how do you stop mouth breating from a determined mouth?

[andy5805]

How do you make your mouth shut without it reacting violently and trying to open then waking you up?

on nasal pillow full face mask but if my mouth opens anywhere near the start of sleep it is game over.

[zoocrewphoto]

How do you make your mouth shut without it reacting violently and trying to open then waking you up?

on nasal pillow full face mask but if my mouth opens anywhere near the start of sleep it is game over.

I can barely breathe through my nose when lying down, so I use a full face mask. I can sleep with my mouth open with no problems.

There are also hybrid masks if you want to use a mask with pillows that also covers your mouth.

[Foggy1]

If you look at the poster's profile, it shows he is using the Liberty, which is a hybrid.

I've used the Liberty, and I do remember waking up once when high pressure made my mouth open. I have only awakened like that once though.

I suppose you could wear a chin strap to keep the jaw from dropping open. Then once you get used to it, maybe you can discontinue the chin strap? One of the features of the Liberty is that it is full face so that you can mouth breath... But I understand that when it opens with force it can awaken you. Maybe try a true full face mask--no nasal pillows to force the air so strongly.

Anybody else have suggestions?

[cpapist]

First, is your therapy working well? Do you use one of the softwares to make sure your CPAP settings are effective?

[VikingGnome]

Full Face Mask is best solution if chin strap doesn't work.

[JDS74]

Full Face Mask is best solution if chin strap doesn't work.

Or switch to an oral mask and quit fighting it

[nanwilson]

The Liberty is a full face mask. Doesn't matter if you open your mouth....... that is what a full face mask is for, breathing through you mouth, nose or both.

[chunkyfrog]

Have you been diagnosed with a deviated septum?
Surgery is not always a popular topic here, but if something is really "broken", maybe it ought to be fixed.

[jwerley]

Hi....I have a terrible jaw dropping problem that has never gone away (eigtht years now). I have to wear a chin strap and I was taping my mouth shut....but I recently sent for "Chin-Up's" on the internet.....I like those better, as now I don't have anything over my lips. I was hoping that the chin-up's would work in place of the chin strap, but sadly it does not.

For me, wearing the chin-ups with the chin strap is better than a full face mask because I cannot stand the dry mouth problem even with the full face mask...... but everyone is different. I suggest experimenting to find what works best for you.

Hope this helps!

Janice

[lakejumper]

I am a mouth breather and have been most of my life. I use the Mirage Quattro Full face mask which works well for me. I tried different mask styles and sizes before I found this one. I think that it helps keep my mouth shut most of the time because of the way that it fits on my chin, below my lower lip. I had to train myself to sleep on my side which helps. I will still end up on my back at times☺ I can usually get to sleep without opening my mouth but then I end up opening it sometimes during the night. You might want to try using a netti bottle to clear your sinuses before going to sleep. As far as the sound of the machine, I found that when I first started to use my CPAP several years ago, I was sensitive to everything ...sounds, mask, hose, etc. It was all so confining and depressing at first. I used ear plugs and even had a fan on in the room to provide "white noise". I found that if I tuck the hose in under my arm it was out of the way. These things all worked until I got used to it and now I can't sleep without it! Give this some time and everything will improve. It took me awhile...but here I am feeling more rested. 7 hours of sleep with the CPAP is better than 10 without it.

[LinkC]

Duct tape...


KIDDING!!

I use a Hybrid mask. (Similar to the Liberty, only better.)

[Apneanderthal]

Wondering if a good chin strap is worth a try. I purchased a "Ultimate Chin Strap" yesterday, and I'm hoping it will get here next week. I'm looking forward to trying it. Since I'm on ASV, the pressures can get up pretty high at times and my mouth flies open. I'll try to remember to report back on how it's working.

[andy5805]

Duct tape...


KIDDING!!

I use a Hybrid mask. (Similar to the Liberty, only better.)

I have no reason to think that duct tape doesn't work - it works on just about everything else, fixes things you thought unfixable, has it ever given me reason to think it's NOT up to the job...???? the other thing I thought about was WD40, that fixes everything too. Hold on, stellar thought- the two in combo! WD40, gag, good night, God bless! Sleep apnoea meet the space age - , we're surely now talking instant ability to sleep naturally at the snap of fingers at this point, just like that ......... I'd hazard a guess the flapping uvula sees the the WD40 and is instantly upgraded from your persistent worse enemy to the best friend you never had, from gargling rasping laboured abject mechanical failure to a skilful turn-of-the-key works first time, no nonsense graphite empowered polar aligned lubricated system of efficiency and grace!!

...or maybe not ( and all readers here yet to appreciate my bad sense of humour, I'm also joking - WD40 and duct tape wouldn't exactly do the job , please do not try at home)

Andy

[robysue]

Just wanting to clarify some stuff for all those folks telling Andy some version "Get a FFM" or "You have a FFM, so it's ok to mouth breath":

Andy, the OP knows he's using a hybrid mask and he knows he can open his mouth up as far as the CPAP therapy is concerned. But (based on a post in a different thread) if he opens his mouth just as he's drifting off to sleep, he starts snoring loudly (with the mask on) and the snoring wakes him up and triggers enough anxiety or other issues that he cannot seem to get to sleep in a timely fashion. And that's the problem Andy wants help with. And by the way the data posted on that other thread indicates that the standard therapy numbers are also pretty much ok---including snoring AFTER he gets soundly asleep.

That's why he's wanting tips on how to keep his trap shut when he's trying to get to sleep ....

A chin strap might help. Any other ideas???

[VikingGnome]

My experience has been that I breathe through my mouth when my nose is stuffy. Chin strap did nothing for because I breathed through my lips without opening jaw. I tried both chin strap and mouth taping and my AHI went jumped up significantly. If I can't breathe through my nose my only alternative is to mouth breathe. If I try to prevent mouth breathing then I don't breathe AT ALL. Can't wear any nasal pillows or prongs due to severe deviated septum. So full face mask is my only solution and it works well. Sometimes I do wake up with very dry mouth because I was breathing through mouth in the FF mask. But that's way better then cutting off my ability to breathe through my mouth while wearing a nasal mask. Those high AHI's indicated that at least for me, I needed a full face mask.

I really like the Hans Rudolph because to goes under your chin instead of at the chin cleft. It works at bit like a chin strap but I can still breathe through my lips when I need to.