Dreamwear tougher to breath?

I have been using a Dreamwear mask since I started CPAP. It is the only thing I have experience with. Before I start playing with other masks, i was hoping for some input...

I have always had to keep my pressure at 9 or more, otherwise inhaling with the dreamwear mask (pillows) seems like breathing through a straw... just seemed difficult. I did try the full mask dreamwear version (thinking may be breathing through nose and mouth would help, but it still seemed tough to breath at pressures lower than about 8.5. And I got many more leaks with the full mask dreamwear.

I would really like to back my pressure down to a lower level to see if it helps reduce some of the CAs and still handles the OAs. Do other masks that feed from the front and not have that long thin side piece like the dreamwear has, allow more comfortable breathing? I sleep on side, so I am almost always breathing through one side of the dreamwear, and the other is blocked off. I hate the feel of the hose coming right off the front of my face, but if it allows me to get the pressure lower and not feel like I am sucking air through a straw, I would figure out a way to rig up the hose and deal with it.

I'd appreciate input from those who have experience with dreamwear and other front feed masks.

Thanks!

You are using the DreamWear gel pillows? Is that correct? What size pillow?

What happens if you just sit up totally upright...while awake and not laying down at all to compress the sides of the DreamWear frame? Can you easily breathe comfortably that way?....and you only get into trouble when laying on your side?

Medium nasal pillows. I'll have to reduce the pressure and try that to test... but, if I recall correctly, it was still an issue when on my back. I don't recall how much different than side (with one blocked). I'll have to try the cushions again also, to see if the nasal opening is contributing.

In general, have people noticed a difference between front hose and dreamwear at lower pressures?

I have used the DreamWear....all the various models fairly extensively...I never noticed a difference in ability to breathe with the mask no matter which position I slept in or tried any of the masks. I am primarily a side sleeper but I move all over the place. Didn't make any difference in air movement or breathing...and my pressures are normally slightly under 10 cm except during REM when it will go higher but I am asleep then and I don't notice a thing.

I have heard of people feeling that they couldn't get enough air when on their side and the side down was of course compressed. I didn't experience any of this myself...but every body is a bit different in their perceptions of air movement so I can't say they are all wet...just that I didn't experience any difference at all no matter if that frame was compressed on one side or not. Supposedly the air needed for adequate pressure and movement simply gets diverted to the side that isn't compressed.

That's why I asked if you breathed freely sitting up when nothing would be compressed or if maybe you still had some difficulty and if that was the case I was going to suggest the next size larger in either the gel pillow or under the nose cushion on the off chance it was more of a volume issue.

For the DreamWear Gel Pillows mask the mask type should be set to "X2" on your DreamStation (if it's not already). It made it much more comfortable to breathe for me.

JXG wrote: ↑

Tue Feb 26, 2019 8:27 am

For the DreamWear Gel Pillows mask the mask type should be set to "X2" on your DreamStation (if it's not already). It made it much more comfortable to breathe for me.

Is it common to need to change settings when changing masks? I looked at this thread because I was using Dreamwear FFM and noticed it was harder to breathe in& out than with F30 FFM. I see original poster has nasal, so not the same, but just wondering.

Spot123 wrote: ↑

Tue Feb 26, 2019 10:12 am

JXG wrote: ↑

Tue Feb 26, 2019 8:27 am

For the DreamWear Gel Pillows mask the mask type should be set to "X2" on your DreamStation (if it's not already). It made it much more comfortable to breathe for me.

Is it common to need to change settings when changing masks? I looked at this thread because I was using Dreamwear FFM and noticed it was harder to breathe in& out than with F30 FFM. I see original poster has nasal, so not the same, but just wondering.

The settings changed mentioned pertain to a Respironics machine with a Respironics mask.
You are using a ResMed machine and those same settings for Resistance X2 won't apply to your machine.
The only changes you might need to make would be if you went from a full face mask to a nasal mask of some sort because that is all your ResMed machine offers.

Respironics machines offer something different which pertains more to the inherent resistance within the mask than the actual mask type (full face, nasal cushion or nasal pillow). Apples and oranges and can't compare the two.

Your F30 is a full face mask...the DreamWear Full Face mask is also of course a full face mask....so as long as your ResMed machine is set to full face mask for mask type you won't need to change anything.

Now as for it sometimes being easier to breathe with one mask over another mask within the same type...that is common.
Sometimes some masks are just easier or more comfortable to breathe with for any number of reasons. Personal preference being probably a significant reason. You might play around with the EPR setting (exhale relief) to see if changing EPR makes it any easier or harder for you to breathe with the DreamWear FFM.
If you don't know what I am talking about with the EPR....it's explained in the clinical manual as well as how to get to that area of the setup menu and make changes.
https://www.respshop.com/manuals/ResMed ... %20her.pdf

Just a quick note that running too large on the Nasal pillows will collapse a portion of the cone making it difficult to breathe. It can also promote leaks where the cone distorts and tightening the frame and strap will likely make it worse.

I have a new DreamStation machine, and I am still using the DreamWear nasal mask, not the gel one, but I find it much more comfortable than any other mask I have ever used. I think I might give the gel nasal mask a try next time, and I do toss and turn all night sleeping on my back, my left side and right side. I was having some issues with the side sleeping, having air gushing, but I soon realized I didn't have the mask on tight enough. Once that was corrected, I can comfortably sleep on either side, but I do have to make sure the nose piece doesn't slip up too far. I would imagine with the gel nasal mask, that would not be a problem. Before the DreamWear, I was using the Wisp and liked it well enough. There were definitely more leaks with the Wisp, but I found it comfortable. However, I always felt there were leaks occurring through the sides of it. The headgear was a tad more complex, but I think it would solve your issues with side sleeping.

My dream wear nasal gives me that sensation that I'm breathing through straws, sometimes. I've tried all the sizes in the fit pack, and they all feel as if that slit just isn't in the right spot or something.

It's the most comfortable thing, by far, but I'm still waking to readjust it just like every other mask I've tried. I've used this for about a year now.

I retried the mask at various fixed pressures over the last week... may be I was remembering from when I started CPAP that it was tough to breath at lower pressures... and may be I got used to it... even down to 6 I was breathing ok now. I have been experimenting with turning off the exhale relief and setting fixed pressures to see different reactions... thinking that the lower exhale pressure was causing issues for me... and for whatever reason, I am now comfortable with even low pressures on the Dreamwear. Thank for all the feedback!