darn, i'm a mouth breather :(

[sleepymama]

ok so i got a good fit last night on my headgear and pillows. i was able to sleep on my side, roll over on my back and they stayed put. nose is not really sore this morning so not too tight. however i woke up numerous times last night from the noise of breathing out of my mouth i'm wondering if i can use a chinstrap on the headgear/mask i currently am using. what kind of mouth tape do you use and does it hurt like a mo fo when you rip it off in the morning lol.
the DME told me she has some nasal/ffm in mind for me when i want to come by to try them on. i figured i may try to get the kinks worked out of the pillows first. i was in a deeper sleep last night so i'm wondering if that's when i mouth breathe. i was dreaming. my AHI was 8.6 last night. however i did sleep almost 8hrs which was good.

[sister]

ok so i got a good fit last night on my headgear and pillows. i was able to sleep on my side, roll over on my back and they stayed put. nose is not really sore this morning so not too tight. however i woke up numerous times last night from the noise of breathing out of my mouth i'm wondering if i can use a chinstrap on the headgear/mask i currently am using. what kind of mouth tape do you use and does it hurt like a mo fo when you rip it off in the morning lol.
the DME told me she has some nasal/ffm in mind for me when i want to come by to try them on. i figured i may try to get the kinks worked out of the pillows first. i was in a deeper sleep last night so i'm wondering if that's when i mouth breathe. i was dreaming. my AHI was 8.6 last night. however i did sleep almost 8hrs which was good.

Hi, I too am a mouth breather and have been trying many,many things to correct that. I finally have success with a wide chin strap[Deluxe chin strap from cpap.com]. I also use nasal pillows, I put the chin strap on before the nasal pillows.I have gotten my AHI down tremendously by this method. I tried all the regular chin straps, they didn't work!
GOD bless you and good luck!

[Tired Linda]

Hi Mama, another mouth breather here!

I started a week ago with a nasal mask and soon found my mouth was opening. Tried at least three different kinds of tape, in various positions. Resigned myself to thinking I was going to need a FFM. Made an appt and went in to try on masks. The RT asked me what I was looing for, and then asked me why. I told her about my mouth breathing, drooling and that I had even tried tape to no avail (she about flipped on that one.)

She said since you have 30 days to try masks, I want you to give this a shot (Swift FX) first. She went on to say that it has been her experience that most people can learn to keep their mouths shut IF they have enough humidity. She showed me how to shut off the auto sensor and set my humidity on 3. Told me to try it that night and if it didn't work, raise humidity to 4 and try it another night. If I needed to go to 5, so be it. If none of that worked, then we would talk. She said that since I was so new in my treatment, I was prime to work on changing my ways and that most people can do it. I was willing to try anything.

I left there thinking maybe I had been had (DME stories, you know) and that I had quite possibly lost my mind. Guess what? Last night was number 4 and my mouth was closed. My leak rate is really good, and my AHI is slowly coming down! And that mask is comfy!

I also think it helps that sometimes I put my mask on, with the machine on, and talk. The only way I can talk is by making a seal by pressing my tongue against the roof of my mouth, and I think that is helping to make me more conscious of what is going on with my mouth.

Hope this makes sense, but its working for me. At least for now.

Linda

[Goofproof]

Most XPAP users mouthbreath. Chinstraps are mainly best at making money for their seller, some find them useful many don't. Taping or a FF mask are useful, as long as the mask you get doesn't have too high a built in leak rate. a few Dual/Type I consider to be useless due to a high leak rate. (Incoming Flack) Jim

[Muse-Inc]

Try a hybrid-style mask...comfort of pillows & the oral cushion ensures no loss of therapy air. I loved my OptiLife pillowmask, wore it 22 mos or so, then started losing therapy air via loose lips, little puffs of that oh so essential therapy air. The RespCare Hybrid comes with 3 sizes of oral cushion, 3 sizes of pillows that can be adjusted to 2 heights so getting a good fit is likely...watch the DVD of fitting it well, there's an over the head strap that is critical to a good fts, esp pillows.
https://www.cpap.com/productpage/RespCa ... -Mask.html

[rested gal]

sleepymama, I am, too... a mouth breather during sleep, that is.

I never could find a full face mask (including the hybrid type nasal pillows + mouth covering FF masks) that let me sleep as comfortably as nasal pillows masks do. So -- I've been taping my mouth for years -- every night. I even use a chin strap to prevent my cheeks from ballooning out and putting more force from inside on the tape (loosening the tape.)

Here's more than anyone could possibly want to read about ways to try to control mouth breathing or air escaping out the mouth during CPAP/sleep:

LINKS to: Mouth leaks - Air Leaks - Tape - DIY Guard
viewtopic.php?t=8011

Good luck at finding the most comfortable solution for you.

[klgm326]

After a month of trying different things, I've found the most comfort from the Swift LT for Her (nasal pillows), the Ruby chin strap (I put in on first) and two band-aids criss-crossed over my mouth. My leaks are very low and my AHIs are good. (and I'm fairly comfortable). Just a thought.
Best of luck in your adventures in CPAP land
kim:)

[Hawthorne]

I'm not much of a mouth breather and, for me, a strip of 1" wide medical tape vertically accross the middle of my lips does the trick. I put chapstick on my lips first so that the tape is easy to get off. I also plant my tongue just above my upper teeth. It seems to stay there all night with the tape. I actually find myself doing the tongue thing during the day now!

It seems I just need a little help to keep the chin from dropping.

[Goofproof]

I'm not much of a mouth breather and, for me, a strip of 1" wide medical tape vertically accross the middle of my lips does the trick. I put chapstick on my lips first so that the tape is easy to get off. I also plant my tongue just above my upper teeth. It seems to stay there all night with the tape. I actually find myself doing the tongue thing during the day now!

It seems I just need a little help to keep the chin from dropping.

That is how to manage mouth breathing, during the day put your tongue on the roof of your mouth and create a suction to hold it there. In time it will help to wean you from mouth breathing. It also will stop chipmonk bloating problems. This worked for me, (at times during the night I leak a little, but not enough to affect my treatment) as shown by the software. Jim

[Hawthorne]

Right Jim. I think I could almost go without any taping now.

My software tells me that I am not mouth breathing with what I am doing. Some nights, if my stomach is a little upset, I will not use even my small piece of tape and the leak rate is just fine then too.

[Sillyme]

Wow, I have a lot to learn. I got my machine and mask two days ago. I was irritated that a machine (non auto CPAP) and mask (Zest) were ordered for me without my being asked. I insisted on the hybrid mask (they gave me a Liberty) because of what I had read online and because it seemed less scary. Maybe I should have listened. I did really well except that I can't seem to breathe out through the nasal pillows against the pressure (12) without feeling restricted. I end up waking up during the night with my mouth open, dry and nasty. I turned up the humidifier and it helped some but not completely. I don't think I'm normally a mouth breather but this is turning me into one. Anyone else have similar problems? I thought about taking my embroidery scissors and making the nasal holes larger but don't want to mess up the fit.

[happysleeper]

Hi Sillyme,

I insisted on the hybrid mask...I end up waking up during the night with my mouth open, dry and nasty...I don't think I'm normally a mouth breather but this is turning me into one. Anyone else have similar problems?

I found that both the hybrid masks actually pulled my lower jaw down in order to fit the mask, which then made my mouth open. I woke up with a dry, yukky-tasting mouth too. I've done well with my opti-life nasal pillows and mouth taping with a combination of poligrip strips between my lips to seal them and stop the drool , and an inch of paper tape in the middle to keep my mouth from opening. Much more comfortable for me than a full face mask. Ain't life interesting??

Happy Sleeper

[Sillyme]

I woke up with a dry, yukky-tasting mouth too. I've done well with my opti-life nasal pillows and mouth taping with a combination of poligrip strips between my lips to seal them and stop the drool , and an inch of paper tape in the middle to keep my mouth from opening. Much more comfortable for me than a full face mask. Ain't life interesting??

Oh yeah . . . I forgot to mention the drool. I want to be able to breathe out comfortably through my nose before I tape my mouth shut. I believe in the lazy way and that I can find an easier solution if I obcess enough.