Mouth breathing

[Durwardspencer]

I am comfortable with my nasal pillow mask but my mouth seems to come open when I relax in sleep. I've tried chin straps and are using tape. Can anyone suggest something they have found to alleviate this situation?

[bdp522]

I have the same problem. I tape every night(2 years now). Chin straps still allowed air to escape from my lips. Some here use poligrip strips to seal the mouth. You could check out http://www.pur-sleep.com and look at the pap-cap chinstrap. It seems to be working well for several forum members.

Brenda

[rested gal]

Anything's worth a try. Tape is still the surest way for me to control my mouth breathing during sleep if I want to wear the kind of comfy nasal pillows mask I like.

I taped for over three years, then gave a chin strap a try again. The original Respironics Deluxe worked well enough that I began using it during the fourth year. Not as low a leak line as with tape, but good enough.

Tried the CPAP-Cap that Brenda mentioned. Same results for me as with the usual chin strap...ok, but not as much leak control as with tape.

Finally have gotten tired of all that extra stuff on the head, under chin, up the side of face, etc. So, recently I've gone back to taping my mouth. Now using a tape that others have mentioned...the two-inch wide 3-M Blue painters tape for "delicate surfaces." Works great.

For new readers who are wondering... "TAPE?? Huh???"
LINKS to: Mouth leaks - Air Leaks - Tape - DIY Guard
viewtopic.php?t=8011

[DaveMunson]

Duct Tape. I taped for about a year and then I did not need to anymore. Lots of different types of duct tape.

[grandmma]

My son and I are two of those who use polident strips. We both LOVE them.

In Australia, they're sometimes hard to find, so I stock up when I do.

Bend into a "V", wet your lips, insert between & close mouth. Keep closed for 5-10 minutes and voila. Some cut diagonally and place so that they cover the whole mouth, but I just deal with the "V" shape and whatever area this covers seems to be enough.

Wetness is crucial - too much and they deteriorate & you need to replace (no biggie). Too little and your mouth will not seal, so you re-wet some more (no biggie). Can be sometimes messy to remove in the morning, again, no biggie. For me at least.

Takes some trial and error, but I find for me is less invasive or troublesome than strapping or taping.

You can open your mouth, but it takes just enough effort to mean that for me I just don't. I have found in the past if you do open your mouth - to cough or sneeze or whatever, it can be resealed on many occasions. And a side benefit is that after a lifetime of allergies, sinus and resultant mouth breathing, I now keep my mouth closed most of the day (I know, a world of jokes right there ) and almost always breathe through my nose.

Good luck whichever way you decide to go.