearing a chin strap over it. I do use tape on my mouth to prevent mouth breathing though.

So back to your DreamWear. That system looks good, but I have not tried it. My guess would have been that the air tubes going up each side of the face could be a problem, as you may have discovered. I do however have a friend that uses it, and he really likes it. I would have a couple of suggestions. For a pillow I use a Costco down alternative that is kind of soft and does not push back when you compress it. When I sleep on my side I try to get the mask out over the edge of the pillow. I also use a satin pillow protector to make the pillow quite slippery, so it does not drag the mask out of position on my face. That might help some.

The other suggestion is to download SleepyHead so you can get a better idea what your leaks are really like. The machine reports kind of keep you in the dark. Here are some examples of good and bad leak reports from SleepyHead. I find it helps you understand what works and what does not. I try to keep the leak rate under the leak red line, and don't get too worried unless the % of time over the redline exceeds 3-5%.

Good

Bad

Hope that helps some,

I agree that trying a different pillow might help. There are also pillows made specifically for this issue but I have never tried one. They have a cut out on each side of the pillow that supposedly allows your mask and hose room and keeps them from being smashed into the pillow. I truly don't think there is anything that will always and forever help with mask leaks but maybe others have ideas that could help.

There are at least 5 or 6 sleep apnea pillows on the market. I know at least one claims it is great for side sleepers. If you search "Pillows for Sleep Apnea" you will find many of them and some have even compiled a best of list. It is all about finding the correct treatment options and comfort products for you. There is not a one size fits all. Keep seeking.

Thanks all for your replies here. I'm pretty happy with the mask and have never (even before using CPAP) been really happy with my pillows so I'm going to try some of the suggestions here. I also like the SleepyHead suggestion. I think it'd help me to have a bit more insight into what's going on other than "leaking frequently" "not leaking frequently"