Dry mouth

General Discussion on any topic relating to CPAP and/or Sleep Apnea.
RipVandub

Dry mouth

Post by RipVandub » Sun Sep 28, 2014 1:21 pm

I have used a CPAP since 2006. Lately, I have been waking up with extreme dry mouth and my wife complains about the loud noise of the air coming out of my mouth. I have tried different chin straps and masks, but nothing has helped. This is a new set back for me. Anyone else had to overcome this? I would appreciate any feedback that might be helpful!

User avatar
BlackSpinner
Posts: 9745
Joined: Sat Apr 25, 2009 5:44 pm
Location: Edmonton Alberta
Contact:

Re: Dry mouth

Post by BlackSpinner » Sun Sep 28, 2014 1:49 pm

A full face mask will solve this.
Air escaping your mouth with a nasal mask of any sort will wreck your therapy - if it is going out of your mouth it is not holding your throat open. Plus it is also causing dental decay.

_________________
Machine: PR System One REMStar 60 Series Auto CPAP Machine
Mask: Hybrid Full Face CPAP Mask with Nasal Pillows and Headgear
Additional Comments: Quatro mask for colds & flus S8 elite for back up
71. The lame can ride on horseback, the one-handed drive cattle. The deaf, fight and be useful. To be blind is better than to be burnt on the pyre. No one gets good from a corpse. The Havamal

User avatar
bwexler
Posts: 1507
Joined: Mon Nov 08, 2010 11:52 pm
Location: San Marcos, Ca. USA

Re: Dry mouth

Post by bwexler » Sun Sep 28, 2014 1:53 pm

We need a lot more information before we can help.
We need to know the exact brand and model of your XPAP machine.
We need to know what mode you are using it, CPAP, APAP, BiLevel, ASV.
We need to know your pressure settings, minimum, maximum, ramp, EPR Etc.
We need to know exactly which masks you have tried.
Are you using software? If so what is your leak rate and how long the leaks persist. Posting a chart here would be best.
With all of this information there are many folks here who can help you.

Without this info, it is like calling a mechanic and saying "my car doesn't work, what will it cost to fix it?"

_________________
Mask: SleepWeaver 3D Soft Cloth Nasal CPAP Mask with Headgear
Additional Comments: AurCurve 10 ASV Also using Sleaplyhead 1.1, ResScan 6 and CMS50i

RipVandub

Re: Dry mouth

Post by RipVandub » Sun Sep 28, 2014 4:43 pm

My machine is CPAP Respironics REMstar Plus. I was using the TapPap nasal pillows with great success until recently. When I had the dry mouth problem, I went back to my old ResMed Activa mask which worked better for a day or two. My air pressure is set at 14 I believe. I don't use software. Honestly, I didn't realize there were so many things to consider. I haven't had trouble consistently with dry mouth until recently (last couple of months). Since 2006 I just put my mask on, turn on the machine, sleep, and repeat.

User avatar
bwexler
Posts: 1507
Joined: Mon Nov 08, 2010 11:52 pm
Location: San Marcos, Ca. USA

Re: Dry mouth

Post by bwexler » Sun Sep 28, 2014 9:54 pm

It seems you have what is known around here as a brick. It only provides complience data, which means it will tell you which days you have used it and how many hours each day.
If you haven't been paying attention that may be helpful. But to answer your questions we need to now what is happening throughout the night.
How much is your mask leaking? When is it leaking? How does that relate to when you are experiencing events? What type of events are you having and how long does each last?
The higher end machines track and report all this information. With out the information we can make wild guesses about what may be happening and what may correct it.
With the info you have provided we can guess that dry mouth is caused by air leaking from your mouth. There are two solutions 1 keep your mouth closed with the assistance of a chin strap if neccessary.
2 use a full face mask so that if the air leaks from your open mouth it is still witin the mask and you don't loose any therapy.
Unfortunately I have learned to mouth breath into a full face mask and still wake up with a dry mouth.
I am now using a chin strap even though i did not need one for the first 3.5 years of my PAP therapy.

_________________
Mask: SleepWeaver 3D Soft Cloth Nasal CPAP Mask with Headgear
Additional Comments: AurCurve 10 ASV Also using Sleaplyhead 1.1, ResScan 6 and CMS50i

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

Re: Dry mouth

Post by kaiasgram » Sun Sep 28, 2014 10:29 pm

Rip -- Our pressure needs can change over time. The fact that you have started opening your mouth after years of not doing so makes me wonder if your apnea is no longer being effectively treated at your current pressure setting and you're simply trying to breathe. To find out if this is the case you'd need either a new sleep study or a machine that records your treatment data.

_________________
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

Guest

Re: Dry mouth

Post by Guest » Mon Sep 29, 2014 10:21 am

Thanks all. You provided good information. I will do more research and possibly another sleep study to get this corrected.

Ljg
Posts: 1
Joined: Sat Aug 16, 2014 12:38 am

Re: Dry mouth

Post by Ljg » Mon Sep 29, 2014 11:52 pm

I used to get dry mouth also. I couldn't find a chin strap that would work. Started putting a piece of surgical tape vertically from under my nose to bottom of chin and no more dry mouth. It keeps my mouth shut! The tape is about 1/2 in wide.