What is the best thing for mouth breathing when using Nasal

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Dave5059
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What is the best thing for mouth breathing when using Nasal

Post by Dave5059 » Sun May 31, 2015 11:02 pm

I was wondering what is the best thing for mouth breathers that use nasal pillows. I know different things work for certain people but I was wondering what are some of the most successful products/methods for mouth breathing? Like if you use a chin strap that works well with other people please list the model. Or a certain tape you use etc

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kteague
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Re: What is the best thing for mouth breathing when using Nasal

Post by kteague » Mon Jun 01, 2015 3:30 am

I guess it's safe to assume that you are able to breathe adequately through your nose, right? If your mouth breathing on CPAP is due to air forcing its way out through your mouth, any or all of the means you mentioned may be pursued, and I'm sure you'll get recommendations. If it is simply because your jaw goes slack and falls open once you go to sleep, problem solving will probably go easier. First of all, make it harder for gravity to work against you. A flat firm bed pillow helps me. if the top of my head tilts up at all, it places my jaw in position to fall downward. I've found either a firm memory foam pillow or a buckwheat hull pillow are best for maintaining my head position after I fall asleep. Some use a cervical collar to hold their chin up. If these measures do not suffice, then on to the other things you mentioned. I never found a chin strap I liked so I rigged my own. In general though, you don't want a chin strap that wraps over the chin and pulls the lower jaw inward. Last thing a person with an already compromised airway needs is more inward movement of the jaw. Early in my CPAP use I used medical tape or painters tape on my lips, Poligrip denture adhesive between my lips, chin strap, and a band tied around at cheek level to stop chipmunk cheeks - all at the same time. Somehow over time I relearned how to breathe properly. Now just having the right bed pillow suffices.

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LSAT
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Re: What is the best thing for mouth breathing when using Nasal

Post by LSAT » Mon Jun 01, 2015 6:00 am

Either tape your mouth...use a chin strap...or...switch to a full face mask.

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JDS74
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Re: What is the best thing for mouth breathing when using Nasal

Post by JDS74 » Mon Jun 01, 2015 6:43 am

In order of things to try:

1) See if you can learn to not let the air out of your mouth while sleeping. This entails learning how to keep you tongue up against the roof of your mouth.

2) See if the use of a soft cervical collar will help fight gravity in keeping your jaw from dropping as the facial muscles relax with sleep. A correct pillow as mentioned by kteague may also help.

3) Use a chin strap to keep your jaw up at night.

4) Switch to a full face mask ( it may still be necessary to use a cervical collar. Don't use a chin strap with a FFM as that has a tendency to move the jaw slightly backward and to increase the occurrence of obstructive events. )

5) Use tape to keep your lips closed.

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Zomby Woof
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Re: What is the best thing for mouth breathing when using Nasal

Post by Zomby Woof » Mon Jun 01, 2015 3:56 pm

Dave5059 wrote:I was wondering what is the best thing for mouth breathers that use nasal pillows.
I seem to be a difficult case Chin straps, indeed most any straps, are out of the question for me.

I am now successfully using fabric-backed medical bandage tape (from CVS) to tame my flappy, flappy lips.
Additionally, a soft 3" cervical collar stops my jaw from dropping and enables the tape to remain stuck in place.

I think that the cervical collar also improves the geometry/positioning of my throat in some way that lowers apneas.

Surprisingly, the two tools manage to be comfortable to sleep in after a few nights of adjustments.
After 6 weeks of cpap therapy, I can now sleep straight through for 8 hours without getting up f
or any reason - and THAT hasn't happened in fifteen years!

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Last edited by Zomby Woof on Mon Jun 01, 2015 8:16 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Chevie
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Re: What is the best thing for mouth breathing when using Nasal

Post by Chevie » Mon Jun 01, 2015 3:59 pm

deforeman wrote:sleep straight through for over 8 hours
What is your AHI?

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Zomby Woof
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Re: What is the best thing for mouth breathing when using Nasal

Post by Zomby Woof » Mon Jun 01, 2015 8:14 pm

Chevie wrote:
deforeman wrote:sleep straight through for over 8 hours
What is your AHI?
Last night was 3.07AHI. OAs = .90

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minutia
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Re: What is the best thing for mouth breathing when using Nasal

Post by minutia » Sun Aug 02, 2015 6:51 pm

I use a expandable headband

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Craig-Tx
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Re: What is the best thing for mouth breathing when using Nasal

Post by Craig-Tx » Tue Aug 04, 2015 10:27 am

First, I will admit that I am currently fighting mouth breathing myself.

I've tried numerous full face / hybrid masks, but I have yet to find one that seals around my mouth properly without tightening the straps so tight that I fear permanent damage.

I currently use the following chin strap:
ResMed Sullivan: https://www.cpap.com/productpage/resmed ... hleak.html
I previously tried the Philips Respironics "Premium Chinstrap": https://www.cpap.com/productpage/premiu ... hleak.html.

The ResMed chin strap I use does pull more to the back of the head and I do fear it is making apneas worse by pulling my jaw back. But on the other hand I will NOT use the Philips Respironics Chinstrap again. After only about 2 weeks of use on that one, I was getting migrane type headaches that were focused at the top of my head where that chin strap sits. I'd rather have apneas than brain damage.

Basically, I'd really like to get rid of the chinstrap all together, and I have thought about trying the cervical collar.

I will say that the one thing that has affected my personal mouth breathing the most is humidifier settings. It seems that just changing the humidifier a small amount one way or another will drastically change my mouth breathing. Your results may vary of course...

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Re: What is the best thing for mouth breathing when using Nasal

Post by yaconsult » Tue Aug 04, 2015 10:54 am

Craig - Have you ever tried the Ruby chinstrap? http://www.amazon.com/CareFusion-Ruby-A ... B000QY9Y9I I find it comfortable and effective, but we're all different.

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