Now, enter the shuttle valve concept. A shuttle valve is a pneumatic device that directs air to either one place or another, depending on where you need the air to go. In the following picture, the air can travel from A to X or A to Y, depending on the position of the ball:
When I pictured this concept, I imagined turning the shuttle valve clockwise, such that the ball blocks up the Y port, and the air has no choice but to go from A to X. Here is a pic with the valve ports relabled, to give you a better idea of what I'm talking about:
When the valve is rotated, gravity moves the ball into place so that air is no longer coming out of the mouth hole. Compare this to how you will tilt your head below the horizon, or 0° mark in the following pic:
In my case, I need to tilt about 15° when lying on my left side, or 45° when lying on my (favored) right side to shut off "the valve" completely.
Procedure
1) Mask is on, xpap is on, preferably close to your median pressure.
2) Turn your head 10-15° as noted above
3) Let the tip of your tongue touch your front teeth. Now allow the tongue to try and touch all of your teeth simultaneously. This is to pull your tongue forward.
4) Completely relax every muscle in your mouth and face. You are trying to duplicate what will happen when you're at REM sleep.
5) You should be able to respire without any mouth leakage. If you are still leaking, increase the angle towards 90° in 10° increments as needed.
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Thoughts:
-I use the falcon position when sleeping, tilting the head is probably easier than if you side-sleep like the lady in the above picture.
- I've used this for a few days now, and my leaks have been quite minimal
- If you move around a lot while you sleep, this may not work for you
- If you're concerned about moving your teeth over the long haul, a cheap nightguard might help
- I really hope this can help someone, even one person! That'd rule. Thanks for reading.
