How do I Exhale With Mirage Swift LT?

"Waiting to Exhale" isn't just a movie. If you use a CPAP machine for the treatment of obstructive sleep apnea, you may be having a lot of difficulty exhaling. Side sleepers often prefer nasal pillow masks like the Mirage Swift LT over nasal or full-face masks, but learning to use a nasal pillow mask can be tricky at first. Use these strategies to learn to breathe out through the small nasal pillows against the pressure of the incoming air.

Cushion Size

• Try several cushion sizes -- larger may be better. The pillows are not designed to fit fully inside your nostrils, but instead to sit up against them, which creates a good seal.

Reseat the Cushion

• First, pull the pillows slightly away from your nose and then let the mask reseat against your nostrils. You can pinch the cushion over the bridge of your nose a little to tweak how the mask fits. Finally, tilt the cushion against the base of your nose slightly so that the pillows are pointing up a bit more.

Headgear

• Double-check your manufacturer's directions; it's easy to get cushions backward or headgear inside out. Counter-intuitively, the straps on your headgear should be a bit loose for best fit.

Clean the Pillows

• Nasal pillows don't work well if they're not scrupulously clean. The plastic, often double-walled parts are so thin that the slightest amount of oil from your skin can make airflow less efficient. Follow the manufacturer's cleaning directions every day.

Practice While Awake

• Practice breathing against the machine when you're not staking your precious night's sleep on it. Hook it up beside your recliner while you're watching TV. You'll breathe more easily when you and your CPAP do finally go to bed.