Stomach-sleeping + mask = dizziness?

[WinterLily]

I just had a strange experience while trying out the Eson nasal mask (my normal one is Wisp, but I wanted to see if a more active-sleeper-friendly one would be better).

I have a habit of stomach-sleeping, but it looks like this mask (being larger than the Wisp or the AirFit P10 I've used before) caused me to turn my head way over to the side and sleep in that neck-straining position for a while. When I tried to get up, not only did my neck hurt, but I had vertigo, and couldn't even sit up in my bed without a spinning feeling. Tried to lie back down, but every change of position brought it on again. Finally managed to sit up, and the sensation subsided as I massaged the neck. Went back to sleep without the mask, on my side, and feeling a lot better now, though the neck still hurts somewhat.

Oddly enough, I tried the Eson on for an hour or so a couple days ago, and it seemed to give me slight dizziness even by itself - maybe it's the way it presses on the face, or something about the air pressure.

Have any other stomach-sleepers had this experience? Or any Eson mask users?

Definitely going back to my old mask. It might leak a little when I'm moving around, but at least it never caused this stuff

[Julie]

Any chance the vent holes got covered by bedding etc, causing you to rebreathe CO2?

[WinterLily]

Any chance the vent holes got covered by bedding etc, causing you to rebreathe CO2?

That could be! Normally I hear the air flow from the Wisp getting louder if something partially covers the vent, and make sure to move the covers out of the way. With this one, the diffuser made the air flow very quiet, so it would be hard to notice if something covered it. Ack...

[Julie]

This is my nuttiness but it works for me -

I sleep alone ('cept for my cat) and so can get away with this - I cut a 3" wide, 4" deep and 1' long 'trench' in my memory foam mattress starting at the head and going towards the foot, with an electric knife, and rounded top edges with scissors. I have a FF mask and when sleeping on my front with my head turned right, the mask dips into the trench diagonally or more vertically, avoiding a very sore neck in the a.m. I've also cut and fiddled with sheets to accommodate things, but have been sleeping like this for years, and so far so good. Important to mention is that my particular mask's vent holes are higher on the mask than most (which are usually at the elbow), so foam or sheets don't block holes but probably would for other masks.

[Sleeprider]

Just speculating on the cause of vertigo...when your neck is at an acute angle, it does put strain or compression on the arteries and nerves. This can cause reduced blood flow and a sense of vertigo. I'd say avoid that posture. Try a search for "Cervical vertigo".

[WinterLily]

This is my nuttiness but it works for me -

I sleep alone ('cept for my cat) and so can get away with this - I cut a 3" wide, 4" deep and 1' long 'trench' in my memory foam mattress starting at the head and going towards the foot, with an electric knife, and rounded top edges with scissors. I have a FF mask and when sleeping on my front with my head turned right, the mask dips into the trench diagonally or more vertically, avoiding a very sore neck in the a.m. I've also cut and fiddled with sheets to accommodate things, but have been sleeping like this for years, and so far so good. Important to mention is that my particular mask's vent holes are higher on the mask than most (which are usually at the elbow), so foam or sheets don't block holes but probably would for other masks.

That sounds like a good approach! I wouldn't be able to cut my mattress, but have been experimenting with different ways of shaping the CPAPfit pillow. It's worked well to sleep close to the edge of it, with a groove to give the vent air more room.

[WinterLily]

Just speculating on the cause of vertigo...when your neck is at an acute angle, it does put strain or compression on the arteries and nerves. This can cause reduced blood flow and a sense of vertigo. I'd say avoid that posture. Try a search for "Cervical vertigo".

The experience definitely matches the cervical vertigo. Now that I've been more careful with the neck, and added a pillow under my arm to sleep on the side, it seems to be doing ok. Thankfully no dizzy spells like that one so far. I also asked my eye doctor about it, and he confirmed that this was the most likely reason (and it can also cause referral pain behind the eyes as it turns out). Very good to be aware of this, thank you for the tip!