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As my thread title says, I am having difficulty with leaks and my mask. I have switched to a F20 Full Facemask hoping this would be better and while its much more comfortable, I cannot manage the leaks. Last night, my mouth continued to open which caused the seal to break and the mask woke me up several times. This lead to my machine detecting dozens of events scored as either central airway events or obstructive events. All of these were clustered together around times when I know I was either having wake/sleep junk or a large leak I managed but was able to reset the machine.
At one point my leak rate got up to 120 with just 7cm of pressure. The night before, I slept great, but last night was horrid. I have attached a screenshot of my sleep for reference, but again, this doesn't tell the full story. I went to bed around 12:00am (I wear my mask for a couple of hours before bed to get used to the pressure and try to fit the leaks) and woke up around 6:45, so the events there are just junk from sleep/wake.
I'm not sure how to manage leaks and its frustrating me. I'm not sure if this is just that I move a whole freaking lot while I'm sleeping and I need to try yet another mask or what the deal is. I've also attached my sleep from the night before for reference. I had MORE large leak events that night but significantly less detected events.
I am at a complete loss here. Also, does your mouth being open count as a leak?
Interesting. Yea, the leaks directly impact my events. I have a very sore throat today which is uncommon for me even before treating with CPAP. I had such a great night of sleep Tuesday, but last night was awful. I know its not going to be consistent, but I'd like it to be consistently under 5. Last night was my highest AHI yet!
Yes if your mouth is open its a leak. What happens with some people a full face masks is your lower jaw (chin) falls back, much like you tongue does. This causes the FFM seal to be broken and viola...massive leak..
Some of us lose a lot more muscle tone when we slip into deep sleep than do others. I'm one of the guys that found he needs lip/mouth control about 20 seconds into my first ever session. I began taping my mouth closed on the second night and have done so every night since. I sleep well...thanks very much.
You'll want to experiment with some other types of mask, but that can get spendy. And it will lead to anxiety if the list of failures continues to grow. So, you might want a multi-factorial approach. You'll want to try the chin strap, yes, but maybe a foam cervical collar will help to keep your jaw closed up against the upper mandible. As I said, I tape, and am grateful for the relief it provides me. No anxiety whatsoever, not even a schmick.
But, if the leaks show in your data, and if they arouse you (ever!), and if they seem to deprecate your therapy (you ARE in this for your health after all!), you'll have to make a determined and patient effort to find a fix. You will succeed eventually, and then it will all be a closed chapter in your history.