FF Mask Issues

[sghill]

I'm a mouth breather and the sleep Dr recommend a full face mask. I'm trying the Ultra Mirage FF mask. So far I'm getting about 4-5 hours of sleep before leaks wake me up. They seem to be caused by me drooling in the mask. Anybody have a solution.

Thanks,

Stan

[glfredrick]

Turn the humidifier down a bit and be prepared to wipe out the mask from time to time. I have the same problem with the Quatro FF. Otherwise it is a VERY good mask and I'm happy with it. I don't know another cure.

I typically keep a box of non-allergenic baby wipes and kleenex by the bed side. Don't even take the mask off, just give it a swipe around the bottom edge, roll over and go back to sleep.

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CPAPopedia Keywords Contained In This Post (Click For Definition): humidifier

[Snoredog]

drooling indicates you are breathing through your mouth, even with a FF you should try and breathe through your nose.

We breathe through our mouth when we cannot breathe through our nose.

I suspect you have nasal congestion issues, you may want to visit a ENT to have your nose checked out (deviated septum, malformed valve, enlarged turbinates, chronic allergies etc.).

You will always have CPAP issues with chronic nasal congestion. Fix that and you will begin again to breathe through your nose where the incoming air is better conditioned before it hits your lungs, then drooling goes away and therapy improves.

[xyz]

> even with a FF you should try and breathe through your nose.

I don't think so!

> We breathe through our mouth when we cannot breathe through our nose.

Precisely so. Aren't those of us who use FFMs using them because we _can't_ breathe through our noses? Hey, I didn't _volunteer_ to use this mask! :)

With my old UM FFM I used to drool a lot. I figured that it was due to all the leaks. (This was before I had a data-capable machine.) I changed to the Quattro (and a new machine (with lower pressure) and a new humidifier). Drool went entirely away and leaks were reduced significantly. Coincidence? I don't think so. But I'm not certain which the biggest effect was.

What is your pressure? High pressure can cause leaks.

[sghill]

Thanks for the info. Right now the CPAP is set for 16cm.

[xyz]

> Right now the CPAP is set for 16cm.

That's fairly high. A lot of air is going in and out.

What is your humidifier setting? When I replaced my old passover (cold) humidifier with the heated humidifier the drool went away. But other changes were made at the same time.

[glfredrick]

I'm at that same level... ANY breach of the seal will cause leaks at that rate, including a bit of moisture between the seal and face.

[sghill]

Right now the I have the Humidity set at 3. I started to use an old pair of my daughters tights to keep the mask sealed and last night I didn't have the drool problem. I'll use it again tonight and see what happens.

Regards,

stan

[xyz]

> I started to use an old pair of my daughters tights to keep the mask sealed and last night I didn't have the drool problem.

That's good news. I had the peculiar combination that my mouth (most of it anyway) was dry as a bone but I drooled (bottom of mouth). Leaks cause air to be "lost" (not used by you). The humidity in that air escapes to the room instead of your mouth. And the old passover (cold) humidifier didn't put out that much humidity anyway. Getting the leaks under control and getting the humidifier setting right will go a long way towards solving this problem. Finding the right pressure is also important. My old machine setting was too high. (Think "humidity per unit time".)

[sharon1965]

drooling indicates you are breathing through your mouth, even with a FF you should try and breathe through your nose.
We breathe through our mouth when we cannot breathe through our nose.
I suspect you have nasal congestion issues, you may want to visit a ENT to have your nose checked out (deviated septum, malformed valve, enlarged turbinates, chronic allergies etc.).
You will always have CPAP issues with chronic nasal congestion. Fix that and you will begin again to breathe through your nose where the incoming air is better conditioned before it hits your lungs, then drooling goes away and therapy improves.

i've read this type of response from snoredog before and i have to admit, i find it very confusing
i thought the whole point of using a ff mask was that you lose therapy air if you mouth breathe or mouth leak...so the fact that i fall asleep breathing comfortably thru my nose but wake up frequently sounding like the cryptkeeper with air rushing out of my mouth is precisely the reason i've been trying the make the infernal full face mask work
i've had my septum repaired, so i'm no longer chronically congested; i've tried chin straps but i still have lip flutters and sometimes my cheeks inflate and then the air puffs out through my lips
i assumed that since most of my mouth leaking appears to occur during the late morning hours (as in 4 or 5 o'clock on) it was simply because my jaw drops when i'm sleeping deeply...
so what the heck is the point in using a full face mask if you're still not getting good therapy if you mouth breathe/leak?
cause i'll tell ya, getting back to the point of this thread, so far i freakin hate those things!!!!!!!!!!!

[Wulfman]

drooling indicates you are breathing through your mouth, even with a FF you should try and breathe through your nose.
We breathe through our mouth when we cannot breathe through our nose.
I suspect you have nasal congestion issues, you may want to visit a ENT to have your nose checked out (deviated septum, malformed valve, enlarged turbinates, chronic allergies etc.).
You will always have CPAP issues with chronic nasal congestion. Fix that and you will begin again to breathe through your nose where the incoming air is better conditioned before it hits your lungs, then drooling goes away and therapy improves.

i've read this type of response from snoredog before and i have to admit, i find it very confusing
i thought the whole point of using a ff mask was that you lose therapy air if you mouth breathe or mouth leak...so the fact that i fall asleep breathing comfortably thru my nose but wake up frequently sounding like the cryptkeeper with air rushing out of my mouth is precisely the reason i've been trying the make the infernal full face mask work
i've had my septum repaired, so i'm no longer chronically congested; i've tried chin straps but i still have lip flutters and sometimes my cheeks inflate and then the air puffs out through my lips
i assumed that since most of my mouth leaking appears to occur during the late morning hours (as in 4 or 5 o'clock on) it was simply because my jaw drops when i'm sleeping deeply...
so what the heck is the point in using a full face mask if you're still not getting good therapy if you mouth breathe/leak?
cause i'll tell ya, getting back to the point of this thread, so far i freakin hate those things!!!!!!!!!!!

OH.....NOW, NOW.......don't be so negative!!!
Are you still working with the Quattro?

I understood what Snoredog was saying. (scary, ain't it?)
In essence......it's more desirable to breathe through your nose.....BUT, if you end up having to mouth-breathe (for whatever reason), you're "covered" with a full face mask.
IF there's a nasal/breathing issue that can be fixed by surgery by an ENT, then that would help, too.

In my own case, some "rotor-rooter" work by an ENT would probably help me, too.......but I AM getting decent therapy, so for now I'm not gonna have anything done.


Den

[Guest]

I cant help but mouth breathe. I can't believe people can sleep all night without opening their mouth

[sharon1965]

OH.....NOW, NOW.......don't be so negative!!!
Are you still working with the Quattro?

i know, i know, i'm being negative

no, i gave up on that clunky quattro and moved on to trying the f&p 431
that sucks too, btw
so now i'm bringing the 431 back to the dme to try a hybrid
i won't give up, 'cause these last 3 months my leak line has been a disaster, but man, those ff's really cheese me off

[shippy]

It is pretty hard to train yourself to breathe through your nose i start out each night breathing through my nose, but who knows what happens after falling asleep, i have woken up before with a mask full of droolies. I have allergies and some nights even after taking Zyrtec my sinuses are plugged up. Same problem with back sleeping start out each night on my side and wind up waking up on my back during the night. I find it hard to believe that anyone who uses a FF mask spends 100% of the night sleeping breathing through the nose as we don't really know what is happening when we are asleep.

Dale

[mangotango]

I've only been on cpap a short time I also use a full face mask cause I mouth breathe I try to start off breathing through my nose but not sure what happens later after i fall asleep except my mask ends up wet and leaks around 3 am and I have to dry it out.