new CPAP user, issue with sudden air in mouth waking up

[toozie21]

I am a new CPAP user (1 week) and still haven't made it a full night with the mask on. I am using the nasal pillows and have gotten used to the setup, but my problem is that it appears once I fall asleep I must be opening my mouth (I was a mouth breather) and I am getting a sudden blast of air into my mouth (like someone flicked a switch) and it is waking me up. I do this for an hour or so and finally set aside the mask so I can get some sleep. I figure I need time to get used to the apparatus, but is there anything I can do to help this process along? So far one week in and I am not getting further along with the mask each night like I thought I would (I am also trying to avoid the full masks since they really dried me out during the titration study).

Thanks.

[Tino2You]

Hi toozie,

Welcome to the forum, you've come to the right place.

First off, the "blast of air" is not going into your mouth, but rather coming out of your mouth. I've been using a nasal pillow since May and had to adjust to exactly what you are going through. There are "chin straps" that help to keep your mouth shut as well as some people use tape over their mouths. I went the chin strap route. There are a number of them and I am sure everyone that uses one or another will have an opinion as to which is best. I use the Adjustable Rube Puresome https://www.cpap.com/productpage/cardin ... strap.html. It works for me. Lately, I've noticed that can wear it loose as a gentle reminder to my mouth. Lately, I have gone a couple nights without my strap.

One other "trick" we have learned from the regulars in this forum is to place our tongue firmly on the roof of the mouth and directly behind the upper front teeth. This isolates the airway from the mouth preventing "puffy cheeks".

Take care, let us know how you are faring.

-tino

[jzap]

Hi toozie,
(EDIT)
One other "trick" we have learned from the regulars in this forum is to place our tongue firmly on the roof of the mouth and directly behind the upper front teeth. This isolates the airway from the mouth preventing "puffy cheeks".
(EDIT)
-tino

Hi Toozie,

A version of this "trick" was taught to me by the sleep tech during my second sleep study. He explained that the trick to using the nasal mask is to teach your tongue to maintain the separation between the mouth and the airway with minimal effort by the muscles in the tongue. If you start with the tongue behind the teeth and pull it back into the hollow in the roof of your mouth while sucking some of the pressure from above the tongue, it kinda "suction cups" the tongue to the roof of the mouth and it will stay in place with almost no effort. If you master this technique, you might get a blast of air out the mouth if you loose control, but once it becomes second nature to maintain the separation, you can quickly reset and hardly wake up at all. If you can maintain the separation, you won't rely on your lips to keep you from mouth breathing and your mouth can come open and air win't go in or out. I still loose it once every couple days, but the feel of the air comong out of my mouth is now a signal to my body to reset the separation, and I hardly wake up because of it.

Good luck.

[toozie21]

Thanks for the responses. I guess I said the air was entering my mouth because it is from my throat, but then it is leaving going past my lips, so I guess it depends on where you are standing

I might need to look into the chin strap, because I am not having any problem while laying down before falling to sleep, it just seems to be after I go out, it happens. And since it isn't just some air passing through my mouth (it does feel like a sudden blast like a flood gate opened), it jars me awake every time.

The tongue trick sounds pretty good, I will try that as well while I wait on the strap to come in. I appreciate the encouragement!

[znurtdog]

I'm going through the same thing with my nasal mask. My toungue does fine at keeping the 'draft' out until I'm asleep. I will try with a chin strap tonight but once the air starts coming out, it blows my lips open even if my mouth is still 'closed'. I am thinking of getting a regular mask but a) I pay out of pocket, and my pocket aint very deep b) too much head gear to worry about

[toozie21]

No luck last night with the tongue trick (I am sure it just takes practice). I am getting a strap now to see if that will work. I have 30 days to switch masks supposedly, so I want to get this figured out before too long so I can go with a full-mask if that is the only way it will work for me.

[znurtdog]

After one night with a chin strap, I am now unable to eat! My molars don't 'line up' anymore and I can't get my jaw to go back far enough to allow a full bite-down. I'm kind of pissed actually. I've never had any jaw/teeth problems before.

[chunkyfrog]

Some people cannot wear a chin strap. I might be one of them.
(Unless there's one out there I haven't tried --that WILL work.)
I have used tape and Poli-grip strips (sometimes together);
or a full face mask when I just didn't want to bother with the bondage game.
Sometimes, I just let Hubby nudge me (I know, my bad!)

[Sir NoddinOff]

After six months of being a 'taper', ie. 3M Micropore tape totally across my whole mouth, I'm now here to testify that I've trained myself to keep my tongue in place and not breathe thru my mouth. Like I said, it took six months, but I don't need a chinstrap, nor do I need to tape my gob any more. Is that super cool, or what? Yeaaaa... the human body and brain are amazing.

[Suddenly Worn Out]

Waking up with air gushing out of your mouth is a classic sign you need either a chin strap or (better), a full face mask. Never heard of anyone drying out in the mouth from a FFM. You just use your humidifier and crank that sucker up to the max. if you get rainout, turn the humidifier down a notch until it stops.

Some have good luck with chin straps. I never did. Full Face Masks like the Resmed Mirage Quattro are the real deal that will totally shut down mouth leak and give you good CPAP therapy.

Eric

I am a new CPAP user (1 week) and still haven't made it a full night with the mask on. I am using the nasal pillows and have gotten used to the setup, but my problem is that it appears once I fall asleep I must be opening my mouth (I was a mouth breather) and I am getting a sudden blast of air into my mouth (like someone flicked a switch) and it is waking me up. I do this for an hour or so and finally set aside the mask so I can get some sleep. I figure I need time to get used to the apparatus, but is there anything I can do to help this process along? So far one week in and I am not getting further along with the mask each night like I thought I would (I am also trying to avoid the full masks since they really dried me out during the titration study).

Thanks.

[lorraineg57]

Another newb here, 3 nights in. I've yet to get through the night with the mask on either. I'm
using a nasal mask. I've also found my mouth "dropping open" as I start to fall asleep and get the rush of air.

I used a nasal strip (breathe right thingie) vertically across my lips in hopes of training myself to keep my mouth shut...

[GeneS]

Hello
You have probably figured it out by now but CPAP therapy does not work if you breath in or out of your mouth while using a nasal cpap. Dry mouth is a clue that you are breathing thru your mouth. CPAP stands for continuous positive airway pressure. Atmospheric pressure is considered Zero pressure and positive pressure is greater than atmospheric pressure and negative pressure is a partial vacuum. It is common to breath in through your mouth with cpap. That causes your airway pressure to drop below atmospheric or negative. CPAP only works with positive airway pressure. It is also common to breath out of your mouth with a nasal cpap. When you do that your airway pressure drops to close to zero but below the pressure needed for therapy. Your cpap does not work right then. It is a good idea to get software and a smart card and monitor your own treatment.


Your cpap will not work unless you eliminate mouth breathing with your n toasal mask. Different things work for different people. Some can use just a chin strap. It may
be necessary to tape or use a dental device with your chin strap. Otherwise if you use a full face mask the pressure outside your mouth stays positive like your cpap pressure. Your therapy will then still work.

I started with the first commercial cpap in 1984 or 1985 and I had the same problem early on. I breathed thru my mouth with a nasal mask and my therapist kept telling me that cpap would work when I breathed thru my mouth. I finally did the engineering and the math and figured out that cpap did not work when you breathed thru your mouth with a nasal mask. I have had good luck with cpap using it every night but if something is not working (which will happen from time to time) keep questioning it until you solve the problem.

I hope this helps
GeneS

I am a new CPAP user (1 week) and still haven't made it a full night with the mask on. I am using the nasal pillows and have gotten used to the setup, but my problem is that it appears once I fall asleep I must be opening my mouth (I was a mouth breather) and I am getting a sudden blast of air into my mouth (like someone flicked a switch) and it is waking me up. I do this for an hour or so and finally set aside the mask so I can get some sleep. I figure I need time to get used to the apparatus, but is there anything I can do to help this process along? So far one week in and I am not getting further along with the mask each night like I thought I would (I am also trying to avoid the full masks since they really dried me out during the titration study).
Thanks.

[toozie21]

Just a quick update. After the first night my jaw was sore from the chin strap, but it hasn't bothered me since. The strap seems to work wonders too and I am able to sleep for a larger chunk at night with it on. I am still only wearing the mask for about 5 hours a night, but I think it is getting better. Thanks for all the help!

[Breathe Jimbo]

I like the PAPCAP.

[joem18b]

Hi. Used cpap for the first time last night, with nasal pillows and a chinstrap (perhaps too loose).

What I experienced was: lying still, maybe dozing, and then the sudden puff of air in the mouth, sometimes like a bubble, sometimes almost escaping the lips, always startling. But I never noticed my mouth being open. No air got out. It seemed like the air was just getting pumped into my closed mouth. My question is, could that be happening or did I open my mouth somehow without knowing it?

I averaged 8.2 events per hour. Was that probably related to the air in the mouth?

I'm going to tighten the strap tonight and see if that helps. The tech blamed the mouth even though I swore I kept it closed (of course, during sleep who knows?) and suggested I experiment with the strap and then go for the full face mask if necessary.

I also sleep on my side some and I've read that that can be a problem with pillows.

Great forum.