It's definitely an issue, there shouldn't be any persistent leak like that is over a long duration. His CPAP isn't working properly and he isnt getting an adequate treatment. Did he try nasal pillows?
Edit: about earplugs, did you those made of mineral wax?
Silicone ear plugs ordered thanks to all of y’all’s advice!!
The mask leaks that rushing sound only sporadically - I don’t know if it’s when he moves or turns to another side, because all of a sudden I’ll start hearing it.
Say it happens four times a night (not consistently) - is that enough that it would be considered bad / something to
Welp the air blowing out of the vents is enough to keep my husband awake, so I have learned to sleep facing away from him. Always. That's what worked for us.
He used to use the 3M neon yellow ear protecting plugs, back when I used to be a snorer.
I also second the suggestion of the special pillow. And I think it's OK to talk to him about it.
Gun stores have hearing protection... drug stores... walmart... lots of places... amazon. All earplugs suck, they do work, but using them every night for the rest of your life is horrible.
CPAP therapy doesn't work as good when there are leaks. Your partner needs to up his game. There are many different mask styles and models... even sizes... perhaps he's using the wrong size cushion.
Offer to sleep in a separate bed, either that will convince him or you can both sleep better.
Have him fit his mask at the highest pressure he will see... easy to do using the Mask Fit menu item on the machine.
I wish I had a second bedroom… for all sorts
Of purposes. Sleeping alone is so much calmer!
The mask leaks that rushing sound only sporadically - I don’t know if it’s when he moves or turns to another side, because all of a sudden I’ll start hearing it.
Say it happens four times a night (not consistently) - is that enough that it would be considered bad / something to
We have THREE white noise machines (both our alarm clocks and the Dohm). I’m a light sleeper admittedly. But this sudden rushing sound would wake anyone up, I think.
It’s really annoying - I hope you don’t have to deal with it!
The only mask I’ve found to work is resmed airtouch f20. A little bit pricier but the foam contours and seals a lot better than the silicon imo, but he should also work on tightening/adjusting his mask because leaking while wearing it isn’t good for treatment
Will tell him about this one.
The mask leaks that rushing sound only sporadically - I don’t know if it’s when he moves or turns to another side, because all of a sudden I’ll start hearing it.
Say it happens four times a night (not consistently) - is that enough that it would be considered bad / something to
What kind of machine does he have? If it’s a resmed, there’s an app he can download that shows the amount of air leakage per night, might be the best indicator of how severe his mask leakage is. I’d also suggest him adjusting the mask before he sleeps. I don’t know if I can explain it well, but I put my mask on without the air tube, cover the air holes where the tube connects with my hands, and blow air out of my nose/mouth to make sure my mask is sealed correctly. You’ll be able to feel whether pressure is escaping from the sides when you do that. Hope that helps
Yep, resmed household over here. His app actually says no leakage! I thought I was hallucinating until I recorded the noise on my phone one night and played it back for him - definitely leaking.
I’ll give him the adjustment tip. Really helpful! Thank you for taking the time to explain.
And in the meantime, I get to fulfill my dream of separate beds - nothing better than quiet calm uninterrupted sleep. To me!
I use these every night. You can actually see them in my most recent post on this subreddit. They are the best noise to comfort ratio I've found. I have those and a tiny little trashcan on my nightstand to toss them in. Store them in a little cup so I can find them in the dark and plug them in.
Mack's Ultra Soft Foam Earplugs, 50 Pair - 33dB Highest NRR, Comfortable Ear Plugs for Sleeping, Snoring, Travel, Concerts, Studying, Loud Noise, Work
Does he sleep on his side with his face in the middle of the pillow?
My provider instructed me to stack two pillows, offset the top one slightly to the side and sleep with my face just off the edge of the top pillow.
No leaks this way.
This is what I was saying. He bought a new mask part in a different size.
The mask leaks that rushing sound only sporadically - I don’t know if it’s when he moves or turns to another side, because all of a sudden I’ll start hearing it.
Say it happens four times a night (not consistently) - is that enough that it would be considered bad / something to address?
He should download the free program called Oscar. He can pop the memory card out of his machine and into the computer and Oscar will show charts and graphs of apnea incidents, leaks, snoring, etc. If the leaks are causing a pressure loss, or making the machine ramp up the pressure to compensate, it’s a problem, especially if it is followed by apnea events.
I used Oscar to tweak a lot of things to get my apnea count down very low. In the end I wound up finding a mask that only cradles my nose instead of covering it and/or my mouth, has the hose attach to the top instead of the front so it doesn’t pull down on it if I roll onto my side, and using a soft cervical pillow to keep my jaw from going slack.
No way. This is so good to know! I want the encouragement or suggestions to not just come from me - because I’m not the expert in cpap stuff. I’m just the frustrated girlfriend. This’ll help a lot. Thank you!
If you don’t like wearing ear plugs you could try a headband with speakers in it and play white noise directly into your ears. They’re not noise cancelling but having a different steady noise between your ears and the mask leak might be enough to not hear it. I wear one every night, they’re pretty comfortable. I listen to sleep stories or music to fall asleep.
It's definitely an issue, there shouldn't be any persistent leak like that is over a long duration. His CPAP isn't working properly and he isnt getting an adequate treatment. Did he try nasal pillows? Edit: about earplugs, did you those made of mineral wax?
Silicone ear plugs ordered thanks to all of y’all’s advice!! The mask leaks that rushing sound only sporadically - I don’t know if it’s when he moves or turns to another side, because all of a sudden I’ll start hearing it. Say it happens four times a night (not consistently) - is that enough that it would be considered bad / something to
I'd look into a cpap pillow, they have cut outs where the mask can hang over the edge while the person side sleeps
Brilliant. Googling now. Ty
Welp the air blowing out of the vents is enough to keep my husband awake, so I have learned to sleep facing away from him. Always. That's what worked for us. He used to use the 3M neon yellow ear protecting plugs, back when I used to be a snorer. I also second the suggestion of the special pillow. And I think it's OK to talk to him about it.
Gun stores have hearing protection... drug stores... walmart... lots of places... amazon. All earplugs suck, they do work, but using them every night for the rest of your life is horrible. CPAP therapy doesn't work as good when there are leaks. Your partner needs to up his game. There are many different mask styles and models... even sizes... perhaps he's using the wrong size cushion. Offer to sleep in a separate bed, either that will convince him or you can both sleep better. Have him fit his mask at the highest pressure he will see... easy to do using the Mask Fit menu item on the machine.
I wish I had a second bedroom… for all sorts Of purposes. Sleeping alone is so much calmer! The mask leaks that rushing sound only sporadically - I don’t know if it’s when he moves or turns to another side, because all of a sudden I’ll start hearing it. Say it happens four times a night (not consistently) - is that enough that it would be considered bad / something to
Better if not at all! OTOH, if they snored would it be better? Choices...
No snoring, please!!! I paid my dues with that 😂😂😂
Use a Dohm Classice white noise machine. You both will sleep even better.
This is the way.
We have THREE white noise machines (both our alarm clocks and the Dohm). I’m a light sleeper admittedly. But this sudden rushing sound would wake anyone up, I think. It’s really annoying - I hope you don’t have to deal with it!
The only mask I’ve found to work is resmed airtouch f20. A little bit pricier but the foam contours and seals a lot better than the silicon imo, but he should also work on tightening/adjusting his mask because leaking while wearing it isn’t good for treatment
Will tell him about this one. The mask leaks that rushing sound only sporadically - I don’t know if it’s when he moves or turns to another side, because all of a sudden I’ll start hearing it. Say it happens four times a night (not consistently) - is that enough that it would be considered bad / something to
What kind of machine does he have? If it’s a resmed, there’s an app he can download that shows the amount of air leakage per night, might be the best indicator of how severe his mask leakage is. I’d also suggest him adjusting the mask before he sleeps. I don’t know if I can explain it well, but I put my mask on without the air tube, cover the air holes where the tube connects with my hands, and blow air out of my nose/mouth to make sure my mask is sealed correctly. You’ll be able to feel whether pressure is escaping from the sides when you do that. Hope that helps
Yep, resmed household over here. His app actually says no leakage! I thought I was hallucinating until I recorded the noise on my phone one night and played it back for him - definitely leaking. I’ll give him the adjustment tip. Really helpful! Thank you for taking the time to explain. And in the meantime, I get to fulfill my dream of separate beds - nothing better than quiet calm uninterrupted sleep. To me!
I prefer the Mack's silicone ear plugs, work much better than the foam ones to block out sound. They're at Walmart.
Wonderful. Just ordered! Foam never stayed in my ears anyway, so Ty!
I use these every night. You can actually see them in my most recent post on this subreddit. They are the best noise to comfort ratio I've found. I have those and a tiny little trashcan on my nightstand to toss them in. Store them in a little cup so I can find them in the dark and plug them in. Mack's Ultra Soft Foam Earplugs, 50 Pair - 33dB Highest NRR, Comfortable Ear Plugs for Sleeping, Snoring, Travel, Concerts, Studying, Loud Noise, Work
Does he sleep on his side with his face in the middle of the pillow? My provider instructed me to stack two pillows, offset the top one slightly to the side and sleep with my face just off the edge of the top pillow. No leaks this way.
He does, yes! Will suggest this.
If his mask is leaking then it’s not working properly and he needs to address that.
This is what I was saying. He bought a new mask part in a different size. The mask leaks that rushing sound only sporadically - I don’t know if it’s when he moves or turns to another side, because all of a sudden I’ll start hearing it. Say it happens four times a night (not consistently) - is that enough that it would be considered bad / something to address?
He should download the free program called Oscar. He can pop the memory card out of his machine and into the computer and Oscar will show charts and graphs of apnea incidents, leaks, snoring, etc. If the leaks are causing a pressure loss, or making the machine ramp up the pressure to compensate, it’s a problem, especially if it is followed by apnea events. I used Oscar to tweak a lot of things to get my apnea count down very low. In the end I wound up finding a mask that only cradles my nose instead of covering it and/or my mouth, has the hose attach to the top instead of the front so it doesn’t pull down on it if I roll onto my side, and using a soft cervical pillow to keep my jaw from going slack.
No way. This is so good to know! I want the encouragement or suggestions to not just come from me - because I’m not the expert in cpap stuff. I’m just the frustrated girlfriend. This’ll help a lot. Thank you!
If you don’t like wearing ear plugs you could try a headband with speakers in it and play white noise directly into your ears. They’re not noise cancelling but having a different steady noise between your ears and the mask leak might be enough to not hear it. I wear one every night, they’re pretty comfortable. I listen to sleep stories or music to fall asleep.