Help me keep my mouth shut? (chin strap/mask advice needed)

[avi123]

I have not read your long post but just looked at the title and your hardware. I would get rid of your silly mask and replace per my hardware. Guarantee!

[the_nap_ster]

I have not read your long post but just looked at the title and your hardware. I would get rid of your silly mask and replace per my hardware. Guarantee!

By "silly mask", do you mean my Aloha? I'm not sure how another nasal mask (such as the one you use) solves the problem of keeping one's mouth shut. Am I missing something?

[nanwilson]

I have not read your long post but just looked at the title and your hardware. I would get rid of your silly mask and replace per my hardware. Guarantee!

You can't guarantee a mask and haredware will fit the next person. We are all different, i have a long face, nap_ster says she has a heart shapped face....so how can one mask, just because it works for you, fit us?????????? And for your info I think there are more pillow mask users on this forum than anything....so why don't you try it. I won't guarantee it will work for you, but they certainly works for many others. So, the majority are "silly" and you are not...hhhhhmmmmmm.

[DreamStalker]

Check out the Ultimate Chin Strap: ultimatechinstrap.com
I'm a heavy mouth breather, and this does work in spite of how strange it looks!

Holy crap ... that guy stole my idea. I developed a very very similar approach 2 and a half years ago.

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=47716&p=435648#p435648

[DreamStalker]

I have not read your long post but just looked at the title and your hardware. I would get rid of your silly mask and replace per my hardware. Guarantee!

You can't guarantee a mask and haredware will fit the next person. We are all different, i have a long face, nap_ster says she has a heart shapped face....so how can one mask, just because it works for you, fit us?????????? And for your info I think there are more pillow mask users on this forum than anything....so why don't you try it. I won't guarantee it will work for you, but they certainly works for many others. So, the majority are "silly" and you are not...hhhhhmmmmmm.

He's a comedian ... your suppose to laugh.

[the_nap_ster]

He's a comedian ... your suppose to laugh.

Okay, in that case, it totally worked. Because those "do this, it works for EVERYONE!" responses are always pretty hilarious!

[BadBreath]

Ultimately the long term solution is to retrain your mouth. Do a search on "Poligrip denture strips" and try using them to keep your mouth shut. It just becomes one more small part of your nightly routine. Then park your tongue between your teeth as you fall asleep, even if it takes biting down lightly, to keep your tongue on the roof of your mouth, thereby preventing the blowback that causes "chipmunk cheeks". It took me two years of nightly use, but now I'm five years in and my mouth always stays shut and my tongue stays on the roof when I breath, without thought or external help, both night and day.

[howkim]

I second the suggestion for the ultimate chin strap. It's relatively expensive, but what's the price of a good night's sleep?

[rosacer]

I was not joking, me too I need to find the way to keep my mouth shut without force my teeth which I do when I use no chin strap. Even with the FFM and the mouth guard I have teeth pain some days, weird stuff.

What I found difficult with the Ultimate Chin strap is the possibility to have a lot of marks and crease on the face, after a time it will become wrinkles and permanent marks.

[MJKelleher]

It might help also to be aware and practice keeping your tongue in position up and back, even during the day. I had no problem adjusting to the nasal pillows and not breathing through my mouth, I believe because way back in grade school I had speech therapy to help with my problem keeping my tongue off my teeth. It was causing mild lisping and, of more concern, pushing my top teeth out so that I had no bite. How many kids do you know who could stick their tongue out while keeping their back teeth clenched? Even now, 40+ years later, I still am often aware of where my tongue is sitting, and make it stay where it belongs. And that awareness is so ingrained that it continues while I sleep.

[the_nap_ster]

For what it's worth, I thought I'd post an update to this thread.

I did indeed buy (and return) a bunch of FF masks until I found one that fit me (the ComfortFull 2). And if I am congested, I sleep with the FF mask, but my numbers are just not as good with it as they are with the Aloha (AHI of 3ish when I wear the FF mask, AHI <.5 with the Aloha), and I feel the difference. Go figure!

So here's the current routine to keep my mouth shut: CPAP.com deluxe chin strap, with one strap behind my head for stabilization, and one strap directly over my lips. But! Before I put that strap over my lips, I put some Lansinoh on my lips, then stick a cotton make-up pad over my sticky lips, THEN put the elastic band over my lips, applying a very gentle pressure. Mask gets put on, tongue gets placed behind teeth, and off to the (sleep) races I go.

The Lansinoh against the cotton basically acts as tape, without irritating my skin with adhesive. Rosacer, I was messing around with my setup last night thinking about you, and I realized that I use the elastic strip to put some pressure on my lips (and therefore teeth), but it's the Lansinoh/cotton that is really doing the work. So I loosened up the strap so it was putting almost no pressure on me, just holding the cotton in place. And it still worked! It might still be too much pressure on your teeth, but I thought I'd file the report anyway.

[DreamStalker]

I think FF masks are the work of the devil. In order to maintain the seal around the mouth you have to tighten the lower straps which then jacks your jaw back requiring more tension on the lower strap. And if you do manage to get the thing sealed, you have to stay perfectly still because the moment you turn or tilt your head, the leaks start and you have to start all over. FF masks should be illegal.

I use to think I needed some type of FF mask in case I ever got a stuffy nose. Well ... I've not had any sinus congestion since starting CPAP, over six years now without having a stopped up nose ... go figure. I've had a Liberty mask in my closet that was only used one night to make sure it would fit and never used again. I should probably get rid of it.

Good luck to you all and may your lips flap in the wind only while awake.

[Respiratory Therapist/Sleep Tech]

Try turning up the heat/humidity on your humidifier. I use this technique to hold my mouth closed during CPAP therapy.

I am using the Resmed S9 Elite with climate control tubing and the Swift FX For Her Nasal Pillows. I keep the heat/humidity feature at 86 degrees F every night. MOST of the time it works just fine. If I'm overly exhausted, or suffering from too much stress, I do notice that my mouth drops open more often, even with my humidity/heat level set high.

I teach my patients at the sleep clinic this technique every day. There are times when it fails, and we have to move on to having a patient use a chin strap, but I always like to try the heat/humidity option first.

[Helper]

Here's the answer -- the Ultimate Chin Strap I've used it for 3 years -- perfect!

Since this blog does not allow websites to be included in messages, just adde three w's and a dot to tias word -- sleepapneasolutionsinc -- and then add a dot-com after it. GOOD LUCK!

[SleepingUgly]

I put some Lansinoh on my lips, then stick a cotton make-up pad over my sticky lips, THEN put the elastic band over my lips, applying a very gentle pressure.

Do you mean a cotton square for removing makeup?