New CPAP user, Swift FX/dry mouth, got new mask, DME issue?

[gm60]

This is a great forum,

I've had my CPAP machine for a week now and am using the Swift FX nasal pillows.
I wake up multiple times each night with a very dry mouth. My wife did notice last night that my mouth was open and she could hear the air escaping.

I like the Swift FX but my mouth breathing is a real problem. Is this something that I will grow out of?

Thanks

CPAP setting @6, CFLEX 3

[cflame1]

highly unlikely that you'll grow out of it without making other changes.

[Janknitz]

You can try a few things to help:
1. A chin strap works for some people.
2. Some people actually use micro-pore or blue painter's tape to tape their lips shut. Look up how to do this effectively and carefully before attempting it.
3. You might be able to train yourself to keep you mouth shut. Start by trying to keep your tongue on the roof of your mouth, just behind the top teeth. If you sleep on your side, perhaps tucking a pillow under your chin will help.

If mouth breathing continues to be an issue, you will not be getting effective therapy, so it is something that needs to be tackled.

Some people use a "hybrid" mask with nasal pillows and a mouthpiece if they cannot overcome mouth breathing. Or, a FF mask is another option.

[brazospearl]

Welcome, gm60! If you're mouth breathing, you're losing your therapy air. Solutions include training yourself to keep you mouth shut (hey, it works for some!), straps/tape to seal your mouth, or full face masks so that you still get the therapy even if your mouth opens. Different solutions work for different folks, and it might take several tries to get the best solution for you. Good luck!

[Aces]

I have been working my pressure up from 7cm to 10cm (currently at 9cm). When I 1st went from 7cm to 8cm, I started mouth breathing after I fell asleep. It woke my wife up who (cleverly) hit the ramp button. That was enough to stop the mouth breathing. She hasn't had to do it again. But you might suggest this to your SO.

[LSAT]

Mouth breathing is what full face masks are for....were you really titrated at 6 psi? I'm not familiar with your machine, but a CFLEX setting of 3 will only drop your pressure by 2 since most CPAP machines do not go lower than 4 psi.

[jonnybee]

I have been fighting this problem since I started on CPAP three months ago. I left the sleep study with a nasal pillows mask (Swift LT). Shortly found out that I had the mouth breathing problem. Went back to DME and was fitted for a Mirage Quattro which felt good in the office. That night, I found that as soon as I fell asleep my jaw dropped and the mask was no longer sealing. Went back to Swift LT using a chin strap. Found that the chin strap actually pulled my jaw rearward and slightly open as well as being extremely uncomfortable. Read about the Hybrid which is advertised as having a built-in chin support. Ordered one. Well, it does have somewhat of a chin support, but the support is not strong enough to hold my chin up. After two nights of misery with the Hybrid, I went back to the Swift LT using a PapCap I ordered; a cloth cap with a chin strap that hooks to the cap with velcro. Tried that a few nights in misery as I had to tighten the chin strap so tight that it scrunched my face up and I woke up with a sore face and nose in the morning. Finally did what I had read others were doing..taped my mouth shut with a 2" wide strip of micropore tape. Might not be the greatest idea in the world to tape your mouth shut but it is the ONLY thing that works for me. Now, with my Swift LT nasal pillow mask and a strip of micropore tape across my mouth, I sleep very well. AHI last night was 1.8 with zero leak rate. I am not advising anyone else to tape their mouth shut; just stating what works for me. After all I went through, I have a new Mirage Quattro, a new Hybrid, a chin strap, and a PapCap resting in my closet and am back where I started with the Swift LT. AND my roll of micropore tape, lol.

[gm60]

That is what I'm woried about.

I'm also a side/back sleeper.

What are the recommendations for full masks or hybrid masks?
Saw a post about the new quattro but it sounds like we can't get them in the us.
Mirage Liberty looks interesting also.

I don't have facal hair and I would say my face is average size, small/med nose.

Will a CPAP pillow also help if I go to a full mask?

Thank you

[brazospearl]

fwiw, I love my Hybrid! I like how nothing covers my nose, so I can keep my glasses on and read, and the chin flap keeps my trap shut. It comes with 3 sizes of pillows and cushions, so you can customize your fit. I sleep on my side (actually, I flop from side to side all night...) and don't have trouble with leaks.

Good luck on your mask quest!

[gm60]

If I tape my mouth shut can I tape my wifes? Just kidding!
I do have some blue painters tape I may try. I would like to stay with the swift FX, less is better.

Appreciate all the advice.

I've seen the caps with chin straps, I'm a very lite sleeper not sure how that will go over.

Looked at lots of reviews on various masks and some folks have great results an some not so good.

At this point my sleep hasn't gotten any better due to the mouth breathing issues. I also realize it's only been a week. My hope is to work through this and get off of the sleep meds, been on one or another for over ten years. At this point they don't do help much.

Thank again!

[rad3766]

Im currently using a nasal mask and also breathe thru my mouth, so I have been taping my mouth shut for the last week or so, this works very well.
I was at my sleep study center today for a thirty day follow up; I mentioned I was taping my mouth, oh the looks I got.
I was sent home with a FF to try.

One taping tip if you do try it; fold at least one of the ends back on itself, a half inch or so, this will give you something to grab onto to help removal.

[Cindy Lou Who]

gm60,
OOPs! Hit the wrong button...didn't mean that first post to go.

I'm a back/side sleeper too, and spent 3 to 4 months making adjustments to the Swift FX. Would always wake with dry mouth, dry eyes, and one very irritated husband from both mouth and pillow leaks. Finally switched to the Opus 360 headgear: that stopped the pillow leaks.
Still had bad mouth leaks. The solution: a sports mouth guard, (the boil and bite kind you find in most places that sell sporting goods) and a chin strap made from an ACE bandage. Get the non-self adhesive kind as the self-adhesive ones will leave a sticky residue on your skin. The wide ACE bandage seems to put more support under the chin near my neck and doesn't pull my jaw back. I don't need it as tight as the CPAP chin strap I'm currently using, and the ACE was more comfortable even though it covered my ears.
Good luck in finding what works for you...
Cindy

[christinepi]

I have terrible dry mouth, too, and found that the Biotene Dry Mouth Gel really works for me. You squirt a half inch on your tongue, swish it around in your mouth, and it lasts for most of the night.

[Jersey Girl]

Dear gm60,

My husband is a "mouth breather" too and he found that a full face mask did the trick - he us using a Mirage Quatro.

Best regards,

Jersey Girl

[MoonBear]

I looked with longing at the Swift for Her when I was diagnosed and had not been fitted for a mask. but I am a real mouth brreather, and when I tried the Quatro, I decided that getting used to cpap was enough of an adjustment, and that using tape might be too much to deal with.

I've been using the Quattro for about three weeks with good results. I did WAY too much over Christmas and am tired again, but know I am getting a good quality of sleep. My sleep deficit is large.

I did order the Swift and have about a week before I have to keep or return it. I intend to use Micropore tape tonight. My nose and my skin are sore. Would be nice to have an option.

Even if the Swift works well, I will continue to like my Quattro, and think having time to get used to cpap without having to also worry about a 59-year-old habit was smart. Just wish the Quattro wasn't SO heavy, and I am wearing make up for the first time in YEARS to cover that red bump on my nose. Still, last night was the first night when I had any trouble going to sleep. Maybe the coffee ice cream was the problem

Bear Hugs,
Lora