RemZzzs Blog - Let Yourself Sleep Again

Dr. Barry Krakow, of Maimonides Sleep Arts & Sciences in Albuquerque, NM is a board certified Internist specializing in Sleep Disorders. During his 30+ years as a physician he has engaged in ground-breaking research in sleep medicine. Dr. Krakow is published in prestigious scientific journals, and has had works featured in The New Yorker, New York Times and Time Magazine. Dr. Krakow speaks with authority as he shares his personal experience with CPAP compliancecombined with his expert opinion.

"It has been widely described for decades that the mask has been one of the weakest links in our efforts to help our patients. The facts are that the Manufactures of these masks have neglected to solve the seal problem, whereas the individual resourcefulness of Robert Rutan actually led to an innovative solution in the form of RemZzzs® CPAP Full Mask Liners, which solves many mask-related problems in a large proportion of cases; enabling the patient to wear the PAP device.

I know this to be true from first-hand experience.

I had attempted to use a full face mask for several years and could not improve my hours of use above 6 hours without causing bruising on my cheeks and the bridge of the nose. In 2009 when I first began using the RemZzzs® CPAP Mask Liners, I was able to increase my usage to 8 hours while limiting the irritation on my skin. In the past, I had ceased using the device at least once or twice per week in order for the bruising to heal. Now I can wear the device every night for months on end.

In learning about the impact of the RemZzzs® CPAP Full Mask Liners on myself, I translated that experience to my patients and soon discovered that a majority of them benefited from the mask liners as well. In every one of these cases, the patients reported discomfort, irritation or bruising or all three symptoms when trying to use the mask cushion without a liner. Once we introduced them to the RemZzzs® CPAP Mask Liners they had experiences similar to mine, and were able to maintain usage and thus achieve the benefits of PAP therapy.

The RemZzzs® CPAP Full Mask Liners have been a major technological advance in improving and optimizing the care of sleep apnea patients. Unquestionably, the mask liners for some patients have made the difference between using or not using the device, and between success or failure with CPAP therapy.”

A few years ago Resmed launched a campaign to promote “Comfort equals Compliance,” and we totally agree. Let’s take a closer look at these two words.

Comfort - “A state of physical ease and freedom from pain or constraint.”

Compliance - “The state of abiding by rules or standards.”

What do “comfort” and “compliance” have in common?  I’d say ‘just about everything’. Some things just naturally go together; peanut butter and jelly, a boat and oar, Scooby and Shaggy, hot dog and bun. Sure, you could split up any one of these twosomes, but it just wouldn’t have the same effect!

 Comfort and compliance are the dynamic duo in CPAP therapy.

How many people would love to parachute from an airplane without the proper equipment? I’m guessing it wouldn’t be too comfortable crashing headlong onto the ground! Or what about rock climbing without a harness or protective gloves?

Ouch!

 The same is true for wearing a silicone CPAP mask against your face all night without using a protective barrier. Let’s be honest here…we all sweat and have oily skin, and a CPAP mask tends to cause skin irritation when it sits on the face for hours at a time.

Not comfortable.

 CPAP therapy has a ‘usage standard’ for a patient to follow in order to be considered compliant; a minimum 4 hours of use each night. The natural solution for compliance in CPAP therapy is found in the comfort of RemZzzs® full mask liners...they just go together, kinda like peanut butter and jelly!  

A customer once emailed to say that “using a RemZzzs® is like sleeping on a soft cotton pillowcase instead of a vinyl cover.”  

We agree.