Sleepyhead data should i use chin strap

[keio]

Hi there,

First night with my new cpap machine.
i remember waking up in the night twice with a dry mouth. i'm using the Respironics DreamWear Nasal .
could you help me interpret the data
i'm considering buying the respironcs chin strap

[robysue]

There does appear to be some mouth breathing between 1:40 and 2:40, but the rest of the night there's no strong evidence of mouth breathing.

But the size of the leak when the mouth breathing is at its worst (total leaks about 43 L/min and excess leaks in the mid teens) is still below the usual place where PR machines start to flag official Large Leaks (which at your pressures is often around a total leak of 50-60 L/min.

So unless that leak woke you up, there's no need (yet) to jump to the conclusion that you must wear a chin strap. If your leaks stay below official Large Leaks, the machine can compensate quite nicely for the lost air and maintain the desired pressure.

I'd suggest keeping an eye on the leaks for the next week or so. If the leaks start waking you up, you know you have to do something. If the leaks start edging into Large Leak territory for more than a few minutes you know you need to do something. But as long as the leaks are not flagged as Large Leaks and you are comfortably sleeping through them, you don't need to worry too much about them.

[tazmania]

Keio,

This is a bit premature to tell you this until you learn if your leaks or mouth breathing are a problem but I wanted to comment on the chin strap should you discover here shortly you do need to do something.

I would wake with a dry mouth every morning around 3 or 4am with a severely dry mouth. I would be so uncomfortable I couldn't get back to sleep using CPAP. We concluded it was a mouth breathing issue. About a month or so ago ChicagoGranny recommended a soft cervical collar to help with the mouth breathing so I gave it a whirl. They are pretty inexpensive. And I have to tell you its been a lifesaver. I've gotten very comfortable using it, don't hardly know it is there and it has helped eliminate the dry mouth syndrome COMPLETELY. I now am averaging over 6 hours of sleep every night with CPAP instead of the 4-5 I was getting before the collar.

And FYI I tried adjusting my pressures before I added another factor (like the collar) into my testing to find what works. I'm back to using the pressure that was recommended for me during my sleep study 8 years ago and thanks to the addition of the collar I have an AHI that is almost non-existent. Some small leaks but that's about it. And what a treat it is to be able to look at my stats and validate that I'm getting a really good night's sleep.

Something to consider if mouth breathing is an issue and cause of any large leaks you have.

[ChicagoGranny]

i remember waking up in the night twice with a dry mouth. i'm using the Respironics DreamWear Nasal .
could you help me interpret the data
i'm considering buying the respironcs chin strap

I recommend a cervical collar over a chin strap. The collar works better for me and doesn't interfere with the mask headgear like chin straps tend to do. A collar is also very cheap to try.

Currently, I am using DMI Universal Firm Foam Cervical Collar - http://www.walmart.com/search/?query=DM ... l%20collar (Shipping is free if you pickup at a local Walmart store.)

Note that the firm comes in sizes from 3 to 4 inches wide. I recommend 3.5-inch for average size person and 3.0-inch for small person as a starting point. After using one for a while, you might need to go up or down a size when you reorder.