5 Reasons Why Your CPAP Mask is Leaking

A leaky CPAP mask is a prevalent complaint among CPAP users. If you lose air pressure, hear strange noises from your CPAP mask, feel stuffed up upon waking or experience disrupted sleep, chances are you have a leaky CPAP mask.

Advanced Sleep Medicine is here to provide you the top five reasons for why your CPAP mask leaks, and what you can do about it.

1. Your CPAP pressure is too high.

When you first received your CPAP machine, chances are your doctor or respiratory therapist helped you set the pressure settings. These settings would have been based on your sleep study. However, if the pressure amount is causing a problem now, you can talk to your doctor about changing it. If your CPAP machine uses a ramp feature where it gradually increases the pressure, it might be set too high. 

2. You’ve been tossing and turning in the night.

This can cause your CPAP mask to become loose or shift on your face, breaking the seal and causing a leak. Often, this can be remedied by adjusting the straps. We also carry CPAP masks specifically designed for active sleepers.

3. Your CPAP mask is dirty.

When the dirt and oils build up on your CPAP mask, it can cause you to lose the seal. A CPAP mask should be wiped down daily with a damp cloth or a CPAP mask wipe and submerged once a week in soapy water.

4. How you sleep.

There’s no right or wrong way to sleep, but your position can affect how your CPAP mask fits. For example, if you breathe with your mouth open, a nasal CPAP mask is not going to be good for you, and you’ll want to use a full-faced mask instead. If you’re a side-sleeper, then a CPAP nasal mask is going to work better than a full-faced CPAP mask.

5. Your CPAP mask is old.

The seals on CPAP masks do wear out over time, which cause leaks. Expect to change your CPAP mask once every three months. If it’s that time for your CPAP mask, check out the wide range of options we have on our website.

If you are still experiencing CPAP mask air leaks after trying the above suggestions, contact Advanced Sleep Medicine today!