[Equipment] Headgear for very large heads

[NogginOff]

Hello, I just started using my first BiPAP machine, an AirSense11 AutoSet, which came with an AirFit P10.

While my first night using it resulted in remarkably good sleep, it's been quite bad since then due to the fact that the headgear is crushing my nose because my head is terrible 99th percentile enormous. The pressure the cushions are putting on my skin is obvious in the mirror, even at the loosest strap setting, and it creates so much skin irritation around my nose that wearing it two nights in a row is out of the question. My machine is also reporting absurd metrics in the morning, claiming a different AHI every night, going as high as nearly double my sleep study results.

This isn't really surprising, as I've had similar problems with glasses, helmets and respirators, but I didn't put much forethought into it, and it looks like anything I purchase now will be out of pocket. Alternatively, I guess I could mod the P10 headgear by snipping and sewing more fabric into the straps. (For all I know, the cushions could be a problem too, but the straps are the most obvious issue.)


I know I can't possibly be the only person to have this kind of problem, but haven't been able to find anything via search. Does anyone have any advice on what kinds of options are available for folks with huge heads?

Thank you!

[Phaleronic]

I too have a huge head (and am very tall)-I have to use large headgear and on my airfit f20 setup a new piece of headgear is uncomfortable for the first few nights until it stretches out...I also use strap covers to make it more comfortable (helps with how tight it is initially too). Your P10 setup has a large frame option, are you using that?

[Jay51]

On Amazon, there is an item called, "Double sided hook and loop straps".  It is 1/2 velcro and 1/2 material that sticks to velcro.  You can cut these to size also to extend your straps on your headgear to make them larger.  Might be worth a try.

[NogginOff]

I too have a huge head (and am very tall)-I have to use large headgear and on my airfit f20 setup a new piece of headgear is uncomfortable for the first few nights until it stretches out...I also use strap covers to make it more comfortable (helps with how tight it is initially too).  Your P10 setup has a large frame option, are you using that?

I'm looking at the P10's documentation and not seeing anything about a large frame option. The only sizing is for nasal pillows (which is obviously different). But this did make me realize that since it's the elastic pulling the frame into my face, I can intentionally weaken it by stretching it around a chair or something for a little bit, which will likely solve the problem. This would likely make strap covers necessary, but that's life. Thank you!

(I'm only slightly taller than average so my head isn't even in proportion, and I put a lot of effort into disguising that fact. No hats for me! ?)

On Amazon, there is an item called, "Double sided hook and loop straps".  It is 1/2 velcro and 1/2 material that sticks to velcro.  You can cut these to size also to extend your straps on your headgear to make them larger.  Might be worth a try.

I'll definitely give this a try if I can't make the fabric better behaved. Thanks!

[Sleeprider]

The P10 headgear is initially relatively tight, but stretches out, and can become useless if it stretches too far. Current headgear has a buckle that lets you take up slack as the headgear stretches. It will stretch quite a bit, and you can make it stretch faster by wrapping the headgear around an object to stretch it sooner. Be sure you have the blue/gray standard headgear and not the pink/gray for-her. Aftermarket headgear on Ebay and Amazon is often of lower quality and stretches faster.

[Cpapian]

Go back to your supplier and tell them they gave you the wrong mask. They should have given you one that fits your head. It's dumb on their part to not ensure you are right for the mask. Try rattling their cage a little and see what shakes out.