Dry Throat issues...suggestions?

I have been trying to get going on my CPAP machine. It is a a Philips Respironics REMstar-Auto-A-Flex System 1. It has a humidifier but I do not have a heated tube on it. My girlfriend has this unit so I was familiar with apnea and the basics before I got started. Before I got the machine my sleep pattern was to fall asleep within about 30 seconds and I would stay asleep for 4-4.5 hours before the apnea woke me up. Now, I put the mask on and fall asleep very quickly, sleep for 45 minutes to 1 hour and wake up with a dry, parched throat. I am having no nasal issue either with breathing or congestion. I drink some water and spray some biotene (recommended by my dentist brother who also has the machine) and go back to sleep. invariably I wake up 45 minutes later with another seriously parched throat and now since I am up the 2nd time, I am unable to fall back asleep unless I remove the mask and shut down the machine. I have laid there for up to 90 minutes and I just cannot get back to sleep. The issue to me is the parched throat. So let me tell you a little bit more:

* I have adjusted the humidifier from 0-5 and nothing works...beyond 3, I feel like I have flem aggregating in my throat and have to hock about 10 times to even get close to clearing it.
* I have tried a chin strap.
* I have tried and continue to use a Xlimelt (one), which helps but isn't the solution.
* I have two masks a Fisher and Paykel ESON Medium nose mask and a...
* A Resmed AirFit F10 full face mask

It is worse with the full face mask. The masks don't bother me, nor the machine or the air, but the throat parching will not go away and the idea of "giving it time" is not going to get rid of that issue. I need this to work obviously and I have run out of ideas. I got this from Linncare and they really are just a supplier. I do have an appointment with my GP in a week and I though about calling the folks who did the sleep study for help.

However, I thought I would see what I get here...any suggestions? Is a heated tube the answer...not sure what that would do for this problem.

Thanks!!!

Dry throat indicates mouth-breathing or mouth-leaking. Even with a full face mask it can happen.
Too high of a humidifier setting can cause more nasal congestion which can exacerbate the problem.
Doing nasal cleansing before bedtime can help if congestion is an issue.
Turning down (or off) the humidifier setting to use cooler humidity.
Training your tongue to stay to the roof of your mouth may help stop the mouth-breathing.


Den

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I wanted to add one thing...I am not mouth breathing. When I laid there on my back for 90 minutes just trying to fall back asleep it happened so it has something to do with air or mask. Mask seems to fit perfectly although I do sleep on my side. My GF says I am not a "mouth breather" so I don't think that is it....that is why the chin strap did nothing.

Thanks again!!

bearslair72 wrote:I wanted to add one thing...I am not mouth breathing. When I laid there on my back for 90 minutes just trying to fall back asleep it happened so it has something to do with air or mask. Mask seems to fit perfectly although I do sleep on my side. My GF says I am not a "mouth breather" so I don't think that is it....that is why the chin strap did nothing.

Thanks again!!

Do you have any other medical conditions (like Diabetes) or take medications. If you do take medications, you can check them at http://www.drugs.com to see if dry mouth may be a side effect.


Den

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The humidity setting of 5 on the PR S1 machine in its default "new system one humidification" mode doesn't put out an enormous amount of humidity.
I don't know if the heated hose will help or not but using the heated hose will allow the greatest amount of humidification into the airway. Using a heated hose allows for 3 different humidity settings..1 is 70%, 2 is 80% and 3 is for 90 %.
Now there is what is called Classic Mode which you might try just to see if it helps or not. Classic Mode will use more water and deliver quite a bit more moisture than the "new system one humidification mode" delivers but it will also increase the chance of condensation (rain out) in the mask or hose.
To change to Classic Mode you have to go into the clinical menu setup and turn off the "new S1 humidification" mode.

You need to look at the software leak reports to make sure that you aren't mouth breathing or mouth leaking.
Your girlfriend doesn't stay awake all night to confirm that it never happens.

Some people just get a dry mouth/throat much easier than other people and it doesn't really take a lot to dry it out.
You aren't taking any medications that might tend to dry the mucosa are you?

If it is the cpap air that is the drying agent and the usual stuff like Biotene or maybe one of the moisturizing gels doesn't help all I know to offer is try more moisture in the cpap air....and in this case either Classic mode or using the heated hose might help because more moisture can be pumped into the air going down your airway.

I am one healthy dude...65 and no other problems whatsoever. I never got dry mouth before in my life except once I started using the machine.

Thanks all so far by the way!

I have trouble with dry mouth/throat also. I wake during the night with my mouth so dry it feels "stuck together". I'm not a mouth breather, have tried nasal masks, hybrid mask and full facemask and no difference because what happens is that my teeth part just a little and air flows into mouth from the back (nose to throat to mouth). My mouth never opens. A very tight chin strap helps keep my teeth together, but it is very annoying to me, I feel all "trussed up". During winter I run a room humidifier and that does help some. I have my humidifier & heat as high as they will go. I'm searching for a solution also.

I've thought about the dental device that makes using a CPAP unnecessary, it is custom made by a dentist specialist, it ratchets your bottom jaw forward just enough to open your airway. What I don't care for is the fact that when you remove the device in the mornings you have to "exercise" your bottom jaw to get it back into normal placement. Sounds unpleasant.

Perhaps need to do research and find what the best heated humidifier is and get it. Any recommendations?

I too recently (last several months) began experiencing *very* dry mouth. To the point where I needed to drink water several times a night. I can stress enough how dry. Wake up and almost painful dry.

Yesterday I was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes.

So.. You may want to check with your doc and get tested as well. Really was the 1st indicator of diabetes for me. I ignored it for a few months and recently realized I was getting up at least twice a night to drink and urinate. And tired during the day. Thought the CPAP was the problem initially but AHI = 0.6 and everything else looked good.

I saw my doctor today to discuss these issues and get his Medicare sign off. He suggested the heated hose and that is my next step. I will keep you posted.

Here are some thoughts:

A tubing cover or simply hiding the tubing underneath your bed sheets/covers/2nd pillow can deliver the moisture, albeit unevenly.

Another route might be dietary adjustments. For some, a lack of daily water absorption within the body can hasten a dry mouth and throat when the CPAP is used. So drinking an amount of water agreeable to your lifestyle (daily) can possibly solve this. Additionally, daily consumption of water based foods like green vegetables (which allow water absorption into the body's tissues, blood stream, upper airway, etc.) can also increase the likelihood of retained moisture in the mouth.

Something else that might be happening is a slight mask leak. Any time a mask leaks, humidity leaves with it, no matter how small the mask leak. Not all mask leaks are gushing air leaks. A slight leak can remove humidity from your sleeping comfort just as much as a gushing mask leak. Check your mask seal and test with a nap to make sure your mask is sealing during sleep. If you have your own CPAP tracking to study or analyze you might find your answer there. Look for spikes in the CPAP flow chart that indicate sharp air leaks or if by the numbers would exceed 24 Liters per minute for most masks.

Tossing little tidbits out like this might do the trick.

Cheers!

Hi, I have an Philips Respironics machine like yours and the humidity sucks. I would take Pugsy's advice, that makes a difference. The heated hose will actually give you less than what Pugsy is suggesting because you can't select the classic humidity. I take fish oil or flax oil at night. Not a huge help, but I notice I drink less water at night when I do. My sleep doctor said to get another humidifier and blow its air into my cpap intake. I haven't gone to that extreme yet. Let me know if you find a cure.

sgifford wrote:I've thought about the dental device that makes using a CPAP unnecessary, it is custom made by a dentist specialist, it ratchets your bottom jaw forward just enough to open your airway. What I don't care for is the fact that when you remove the device in the mornings you have to "exercise" your bottom jaw to get it back into normal placement. Sounds unpleasant.

The "cpap alternatives" have a very poor record and cpap is, by far, the gold standard for the treatment of sleep apnea.