Can't sleep with a CPAP mask? Maybe you need a CPAP Pillow. In this page you will learn how to improve your sleep with a pillow for CPAP therapy.
If you have sleep apnea, and treat your sleep disorder with CPAP, you probably have a difficult time positioning the pillow so that it doesn't scoot your mask around, push it into the face or blocking the exhale port.
In this situation, you need to change the simple pillow with a CPAP pillow. How can this special pillow help your CPAP therapy?Here are the benefits of sleeping with a CPAP pillow:
It is also beneficial for those patients who use dental appliances, or experience discomfort or pain from side/stomach sleeping caused from sleeping on a regular shaped pillow.
However, if you toss and turn often in your sleep, it will be difficult to avoid the problems with your mask, even if you have a CPAP sleep aid pillow. You need a strategy to sleep on your side, or on your back to be compliant with CPAP therapy.
This video can give you some helpful information:
As you can see from this video, you can sleep with a pillow between your knees and also have another pillow in your arms - this is in addition to the CPAP pillow for the head. The pillow between your knees helps to relieve the pressure from the lower back.
In my personal opinion, the bumper belt from Rematee
is the best product that can help you to sleep on your side.
Do you need a CPAP pillow?
Well, if you don't have problems with CPAP mask leaks during the night and you feel good in the morning, then you are one of the lucky patients.
However, many sleep apnea patients are not so lucky. It seems that using CPAP on a standard pillow allowing your head to tilt back, produces jaw joint that feels like an ear ache.
Using a contour CPAP compliance pillow that not only supports your head and neck but tilts it forward a bit alleviates this pain while on CPAP.
If you are also a side sleeper, it's difficult to sleep with a CPAP mask on your face and with a standard pillow. On the other hand, the CPAP pillow doesn't interfere with the mask like most pillows do.
How to choose the best CPAP pillow?
There a couple of things to consider when you choose a CPAP sleep aid pillow and especially for Double Edge PAPillow:
CPAP sleepers need a tall edge to keep the mask and hose out of contact with the mattress. Keep in mind that a standard pillow viewed from the side show the maximum loft in the center of the pillow, becoming flatter at the edges.
For most sleep apnea patients, the five inch depth nicely fills the area between the shoulder and neck.
Many people who have used two pillows in the past will find the double edge PAPillow gives adequate height without a second pillow.
The PAPillow is not intended for back sleepers. If you are in this situation, you should use a thin pillow, or even sleep without one.
Search for a pillow with a good quality of the fill. The fossfill ultra (synthetic feathers) from PAPillow is hypoallergenic and machine washable and it's used in high end luxury pillows for it's comfort and durability. It will not clump or bunch up after a few months of use, like fiberfill pillows.
The new pillow is too "hard" for you? Remember that the CPAP pillows tend to squish down and soften with use.
Regarding the double edge PAPillow, you can open the pillow and remove some of the stuffing, to make it softer. However, save the stuffing, because you may want to return some of it, if you remove too much.
There is about a 4 inch space along the back edge, where you can unstitch the seam to remove the stuffing. Just be sure to sew it up good, and be careful with the stuffing 'cause it goes everywhere:)
in order to make the PAPillow
more comfortable, you can fluff it up. All you need to do is to place it between your hands, push against it a number of times, and it you will see the difference.
You should try this before removing the stuffing tactic. It works for some patients.
Some sleep apnea patients find uncomfortable these pillows for CPAP. Pillows are a very important component of success in CPAP treatment. You have to experiment until you find one that meets your needs.
Some patients have a whole collection of pillows right next to their collection of masks, right next to their collection of chin straps, next to their collection of dental devices, right next to their breathing machines...and so on.
Bottom line...One size does not fit all in the sleep apnea world, that is for sure!
The CPAP pillows presented in this page, are some of the most famous on the market, but I can't guarantee that they will work for you.
I just hope you will be satisfied as many other CPAP users are.
