Sore throat

[CAsleep]

Hello,

I've been on CPAP about 2 weeks. Have noticed my throat is sore during the day, but not everyday, just some days. I assume CPAP can cause this? Is the solution something simple, like increasing the humidity? Or do I just "deal with it?"

Thanks!!!

[BlackSpinner]

depending on your mask you may have been mouth breathing, if so get a full face mask or start taping. If you have a full face mask then it doesn't matter.

Also you may be experiencing acid reflux. Raise the head off your bed.

[JaVelin]

HI. I'm new to this myself and have this sore throat. how can I tell for sure about the mouth breathing? I don't wake with dry mouth or anything like that.

[LoQ]

HI. I'm new to this myself and have this sore throat. how can I tell for sure about the mouth breathing? I don't wake with dry mouth or anything like that.

Me, either, but as soon as I tried a night with my mouth taped, I was significantly less tired the next day. In spite of the lack of evidence otherwise, I concluded that I am a mouth breather.

I'm an empiricist at heart.

[stephanie13724]

If you are hesitant to try taping your mouth (I would worry about a skin reaction or marks that would last all day), you can always try a chin strap. You can get these from the DME company that supplied the CPAP machine but I think they might need a "script" from your doctor, which they should easily be able to get very quickly. Or I think they sell them on the cpap.com website. This is a large elastic strip with velcro at the ends that is placed under the chin and attaches at the crown of your head with the velcro (to the other end of the strap, not your head or hair). This should help hold your jaw closed and hopefully your lips as well. Some people have noticed they still "blow" through the lips and this could result if the strap is too tight. It just might take a little work.

Also, I would definitley increase the heat on your humidifier. This will help keep your mouth closed. It doesn't work for everyone, but it does work for a good lot. It might help to keep a log of what you've tried on what nights, the end result, and also the position(s) that you slept in. Some people can keep their mouths closed when laying in different possitions, but cant in others. It just depends. But tracking the trends may help with nailing down the cause of the problem. This is also helpful to show to the DME company or your sleep doctor if you are needing a little help. They love data. The more you can give them, the more they can help!

-Stephanie13724

[CAsleep]

Thanks for the replies.

Honestly, I would not have known that sore throat is a sign that I may be mouth breathing. Very interesting. I do use a nasal pillow mask (Swift LT). Honestly, I almost didn't even post about the sore throat (thinking it's not a big deal so why bother people with it), but I had a feeling it was connected to the CPAP, because I NEVER get sore throats, and now I've had them a lot more....so I thought, might as well mention it.

Glad I did, because I didn't realize it could actually mean something important like this.

I suppose I'll try the painter's tape. I haven't been feeling as refreshed from the CPAP as I thought I should be, so maybe this will be part of the solution. Any other thoughts are welcome.

[CAsleep]

Oh, one more question. Even if I am keeping my mouth shut (though I'm gonna try the tape), could the sore throat just be from the CPAP itself, blowing air into my nose, then that air goes down my throat? In other words, what is it about mouth breathing that results in a sore throat?

[CAsleep]

So, I taped my mouth shut last night, but today is no better in terms of symptoms. I don't have a sore throat today though.

One last question....when I did my titration study, I was wearing a nasal mask, and they got me to the point that I was having no apneas. So if I was a mouth breather, wouldn't they have figured that out that night? Or perhaps not, because I was only asleep a couple hours that night?

Wondering if I should continue trying to tape my mouth shut or not. Sigh. I suppose I will. The sad part is, my machine doesn't give me any data. I am working on that.

[echo]

I am a big mouth breather but they never noticed it during the titration. I suspect it takes a few days to few weeks before they start happening, as your body gets used to sleeping with the setup, but that's just my theory.

Not sure why you are more likely to get a sore throat from mouth leaks than when it goes into your lungs... likely it dries out your throat more, plus the machine increases pressure because it detects a leak? There is no resistance against the air flow when the pressure flies out your mouth. I also get more dry mouth/throat when I mouth breath in the ffm mask than when nose breathing.

Just try taping for a few days, remember one night does not a trend make. Also please do consider silent reflux, as already mentioned. That is just as likely.

[snoringstop]

Sore throats can occur for a variety reasons. A sore throat is often one of the symptoms of a cold or the flu, and is also an indicator of a much more serious infection like strep throat etc. A sore throat can also be related to other problems, such as allergies or even reflux, when stomach acids are regurgitated into the back of the throat.It's never the reason for Cpap.