masks and sleeping positions

I'm new to a cpap and have a nasal only mask and my preferred sleeping position is on my side. The problem is that the mask gets unsealed in my sleep because of mashing it against my pillow. I've tried sleeping on my back and have a hard time staying asleep like that, is there anything that can be done?

Which model of nasal mask do you have?

Nasal pillows seem to work the best for side sleepers as long as you breath through your nose while sleeping.

I used a swift II until last week when I got the newer swift FX.

I prefer a standard pillow and don't have this issue with my mask, but many have found the other pillow options to be helpful such as the PAPillow.

You can also buy something called a Pap pillow... do a search on this site for it (it has cut-outs for masks).

Some people swear by the Activa LT nasal mask for side sleepers because it's "active cell" technology is supposed to hang on to your nose with movement and some pushing from your pillow--but it didn't work for me.

I'm using a nasal pillow system (Swift LX) and it's much better for side sleeping for me.

The other trick is to adjust your mask in the side sleeping position. This may mean slightly loosening the straps on the the pillow side and tighter on the "sunny side" of your face.

Janknitz wrote:Some people swear by the Activa LT nasal mask for side sleepers because it's "active cell" technology is supposed to hang on to your nose with movement and some pushing from your pillow--but it didn't work for me.

I'm using a nasal pillow system (Swift LX) and it's much better for side sleeping for me.

The other trick is to adjust your mask in the side sleeping position. This may mean slightly loosening the straps on the the pillow side and tighter on the "sunny side" of your face.

I'm going to try this tonight as I get a lot of movement and the leak noise wakes me and I have 'prints" on my face in the mornings.

Thanks for suggestion,

Patdart

I rock the Swift FX pillows and have no trouble sleeping on my side. I can get a tiny bit of leak but I can simply adjust it so it's fine

Couple of other options that worked for me - I am a side sleeper, toss couple of times at night to each side:

EasyLife nasal mask - keeps good seal and I'm on 11 pressue
Swift LT - best fit for me and best leak line
Swift Fx - newer model, most folks rave about this; doesn't seal as well as LT but that's just me.

I love my Tempurpedic pillow because it is soft and yet provides a hard enough surface that my mask exhaust isn't blocked. Also, all I have to do is push in my pillow to accommodate my mask and it stays there.