i am using a quatro full face mask. seems to be working better than my nasal pillow one i was given when first diagnosed. i still have a lot of trouble going to sleep because of the noise or the whooshing sound i guess. is it ok to take tylenol pm before going to bed. i have done it the last couple of nights and it seems to help me go to sleep faster.
my second issue is that i seem to have trouble positioning the mask in such a way that i do not get leaking. it is either shooting air towards my eyes or towards my cheek. any suggestions on how to fix that?
third question is that the air is so cold sometimes. and that makes it so i have trouble going to sleep. anyone have any thoughts?
and finally what is the best way to clean the mask and how often do i need to do it. the instructions say every day. do you really have to do it that often? i sure appreciate this forum and have read a lot of very useful posts. thanks to you all

Often just lifting your mask a skosh off your face to let the cushion fill w/air and then setting it back on your face will reduce or eliminate leaks.

Running your fingertip along the seamline between mask cushion and facial skin can reduce or eliminate leaks.

A Mack's Silicone Ear Plug, or part of one, rolled in the palms of your hands to create a "tape" or "rope", then placed on the mask cushion in the area(s) prone to leaks can reduce or eliminate leaks.

There are those who use a "sleep mask" (the type used by many daytime sleepers to keep out light) to keep leaks out of their eyes.

Do you have a humidifer, a heated humidifer w/your xPAP? Turn it up a notch at a time until you find your comfort zone. And it may well be that you will find it best to adjust the humidity as often as on a nightly basis.

Clean your mask as often as you are comfortable with. I almost never clean mine. Many get by with and are comfortable w/just wiping the cushion where it meets your face w/wipes.

When you do clean your mask a good baby shampoo is sufficient and easy on the mask material and then a vinegar/water rinse or even just a plain water rinse is sufficient.

I found that cleaning the mask daily helped me reduce leaks, but that may just be because I have oily skin. Using baby shampoo, I concentrate on just the part of the cushion that touches the face, going around it quickly rubbing between thumb and forefinger so it's squeaky clean. No vinegar rinse for me, just water, to save time. It just takes a couple of minutes. A clean Quattro on a clean face just seems to form a good seal. Actually, I'm more like Slinky these days. When my pressure was lowered, I found I could skip cleaning so often and still avoid leaks. It is the leaks into the eyes that are the real problem.

I too have sometimes been bothered by the feeling that the air coming out of my machine is cold even though I know it is exactly the same air I would be breathing if I took my mask off. While I agree with the suggestions for using the heated humidifier, I also find that the cold air sensation goes away in a couple of minutes.

Komodo wrote:I turn on my humidifier 20 -30 minutes before going to bed. Not only is the air warm when I first put on the mask, but so is the silicone seal around the mask, making it easier to form an airtight tight seal.

I was going to say the same thing. You might try taking some melatonin if you need to to help you sleep. it's an herbal suppliment found in the vitamin section at your favorite store. it's sure helped me and that was a reccommendation from my sleep dr.

I would develop the habit of fastidious cleaning as a part of your daily cpap routine. After a while you just simply do it and it takes just a few seconds. Using spotless equipment is the best you can do, so why not clean every day. It's the first thing I do when I get out of bed, hang up the hose, rinse off and dry the mask skeleton, wash all silicon bits in baby shampoo and pat everything dry with kitchen paper towel. I clean out the humidifier tank once a week bit keep it covered from daylight to stop algae developing. I also wipe all contact areas of my face( particularly the bridge of my nose) with TCP antiseptic before and just after wearing the mask. This ( I think ) has cleared up my sore nose and spots which were becoming intolerable.

If you think about it, Our mouths are jam packed with all sorts of crud and bacteria and our noses are the bodies mechanism for cleaning the air we take in. They both have mechanisms to kill or deal with that bacteria, Your mask and it's silicon seal do not! Add to that, a nice warm humidified atmosphere and bingo you have a germ health spa going on.

Keeping it all clean IS the best you can do for yourself.

If the cold air blowing strait at your nose is a problem, fill the humidifier with hot water instead of cold and give it a head start.

I do find that I get leaks from my Quattro blowing on my eyes even though apart from that I have a perfect seal. I think I will try an eye mask of some sort now I am this far with the learning curve. Thats what stopping the leaks is all about I think, Its a very personal and individual learning thing. I did find that keeping it looser was better and allows the cushion of air to do its job and form the seal but at first I just kept doing the straps up tighter and looking like a star trek extra the next day.

I think the quattro is a good mask Sasha, it's starting to get better for me anyway.

I just used my SleepZone heated tube last night for the first time. It really keeps the chill out of the air, and I don't get any condensation of moisture in the tube or mask. I found it much more comfortable, and worth the $140 cost. I had been getting awakened by moisture resulting in a loss of seal on the nasal pillow interface. I slept much better with this.

Sleeprider wrote:I just used my SleepZone heated tube last night for the first time. It really keeps the chill out of the air, and I don't get any condensation of moisture in the tube or mask. I found it much more comfortable, and worth the $140 cost. I had been getting awakened by moisture resulting in a loss of seal on the nasal pillow interface. I slept much better with this.

I agree with Sleeprider about the comfort of that SleepZone item...the "heated CPAP tube." Sometimes affectionately called "Aussie heated hose" around here.

As for cleaning, I'm pretty casual about that. A light swipe to keep the skin oils off the part of a mask that touches the skin is about all I do to a mask.

Different people have drastically different cleaning routines. I'm for whatever works and whatever each person feels comfortable doing, or not doing. Here are some topics you might find interesting.

Cleaning CPAP Equipment
topic started by forumadmin - April 2005
http://www.cpaptalk.com/viewtopic.php?p=18245#p18245

More-Sterile/Easier-Cleaning Process?
topic started by bozmon - February 2005
http://www.cpaptalk.com/viewtopic.php?p=7811#p7811

Cleaned my mask now it leaks
topic started by gerrys - June 2007
http://www.cpaptalk.com/viewtopic.php?p=184829#p184829

Cleaning water tank
topic started by seernst - June 2008
http://www.cpaptalk.com/viewtopic.php?p=275976#p275976

Weekly Mask Cleaning---OverKill ???
topic started by DannyP - August 2008
http://www.cpaptalk.com/viewtopic.php?p=293520#p293520

THE HOSE - TO DISINFECT OR NOT TO DISINFECT ?
topic started by Marietjie - March 2009
http://www.cpaptalk.com/viewtopic.php?p=352004#p352004

How often do you clean your hose?
topic started by Juliebove - April 2009
http://www.cpaptalk.com/viewtopic.php?p=361594#p361594

Poll: How Often Do You Clean Your Tank?
poll started by NeedSomeAir - September 2009
http://www.cpaptalk.com/viewtopic.php?p=405431#p405431