Question: Mask for stomach sleeper

[cooper0]

Hello folks,

I was recently diagnosed with sleep apnea and I wanted to ask for this communities help and recommendations on a good nasal mask for people like myself who sleeps on his stomach? All thoughts would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

[tillymarigold]

I've slept at least occasionally on my stomach with all 4 masks I've used (ComfortLite 2, OptiLife, Hybrid, and Opus) and it's not that hard as long as you have your head at the edge of the pillow and can figure out how to avoid getting tangled in the hose. Notice those are all fairly small masks, though, and none of them are nasal masks (three nasal pillow masks and one nasal pillow/mouth combination).

However, you should know that many people (including me) become stomach sleepers BECAUSE of their sleep apnea (it's the position that keeps the airway most open and is least likely to cause apneas--even if you don't know it, your body does), and once they are on CPAP, they no longer WANT to sleep on their stomachs all the time.

In fact, I was functioning as long as I slept on my stomach, but then I gave myself cubital tunnel syndrome (like carpal tunnel syndrome but the cubital tunnel is in your elbow and in fact it's usually caused by sleeping on your stomach) and my neurologist made me stop sleeping on my stomach, and that was when the SDB (sleep-disordered breathing) became bad enough to really affect my life.

[Julie]

I sleep on my stomach, on a big, firm slab of very good quality, 4" of foam (on top of my mattress) into which I've used a turkey knife to cut out a 10 inch long (top to bottom), 3 inch wide (it widens more over time) cut-out at the top of the slab, and that allows the front of the mask to dip into the trench and not either give me a sore neck or off-kilter mask. That mask is also good (for tummy sleeping) because as you know it does NOT vent right from the 90 degree elbow where it turns to join the hose (and would be blocked by my foam or mattress), but from a different place entirely, so I don't reinhale any CO2.

[rested gal]

If you don't have to use a FF mask (Full Face mask), the mask I'd recommend for tummy sleeping is the "Headrest" nasal pillows mask by Aeiomed.

Unfortunately most home medical supply stores you might walk into have never heard of that mask, or the company that makes it; much less have one in stock. They could order it from Aeiomed for you, but some DMEs (durable medical equipment stores) would rather give you something they already have on hand.

Quite a few tummy sleepers on this message board have reported that mask worked especially well for them. It has a unique exhaust vent that is located above the eyebrows and vents straight up, like a little chimney. Even if the front of your face was buried in your pillow, the Headrest vent has a clear shot straight up, starting at brow level.

I'm a toss'n'turn side sleeper mostly -- the Headrest works very well for me in any sleep position. I do add a soft, stretchy homemade strap across the front to keep the nasal pillows nice and steady in place.

Julie's creative carving solution sounds like a comfy solution for a FF mask wearer who wants to tummy sleep with face down.

Finding the right mask that will allow you to sleep comfortably and with minimum mask leaks, in whatever sleeping position(s) you prefer, is the most important part of the CPAP treatment puzzle to get "right." Hope you are able to find one that will suit you well, cooper! Welcome to the message board.

[cooper0]

Thank you all for your thoughts and feedback, much appreciated.

[roster]

In fact, I was functioning as long as I slept on my stomach, but then I gave myself cubital tunnel syndrome (like carpal tunnel syndrome but the cubital tunnel is in your elbow and in fact it's usually caused by sleeping on your stomach) and my neurologist made me stop sleeping on my stomach, and that was when the SDB (sleep-disordered breathing) became bad enough to really affect my life.

I was starting to have a problem with the elbow when I started tummy sleeping. It was caused by sleeping on my arm. So I just quit sleeping on my arm and still sleep on my tummy using the Falcon position - no problems.

Would the Falcon position, viewtopic.php?f=1&t=36738&st=0&sk=t&sd=a&start=15 , solve your elbow problem and allow you to sleep on your tummy again?

[tillymarigold]

In fact, I was functioning as long as I slept on my stomach, but then I gave myself cubital tunnel syndrome (like carpal tunnel syndrome but the cubital tunnel is in your elbow and in fact it's usually caused by sleeping on your stomach) and my neurologist made me stop sleeping on my stomach, and that was when the SDB (sleep-disordered breathing) became bad enough to really affect my life.

I was starting to have a problem with the elbow when I started tummy sleeping. It was caused by sleeping on my arm. So I just quit sleeping on my arm and still sleep on my tummy using the Falcon position - no problems.

Would the Falcon position, viewtopic.php?f=1&t=36738&st=0&sk=t&sd=a&start=15 , solve your elbow problem and allow you to sleep on your tummy again?

Don't know, and frankly I don't much care--being on CPAP has eliminated the need to sleep on my stomach. I do it occasionally, and I guess I do it more or less in that position, but ... *shrug* The only reason I was doing it in the first place was probably that I couldn't breathe otherwise.