Sleepweaver masks

[James @ Intus]

This mask arrived yesterday and so far I have just used it for the first night. I do have a hose lift and transferred my comfort straps on to this headgear to protect my cheeks. I used a Remzzz liner as usual and am pleased to say it all went very well. I found the new mask and set up to be extremely comfortable and I got an excellent nights sleep with no interruptions. The headgear and nasaL mask stayed in place, good fit, even though I start off sleeping on my back but turn to either side during the night. Mask coped well with this!

So far I like this new mask well but will let you know how I am getting on maybe in a weeks time. I will then fill in the special form about it.

Many thanks for giving me the opportunity to try this.

Thanks for the feedback. Are yo sure though you mean the SleepWeaver soft cloth mask in beige/blue/pink and not a transparent gel mask? Either way, sounds like a good start.

[Barely Awake]

For those with a need to get to the bottom of all options and no fear of DIY, you could of course take out the straight 360 degree swivel in the SleepWeaver, and tape the 90-degree swivel back in. That way you don't double the weight but replace it pretty much like for like and have an immediate 90 degree bend. Barely Awake, would that be an idea perhaps? With some micropore surgical tape you can quite easily put the cloth back on the swivel, see the video's for instructions, simply turn the cloth inside out to see what I mean.

Sadly this is not possible as the elbow I have is female one end and male the other - the female end fits over the pipe attached to the mask and the male end fits inside the rubbery hose coupling. You can't therefore get the untaped end of the Sleepweaver over the larger female portal.

To recap, the problem of adding the elbow in terms of weight is a bit like the difference between sticking a cigarette length piece of liquorice between your lips (in which case it stays there) and attempting the same with a liquorice pipe (in which case it bends down and rests on your chin).

This can be overcome with a hose lift so it is no problem to me I have now decided. Whether others find the same remains to be seen.

[countyDownMum]

Trial mask Sleepweaver

This mask arrived yesterday and so far I have just used it for the first night. I do have a hose lift and transferred my comfort straps on to this headgear to protect my cheeks. I used a Remzzz liner as usual and am pleased to say it all went very well. I found the new mask and set up to be extremely comfortable and I got an excellent nights sleep with no interruptions. The headgear and nasaL mask stayed in place, good fit, even though I start off sleeping on my back but turn to either side during the night. Mask coped well with this!

So far I like this new mask well but will let you know how I am getting on maybe in a weeks time. I will then fill in the special form about it.

Many thanks for giving me the opportunity to try this.

[James @ Intus]

@Lorraine - You would have to bend the hose gently, no abrupt angles, so that would then need a longer hose than the standard 6ft.

Like you, those who don't mind having the hose pointing down towards your chest won't have any problems with the SleepWeaver. Those who swear by routing the hose along the headboard, have more of a challenge at hand. Indeed as the mask is so light, any swivel or heavy long hose could potentially affect the fit. It's a careful balancing act of guiding the hose in the direction required whilst allowing enough slack for turning over.

For those with a need to get to the bottom of all options and no fear of DIY, you could of course take out the straight 360 degree swivel in the SleepWeaver, and tape the 90-degree swivel back in. That way you don't double the weight but replace it pretty much like for like and have an immediate 90 degree bend. Barely Awake, would that be an idea perhaps? With some micropore surgical tape you can quite easily put the cloth back on the swivel, see the video's for instructions, simply turn the cloth inside out to see what I mean.

By the way, those in the Bristol and Leicester area are the first to stand a chance to get one on the NHS.

[ElleCee]

I only sleep on my side and have had no trouble with turning over in my sleep with the sleepweaver but I do put the hose down towards my chest. I have never used an over the head hose so an just wondering why you can't just turn the hose up and velcro it to the headgar? Of am I being toally blonde?

Lorraine

[Barely Awake]

I am not experienced enough to comment fully but it seemed to me I could apply side forces and head movement on the mask without troubling how it worked or doing anything that would wake me. What I imagined might be a problem but may not be in practice was lifting the connector upwards at a sharp angle which was something that was quite possible with the elbow attachment (that I introduced) in place. It is hard to say with so little experience but it appears this mask is more versatile in use than one may at first think.

BTW I think the Sleepweaver video shows a really long hose in use throughout, so that combined with what are commercially known as 'Hose Management Clips' (the velcro strap with a small metal clothes peg on the end) probably solves the issue.

[Tigers Fan]

Brilliant!

Thanks, BA - that absolutely comfirms my fears. A system to support the weight of a double swivel elbow will add consequences come turn-over time whilst asleep.

I have a unique system which could easily be adjusted to support the weight without additional gizmos but I suspect the perfect balancing act required would fall apart with body movement. The very nature of the SleepWeaver makes it vulnerable to side forces, surely? (I have not seen or worn one but I'm keenly awaiting the release of the full-face version).

TF

[Barely Awake]

Having only used it for one night I don't feel qualified to report on the Sleepweaver but can comment on the use of an elbow with this mask. From an early evening fitting session it was obvious that the soft material plus the elephant's trunk like connection point poses an unusual quandary. The hose is initially directed towards the feet so unless the machine is at the foot or mid-ships beside the bed, either a longer than standard hose or elbow joint was required to sweep the hose back towards a machine positioned on such as the bedside table or on a shelf above as in my case. As I have an elbow joint I attached this to the connection on the mask and to the hose. The immediate problem was that the elbow introduced weight that altered the dynamics at the connection point – the elbow thus rested on my chin and the connection point was brought into contact with my lips. This I overcame temporarily with an elastic band between a velcro hose clip and a hose lift. The arrangement worked fine but long term I would replace this elastic band with a device James is about to launch that can be attached to the headboard or wall above the bed and has two sprung cords that will support the hose.

Summary: the elbow overcomes the problem of needing to redirect the hose but would need to be supported by something such as a hose lift arrangement. An alternative would be a longer hose. This is only after a single night so is subject to review.

[symmit]

Debbie - have you watched the videos on the Sleepweaver website - they're quite helpful.

http://www.sleepweaver.com/articles.asp?id=136

[DebbieT]

Getting slightly less leaks now but it is still noisy so am not there yet. I have just looked at the Remzzz liners to try those but I didnt realise there were so many types which type would you order to go with the sleepweaver?

[ElleCee]

My suggestion for alleviating some of the leaks is to use a Remzzz liner.
At least it helps me with mine.

Lorraine

[James @ Intus]

Hi awaller, thanks for joining and chipping in with your experience.

When fitted correctly, we found the SleepWeaver to be more quiet than most masks. This is due to the many-pinholes exhalation port design. If you release the same amount of air through more exits, you get less of a rush per hole so less noise. That's what most people experience, a very silent operation.

Until you get leaks, that is. There isn't one leak-free mask out there and as with all masks, the SleepWeaver needs some trial and error before you get the mask straps right. Nobody will be 100% leak free throughout a week. It's excessive leaks, that is the problem.

Re-routing the hose, the sleep positions you take up, all these things can affect leak development. Some people film themselves on night-mode just to help understand why leaks develop in the first place, to then take direct action from there.

I don't have a single tip to help solve it. Tweak the straps and you may want to start at a higher ramp pressure. The more air in the mask, the better it seals, generally. So very low ramp start pressures could perhaps, in some situations, prevent a good seal from establishing in the first few minutes.

To the others, yes there are masks with side entries. Mainly nasal pillow masks like the Venise, where you can pick left, right or center entry points. It's not common with nasal or full face masks as they mostly have 360 degree swivels to achieve similar things.

But let's keep this thread about the SleepWeaver. It's developing in a great log of experiences, tips and tricks.

[Barely Awake]

Is that like the Fitlife one? I have tried it but could not get it to seal at all. I must have an odd shaped face!

Lorraine

Hi Lorraine, It wasn't the Fitlife, the blurb of which states that it fits people with facial irregularities and beards and the like, it is aother which really does look like a bubble.

http://www.healthcare.philips.com/main/homehealth/sleep/totalfacemask/default.wpd

[ElleCee]

A mask James suggested to me recently (Sleepnet Phantom Nasal CPAP mask) has a side entry port. I take your point about sores, on the bridge of the nose, I remember those well from when I last had nasal cover mask but I did try one that didn't do that to me at least which was a Respironics Simplicity Nasal Mask. Respironics do another called a Total face Mask which is like a big bubble!

Is that like the Fitlife one? I have tried it but could not get it to seal at all. I must have an odd shaped face!

Lorraine

[Barely Awake]

Why does the swivel attachment have to be in that position ie pointing at the mouth? Why hasnt there been any development in masks with side attaching hoses or attaching at the nose they all seem to attach at the mouth level. Also I would love to own a kind of bubble mask, one that I can put my head into and dont have to worry about leaks or sore skin a kind of head in a bag with obvious safety features. Maybe too far fetched for some?

A mask James suggested to me recently (Sleepnet Phantom Nasal CPAP mask) has a side entry port. I take your point about sores, on the bridge of the nose, I remember those well from when I last had nasal cover mask but I did try one that didn't do that to me at least which was a Respironics Simplicity Nasal Mask. Respironics do another called a Total face Mask which is like a big bubble!