BleepSleep for mouth breathers?

[Cas]

I haven't bought the Elite or the DreamPort made by Beepsleep because I can't find if I can use it if I am a mouth breather. Anyone have any experience to be able to answer? Thank you.

[jdm5]

I am a mouth breather - have been using nasal pillow masks since I started (20?+ years ago)…since then I tape my mouth closed using 3M 2” micropore tape and it works fine.

It’s freaky at first but you get used to it. Leave a folded over corner so you could quickly pull it off if needed.

That said I switched to the bleep “mask” maybe 6 months ago and it is _the best_ interface I have used. Again once you get used to it. The new eclipse / magnet interface should make it even better.

Shout with questions / happy to try to help.

[Miss Emerita]

+1 for everything jdm5 wrote.

[booksfan]

Also, some people use a chin strap or a cervical collar to help keep their mouth closed.

I am a VERY happy Bleep user and while my mouth does occasionally drop open, it does not happen often enough or long enough to significantly impact my therapy. Also, I was an Eclipse Halo beta tester and it is fantastic! Can't wait to get it...I did pre-order yesterday and am also on the waitlist at an online DME to get it through my insurance . Guess I will see who comes through first!

[Cas]

Thank you all very much! Your encouragement was very exciting so I ordered the DreamPort tonight. I' will try the tape. I have a chin strap but I've never been able to use it and the head covering defeats the purpose of the DreamPort. If it works, then I'll get the Eclipse, but I didn't want to wait until August.

What brand and kind of soap do you use? I've been using Dawn but it is scented and the instructions say no scent.

Thank you all again for taking the time to answer me.

Cas

[Miss Emerita]

Don’t use soap to clean your skin. Instead, get alcohol wipes. In my local pharmacy, they’re in the diabetic care area.

[jdm5]

I wash my face with regular soap (Neutrogena but don’t think it matters).

For the micropore tape for your mouth I’ve found skin must be clean (soap), but slightly damp for the tape to stick best — only slightly.

For the Bleep’s, as @miss emerita said you need to use a wipe, either witch hazel or i use alcohol wipes. Skin has to be really clean and DRY.

[Cas]

And again, thank you. I'm sorry, the question was not well thought out. I meant what soap do you use for washing the tube/hose every day? I only wash my c-pap hose once a week and the directions here say to wash it daily and with soap with no scent, chlorine, etc.

[jdm5]

Maintenance questions will get a million different responses here.

I personally wash my hose/humidifier tank/mask when I get around to it — if I’m being honest it’s no more than 3-4 times a year. I think it’s really what your comfortable with.

The hose and humidifier only have room air and distilled water (I use distilled) in it - so shouldn’t really be much / anything to cause problems.

The mask might have germs from your breath, so maybe do that more frequently (I still don’t).

I use a local grocery store’s “clear and free” dish soap.

[Pugsy]

And again, thank you. I'm sorry, the question was not well thought out. I meant what soap do you use for washing the tube/hose every day? I only wash my c-pap hose once a week and the directions here say to wash it daily and with soap with no scent, chlorine, etc.

Where is "here" and for what? The Bleep frame/hose thing?

No one washes their Bleep stuff every day ....not that I know of anyway. It's not needed.
When I do wash it (maybe once a month mainly to clean the diffuser material) I use whatever liquid soap I have handy.
Liquid hand soap or dish soap will work just fine.

[Miss Emerita]

I wash mine once a week, using an unscented liquid soap. I also change the white diffuser pieces once a week. Mine get surprisingly grubby.

[Deborah K.]

I use Medvance 2" wide tape to keep my mouth closed. It's very comfortable, comes off easily, and can be reused for quite a few days. Here's a link to it:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08BJ ... UTF8&psc=1 This link is for the 15-foot version. I bought the 4.5-foot version first to see if I liked it. Here's the link to that:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08BJ ... =UTF8&th=1

It's quite pricey but since you can re-use each piece a bunch of times, it's a lot cheaper than it appears.

[IzzyZeal]

I'm jumping in here as I'm a new CPAP user (with Central Sleep Apnea) and within the first week decided to try BleepSleep dreamports. Now that I'm a month in, I can't imagine using anything else, though I continually have issues with dry mouth. I tried taping my mouth closed for a couple of nights, I didn't really feel it was working. I read up on using XyliMelts from someone elsewhere here on the forum, and gave that a try. Now I pop one in my mouth every night and it seems to help quite a bit.

I'd love to hear more from users of BeepSleep, since I've only been using for 3 weeks, I find it to be the most like sleeping "normal," which for me is important. I also feel that the first week was a little taxing getting used to them, but now its very routine and without issues, other than needing to have a constant supply.

I am curious to know from others about the ups and downs of early treatment. It's pretty clear, across the board, that it takes several months to get back to a good place. I started experiencing good days my second week in, including one of such extreme lucidity that I felt like a totally different person. From that moment I decided to keep a sleep chart where with a ten star rating system, with that day being a 10. Since then, the chart has gone up and down all over the place, everything from zero stars to 8 stars. I was really hopeful with the progress, particularly since my CPAP use each night is starting to be consistent (7-8 hours on throughout the night). But the last four days have all been 2 stars, 3 at best (today). Should I worry about this? It's such a head-trip to go through this experience and stay sane. I'm sticking with it for sure, but would love to hear from others about the initial phase of adjustment, particularly anyone with Central Sleep Apnea. Mine is moderate at 23 events/hour. It feels like death most days prior to CPAP, I can't imagine what severe would be like. But a 2 or 3 star day is also nearly impossible to function.

Thanks, I'm gaining so much insight from the forum

[CyberSpiff]

Another bleeper who uses a soft cervical collar to help with mouth breathing and positional apnea. Even on the occasion when I need a full face mask due to congestion I still use the collar to correct positional issues. It works well for me.

Waiting on Hanukkah Claus to deliver the joy of Eclipse…

[IzzyZeal]

Thanks for the recommend CyberSplif, I will give the collar a try and yes, definitely pretty amped on trying out the eclipse, it almost looks too good to be true