Alternatives to chinstraps & reasoning behind full facemask?

New cpap user ~ 1 month now. I was assigned a nice nasal mask which worked well - but I figured I'd take advantage of the free swapping of equipment and now am using the nasal pillow which I find great. I have a chin strap that works for sleeping on my side, but isn't tight enough to let me sleep on my back. My jaw eventually loosens enough to get the mouth-puffs, and then I'm screwed. I am now thinking about using a travel pillow in reverse to shove underneath my jaw in hopes of that fixing the problem. Anyone have success in this arena? Also, it makes me wonder if the primary reason for folks using a full nasal-mouth mask is for the loose jaw - open mouth aspect of their sleep. Is that the primary reason folks are assigned a full mask? For those who's mouth fall open at night? thanks

krl wrote:New cpap user ~ 1 month now. I was assigned a nice nasal mask which worked well - but I figured I'd take advantage of the free swapping of equipment and now am using the nasal pillow which I find great. I have a chin strap that works for sleeping on my side, but isn't tight enough to let me sleep on my back. My jaw eventually loosens enough to get the mouth-puffs, and then I'm screwed. I am now thinking about using a travel pillow in reverse to shove underneath my jaw in hopes of that fixing the problem. Anyone have success in this arena? Also, it makes me wonder if the primary reason for folks using a full nasal-mouth mask is for the loose jaw - open mouth aspect of their sleep. Is that the primary reason folks are assigned a full mask? For those who's mouth fall open at night? thanks

The full face mask generally "covers" all the problems.
I've never used anything but full face masks and don't have any problems using them. I was once a dedicated mouth-breather before CPAP therapy, but quickly converted to nasal breathing.


Den

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It's a little complex how people progress from nasal pillows to full face masks (FFMs)... there are typically lots of twists and turns depending on the type of therapy, max pressures, facial features, leak factors etc etc. I'm not good at that stuff, however SOMEBODY should come up with a comprehensive flowchart diagram that shows the decision tree and how it all sorts out. I'm serious, that would be so cool.

Sir NoddinOff wrote:It's a little complex how people progress from nasal pillows to full face masks (FFMs)... there are typically lots of twists and turns depending on the type of therapy, max pressures, facial features, leak factors etc etc. I'm not good at that stuff, however SOMEBODY should come up with a comprehensive flowchart diagram that shows the decision tree and how it all sorts out. I'm serious, that would be so cool.

For me, that "flow chart" was a simple straight line.........I'm a mouth-breather.......I need a full face mask.


Den

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Wulfman... wrote:

Sir NoddinOff wrote:It's a little complex how people progress from nasal pillows to full face masks (FFMs)... there are typically lots of twists and turns depending on the type of therapy, max pressures, facial features, leak factors etc etc. I'm not good at that stuff, however SOMEBODY should come up with a comprehensive flowchart diagram that shows the decision tree and how it all sorts out. I'm serious, that would be so cool.

For me, that "flow chart" was a simple straight line.........I'm a mouth-breather.......I need a full face mask.
Den.

You were very lucky, Den. For me and lots of others it was a complicated path. Maybe it'd be impossible to sum it all up in a well laid out flowchart but I'd like to see somebody attempt it. At least it would show the basics.

Some members have resorted to using a foam cervical collar to prevent jaw- drop and mouth leaks. No chinstrap made could ever keep me from defeating it whenever my nasal passages would get congested during sleep. I really liked being able to wear nasal masks/pillows in the beginning of my therapy, then, everything went kaflooey and I had to adapt to a FFM. FWIW...everyone should have at least one FFM for times of enduring a cold/flu w/nasal congestion. (IMO)

If only they cared enough to make a full face mask to FIT my adorable but non-standard face.
When congestion appears, I have to use my P10 with a Breathe Right strip and nasal spray (if needed).
I have a full face mask, but have not used it for around FOUR YEARS.
Using it is worse than any alternative.

You asked the same question twice...I hope you got the answers you were looking for