Pur-sleep---wow

Well, Bret, another amazing invention. The Pap-Cap (sp?) worked incredibly well! I wear a chin strap and this is by far a much better inovation. I applaud you in your efforts. I am just sorry that I did not purchase my Pur-Sleep to go with it.
I do not want to spill the beans, but want you all to know Bret did it again!!
Lisa

Thanks Lisa.

I had a blast showing the Pap-Cap at Sleep2008. It's a really simple idea. To solve mouth breathing is a simple thing. All you need is a chinstrap that simultaneously closes the jaw and seals the lips. This can be accomplished by pushing up the bottom lip about one centimeter.

So you need a chinstrap that provides the optimum amount of upwards/forward tension, mounted to a platform that is stable on a round surface and is comfortable.

I don't understand why the designers of these things are using a Neoprene belt on the head. That works against the head, not with the shape. Round shapes naturally distribute the force of tension over a broad surface area. That's why the Earth is Round. That's why you see women on National Geographic carrying hundreds of pounds of weight on their head by using a scarf-like headgear. No pressure points. The cranium can easily "take" hundreds of pounds of pressure if it's distributed into the round shape. Why are we putting a spaghetti belt on a round surface? It makes no sense to my simple brain.

And you need a stiff material, one that distributes tension over a surface area instead of deforming, twisting, slipping, and bending. You don't build a ship's hull out of Jello and you shouldn't build a chinstrap out of spaghetti, spandex, neoprene, elastic, an Ace Bandage, or anything else that slips and slides around. Actually, that's what thermoplastics like Neoprene are--it's like a big bowl of spaghetti. Besides, Neoprene was designed to keep divers from experiencing hypothermia. That's great for divers but the WRONG material for headgear. You need to be able to deliver relatively heavy amounts of tension at specific points and the only way to do that effectively is by using a STIFF material, not a material that will deform.

So the Pap-Cap is a light, 100% cotton with a wide cotton chinstrap that seals the lips as it gently keeps the jaw closed. Presto.

Several doctors at the convention who are also patients immediately "got" the chinstrap approach and picked it up right there on the spot. So far one has gotten back to me to report that it's very effective, as well as Lisa and several other therapists/patients who picked it up during the convention. I'm extremely excited about this little product. No more denture cream, tape, etc. It's a very simple and effective solution.

I'll be getting a little inventory up on the website over the weekend.

Finally a mouth breathing solution that might not involve clamping my jaws shut?!?!?

DETAILS IMMEDIATELY OR DEATH.

Needsdecaf wrote:Finally a mouth breathing solution that might not involve clamping my jaws shut?!?!?

DETAILS IMMEDIATELY OR DEATH.

Don't kill me:

http://www.pur-sleep.com/content/?id=44

This is brand new and I only have a small amount of inventory. I will be adding it to the website over the weekend and will be offering it via the pur-sleep newsletter so sign up if you want to get notice.

SleepyGuy,

I love the design of the new Pap-Cap Chinstrap...

However, It looks to be (very wide) and that has been a problem with me and is why I haven't been able to use one.

So my question is, will the pap-cap come in all sizes, (small-medium-large) ???
If not, I know that it may not work for alot of us with smaller faces.

That has always been one of my biggest problems with the headgear for almost all masks (to big) !

Can you post on this and let us know ?

BTW, I have posted in several other posts that I purchased your New Line of Air Candies and i've got to say, "WAY TO GO SLEEPYGUY" , Wow the Bubble Gum is so totally awesome, so is the Peach, Black Cherry and i've just opened the French Vanilla (it's not as strong smelling as the others) but I really like it. BUBBLE GUM is my favorite, I feel like I walked into the Kern County Fair (with the cotton candy, candy apple smell).. THANK YOU, I sleep soooo much better now that I use your oils and BTW, I still love my Clear, I just can't get back to it yet until I try all the new scents,

If your Pap-Cap is as good as your Essential Oils, and the size is right, i'll be one of the first to purchase one, as I am a mouth breather and in desperate need to get that resolved as I can't use the tape or poligrip strips, and I am on your mailing list.

Thank You for working so hard to help us make our Therapy more comfortable and easier to tolerate, YOU ROCK!

Have a Great Day

SleepyNoMore

Anonymous wrote:SleepyGuy,

I love the design of the new Pap-Cap Chinstrap...

However, It looks to be (very wide) and that has been a problem with me and is why I haven't been able to use one.

So my question is, will the pap-cap come in all sizes, (small-medium-large) ???
If not, I know that it may not work for alot of us with smaller faces.

That has always been one of my biggest problems with the headgear for almost all masks (too big) !

Can you post on this and let us know ?

SleepyNoMore

The chinstrap looks wider than it really is (part of that is the angle of the photograph). It's really around two inches wide. HOWEVER, it's soft cotton and the front edge extends forward, OVER the chinbone (that's how it pushes up the bottom lip 1 cm), so it's not too wide from what I have seen. It's just right. In any event, you can adjust how much of the 2" is below the jaw and how much extends forward beneath the fleshy part of the chin. You can easily make it fit your personal anatomy. That's the whole point.

The top of the cap is one-size-fits-all, with the criss-cross strap connection (which also has velcro) in the back, just below the occipital process, so it's anchored right below that point. That keeps the cap from moving forward/backwards. It's basic ergonomic design 101: fit the material TO the body, working WITH the body instead of against it.

So many PEDIATRIC medical providers talked with me during Sleep2008 that I am developing a child and probably a youth (teenage) size. They loved the Bubblegum, too. It blew their minds away to think about letting their patients choose which flavor tonight kind of thing, on top of the new headgear/chinstrap.

One doctor in particular was almost moved to tears because she works with Downs Syndrome kids and others in similar situations (mental/physical problems). She tells me that they tend to have very large tongues and are on cpap but are so scared of it that it's virtually impossible to get them to use the equipment. There's no reasoning with them. She has been asking for years for BigMedicine to develop kid-friendly equipment, like bright colors and good smells so that her patients can relax and use the stuff. It was quite a shock for her to see this stuff in real life--I think she spent about an hour at my booth.

All of this caught the attention of the conference organizers. They took some samples and featured both products on what turned out to be a very short segment on ABC News. Unfortunately, the doctor representing the conference didn't have a chance to explain the products on air, but I suppose that kind of publicity will come.

SleepyGuy,

WOW! I am IMPRESSED and we are all so proud of your success..

I am so pleased to hear that you are making these for children and teenagers, this therapy is scarry for us adults so I can't imagine how that has to be for a child to have to go through this, the mask, the discomfort, etc!

I will be purchasing your teenage size i'm sure as I am 5.2in. and have to shop in the junior section rather than the adult sizes, thank you or maybe i'll get so desperate for one before you put out the teenager size that I will go ahead and give it a test drive!

AWESOME, thank you for all of the information on the pap-cap, and I can't wait until the headgear one comes out (will that be a one-size-fits-all)?

It all looks quite comfy and will be great for all of us as our orginal headgear BREAKS our HAIR-OFF so terribly bad and SLIPS and slides around, (almost makes me want to give up therapy) just for that reason, hmmmm, but I can't and I won't give up with this therapy, keep on keepin on Especially with all your new and wonderful products you have put out.

Once Again, Thank You

SleepyNoMore

SleepGuy wrote:
This is brand new and I only have a small amount of inventory. I will be adding it to the website over the weekend and will be offering it via the pur-sleep newsletter so sign up if you want to get notice.

Email sent to sales@pur-sleep.com

Thanks!

Needsdecaf wrote:

SleepGuy wrote:
This is brand new and I only have a small amount of inventory. I will be adding it to the website over the weekend and will be offering it via the pur-sleep newsletter so sign up if you want to get notice.

Email sent to sales@pur-sleep.com

Thanks!

I'll add you in to the list. The easiest way to sign up for the newsletter is just to type in your email address right on the website home page. That's all it takes.

SG

SleepGuy wrote:
I'll add you in to the list. The easiest way to sign up for the newsletter is just to type in your email address right on the website home page. That's all it takes.

SG

_________________

Done. I was looking for something like that, didn't find it. Duh to me.

I'm having a total knee replacement in just a little over the week. It has been extremely troubling to figure out how the hospital will let me tape my mouth. Could you sell me one today and let me pay for express shipping? It may be just the thing I need. I'll never come out of sedation without my CPAP treatment.

Sure, just send me an email.

One of the doctors who stopped by at Sleep 2008 had a patient who had just gone through neck surgery and couldn't tolerate headgear or chinstraps in any way.

He was extremely grateful that I gave him a Pap-Cap to try out on his patient, along with the Rip Strips. Since he's a doctor he has a license to practice medicine using whatever equipment he feels best. So I'm looking to get some feedback on that application as well.

SleepGuy, This looks like a great product.

A couple of comments/suggestions:

- I can't see from the photos on your site how the lip is pushed up. Maybe a closeup photo at some point?

- Why not breathable microfiber polyester instead of cotton? I sweat in bed sometimes and when I awake my 100% cotton t-shirt is wet. I recently switched to a wicking microfiber t-shirt and it is alway bone dry.

Congratulations on a good innovation.

Now you're going to need two versions

How many did you say you have? You may have sold then here.

rooster wrote:Why not breathable microfiber polyester instead of cotton?

Rooster, I need to look into that; thanks for the suggestion.

It has to be a very stiff material and I'm not sure this fits the bill. I know the cotton looks hot but it's the ultra-thin cotton twill fabric, very light. I am a very hot sleeper and it does not make me hot. I'm not too familiar with microfibers but am looking into other, perhaps cooler materials, nets, etc.

****************

Another way to see how the PAP-CAP works:

Close your jaw and breathe out. There's nothing to stop the air from escaping between the teeth.

Now try pushing up gently on the fleshy part of the chin so as to move the bottom lip up about 1-2 cm and then try to breathe out. You can't. The bottom lip seals the airway escape through the lips.

This is not hard. It need not be difficult. The design and materials simply need to work with the body instead of against it, aka ergonomic design.

Simple is always best.

**********************

I can't see from the photos on your site how the lip is pushed up. Maybe a closeup photo at some point?

The mannequin has hard, glass lips. I haven't figured out how to move them around--yet. At least without getting them really, really hot. LOL