[Poll] Do you use anything to help keep your mouth closed?

In addition to tape, I use a Chin up strip.

Kitano wrote:I have had zero leaks for over 2years using cervical collar.

It looks like you didn't vote in the poll yet - why not add your vote. The more votes we get, the more information we get on what works for the most people.

For my first years or two on cpap I used a homemade chin strap, denture adhesive, tape, pillow under my chin - anything to stop the mouth breathing. I had no nasal issues so I figured there was no reason to accept mouth breathing. I don't use anything these days. The tongue against the roof of my mouth behind my teeth PLUS a suction move that holds it in place does the trick for me. I am very careful still about head position. I mostly side sleep. Try to keep my head flat, not tilted in any way. I found most pillows to be my enemy. Dense and very firm works best. I doubt my jaw would stay shut if my position gave gravity a chance to do what it does.

yaconsult wrote: It looks like you didn't vote in the poll yet - why not add your vote. The more votes we get, the more information we get on what works for the most people.

FYI, If you are using the mobile app, you can't see or enter poll info. You have to use the site in full page mode to do that.

Krelvin wrote:

yaconsult wrote: It looks like you didn't vote in the poll yet - why not add your vote. The more votes we get, the more information we get on what works for the most people.

FYI, If you are using the mobile app, you can't see or enter poll info. You have to use the site in full page mode to do that.

Do you mean the tapatalk app? I was not aware that mobile users didn't see the polls - thanks for filling me in! I will add a note for mobile users in future polls.

I use a chin strap even though I also use a FFM. My mouth drops open and dries out, especially as I keep my humidity around 2 (unless it's very dry).

I've got to agree with PR - I've never gotten the tongue position thing. When my mouth is closed, up on the roof of my mouth behind my front teeth is the only place my tongue can be, but maybe that's a factor of the way my mouth and face are put together (overbite).

Interestingly, not long after I started therapy, I developed a lisp. Seems the air going down my throat keeping my airway open caused tongue thrust, which became muscle memory, and then affected me during the day. Now I seem to be correcting for it so I don't lisp as much.

I am a knuckle dragging mouth breather, which I blame on 40 years of a horribly deviated septum (ENT Doc said, "I've seen worse, but not much."). Ten years ago a septoplasty and turbinate reduction made it possible to breathe through my nose alone, wow what a difference! Old habits die hard. With CPAP, I started on the FFM Simplus, and horrible dry mouth, before finally switching to a P10 and chinstrap. Did not think it possible to use the nasal pillows, but I have to say they are the way to go if you can tolerate it. Tried to train myself to nose breathe during the day, but as soon as I fall asleep the mouth pops open. So the strap is crucial for me.

I use the Ruby model. Tried the Respironics model, but it kept wiggling loose as I tossed and turned. Tried the Ruby figuring nothing to lose other than another $20, and like It best. Cups my chin nicely and stays in place. I purchased a second one since I drool sometimes, swapping them out to clean and dry. Accidentally ran one through the wash with the sheets and it came out OK (low heat). My kids think it funny looking, too, so I get a laugh out of it. Nothing like embarrassing them when friends are there late...

Back before I switched to an FFM, I used the Swift FX and a Ruby chinstrap. The problem is that even with my teeth clenched together, including a tooth grind guard in my mouth, I would still have therapy air escape thru my lips. At that time my solution was just a small piece of 1/4 x 1/2 inch vertical tape to gently hold the center of my lips together. If I had to sip water, cough or spit etc the outer edges of my lips were free. Occasionally a small amount of air would slip out thru the corners of my mouth and it'd show up on Sleepyhead but it wasn't big enough to derail my therapy.

I use nasal pillows without a chin strap. Would I see large leak flags if there were a problem?

- Flappy

Uncle Flapp wrote:I use nasal pillows without a chin strap. Would I see large leak flags if there were a problem?

- Flappy

If your equipment here is accurate, you can get that information from the Info Screen (turn the wheel to highlight Info and press the center button), then scroll down by turning the wheel until you come to "Large Leak." PR defines "large leak" as "so large, it is no longer possible to determine respiratory events with statistical accuracy." It tells you the percentage of time you were in a state of large leak (i.e., the lower the number the better).

I think you can set an alarm from the clinician's screen for this, but who needs something else to wake you up at night . The alarm is meant for caregivers, I think.

Sleepyhead's statistics will also show a percentage that you are over the large leak line, but I'm not sure exactly how it figures that out. The "Welcome" screen each day will give its opinion about your leak status in plain English.

Hope this helps

palerider wrote:I just don't get the whole tongue thing

Darth Lady wrote:I've got to agree with PR - I've never gotten the tongue position thing.

I put the tongue position thing in a category near homeopathy.

There is just no way you can "train" a muscle to stay in a certain position while you are sleeping, especially in REM where the muscles are relaxed. You can't train your hand muscles to grasp your ear while sleeping and you can't train your tongue muscles to press against the roof of the mouth while sleeping.

For those that think they have "trained", I suggest they did this before falling asleep and it distracted them from the breathing/CPAP processes and helped them relax and maybe a more relaxed breathing meant they would not breath through their mouths.


ChicagoSkeptic

Uncle Flapp wrote:I use nasal pillows without a chin strap. Would I see large leak flags if there were a problem?

Yes...if mouth opening were a real problem you would see large leak flags. If you aren't seeing any ...or if only a rare short lived large leak flags...and if you are sleeping well....I wouldn't worry about it.
Plus there's varying degrees of just how serious the large leak might be if it were flagged.
Like is it maybe just a few L/min into large leak territory or is it 20 to 30 or more into large leak territory.
The machines don't totally go to crap with the first L/min that we go into large leak territory. It's a gradual thing where things get iffier the further we go into large leak territory...and how long we stay there.

For your machine...large leak territory is going to be up around 90 L/min (it actually varies with mask and pressure used and since your machine will vary the pressure a lot through out the night there won't be a clear cut large leak territory line) and most of the Respironics machine reports I have seen the machine doesn't start having significant problems until the total leak is well above 100 L/min as in the 120 L/min range.

I always tell people...evaluate the leak graph so that you see exactly what the leak line is doing before going into a panic about doing something to fix the leaks (like tape or chin strap or whatever). Sometimes it simply isn't that big of a deal if someone is sleeping well and leaks aren't waking them up.
I have gone both the chin strap and tape route in the past...it works for a lot of people but it caused me more sleep disturbances and the cure was worse than the disease once my mouth learned to stay shut for the bulk of the night.

I simply don't see the need to go to heroic measures to fix a maybe big leak that maybe lasts 5 minutes and maybe just barely is in large leak territory and maybe happens once a night and I never know it happened until I see a report.

I voted that I don't, but probably should. At least, maybe.

There have been a few nights I've woken up with severe dry mouth, and in my data from last night it shows a large leak, which I'm assuming was from right before I woke up with bone dry mouth. But I don't know if it's something I can figure out without a chin strap, etc. This is all new and confusing. And frustrating.

Thanks for your replies, Pugsy and Darth Lady. The large leak indication on the machine LCD remains at 0% even on the rare occasion my mouth opens and I awake. My guess is because the machine reports an average for the entire night and a few breaths aren't going to set it off. The LL flag in SH has never worked for me (but it does in Encore) so I look at the graph and try to identify any instances manually. DL, I am curious if you are able to see any LL flags on yours since our machines are the same. I did report this anomaly to Mark a while back.

The P10 is so much more comfortable than the F10 and I should have made the switch sooner. It would be shame if I had to take extra steps to make it work - sounds like I don't have to.

Thanks again for your replies.

- Flappy

Darth Lady wrote:
If your equipment here is accurate, you can get that information from the Info Screen (turn the wheel to highlight Info and press the center button), then scroll down by turning the wheel until you come to "Large Leak." PR defines "large leak" as "so large, it is no longer possible to determine respiratory events with statistical accuracy." It tells you the percentage of time you were in a state of large leak (i.e., the lower the number the better).

Oh, so it may be normal that my machine didn't register the leak last night that the software programs are showing?