Need Full Face-Mouth Breathing out of Control---Suggestions?

[Guest]

I am having way too much mouth breathing and I can't tape so I am looking to try a full face mask (YUCKY). I presently use a Soyala Nasal, Small mask. I would appreciate hearing what current full face mask wearers are using and what there experience is with others. I can't handle a noisy mask (or should I say my darling husband can't) and nothing that blows in my eyes or his face!!! I need to order something soon!!! Thanks Debbie....

[jskinner]

I would appreciate hearing what current full face mask wearers are using and what there experience is with others.

I'd recommend trying the Liberty or Hybrid.

[mellabella]

The Hybrid would be my suggestion as well....and you can get yourself on the list for a free "trial" of it right here on the boards.

I've also had luck with the MIrage Quattro (my first choice if I *have* to breathe out of my mouth exclusively due to head cold or allergies), but it's definitely a lot of plastic on your face, if you're balking at FF masks in general. Believe it or not, it's actually the most "leak free" of all the masks I've tried, and I am a side/stomach sleeper.

[echo]

I use the activa and the UMFF and I found that the Liberty was waaaaaaaay quieter than either. Here are the various mask test drives going on: viewtopic/t35761/phpBBFolk.php?mode=sea ... 20drive%22
Try pjwalman's Hybrid or fortomorrow's small liberty...

[fortomorrow]

I've actually been thinking about getting a Quattro for a backup for my backup. Last night my nose was a bit congested so I had the Hybrid on and the nasal pillows were KILLING me. I actually took it off after an hour and went to bed without XPAP (shame on me).

[KATHRYN]

Hi, I am currently using a Hybrid for the last week. I have tried the Quattro and other ffm and am really liking the hybrid, although it is a little noisier than some of the others. The nose pillows seal great and the lower mask goes below the chin and keeps a good seal and I am mouth breathing less with this mask because of it. Another benefit is you can try three sizes of nose pillows and three sizes of the mouth piece. I ended up with small nose pillows with a large mouth piece. Working great.

[gsbuck]

I received a FFM today to try out. After looking over the ones on cpap.com I had my DME bring a Mirage Liberty Full Face CPAP Mask with Nasal Pillows. In trying it this afternoon it seemed to work fine, but the test will be tonight. I don't want the obstructions around my eyes and this one doesn't do that. Take a look at it and see what you think. The exhaust comes out the front, not toward the eyes. You may just have to spoon....

[rejoicem56]

Well I have found that for myself the Quattro has worked the best. I tried pillows did not like them at all. I have found that the Quattro does not leak as much as some of the others. But masks are like opinions we all have them. Glad there are so many to chose from. My advice keep trying till you find the one that works for you. I am a mouth breather as well as a stomach sleeper an I can do both with the Quattro. Melinda

[Snoredog]

I'd keep the setup you have, train yourself not to mouth breathe, starts by keeping your tongue planted into your hard palate, controlling nasal congestion, you breathe through your mouth when you cannot breathe through your nose. If you use a nasal mask that pushes on the end of your nose with a deviated septum, you can have instant congestion.

You mention using a small Soyala, you won't find a quieter or better mask for diffusing the exhaust. Maybe you got it too small?

Get it too small it can press on the outside of the nose and cause congestion. Lastly, try Sleep Guy's PapCap, it will keep your jaw from dropping, it is not elastic (well it is) but you can adjust it so it isn't and it applies static pressure to your mandible and keeps it from dropping. Your mandible dropping is one of the first stages in beginning of mouth breathing.

-nasal congestion, difficulty breathing through your nose,
-mandible begins to drop,
-lips part
-tongue drops out of the hard palate
-seal between soft palate and tongue base is lost
-therapy pressure escapes from the mouth

So to fix it you reverse things,

-take care of nasal congestion, use regular rhino rinses,
-prevent the mandible from dropping, use a chin strap like PapCap from Pur-Sleep.
-practice keeping your tongue in the hard palate
-make sure there is no outside pressure on the mask contributing to congestion (too small, wrong type etc.).

Best therapy is obtained through you nose, it is the easiest place to prevent leaks (there are no moving parts).

Full Face mask is last resort,
it will always leak, simple fact it has to seal against your chin, a moving part,
Full Face mask doesn't discourage mouth breathing, makes the habit worse.
You loose the therapy leverage from the nares, takes more pressure to splint the apnea out of the way
It encourages snoring which causes autopaps to increase pressure to eliminate.

Try the PapCap, it's cap design keeps the strap vertical and holds it in place, doesn't require any pressure against your teeth or mandible. Very comfortable even under your headgear

[fortomorrow]

You know, when I first read about training yourself not to mouth breathe I thought Snoredog was being ridiculous. Train myself not to do something that comes naturally in my sleep? Riiiiiiight. I'm a mouth breather and a soak the pillows with drool girl from way back.

But I kept it in mind and even though I taped every night that I didn't use the Hybrid (80% of the time), I still made sure to plant my tongue firmly against my palate. Last night I went to sleep for the first time without taping up and everything was fine. I checked my leaks - the lowest they've ever been. My AHI was up a bit (2.0), but I'm still fiddling with my settings. My mouth wasn't dry. I feel rested.

So even though it sounds a bit hard to imagine, I think it can be done.

[gsbuck]

I can keep my mouth closed for a while, better with a chinstrap and tape. But even if I have my mouth closed and my tongue pressed against the palate, the pressure of the air pushes around my tongue and leaks out my lips. I awake with the hissing noise it makes. I've used tape but it gets moist inside all around, as tho humidity builds up between tape and skin. It's not drool as I think I could tell the difference on that...
For the past 2 nights I've been using the Mirage Full Face with the nasal pillows and mouth cover. It isn't working as well as I'd hoped. It has to be tightened quite a bit to make the seal around the mouth, which is uncomfortable, and the nasal pillows are hurting my nostrils. I've used other masks with nasal pillows and they worked fine. Same size. It leaves marks on my face that last all day, no kidding.
How do other forum users that use Polident to keep mouth closed actually use the Polident? I'm not familiar with it at all and wondering how it works. Also, how do they use the silicone ear plugs to make a seal on a mask?

[Billy6]

I have the Comfort2 and Quattro, and by far, the best is the Quattro and the best technique is to purse your lips a bit and keep your tongue firmly against your upper teeth. This promotes nose breathing and few, if any nighttime interruptions.

[DreamDiver]

...Full Face mask is last resort,
it will always leak, simple fact it has to seal against your chin, a moving part,
Full Face mask doesn't discourage mouth breathing, makes the habit worse.
You loose the therapy leverage from the nares, takes more pressure to splint the apnea out of the way
It encourages snoring which causes autopaps to increase pressure to eliminate.

Snoredog, I don't mind if you burn effigies of full face masks on the forum. It can be funny. But people take your advice very seriously because you generally give good advice. Regardless of how much you personally dislike them, full face masks serve a relatively large number of faces on this forum very well.

I'm getting better AHI's from my Hybrid than I ever got from my Swift II. The Swift allows my mouth to leak more than the Hybrid even in combination with the papcap. My body cannot relax if muscles in my jaw, mouth, tongue, etc. are at all flexed or rigid. They have to be lax. To me, this is like sleeping with my hands clenched into fists. Yes, I can train myself to do it, but I end up with sore fingers every morning. I spent my early college years unlearning the sleep-clenching mechanisms of teen angst. Why put myself through that again? I need to relax.

The papcap keeps my jaw closed firmly enough with the hybrid and the umff to make certain that breathing occurs only through my nose. I don't get the torque leaks you refer to when I move my head unconsciously. Hence my therapy is unimpeded and my mouth parts are entirely relaxed. My tongue can take up all the space it needs or doesn't need in my mouth, without having to pay attention to where it is. Pressure is balanced and because the mouth is closed, no air is flowing through it. The stent column of air entirely bypasses the mouth since my tongue is taking up most of the space. No air is seeping between my teeth because the pressure outside my mouth is equal to that outside my nose. I can relax all my mouth parts entirely. Since starting my CPAP therapy, I have been fortunate not to have been congested enough to breathe through my mouth. That's a plus. That aside, perhaps there have been times when your nose is too congested to use a conventional Soyala or other any nasal. What mask do you use then?

I'll agree that nasal masks are great for some people. Not for me. Relaxation is key. People naturally breathe through their noses at birth. I think we agree that breathing through the nose is key. I achieve that better with a full face mask. I think full face masks allow some people to sleep deeper and with less facial and nasal tension than nasal masks. Both mask styles are useful for different people. I get the impression that if your child grew up to be a full face mask user you'd toss 'em out of the house. You can live in a multi-mask household. Diversity is key. Otherwise, well, you're just full-facist.

[set-up artist]

Take SNOREDOG's advice, I agree 100%. Give it sometime, be patient before you switch. Whatever you feel right now is temporary, once you get use to it, things will be easy. Relax, and keep the tongue up the palate.