Hi,

I am new to all of this and have been diagnosed with mild sleep apnea.  How do I know whether I need a full mask?  I have no clue whether I breath through my mouth or nose or what.  A full mask seems daunting.  Should my doctor have told me which I need?

Wendy

I thinkthis is all personal preferance.  I was a mouth breather but decided to go with a nasal  mask with a chin strap to keep my mouth closed.  I have tried full face but my lips got very chapped.

I can't imagine why anyone would opt for a full face mask.  Just from browsing the internet it seems like the nasal pillows would be the best.  

Thanks!
Wendy

I usually sleep with mouth open and snore like a banshee.  After the CPAP Sleep Study, at which I wore a gell nasal mask, the technician told me that my mouth was closed during sleep, and there was no snoring.  I noticed as I was falling asleep that there was no desire to open my mouth.  I tried, and it complicated things - the forced air sort of stops you from doing that, in my case anyway.

Hi Everyone,

If you are sleeping and you open your mouth incessantly when using a nasal mask or, your sinuses are so messed up structurally that you can't breath through your nose, then you need a a FF mask (or a chin strap).  I open my mouth and chin straps don't work for me, which is why I use a FF mask.  You use a FF mask if you need to.  Using a FF mask really isn't that big a deal.  I figured I always had an octopus on my face, what is a little more?

Interface preferences are extremely personal.   Before I started opening my mouth, I tried on some nasal pillows but absolutely couldn't stand the feel of something sticking in my nose.  Interfaces are truly a case of "to each their own".

Vicki


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That which does not kill you makes you stronger-Friedrich Nietzsche
Friedrich must of had apnea.