Is it really okay to tape your mouth ?

[TrueBlue]

I'm new to all this and I'm not having much luck with my nasal mask because I think I'm breathing through my mouth when asleep. I've read some of the comments here about taping, but am a bit nervous about doing this. If there was a powercut and you didn't wake up would you still be able to breath with the mask on and your mouth taped or is this no different to wearing a full mask ?? I have another week before I visit my sleep clinic again so want to try this in the meantime.

[ozij]

Full disclosure: I tape, and have been doing so for almost 4 years -- it took me 8 months to dare.

No, it's not like using a full face mask, because a full face mask has a valve that opens automatically when power is lost, and lets you breath in fresh air.

Should the machine lose pressure when your mouth is taped, you'll wake up stuggling to breath through the tape. I fold in both sides of the tape so grasping it and pulling it off in case of emergency is a cinch (but may be very painful). It's not pleasant, you may breath some CO2 == but it's not CO.

I don't tape when I feel ill, especially when I feel sick to my stomach.

I never go to bed drunk, never throw up when half asleep, have good control of my hands - I feel I can tape safely, and will gain more from taping than I loose from mouth breathing. Where I live, power failiures are infrequent.

Berthon-Jones, there researcher mentioned in the following thread was one of the inventors of the ResMed AutoSet.

Link to Paper about mouthbreathing, taping and cpap
viewtopic.php?p=368541#p368541

Read Rooster's detailed instructions about how to tape should you decide to do it.
Rooster, by the way has found a nose/mouth mask (the Hybrid) and no longer tapes.

O.

[cassaro]

Hi Trueblue,

Because of the nature of the subject, I am not making a suggestion one way or another. But, this is what I do.

I have had the same thoughts as you about taping and power outages. I am also one of those people who need to tape their mouth because I "puff" air out of my mouth if I do not. I have tried a Full Face Mask (FFM) but found that my face shape allowed some massive leaks very easily. So, taping was an easier option to start with.
I make sure that when I tape my mouth I prepare the tape by folding over a "tab" at one end in case I need to remove the tape quickly during the night. Our bodies have a wonderful "survival" instinct and I am relaying on that if I lose power and my body is struggling for air, hence the "tab".

I think I will go and purchase a computer style battery back up unit for my home apap unit just in case though

Chuck

[roster]

You need to be using a full face mask. They were designed for people who sometimes breathe or leak air through their mouth. It may take some time (and expense) to find one that fits your face and suits your sleeping position.

I taped for six months and then found a full face mask that works for me. I have been very glad to no longer have to tape.

Good luck,

[drubin007]

At the advise of people in here, I tried taping (one night).

I was always a mouth breather until cpap, and when I did my sleep study started off on a full face mask. I was miserable and demanded to try a different mask. They told me if I was mouthing it, they were gonna put it back on me.

I lucked out and with a nose mask did not mouth breathe, and thats what I brought home. After a few nights of it, I begain to develop sores between my eyes and had to change to nasal pillows.

Most nights I do not mouth breathe at all and I know this because I seldom wake up with dry mouth anymore...

I did try taping one night to see if I can get my leak rate lower, but it jsut did not work for me. I had this constant urge to yawn when I was taped. Not sure why, and typing it now is forcing me to yawn again but because of that, I cannot tape. Wish I could, but I can't. (yawning behind a closed mouth is too complicated for a simpleton lime me).

[Yoda]

It took me a while to get up the nerve to tape. It seemed so extreme. But, when I finally tried it, I improved a lot. Recently, I had a little cold and stopped taping because I had to cough. I found that I was not leaking anymore. I guess it trained me. I am keeping an eye on my data and using the chinstrap. But, for now, I am not taping. If I start leaking again, I will get the tape back out.

Good luck,

Cecile

[cajun]

Yoda,

I'm trying to work up the nerve to tape. I see we have the same mask. Which chinstrap are you using?

[alnhwrd]

TB,

I second everything Oz said. As long as you are otherwise healthy, taping is a cheap and easy way to find out if you are mouth breathing. Some people really like a nasal or nasal pillows mask or can't find FFM that works, so it provides a workable alternative. Good luck.

[cajun]

On the power outage thing, I think you're safe. My power went out the other night. Maybe I gasped right before waking, but I recall waking up with my mouth closed. I was able to breath through the exhaust ports of my mask with the machine off. If you have any doubt test it by putting on your mask with the machine off and close your mouth.

[LinkC]

Is it really okay to tape your mouth?

If you ask your doctor, absolutely not!

Now that THAT's out of the way...I tape because I couldn't find a FF that would seal AND leave my nose unscathed. I have 6 barely used FF models in my closet.

I've never had any issues...no power outages, etc. Since I use the auto-on feature of my machine, I KNOW I can breathe adequately when the machine is off. I DO fold a "tab" on the left end of the tape as an emergency "ripcord", but have never had a need for it.

[Muse-Inc]

Buy a power outage alarm and plug it into the same electric receptable as your xPAP. If the power is interrupted for any reason, the alarm will go off and wake you up. When mine was being shipped, we had a power outage (is it ever that way? it arrived the next day). Power was off about 50 mins before I woke gasping for air thru my mask...re-breathing, not good.

I haven't the guts to even try taping as I have horrible allergy congestion.

[OutaSync]

I tape every night and use a chinstrap to hold my jaw shut.The soft micropore cloth tape I use was designed for frail, delicate skin and does not hurt when I pull it off. I can even use the same tape for 4 nights with full effectiveness (Yes, I tried it out of curiosity).

I aways wake up when the power goes off, because of the sudden silence. But I am a light sleeper and everything wakes me up. I recently spent one night without tape to see if I had been "trained" and found that I woke up many times with air escaping my lips, despite the chinstrap. Another advantage to the tape is that is protects my upper lip from the silicone mask and reduces the disturbance of that little bit or air that constantly leaks from the lower corners of every mask I've tried.

Sneezing is a little rough with tape on, but I haven't died, yet. If I do, I've left instructions for my executor to send my SV to my friend, SWS.

Bev

[ozij]

Sneezing is a little rough with tape on, but I haven't died, yet. If I do, I've left instructions for my executor to send my SV to my friend, SWS.

Following a rested gal suggestion from years ago, I actually have a note saying I've taping of my own free will since Dec 2004, and it immensly improved the quality of my sleep and life. And a copy of that note in my cpap bag for when I'm visiting people.

So if anyone finds me dead and taped, it will hopefully save the police some time...

O.

[Snorebert]

When I first shifted to a nasal pillow mask, my mouth stayed closed by itself. But after a while I found that I was breathing more and more through the mouth.
So one night I wandered into the garage, grabbed the blue tape and stuck it on. That worked just fine until a couple of nights ago, I pulled the ripcord to cough.
YOUCH!!! Not the right blue tape as evidenced by a nasty little spot on the lip where the skin used to be.

Once healed, I will be back at it but perhaps with a kinder, gentler tape.

-Clark

[plr66]

I'll just reiterate much of what's already been said, to reinforce those posts. I've been taping for the past 9 months with blue 2" painters tape for delicate surfaces. It brought my AHI immediately down from over 5.0 to 0.4 to 2.0. Great results and I felt the difference.

I have never had a problem yawning through my nose or "quietly" coughing or sneezing with the tape on. I have had several nights when the power has gone off, and it did wake me up because of the lack of "noise" in the house (fridge, furnace, etc) as well as the stuffier breathing issue. But just not a problem. You probably will wake up like you always did with difficulty breathing. But now you are more tuned in to needing to get up and attend to the situation. The CO2 vents on your mask allow you to breathe, so you won't suffocacte. Or purchase one of those power-out alarms referred to above, if that will make you feel more comfortable.

After all these months--only in the past 2 weeks have I had a problem of some skin irritation from the tape on my upper lip. I have never found Milk of Magnesia to help at all, so never used it beyond a trial period of 3-4 nights. What I personally find critically important is to allow extra time every morning (5-6 minutes) to saturate the tape with warm water (I do it in the shower, but a hot wash cloth over the sink with continuous soaking can do it. And someone suggested saturating the tape with hand cream, I think). Under the shower, I peel the tape waterboard style VERY SLOWLY, with the water pouring down on the peeled surface. It does work, and it does require patience and breathing aside as necessary. My mistake was that I had to rush one morning; and once the area of your face is raw, it will stay that way until well-healed. I have used a FFM with liberal use of Aloe cream for a few days to get that to happen. Now I hope to be back to taping with my favorite Swift LT!