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+--- Thread: full face masks (/Thread-full-face-masks--38397)
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full face masks - cberistain - 11-26-2022
looking for advice on Full Face Masks.. which ones have the lowest leak rates for side sleepers?
I've been using the ResMed F30 with mixed results .. once in a while i get almost zero leak rates and most of the time the leak rate is between 5 & 10 l/m and it disturbs my sleep. I'm pretty sure the leaks occur when I move around at night.
thanks
RE: full face masks - Big Guy - 11-26-2022
I was using AirFit F20 and F30 with pretty good results. I'm a side sleeper as well and move around quite a bit in my sleep.
RE: full face masks - Old Steve - 11-26-2022
I use the AirFit F20...it's the only full face mask I have had in 20 years that doesn't leak much.
RE: full face masks - cberistain - 11-26-2022
i have to be doing something wrong. F20 is what i’m using and i get leaks. mask not tight , although i’ve tried it snug, tight, and loose
RE: full face masks - pholynyk - 11-26-2022
@Cberistain, if the F20 leaks for you, bur not for Old Steve, you must change your facial structure to be more like Steve's...
Actually, it's probably easier to change your mask choice... or loosen up the straps. Most masks these days have a rolling silicone seal which acts like a bellows. If the straps are too tight, the roll can't adjust to fit your face.
In my experience, the full face mask is the hardest to fit, because it has the largest sealing area. You just have to experiment until you find a mask that fits your face. It's the hardest part of adapting to the CPAP machine.
RE: full face masks - yankees123 - 11-26-2022
I use the Evora full face mask when I need a break from mouth taping which I need to do with my nasal mask. I find it does not leak if you keep the straps on the loose side. It’s a very good mask for me.
RE: full face masks - Sleepster - 11-26-2022
(11-26-2022, 02:36 PM)cberistain Wrote: i have to be doing something wrong. F20 is what i’m using and i get leaks.
Your face has a different shape!
By the way, I wear the Simplus and have the same issue as you.
RE: full face masks - Old Steve - 11-26-2022
Cberistain,
If you take a look at my Avatar you'll see the type of face structure you'll be needing to stop your mask leaks. Not real pretty, but I have darn few leaks... Over the years (22) that I have been using a CPAP I think that I have had 10 FF masks. The F20 is the only one that didn't leak like a sieve. For several years I just gave up on FF masks and used a ResMed Activa nasal mask. I rarely had a leak, although my mouth was open leaking air most of the time. About three months ago I had to change my nasal mask as ResMed quit making my model. So I decided to try a FF mask again, this time, over a period of a month I tried four different FF masks. I was quite surprised when the F20 actually worked for me. Good luck with your search for a good mask, I know what you are going through, but I am sure you will find one that works for you.
RE: full face masks - cberistain - 11-26-2022
pholynyk
I use loose straps in order for the silicone to do it's job.
I'm ready to try other full face masks ... was hoping to get some advice as to which one is most likely to succeed.
thanks :-)
RE: full face masks - StevesSp - 11-26-2022
I find the cushion material to be more critical than any other aspect of mask design. For this reason, I continue to use an obsolete Resmed FF mask, for which I 'stocked up' on cushions, headgear and flappy valves as soon as I heard it was going out of production.
I tried other Resmed FF masks with zero success. I put this down to the cushion material being stiffer than the very soft silicon used on the Quattro FX. I find that, with careful washing (just warm water and dishwashing liquid) I can get a year or more out of a cushion.
All that said, I find that there is still a little technique required for leak-free use. Strap tension is of course important, most particularly getting the right 'spread' of tension which, in my case seems to be having the lower straps aa little tighter than the upper. It's a trial and error thing. But most of all I have to ensure that my head position on the pillow is optimised. This means having a mask-friendly pillow which wraps around my head in a 'Goldilocks' fashion, i.e. not too much, nor too little. I then have to adjust the angle of my head to attain a leak-free experience. I am in fact more likely to suffer leaks when lying on my back, when my face relaxes.
I find I struggle more with leaks in the first minute or so after starting the machine. A bit of jiggling and swearing usually sorts it out and I'm set. Any movement during the night can create leaks but, after many years of use, I seem able to re-establish a good seal without waking. I don't know how I do that!
On the subject of leaks, I infrequently experience a group of events subsequent to a sudden large leak, presumably after changing sides. The leak causes the machine to react, which then sets in train a series of mixed events. Sometimes I wake up, most times I don't.