Hi everyone. I have a weird little question here. I have been on CPAP for about 6 weeks and have only noticed a small improvement in my energy level. I am using a Respironics mask with nasal pillows...it is not entirely uncomfortable, but I find myself waking up during the night to adjust it because the headgear slips out of place. I'm Asian and have "slippery" long hair, and it seems like tightening the straps doesn't help keep the mask in place. Any suggestions on better headgear or a better mask that will stay in place? (I'm not willing to shave my head!) Thanks!

I have trouble with the top strap at the back of my head slipping upward.  I'm thinking about putting a ponytail holder on it, or a velcro strap from another headgear I have, to hold the top strap downward closer to the bottom strap.  Either that, or checking into a smaller sized headgear.  You're right - tightening it makes it worse.


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ResMed Auto Set II w/hi4 Pressure 9 - 20 EPR at 3 SleepWeaver, Mirage Micro, Liberty, FitLlife
Orig AHI 30.4 RDI 36 & RLS/PLMB

I put a ponytail in my hair and stick it through the center hole in the head gear. My hair is pretty slick too. I use a mirage quattro full face mask though, so I don't know if that makes a difference.


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Started CPAP 4/08, pressure 10
nights camping with CPAP: 32!

veggies wrote:

Hi everyone. I have a weird little question here. I have been on CPAP for about 6 weeks and have only noticed a small improvement in my energy level. I am using a Respironics mask with nasal pillows...it is not entirely uncomfortable, but I find myself waking up during the night to adjust it because the headgear slips out of place. I'm Asian and have "slippery" long hair, and it seems like tightening the straps doesn't help keep the mask in place. Any suggestions on better headgear or a better mask that will stay in place? (I'm not willing to shave my head!) Thanks!

You can probably figure out a way to use an additional velcro strap, as mentioned in the second post. For instance, the Respironics premium chin strap provides a few extra velcro straps to keep the chin strap from slipping off of a persons chin. It works very well. They provide 2 extra straps, but usually i only use one leaving me the extra. By the way, the item that I am referring to is white. If you are interested, then let me know and ill PM you a link. The people running the site do not approve product links for whatever reason.

I've read of someone who used an old thin terry face cloth under the mask headgear to hold it in pace instead of slipping due to their silky hair.


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Some people are like Slinkies... Not really good for anything, but they still bring a smile to your face when you push them down a flight of stairs.
Resmed VPAP Auto. Humidaire 3i, Simplicity mask, ResScan 3.7, S8 ResLink, Embla oximeter.

thanks for the suggestions!

There's also something called the PapCap but I've never seen one so can't say much about it other than it exists and can be bought. A websearch should bring up a picture of one and info about it.


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Some people are like Slinkies... Not really good for anything, but they still bring a smile to your face when you push them down a flight of stairs.
Resmed VPAP Auto. Humidaire 3i, Simplicity mask, ResScan 3.7, S8 ResLink, Embla oximeter.

One other thought for you.  Here in the south it's pretty common to see Africa-American men wearing a skull cap, they're made out of the same nylon material as pantyhose. I presume you could get one at a ethnic hair care store or maybe a sporting good store. If you do a search on Amazon for "nylon skull cap" you'll get a pic. They're pretty inexpensive, this might give your headgear something to grip and being so thin, they shouldn't be hot or uncomfortable. They're cheap enough so you could experiment.

those are great ideas. Thanks again! :)

Update: I decided to try a different mask and headgear setup (Respironics ComfortGel nasal mask). It stays in place a million times better than the nasal pillows I was using before.

I also discovered that if I pull as much hair as possible out from under the strap and let it lay over the top of the strap, it provides a barried that helps keep the hair down.


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ResMed Auto Set II w/hi4 Pressure 9 - 20 EPR at 3 SleepWeaver, Mirage Micro, Liberty, FitLlife
Orig AHI 30.4 RDI 36 & RLS/PLMB