Does Your Chinstrap Help You Keep Your Mouth Shut?

After years of tolerating mouth breathing while using my nasal pillows, I'm thinking about going to war. It's not so much the cotton mouth, although some mornings that is horrible, and many dreams feature me trying to speak to people and not making intelligible sounds. (I wonder how common those cotton-mouth dreams are?)

No, it's that every time my mouth opens an exit port for my positive air pressure, I've effectively interrupted my therapy. But do chin straps help? One reason I question them is that sometimes, just before I fall asleep, I feel my lips explode outwards to vent air even as my jaw stays closed! Can holding one's jaw closed stop many mouth leaks? It doesn't seem so.

Doug

Can you breathe through your nose? Do you get congested? (is that why you're mouth breathing/leaking?)

I had always been a mouth-breather, but after starting this therapy with a full face mask, I don't mouth-breathe unless I'm seriously congested like with a cold and those times have been rare. I've always used cool, "passover" humidification, too.


Den

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dvejr wrote:After years of tolerating mouth breathing while using my nasal pillows

I would not be able to tolerate this at all. Even very intermittent and brief mouth breathing would be too much. I can't imagine years of this.

dvejr wrote:every time my mouth opens an exit port for my positive air pressure, I've effectively interrupted my therapy. But do chin straps help? One reason I question them is that sometimes, just before I fall asleep, I feel my lips explode outwards to vent air even as my jaw stays closed! Can holding one's jaw closed stop many mouth leaks?

I have not tried a full face mask, but I am unable to use a nasal mask without a chinstrap; I imagine I would have the same issue with nasal pillows - air just blows in my nose and straight out my mouth. Without CPAP, I mouth-breathe all night, every night so keeping my jaw closed with a chinstrap while using CPAP stops most of my mouth leaks. I have been using the generic PR Deluxe chinstrap. I did experience air leaking from the lips even with the jaw closed. I tried taping my mouth/lips closed with 3M "Transpore" tape last night and did experience much less air escaping through the lips, although I did wake up once with some air leaking from the edge of my mouth where the tape had come off a little. I have a beard, so I will need to maximize tape contact with bare skin to help maintain the seal. Good luck!

Chinstraps do not work for me. Not even when it is tight enough to give me a hideous headache.
When I need "yap control", I cut a makeshift chin-up strip out of tape.
(I needed a size they don't make)
The tape pulls my lower lip up without locking out a possible oral airway.

I use a Swift LT nasal mask with a chin strap, and also use Ayer's Gel for my nostrils, most nights its effective but some nights not so, mouth stays closed, but air still can leak from lips opening just a small amount. I have been trying for a better solution, but so far minimal success. Best to give each solution a chance before getting upset. Good luck and good sleep to you.
Ed

I use nasal pillows (Airfit P10), and I use a chin strap, but the chin strap does not prevent my lips from opening and allowing air to blow out.
However, I still use the chin strap because it does a great job of keeping the P10 straps from sliding around on my hair.
The advice in the post below by Sir NoddinOff completely stopped my lips from leaking air.
It has made a huge improvement in my leak rate and my AHI.
I no longer wake up several times each night realizing that I am leaking air out my lips.
I use paper bandage tape with the ends folded over, and a small horizontal slit.
It feels strong enough to get the job done, but easy to tear off or tear open if I need to.

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=97395&p=902455&hili ... it#p902455

dvejr,
No. When I have trouble keeping seal with my normal FFM, I switch to my Hybrid FFM. Has nasal pillows & a much smaller mouth seal area. Kit comes w/three sizes of cushions & nasal pillows. Also, has a chin shelf, so no chin strap is required. If you breathe through your mouth it doesn't make any difference. Might be worth a look. Link is in my equip list below. Hope you find what works for you.
Cheers,
otrpu

Chin straps have not helped me at all. The air still finds a way through my lips. So I now use chin up strips. Kind of pricey but I reuse them twice so it makes it more affordable. Here's a link. http://www.drugstore.com/products/prod. ... AGPSPN=pla

Although I see you have a beard so this may not be the answer for you unless you decide to shave it off.

I may have spoken carelessly when I said I was mouth breathing. Assuming that means INHALING through my mouth instead of through my nose, I do not think that happens. My nasal pillows normally stay in place and my nose admits all the CPAP air.
What I perceive happening is that my air circuit sometimes bends and the air going in my nose goes right out my mouth. I've read references here in the past to taping lips shut, but, as you can see from my avatar/photo, I have a beard and mustache.
Maybe a chinstrap will help some?

Teresalf wrote:Chin straps have not helped me at all. The air still finds a way through my lips. So I now use chin up strips. Kind of pricey but I reuse them twice so it makes it more affordable. Here's a link. http://www.drugstore.com/products/prod. ... AGPSPN=pla

Although I see you have a beard so this may not be the answer for you unless you decide to shave it off.

Teresalf, do you have any trouble getting a mask seal with the chin-up strips?

chunkyfrog wrote:Chinstraps do not work for me. Not even when it is tight enough to give me a hideous headache.
When I need "yap control", I cut a makeshift chin-up strip out of tape.
(I needed a size they don't make)
The tape pulls my lower lip up without locking out a possible oral airway.

Chunkyfrog, what type of tape do you use? Do you you place one end of the tape under your chin or right under your lower lip on your chin?

Yep, I'm looking for "yap control" as well. I use a Hybrid, but getting really tired of the dry mouth from my yap not staying closed. I'm probably going to try a foam cervical collar to see if that helps. But after thinking about it some more today, probably should ask my physical therapist first to see if it would be okay since I am dealing with some cervical disc problems. (Who knows, it might even help that too!)

otrpu wrote:dvejr,
No. When I have trouble keeping seal with my normal FFM, I switch to my Hybrid FFM. Has nasal pillows & a much smaller mouth seal area. Kit comes w/three sizes of cushions & nasal pillows. Also, has a chin shelf, so no chin strap is required. If you breathe through your mouth it doesn't make any difference. Might be worth a look. Link is in my equip list below. Hope you find what works for you.
Cheers,
otrpu

I need a new mask soon anyway, so I've just ordered a Hybrid and will see if that helps. If that doesn't work, there's always the chinstrap I found on line. http://sleepapneasolutionsinc.com/
Looks like something for Hannibal Lecter...

dvejr wrote:I may have spoken carelessly when I said I was mouth breathing. Assuming that means INHALING through my mouth instead of through my nose, I do not think that happens. My nasal pillows normally stay in place and my nose admits all the CPAP air.
What I perceive happening is that my air circuit sometimes bends and the air going in my nose goes right out my mouth. I've read references here in the past to taping lips shut, but, as you can see from my avatar/photo, I have a beard and mustache.
Maybe a chinstrap will help some?

jr, I don't think a chin strap will help. To test it, try closing your mouth and exhaling. I think you will find you can exhale past clenched teeth through your lips.

Taping will work because it does not allow the air to escape past the lips, but the cheeks may balloon into "chipmunk cheeks", which may be disturbing. Taping is possible with facial hair - try paper tape for sensitive skin.

A full face mask will work because it equalizes the pressure at the nose and mouth.

Some people have been able to minimize the leakage by training the tongue to stay in place to prevent it by placing the tip of tongue on roof of mouth behind front teeth.

I think a lot of the advise that is given for mouth-breathing is helpful for people who are really natural nose-breathers, and it seems to be that mouth-breathers really have the only option of using a full-face-mask.

That being said, you could try scuba diving. One of the things you have to learn very early on with scuba diving is proper airway control. Natural mouth-breathers tend to have a lot of trouble with mask clearing. The air that is supposed to be filling their mask to clear the water ends up bubbling out their regular vent. Eventually, however, everybody learns. I have wondered for a while if training in airway control for scuba diving might help switch somebody to nose-breathing for CPAP.

Also, others on this board have suggested that you can train yourself by breathing exclusively through your nose during the day.

dvejr wrote:

otrpu wrote:dvejr,
No. When I have trouble keeping seal with my normal FFM, I switch to my Hybrid FFM. Has nasal pillows & a much smaller mouth seal area. Kit comes w/three sizes of cushions & nasal pillows. Also, has a chin shelf, so no chin strap is required. If you breathe through your mouth it doesn't make any difference. Might be worth a look. Link is in my equip list below. Hope you find what works for you.
Cheers,
otrpu

I need a new mask soon anyway, so I've just ordered a Hybrid and will see if that helps. If that doesn't work, there's always the chinstrap I found on line. http://sleepapneasolutionsinc.com/
Looks like something for Hannibal Lecter...

I've never understood chin straps. Just opening your lips with your jaw locked tight lets in all the air you need to compromise therapy.

dvejr wrote:
I need a new mask soon anyway, so I've just ordered a Hybrid and will see if that helps.

If you ordered the Innomed Hybrid, you made a very good move. Don't look to see "if that helps". MAKE it work. The mask may take some nights of adjustment, but it should work even with the facial hair.

You may still get some dry mouth, but there are solutions for that. Just post here with problems.