Taping mouth did not work. Back to the Hybrid.

General Discussion on any topic relating to CPAP and/or Sleep Apnea.
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rickymarkokc
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Joined: Sun Apr 15, 2012 5:13 pm

Taping mouth did not work. Back to the Hybrid.

Post by rickymarkokc » Tue May 15, 2012 11:03 pm

The Hybrid mask has been working good for me- almost zero leaks and comfortable enough. However, I decided last night to go back to the nasal pillows. I wanted so much for these to work. They are so much less bulky than a FFM.
I'm a full on mouth breather. I taped my mouth using the recommendations i've read in these forums. I woke up an hour into my sleep with my cheeks puffed up (with air) like a chipmunk. Woke up another hour later and I had torn the tape off my mouth, and CPAP air was free flowing straight out my mouth.
I like what one user said about mouth breathing- it's not a mouth issue (open or closed). It's a tounge issue. Sure, if you have minor leaks than a chin strap and/or some tape may fix the problem. But when you are a full-on mouth breather like myself, unfortunately I don't believe that a nasal mask will ever be an option. I've heard people talk about 'training' their tongue to stay up and seal the mouth shut. I think it's amazing if some people have been able to do this. In general, I feel like you can hold your tongue up before you fall asleep, but once asleep your tongue is going to fall into its natural position. For some people like me, that leads to mouth breathing.

I just now thought of something- my cpap titration was with a nasal mask. Makes me wonder how in the world they were able to do an accurate titration. Hmmm.