r/CPAP•
Reasonable-Owl-232

Query about mask exhaust vents.

CPAP Setup

I'm looking for some feedback on masks. As a brief intro, I don't have sleep apnea, but I do snore alot. I have slept in a spare bedroom for the last few years at home but I'd really like to go back to my marital bed. My wife wears earplugs as standard (childhood habit) and tells me my snoring only interrupts her 1/10 nights. The problem is I can't get to sleep knowing there's a 10% chance she'll have a bad nights sleep, and I'm fairly sure her 1/10 is probably actually 1/5 or worse. I've hired a CPAP machine as a trial and it almost eliminates my snoring, and the machine is very quiet.

My main question is about masks. The trial machine I have came with a f20 mask from Resmed. There's exhale vents on this but the vent is near the nose, and I like to have fresh air. Because the vent is near the nose and I exhale through my mouth, the air feels a bit stuffy and stale. I know that is wrong, but it's still how I feel. I know the air isn't stale because I can feel the air blowing through the exhale port, but the temperature still feels high. I've drilled a 2mm hole in the very bottom of the mask, which allows the air to travel past my mouth through this hole. The machines pressure comes through the hose, past my mouth and into the hole. It feels much better for me to sleep and doesn't impact the pressure of the mask.

Does anyone know of masks or hoses which come with exhaust vents lower down near the mouth straight from the factory? I'd like to drill a bigger hole, maybe 3mm or 4mm but I worry if I go too big it'll impact the pressure in the mask, or make the machine work too hard to keep pressure up.

Posted Jun 3, 2026, 1:52 AM UTC

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