Which CPAP Mask is Best? Pros & Cons of Mask

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Patients wear a CPAP mask during the night over their nose or nose and mouth. The masks connect to a small machine with a hose. The machine pumps pressured air into the patient’s airway to keep it open while they’re sleeping.

Continuous positive airway pressure is a type of treatment proven effective for sleep apnea. Even though it is effective, compliance with this therapy continues to be problematic. In fact, up to 83 percent of patients don’t comply with CPAP therapy. While the average CPAP use is around five to six hours a night, many patients use it fewer than four hours a night.

1. Nasal CPAP Mask

The nasal CPAP mask covers your patient’s nose from the bridge to their upper lip area. This delivers an indirect airflow to the airway via the nasal mask and works well for patients who need higher pressure settings.

The nasal CPAP mask offers your patients many versatile options and is a popular compromise between the bulky full face CPAP mask and the lightweight nasal pillow.

A physician may recommend nasal CPAP masks to patients who:

Move around in their sleep a lot.
Need a higher pressure setting on their CPAP machine.
Want a good selection of mask options they can pick from.
Prefer a more natural airflow.

How Are Nasal CPAP Masks Used?

Nasal masks are popular among patients who wear CPAP masks since there are many fits and sizes available.

Pros of a Nasal CPAP Mask

Some pros of nasal CPAP masks include:
Indirect and natural airflow.
Work better than nasal pillows for higher pressure settings.
Various styles to cater to almost any type of facial feature and structure.
Good if your patient moves around in their sleep or sleeps on their side.

Cons of a Nasal CPAP Mask

Nasal CPAP masks do come with some downsides. They’re not a great choice for patients who are mouth breathers, unless they are used with a chin-strap that keeps their jaw and mouth closed. In some cases, users may experience some irritation from mask pressure on their forehead or the bridge of their nose.