CPAP Mask Air Diffuser NOISE

Hello, I am very NEW getting to CPAP therapy and the design of the stupid air diffuser part is making it very difficult for me to live with them. I have a Fisher and Paykel mask and the air diffuser sits directly above the bridge of my noise. The location for this particular mask's air diffuser is fine BUT the mask cushion seal is not good and so it leaks like crazy. My next mask was a Fisher and Paykel FlexiFit431 mask but I absolutely didn't like anything about it and the air diffuser on it is so insanely loud I couldn't even live with it. I have a goatee style beard and so being able to get a good mask seal has been a challenge for me. I asked my Provider for a ResMed AirTouch F20 mask because of the foam cushion on it. The foam cushion is rather nice in how it's designed because I don't have that miserable bar going over my nose and the forehead headband on top of my face. I can get a good seal with the AirTouch F20 mask but I have only been able to wear this new mask an hour over two nights of trying to use it. The reason I can't use it is because of where the air diffuser is located on the mask and the volume of noise it generates. The AirTouch F20 has an elbow that connects/disconnect to the face portion of the mask and there are a whole bunch of tiny vent holes around the top portion of the elbow part which makes a lot of air flow NOISE!!

When the air diffuser is located on the bridge of my nose then it's not as loud but when the air diffuser is located anywhere on the elbow joint and directly beneath my chin I can hear the noise from the air blowing out of the tiny vent holes. My ResMed CPAP machine is set for 10-16 cm because I had 97 events an hour at my sleep study. I like how the AirTouch doesn't have so much on my face and the foam seal is good even with my beard but the air diffuser is in such a lousy place that all the vent holes in it pushes a lot of air from my hose right back out and so it hisses constantly. DOES anybody know if a very QUIET CPAP mask exists with a foam cushion and the air diffuser is maybe located on the bridge of the nose and not on the connecting hose elbow? I'd like to take an O-ring and place it inside the connector part to block the air flow and then drill a bunch of fine holes in the mask directly above my nose BUT I KNOW very well that is not a practical solution to my problem! I'm so frustrated and I simply can't figure out what mask would fulfill my needs so I can wear the thing and get my CPAP therapy like I should get. One other point I need to make is that I have a medical condition with my ears called Hyperacusis and this is what's driving my desperate NEED for a VERY quiet CPAP face mask. I am so sensitive to sound that the air flowing out of the diffuser is making it impossible for me to use my AirTouch F20 mask.

Thank you,

Viking4Aces

Welcome to CPAPTalk.

Some people, including me like the Resmed P10 pillow mask. I think the diffuser is quieter than many other masks.

Here is the fit kit with 3 pillow sizes and free return insurance.

https://www.cpap.com/productpage/resmed ... dgear.html

I have 4 masks, a Airfit P10, a Airfit F20, a Fisher and Paykel Eson 2, and a Resmed Swift FX. of these, the P10 is the absolutely the quietest, followed closely by the &P Eson 2, then Airfit F20 and the swift is one noisy bastard. They all have some degree of issue, but overall I have had the best results for the Eson 2. I love the P10 but have so many leak issues I rarely use it.


Thats my results to date, yours most likely will be different.

Viking4aces wrote: ↑

Mon Apr 23, 2018 3:53 pm

DOES anybody know if a very QUIET CPAP mask exists with a foam cushion and the air diffuser is maybe located on the bridge of the nose and not on the connecting hose elbow?

No.

The only foam cushion full face mask that I know of is the AirTouch and I don't know of any full face mask that vents up on the nasal bridge area.
Now there are some masks that the venting (what you are calling the diffuser I think) is more diffused and not as direct as what you are using but they aren't full face masks.

Is there any way you could use a nasal mask??? Do you just have to have a full face mask?
The P10 nasal pillow that I use is essentially silent and you can only feel the vented air if you put you hand about 1 inch away from the vent holes.
There are some other nasal masks that have a special diffuser for the vented air but I am not aware of any full face masks with a similar diffuser to reduce the vented air flow and/or noise.

Not everyone knows that the Sleepweaver Elan mask is very quiet,
as the air is vented through pinholes in the fabric.
Still, it is a nasal mask, and wearing it is an art.