CPAP Mask Nasal Pillows
If you snore a lot, stop breathing during your sleep, snort or gasp while sleeping or feel really tired during the day, then there is a chance that you have sleep apnea. I now have a CPAP machine and chose the CPAP Mask Nasal pillows approach. Which has worked out very well for me over the past year.
I had just been diagnosed with sleep apnea and wanted to share what I have learned about this health problem with other people who might have the same problem. I had all of the above symptoms and my wife would routinely poke me in the middle of the night when I would stop snoring, because she knew that I had stopped breathing. Sounds pretty severe and it turns out that it was. I was diagnosed with severe sleep apnea after having completing a sleep test at a local hospital.
If you have any doubts about this at all, get a doctors opinion as to whether you should go for a sleep test. It could save your life and also improve your quality of life significantly. Turns out that sleep apnea patients are prime candidates for heart attacks and strokes as well as other problems. Don’t fool around get that sleep test today.
CPAP Mask Nasal Pillows
I will talk about my sleep test and diagnosis in future posts, however I wanted to discuss the nasal pillows which is what I have opted for. The picture above shows what the mask looks like. It actually is not really a CPAP mask. Instead it is a small device that fits on the front of your nose with two outlets, one for each nostril. they are soft and flexible and fit comfortably on the front of your nose.
The entire nasal pillows are held in place with straps that go around your head to hold it in place. A hose connects the CPAP machine with the nasal pillows. I found the first night I had the straps too tight and it hurt my nose a bit. After loosening the straps I settled into a comfortable position as far as the straps were concerned.
There is a bit of getting used to having this contraption strapped to your head. However for me, right from the first night I had a better sleep than I have had in years. My wife tells me that I do not snore at all, which she likes very much. There is no gasping at all or snorting and I can breath really well.
I have used the CPAP mask now for 10 days and although I am still adjusting to using a CPAP every night, I find that I am really comfortable with the mask, the hose and the machine. I am sleeping the best I have done in years and feel much more rested than ever before.
New CPAP Machines are Quiet
One of the things we were concerned about is whether the CPAP machine would be noisy and keep my wife awake at night. We usually have a fan running in our bedroom at night to keep the air moving to provide some circulation. Turns out that the CPAP machine is quieter than the fan. In fact it is so quiet that we barely hear it even when the fan is turned off.
Today’s CPAP machines are very quiet and comfortable. They also come with humidifiers to keep your mouth and nose hydrated as well. They have a little chip that records a lot of information about your sleeping habits, how well you are doing from a sleep apnea perspective and much more. We will talk about this in future posts, but it is safe to say that I am amazed at how much information they can learn about how well you are doing relative to how well you are sleeping.
Monitoring by Your Therapist
It is important to stay in touch with your sleep therapist who will adjust the pressure to match your condition properly. They will also discuss the nasal pillow approach vs. a full mask which are necessary for some people. I choose the nasal pillows, because I did not want to have a mask and it turns out that for me the nasal pillows are working out very well.
Some people will need a full mask because they breath through their mouths from time to time or they are uncomfortable with the nasal pillows. It is all about comfort so select something that works well for you and that is comfortable. Some people will apparently require a chin strap to help them keep their mouths closed while using the nasal pillows. So far I have not had to go to this approach, since I generally keep my nose closed.
Weight Is not an Issue
I wanted to end this post by saying that weight does not seem to be an issue. I am told that people who are thin can have problems with sleep apnea, however if you are overweight there is a higher probability that you will have problems with snoring and sleep apnea. Your throat and nasal passages will be that much thicker which can cause snoring.
Please do not hesitate. If you have a sleep apnea problem, see your doctor and have a sleep study completed to see if you have a problem. You could have avoid a stroke or heart attack! For more information about sleep issues, click here.
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October 8th, 2012 at 7:02 pm
I also have a nasal pillow for my cpap machine and it works really great. I can breath easily ( i have allergies) and I no longer snore. Only thing is that i needed to learn to keep my mouth closed which I am able to do now when I sleep.