Air escapes out of my mouth due to my pressure increase.

[scarny]

I've been on a CPAP (nasal pillows mask) for 3 years at an air pressure level of 6. After a recent sleep study, my doctor increased my pressure from a 6 to a 10, which I'm told is a pretty large increase. Since the change, I've noticed that the increased air pressure forces my mouth to open, losing air. As a result, I wake up tired and with headaches. I've even tried the chin strap, which only hurts my upper teeth and makes my overbite even worse.

What can I do, short of putting tape over my mouth? Please help.

[RogerSC]

If you can train yourself to keep your tongue on the roof of your mouth just up behind your top front teeth, that blocks CPAP air from escaping when you open your mouth. Don't push your tongue up against your front teeth (especially if you already have an overbite), but there's a ridge just behind your top front teeth that you should feel with the tip of your tongue, where you can rest your tongue against the roof of your mouth. It's worth a try, just keep your tongue there consciously all the time, and hope that this translates into keeping it there when you're unconscious; i.e. sleeping *smile*.

I do this, and think that it helps me, and other people have mentioned this "training" as well, as helpful to them.

[LSAT]

10 is really not a high pressure...it's probably considered average. Try what Roger suggested, but if that doesn't work, you should be able to control the leaks with a chin strap, full face mask or taping your mouth.

[Country4ever]

I find that I can't keep my mouth closed when I'm asleep, and chin straps didn't seem to help. I now use blue painter's tape. Quite a few of us use tape.

[avi123]

I been CPAPing also for three years. I agree that on S9 Autoset, in APAP mode, a max pressure below 10 cm is sort of too low. It took me almost a year to get the max and min pressures values at the correct values to confine the pressure graph within these limits. I started with my optimal pressure from my last sleep study of 13 CM for CPAP.

I would also pay attention to:

1) Having a CPAP Therapeutic pressure from a sleep study that minimized OAI, CAI, Hypopnea, and Snore, is not enough b/c Flow Limitation (including RERAs and UARs) which probably was not checked at your sleep study (checking the contour of the inspiration airflow waveforms) could cause arousals leading to daytime tiredness. These events could still be present if all the others had been obliterated. "Flow Limitation may be the best single variable on which to perform the therapeutic titration".

2) Even if your XPAP treatment is adequate, about 15% of such persons suffer from Residual Excessive Sleepiness during daytimes b/c of heart problems, depression, restless legs, central sleep apnea syndrome, COPD, hyporespiration lungs, and.................brain lesions from using the XPAP itself.

Recently, I have started to take Flomax, at bedtime, which reduced my waking up to pee to only once, instead of 2 to 3, as the above graphs indicate.

p.s. about your question of taping your mouth to stop mouth leak, imo, it is not necessary if you use either a full face mask or a chinstrap with nasal masks. I always have some mouth leaks no mater which mask I use. Chinstraps do not stop air going in or out to the mouth but only reduce it. Even if you tape your mouth "air tight" you'll still have air going into the mouth (either from the nose or the lips) to replace the Saliva that you'll swallow during sleep. What else could replace that Saliva's volume which is generated in the mouth glands, excreted into the mouth, and goes down into the stomach?

[oak]

avi stated "brain lesions from using the XPAP."

where on earth did you read that CPAP causes brain lesions?

[avi123]

avi stated "brain lesions from using the XPAP."

where on earth did you read that CPAP causes brain lesions?

Reply,

Oak, why are you so inquisitive?

Frontal brain lobe impairment in obstructive sleep apnoea: a proton MR spectroscopy study.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15572542

p. s. OAK, you never thanked me for my mile long reply to your post "Definition of Flow Limitation".

[scarny]

Thanks for the suggestions. My doctor just sent me another disk to insert into my machine that lowers my pressure to a 9. We'll see if that helps. Unfortunately, I don't have a machine that keeps track of data. I will try the tongue thing, and perhaps the tape.

[oak]

Avi, there is nothing in that article linking CPAP to brain lesions. there IS information linking APNEA to brain lesions, which has also been documented elsewhere.

thank you for your post on flow limitations.

[avi123]

Thanks for the suggestions. My doctor just sent me another disk to insert into my machine that lowers my pressure to a 9. We'll see if that helps. Unfortunately, I don't have a machine that keeps track of data. I will try the tongue thing, and perhaps the tape.

Comment,

I would also get rid of that Nasal Pillows mask.

Try a chinstrap instead of tape. The strap does not need to be too tied. Just bring the teeth together. Some air will continue to escape thru the lips.

[avi123]

Avi, there is nothing in that article linking CPAP to brain lesions. there IS information linking APNEA to brain lesions, which has also been documented elsewhere.

thank you for your post on flow limitations.

If so try this:

Proton Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy Study of Brain Metabolism in Obstructive
Sleep Apnoea Syndrome before and after Continuous Positive Airway Pressure
Treatment.Caterina Tonon, MD1; Roberto Vetrugno, MD, PhD2; Raffaele Lodi, MD1; Roberto Gallassi, MD2; Federica Provini, MD2; Stefano Iotti, PhD1; Giuseppe Plazzi, MD2;
Pasquale Montagna, MD2; Elio Lugaresi, MD2; Bruno Barbiroli, MD1

http://www.journalsleep.org/Articles/300308.pdf

[Todzo]

I've been on a CPAP (nasal pillows mask) for 3 years at an air pressure level of 6. After a recent sleep study, my doctor increased my pressure from a 6 to a 10, which I'm told is a pretty large increase. Since the change, I've noticed that the increased air pressure forces my mouth to open, losing air. As a result, I wake up tired and with headaches. I've even tried the chin strap, which only hurts my upper teeth and makes my overbite even worse.

What can I do, short of putting tape over my mouth? Please help.

Spend some quality time with the machine during the day. Time in bed, time watching light TV or listening to music.

High pressure tends to make one breath more air. If you train yourself to breath a normal ammount of air while using the machine things will go better.

This kind of thing tends to resolve itself over time if you can give it time.

It also helps to reduce life stress.

Have a great year,

Todzo

[oak]

If so try this:

Proton Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy Study of Brain Metabolism in Obstructive
Sleep Apnoea Syndrome before and after Continuous Positive Airway Pressure
Treatment.Caterina Tonon, MD1; Roberto Vetrugno, MD, PhD2; Raffaele Lodi, MD1; Roberto Gallassi, MD2; Federica Provini, MD2; Stefano Iotti, PhD1; Giuseppe Plazzi, MD2;
Pasquale Montagna, MD2; Elio Lugaresi, MD2; Bruno Barbiroli, MD1

http://www.journalsleep.org/Articles/300308.pdf

Avi, THIS article appears to talk about CPAP not HELPING with cognitive deficits that occured due to APNEA in the study subjects. It doesnt say that CPAP caused any negative effects. In addition, I see NOTHING in the article that discusses brain lesions and CPAP.

I think if you have further comments, in my opinion, it would be best to start your own thread as the original poster was not asking about this.