Do mouth breathers have a harder time getting good results?

[jjlady]

With a full face mask, you can breath through your mouth or nose right??? I feel like this might be a stupid question, my prescription said for a nasal mask, but I am a mouth breather and wear a full face mask and breath mostly through my mouth. Do people generally get less benefit or less good results breathing through the mouth on a full face mask?? I know some use a nasal mask with a chin strap to stop breathing through the mouth but I am getting used to sleeping with the full face mask and feel if I start to use a nasal mask right now I would have to start over. My AHI is still in my 15's.

[Sloop]

IMO, breathing is breathing. As long as you can control the leaks on your FF mask, AND most importantly -- as long as you get a full night's sleep -- then I think it matters not which kind of mask you use.

Again -- that is just one man's opinion.

[Sheriff Buford]

With a full face mask, you can breath thru your mouth, nose or both. The issue you are referring to is folks with nasal masks breathing thru their mouth. When they open their mouth, the cpap air going thru their nose will come out the mouth (when it is open). This will reduce the cpap therapy. A person with a nasal mask can normally tell they are breathing thru their mouth at night if their mouth is dry. With a full face mask you are ok.

Sheriff

[eaglett1111]

i am a mouth breather but have the nasal mask.

At first it was difficult, but I believe I have mastered it. At first I felt like I was suffocating, especially when the pressure first started. I couldn't even cough for the first couple of weeks. Now, when awake, I can cough and even take a breath if I need to without panic.

The mask presses down on my upper lip, and although I cannot guarantee that I don't breathe through my mouth when sleeping, with an AHI of 1.0 (after a pretty dismal sleep study) and many (not all) nights with 1-2 awakenings, I think it works.

[BlackSpinner]

With a full face mask, you can breath through your mouth or nose right??? I feel like this might be a stupid question, my prescription said for a nasal mask, but I am a mouth breather and wear a full face mask and breath mostly through my mouth. Do people generally get less benefit or less good results breathing through the mouth on a full face mask?? I know some use a nasal mask with a chin strap to stop breathing through the mouth but I am getting used to sleeping with the full face mask and feel if I start to use a nasal mask right now I would have to start over. My AHI is still in my 15's.

There is a setting on most machines which differentiate between full and nasal mask. Or at least there is on mine.

I found using the respcare Hybrid, which has a chin flap, my mouth is kept mostly closed without the problems chinstraps have. With the Quatro my mouth would fall open, especially if I was on my back, and fall right out of the mask. As far as ENT's are concerned, mask masks are best for your whole breathing apparatus. Breathing through your nose cleanses and warms and humidifies the air for your lungs.