Sleepweaver masks

[roblyn38]

I was diagnosed with severe OSA around 6 months ago and had been using initially a full face mask which I just could`nt get on with. I then changed to a nose mask which was an improvement but because I have excema it made my nose itch all the time and I really struggled.

I was at my wits end when I decided to bite the bullet and buy a SleepWeaver cloth mask.

The sleep weaver is very light and far less obtrusive than previous models. It does`nt irritate my excema as much and I can itch my nose easily without breaking the seal. The air pressure doesa`nt seem so severe with this mask and I can clean the mask very easily. I have been able to sleep far better with this mask!!

This mask has been a revelation; I really thought CPAP therapy was not going to work for me. The purchase has been a very good decision.

I`m hoping that the NHS will fund future sleepweaver masks because i would be lost without it!

[James @ Intus]

I was disapointed when it arrived and I opened the packaging and wondered how it could be worth £100.00 but it is absolutluy fantastic. The first night I had 8 hours sleep and thereafter between 6 - 8 hours per night. It is very light to wear, there is no back presure whilst breathing out and even when i'm partially blocked up it is still easy to breath and fall asleep quickly. This is the best £100.00 I have ever spent and now i'm well on my way to clock up the hours and retain my driving licence!

I would recomend it to anyone

Darren

Thanks Darren, great to hear another success story. Much like the RemZzzs, perhaps at face value, it doesn't look like much. But the proof is in the pudding, as you've experienced yourself. As we're in a giveaway mood, if you post your findings here on the SleepWeaver product page, I'll send you a mask cleaning spray to help you keep it fresh. That counts for other SleepWeaver users to, if you post it by Monday night. And do tell your clinic about it too so maybe next year when it needs replacing, you may be able to get it off the NHS.

[James @ Intus]

I am really interested in trying a soft mask as I have awful trouble with the traditional ones.. and secretly I like the idea of pink!!!

Hi Jill and welcome!

Which clinic are you with? If we can get in touch with the staff there, we may be able to send a sample.

[James @ Intus]

Hi everyone
This is probably directed at James@Intus most of all - is there any difference in operation if an auto-CPAP is used (or even one of the Bi-level Auto-CPAPs from Respironics) as opposed to a fixed pressure device?
Are there any negative aspects to it at all apart from the usual ones that go with any other nasal mask?
How does it handle humidification?
I presume its washable/cleanable...

If I think of any other questions.......haha

Thanks
TB

Hi TB,

I assume this question is in relation to the SleepWeaver, not a question about the general difference between APAP and CPAP.

The SleepWeaver works the same with Auto-CPAP (APAP) and CPAP. Some feared the mask would 'collapse' with an auto-titrating machine but it didn't, as even the machine's lowest pressure of say 3 hPa is still higher than the atmospheric pressure. So the mask will never 'deflate' with the machine on.

Any downsides to the SleepWeaver? It's one-size-fits-most, so you can't pick petite if you are petite and you can't pick XL if you have a nose or head way beyond that of the usual OSA frame. One person so far found the headgear almost too simplistic and hooked up their own headgear form a standard nasal mask. That's your choice, it won't deny the other headgear as its loops will take any standard type headgear. That's about it really.

The cloth is like that of a parachute or sail if you like. It's very much humidifier-resistant so in that sense, behaves quite similar to silicone. It won't soak throughout like paper or linen.

Yes, washable just like most masks, dries quite quickly too.

[Bob the Builder]

Sleepweaver Mask Success story

Grumpy,
I am new to OSA and was diagnosed a few weeks ago. I was given the Resmed Swift FX nasal mask and was using it for 2 weeks. I was continuously blocked up and trying all sorts of remedies and finding it very hard to get off to sleep.
I heard about the Sleepweaver mask and was so desperate for sleep deceided to invest the £100.00 to see how it performed.

I was disapointed when it arrived and I opened the packaging and wondered how it could be worth £100.00 but it is absolutluy fantastic. The first night I had 8 hours sleep and thereafter between 6 - 8 hours per night. It is very light to wear, there is no back presure whilst breathing out and even when i'm partially blocked up it is still easy to breath and fall asleep quickly. This is the best £10.00 I have ever spent and now i'm well on my way to clock up the hours and retain my driving licence!

I would recomend it to anyone

Darren

[Berneta]

You got Blue so you wouldn't look stupid? LOL.

I think they out to put us all in A Star Wars movie! They wouldn't even have to fake the heavy breathing! LOL. I like black with silver studs-- Whoo Whoo.
Hey TF, Dragons don't mess with me---they don't stand a chance. Not even with chests of gold and words that melt chocolate.
Yes Keokuk, Iowa is my home town. Raised there most of my life. Basco, Illinois is where I live now--small farm of 20 acres. Always Just a country girl--and yes that's me on Face Book, I am not a retired Nurse. I am a retired Nurse's Aide, and worked the graveyard shift with the terminially ill, who wanted to die in the comfort of their own homes. I believe we all should have that choice--and someone who cares, to hold our hand when we cross over. Sleep Well tonight, Berneta

[sleepynana]

Sleepweaver masks

Hi everyone, I am new on here and this is my first post: I live up in the North and so far haven't seen anyone posting from here. I have had so many different masks in the 10 years since I was diagnosed it's embarassing!! however I have a great relationship with my sleep specialist nurse that we can have a good laugh about it!... I am really interested in trying a soft mask as I have awful trouble with the traditional ones.. and secretly I like the idea of pink!!!...my poor partner is very patient but ends up more tired than me because of all the strange noises I emit!!! I will contact Jaynie and see what I can do.
Nice to have contact with you all!
Jill.

[tallishbloke]

Hi everyone
This is probably directed at James@Intus most of all - is there any difference in operation if an auto-CPAP is used (or even one of the Bi-level Auto-CPAPs from Respironics) as opposed to a fixed pressure device?
Are there any negative aspects to it at all apart from the usual ones that go with any other nasal mask?
How does it handle humidification?
I presume its washable/cleanable...

If I think of any other questions.......haha

Thanks
TB

[ElleCee]

<<<Strangely I bought blue. For some reason I thought something more dramatic might make me look stupid...>>>

That is really funny

Lorraine

[Frank Booth]

Sleepweaver mask

I just bought one of these and just tried it for the first time. Good result so far. Admittedly I was very jetlagged after a long flight so might have slept well wearing anything but the feeling of lightness made it less claustrophbic. It did occasionally vent upwards into my eyes but seemed ok to adjust. Good for travel I'd say and less depressing to look at when not being worn. Very strange feeling if you open your mouth but maybe that applies to all nasal masks?

Strangely I bought blue. For some reason I thought something more dramatic might make me look stupid...

[James @ Intus]

Assuming you got your kit from us at Intus, when you hit day 7, please email through the SmartCodes from the SleepCube (assuming that from your other post you have a SleepCube). We can then tell whether the machine's pressure settings can be tweaked from the default pressures and maybe avoid the 'gale'.

Glad you too like the SleepWeaver and for a 4-day newbie, sleeping 7 hours with the machine on is nothing short of a brilliant result.

[kuningan]

CPAP newbie here (day 4) and as I didn't like the idea of any mask I thought the Speepweaver might work - so far so good - getting seven or so hours sleep - waking once or twice when the APAP has raised the pressure/and or the mask has shifted and it feels like there is a gale blowing in my face......but I guess that's something I'll get used to. Other half a HUGE fan of CPAP!

[ElleCee]

Hi James,
Thank you for the information.
I think I will leave the setting on my machine as it is. Up until I started using the SleepWeaver I was still waking every 1 1/2 or 3 hours. Now I sleep right through so I am more than happy. I find as long as when I am sleeping on my side I make sure my hand rests on my hip rather than let if fall onfront of me it keeps my lungs free to inflate more easily and it is obviously working better than anything I have had before.
I can't begin to tell you how happy I am with it.
A big THANK YOU from me

Kindest regards
Lorraine

[James @ Intus]

Hi Lorraine,

We've check with Circadiance, the makers of the mask, regarding the 'leak rate'. This is the volume of air that escapes intentionally through the vents at certain CPAP pressures. They say it's virtually identical to the Respironics ComfortGel mask. So anybody with a Respironics machine that allows for mask presets can use the ComfortGel setting.

You can see the graph on the manufacturers website here and on our SleepWeaver FAQ here.

The way to read it is that at a machine pressure of 10, the mask leaks or vents, intentionally, 25 Litres per minute.

According to this ResMed manual, the Mirage Quattro leaks at bout 36 lpm when the machine is at 10 hPa/cmH2O. This explains why you sense a difference. The SleepWeaver leaks less of the air the machine is sending into the mask, so you end up with more air / a slightly elevated pressure.

That's not necessarily a bad thing but if you want it to level out, you'll have to set it somehow for the machine to think it's using a mask with a lower leak rate. The SoftGel for example leaks about 31 lpm at 10cm, so less than the Quattro but more than the SleepWeaver. I looked at a number of ResMed masks but they all seem to leak more than the SleepWeaver and ComfortGel so I'm not sure you can totally balance it out again by telling the machine you're using a mask other than the Mirage (if your machine even has that feature).

The next time you visit the clinic, you can tell them the SleepWeaver leaks a fair bit less, so perhaps they may want to drop the pressure if the rest of your circumstances allow this.

Anyway, I hope that explains why you felt it to give you a higher pressure. Let me know if you have any further questions and please do let us all know here how the subsequent nights went.

[ElleCee]

All I can say is that I am very impressed with the SleepWeaver.
For the first time in years I slept for 8 1/2 hours without having to get up even once for the loo.
The mask is light and you wear the straps quite loose so you hardly know it is there. It is a nasal mask so you need to keep your mouth closed, I did that no problem and only realised that I had done it because my teeth felt a little sore where I had had them clamped tight all night. It wore off after about 5 mins though.
I had no mask impression on my face and I didn't feel like I had even worn a mask. The mask comes off quickly and easily without having to undo anything to get the headgear off.
When I first put it on I was sure I would have leaks but I didn't. It took about 10 minutes to get to trust it enough to turn over in bed but again there were no problems.
One thing I am not sure about is that there is loss of pressure in most if not all full face masks and I know that usually the higher, more accurate pressure is with a normal nasal mask. I think this might be following that trend because on occasion before I fell asleep I thought that my machine was set too high even though I know it wasn't.
My Husband calling me Nellie hasn't detered me from using it and if it continues to act in the same way it will definitely be my mask of choice for the future.
Any questions please ask.
Regards
Lorraine