Does a higher humidity setting stop a dry mouth?

General Discussion on any topic relating to CPAP and/or Sleep Apnea.
mon
Posts: 107
Joined: Fri Sep 21, 2012 12:43 am
Location: Australia

Does a higher humidity setting stop a dry mouth?

Post by mon » Fri Aug 22, 2014 1:19 am

I have a friend who has just started on CPAP and is saying she always wakes with a dry mouth. The only thing I can suggest is turning up the humidity level. Does anyone have suggestions on how to solve this problem? She wears a ResMed Full face AIrFit F10 mask.

User avatar
kaiasgram
Posts: 3568
Joined: Sat Jun 02, 2012 2:08 pm
Location: Northern California

Re: Does a higher humidity setting stop a dry mouth?

Post by kaiasgram » Fri Aug 22, 2014 1:56 am

It sounds like she might be mouth-breathing. If so, even a full face mask can't prevent dry mouth. More humidification might help a little, but can't totally compensate for an open mouth.

I have a friend who uses a FFM and also uses a bit of tape on her mouth to keep it closed and avoid dry mouth. I've heard other people say they use a chinstrap with a FFM for the same reason.

_________________
Machine: AirSense 10 AutoSet with Heated Humidifer + Aifit N30i Nasal Mask Bundle
Mask: Aloha Nasal Pillow CPAP Mask with Headgear
Additional Comments: SleepyHead-now-OSCAR software on Mac OSX Ventura

User avatar
archangle
Posts: 9294
Joined: Sun Mar 27, 2011 11:55 am

Re: Does a higher humidity setting stop a dry mouth?

Post by archangle » Fri Aug 22, 2014 4:15 am

Does she have a nasal mask or a full face mask?

If it's a nasal mask, she's probably leaking air out of the mouth. Humidity might help a bit, but she needs to fix the air leak. If she has a data capable machine you should be able to see if she has a large leak.

If it's a full face mask, it may be mouth breathing. Humidity might help.

_________________
Mask: Swift™ FX Nasal Pillow CPAP Mask with Headgear
Humidifier: S9™ Series H5i™ Heated Humidifier with Climate Control
Additional Comments: Also SleepyHead, PRS1 Auto, Respironics Auto M series, Legacy Auto, and Legacy Plus
Please enter your equipment in your profile so we can help you.
Click here for information on the most common alternative to CPAP.
If it's midnight and a DME tells you it's dark outside, go and check for yourself.

Useful Links.

mon
Posts: 107
Joined: Fri Sep 21, 2012 12:43 am
Location: Australia

Re: Does a higher humidity setting stop a dry mouth?

Post by mon » Fri Aug 22, 2014 7:41 am

She is using a full face mask. I'll suggest she turn the humidity up a bit then and see if that helps.

library lady
Posts: 1116
Joined: Wed Feb 05, 2014 11:10 am
Location: Rochester, MN

Re: Does a higher humidity setting stop a dry mouth?

Post by library lady » Fri Aug 22, 2014 8:35 am

My solution was to get a double-walled mug with a straw and a screw-on lid (Target). I filled it half-full of water before going to bed, set it on a little Rubbermaid-style stepstool about 3 feet from the bed; anytime I woke up in the night with "cottonmouth" I pulled the connector off the mask and got a few little sips of water, popped the connector back on and went back to sleep. In my case, the connector is directly in line with my mouth so it was easy to do, but if your mouth is not in line with the connector, an ordinary flexible straw will work. It's easiest to get a drink if you don't need to take the mask off during the night - that's a PITA.

It's important not take big gulps or lots of water if you are prone to getting up for the bathroom, because the more water you take in the more bathroom trips you need. Take only a little each time you need water.

Once I started doing this, I noticed that gradually mouth started to be less dry during the night or in the morning. These days, though I still keep the water handy, I hardly ever take water in during the night or in the morning because of a dry mouth.

_________________
Machine: PR System One REMStar 60 Series Auto CPAP Machine
Mask: AirFit™ F10 Full Face Mask with Headgear
Additional Comments:  Sleepyhead
Now using AirFit F10 mask; Quattro Air is backup mask. RemZzzz mask liners with both.

User avatar
Sclark08
Posts: 475
Joined: Mon Feb 18, 2013 10:13 am

Re: Does a higher humidity setting stop a dry mouth?

Post by Sclark08 » Fri Aug 22, 2014 8:42 am

If your room is dry humidification might help. What meds do you take . Some of them cause dry mouth.
I turn mine off in summer but keep water filled . It helps somewhat. Also the deeper you inhale dry mouth is comin. I use Biotene rinse gel and toothpaste at night. Helps sometimes not always

Wulfman...

Re: Does a higher humidity setting stop a dry mouth?

Post by Wulfman... » Fri Aug 22, 2014 11:46 am

mon wrote:I have a friend who has just started on CPAP and is saying she always wakes with a dry mouth. The only thing I can suggest is turning up the humidity level. Does anyone have suggestions on how to solve this problem? She wears a ResMed Full face AIrFit F10 mask.
My suggestion is to do nasal cleansing before bedtime (make sure you can breathe through the nose) and then turn the humidity setting DOWN.
Too much humidity can actually cause more congestion and if the nasal passages are already plugged/congested, it'll make things worse.

A dry mouth with any type of mask is a probable sign of mouth breathing, but may also be a result of some medical situation like Diabetes or a result of medications.

A little logical reasoning is needed to come up with the possible cause.


Den

.

User avatar
JQLewis
Posts: 180
Joined: Fri Apr 11, 2014 10:05 am
Location: New York City

Re: Does a higher humidity setting stop a dry mouth?

Post by JQLewis » Fri Aug 22, 2014 1:48 pm

I found bumping my humidification setting from 3 to 5 helped, but didn't eliminate, dry mouth. Chewing sugarless gum before bed helped as well (peppermint gum can also help open the sinuses). Some people prefer cough drops, but I've never tried that.

The main thing that's helped is training myself to nose breathe. It can be done, though it isn't easy. Nasal spray before bed can help keep the sinuses open. Since I've been nose breathing, even if I haven't been 100% successful (and I still use a full face mask) it has completely eliminated dry mouth as a problem.

_________________
Mask: AirFit™ N10 Nasal CPAP Mask with Headgear
Humidifier: S9™ Series H5i™ Heated Humidifier with Climate Control
Additional Comments: Sleepyhead, Sleep Studies done 3/14, AHI 85.6
Sleep Study-Titration Study
Help find the undiagnosed. Send me a PM if you'd like to help (http://osaaction.org)