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Alternatives to CPAP for sleep apnea

Sleep Health | Last Active: Apr 27, 2023 | Replies (25)

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@johnbishop

Hi Tim @timbrownfl, My mask leaks a lot also but what I've found out the past few years is that leaks are really not a big deal as long as you are able to reach your AHI target. Mine is an AHI of 4 or less and I usually a lot lower or under 4 per hour. The cloth comfort cover I use probably causes some of the leakage but I also don't tighten my mask too much because it hurts the bridge of my nose.

I also didn't have much luck with the chin strap when I was testing the under the nose masks and I had seen a YouTube video where a sleep therapist suggested wearing a soft neck collar that is used for neck injuries. I bought one on Amazon that was fairly cheap and it did the job of preventing the jaw from lowering to open the mouth. I only used it for a couple of nights because it wasn't comfortable when I sleep on my side, which is about 90% of the night.

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Replies to "Hi Tim @timbrownfl, My mask leaks a lot also but what I've found out the past..."

Yeah I sleep on my side always. I'm getting great therapy with an AHI less than one all the time. The problem with leaks is I wake up to fix the mask or strap a lot. I had a really bad doctor at the first sleep center I went to. I ask him to check other problems than OSA, and he never did. Wasted 9 months of really doing poorly with that guy who got fired after I left. I'm thinking my OSA is barely there. I only use a pressure of 7.

I went to a new place and finally got an MSLT, and here we are. I guess the neck collar wouldn't work for me. I gotta put on the cloth comfort cover. It's just comfort that I'm looking for now, and no leaking into my eyes. Eye dr hates that.