ResMed P10 Nasal Pillows

[stopsnoring]

I got the nasal pillows on Friday - slept great that night. Since then, no such luck. I feel almost claustrophobic using this massive chin strap, so I tried not using it after the first night and I just kept waking up to air rushing out of my mouth. I also feel a strange sensation when i try exhaling just through my mouth, it almost feels like I was just running and am out of breath, it's strange. My air level on the machine is really low. I hardly have sleep apnea (very low), but am doing this to try to stop the snoring. I am so tired today. I don't know what to do. Really frustrated...AGAIN! Thanks for listening.

[Pugsy]

What pressure are you using that is "low" and what size nasal pillows are you using? Are you using the ramp feature and/or any from of exhale relief? If some form of exhale relief at what setting?
Sometimes either a little more pressure or a size larger in the nasal pillows will help with air movement issues. Turning ramp off if it is being used may help depending on what your pressure RX is.

If you aren't sleeping well for various reasons you aren't going to stand much of a chance of feeling better.
If your mouth opening issues are large and prolonged then you stand the chance of losing therapy pressure out the mouth in addition to the weird feeling. Chin straps can be a PITA and that's why some people who need or want to limit the mouth opening will opt for taping the lips.
Full face masks come with their own PITA issues for some people and others do quite well with them and prefer them to the other PITA issues of taping or using a chin strap or dealing with, if they are lucky, minor short lived mouth opening issues.
Sometimes we have to pick our poison...which issue is a deal breaker or maker.

[stopsnoring]

Thanks Pugsy. I was using the ff mask and was having leaking issues. i might try it again. my pressure is 4, which i believe is the lowest it goes. I think I got up to 8 last night. I have the A-Flex and the C-Flex - which I am totally confused about. They can be set from 1 to 3 and I have it on 3 which i think makes it a bit easier to exhale. If you have any knowledge that you would like to share on this, i would greatly appreciate it. This is all becoming a PITA for me.

[Pugsy]

AFlex and CFlex are both forms of exhale relief that are available with the Respironics machines. AFlex is only available in Auto adjusting pressure mode. The differences between them are very minor and have to do with the timing of the reduction in pressure as well as the timing of the increase again.
http://aflex.respironics.com/
I usually tell people to use which ever feels the best. In your case starting out with 4 cm..there is no reduction because 4 cm is the lowest the machine can go. You might feel a little better with starting out at 5 or 6. Most people have a problem with 4 cm no matter which mask they use.
When using a nasal pillow mask that feeling of stifling my be more pronounced due to lack of volume of air and the air movement in the nasal pillows. So sometimes a little larger nasal pillow with the opening being a little larger allows for more air movement and thus less potential stifling though with 4 cm there just isn't going to be much air movement perceived.

So to utilize your AFlex or CFlex (I found AFlex more natural feeling) you are going to need to start out the night with a bit higher pressure. While awake the machine won't be having the pressure driven up by events because you won't have any obstructive events while awake. The greatest amount of relief possible is only 2 cm and that's with a setting of 3 and if you have a forceful breathing rhythm. The actual amount of reduction is based on your own air flow. If you are a rather shallow breather your setting of 3 may not offer exactly 2 cm reduction. Either way...you get nothing when the machine is on 4 cm since it won't go below 4.

[stopsnoring]

Thanks, this helps. I will move it up to 5 or 6 tonight and see how that works and maybe try the next size nasal pillow.
So with the a-flex, will it be 'easier' to exhale on 3 rather than on 1? I couldn't notice much difference and I'm now seeing that is probably because I'm on 4cm.

[Catlizg]

I use the Swift FX with ear loops. Try not to exhale through you mouth. If you do, you will experience that choking sensation which is caused by the pressure against the back of your throat which gets relieved only when you exhale through your nose. I hate the ramp from 4 to 6. I'm at 6 which I find quite comfortable; the 4 feels like no air. I did notice that the pillows trained me to not mouth breathe! I've gotten to the point where I can sip a drink, answer a question without removing the mask or choking myself. As far as fit, there is a You Tube for fitting Swift FX nasal pillows. It would be correct for any pillows. They need to seat so they angle up a but, not straight back. Also, the pillow rims should just rest on your nostrils, not fill them. Hope this helps.

[Pugsy]

Yep...you couldn't really tell any difference between CFlex or AFlex or each setting because at 4 cm pressure they don't kick in.
Even at pressures that are high enough for them to kick in the differences are very subtle...use whatever suits your breathing rhythm the best no matter what the setting.
Example...I found that AFlex of 3 made me feel like I was breathing too fast and a setting of 1 seemed too slow and a setting of 2 mimicked my own breathing rhythm perfectly...CFlex, couldn't tell it did anything at all at any setting.
You might like something else..there is no right or wrong...there is only what feels good to you.

[stopsnoring]

Thanks Ladies!!!