Full faced mask AND Taping mouth shut

[anonfan1432]

so i have been reading around for the practice of taping mouth shut, and it seems more and more that people only do this when they are using a nasal only mask.

I am using a full face mask, but i still wake throughout the nights either gasping for air which indicates mouth breathing.

Would taping mouth shut when using a full mask help, or is it only applicable to the nasal masks?
thanks

[JDS74]

Aside from comfort issues, FFMs provide the ability to provide therapy even with mouth breathing.
If you tape, then this functionality is lost and a nasal mask would work just fine.

So, it might be a good idea to consider a soft cervical collar with your FFM. That would help with leakage issues and not compromise your ability to breathe through your mouth if your nose gets congested while you sleep.

Symptoms of gasping for breath at night may mean that your pressure is sub optimal. Can you post some information about your pressures?

[Wulfman...]

so i have been reading around for the practice of taping mouth shut, and it seems more and more that people only do this when they are using a nasal only mask.

I am using a full face mask, but i still wake throughout the nights either gasping for air which indicates mouth breathing.

Would taping mouth shut when using a full mask help, or is it only applicable to the nasal masks?
thanks

Along with the possibility of suboptimal pressures, are your nasal passages congested? Too much heated humidity could contribute to nasal congestion. If those are indicators, do nasal cleansing before bedtime and turn your humidifier setting down or off (along with reviewing your pressure settings).

Assuming one can breathe through their nose, training the tongue to stay to the roof of the mouth while sleeping can eliminate the need for additional taping, etc.


Den

.

[anonfan1432]

my pressure is locked at 7 (forgot the unit, somthing like mm Hgo ) and i cannot change it on my own

[JDS74]

If you post your equipment, then you can get instructions on how to look at your therapy reports as well as be able to make changes.

There is a link in my signature block on how to post your equipment.
It will also be helpful if you get a copy of your sleep study as well as your prescription.
It does sometimes happen that the DME sets thing incorrectly - not often but sometimes.

[Jay Aitchsee]

Alexx, 7 cm is a fairly low pressure and may not be providing adequate therapy. If you go to the trouble of finding out specifically what kind of machine you have and post it, there are folks on this forum that likely will be able to help you optimize your therapy.

[anonfan1432]

Alexx, 7 cm is a fairly low pressure and may not be providing adequate therapy. If you go to the trouble of finding out specifically what kind of machine you have and post it, there are folks on this forum that likely will be able to help you optimize your therapy.

ill be able to post it later when i get home.
In the meantime, what do you guys think would be a good pressure?
like 10?

should the pressure be noticeable?
I would say 7 is a bit low; sometimes i have to check to make sure the hose is connected cause i can't even feel the pressure

[englandsf]

What pressure did your prescription specify (single number of range)?

[anonfan1432]

What pressure did your prescription specify (single number of range)?

i dont have that information right now.

Anyways, i found a site that has instructions for modifying pressures for various machines.
I don't mind using it, but what do you think my sleep dr will freak out if i modify the pressure on my own?

[Jay Aitchsee]

Alexx, don't get too anxious. First things first. Let's find out what kind of machine you have, whether or not it is data capable and, if it is, get you the software to read it. Once we see what's going on, some decent recommendations can be made.
Your doctor probably will never know if you change your pressure. Is anybody monitoring your results now?
If you feel you must do something. You could try increasing your pressure incrementally by one, or two at the most, cm/h2o and leave it there for several nights, allowing your body to become adjusted to it to see what happens. Generally speaking, it's better to make small changes and wait for the results to settle before making more.

[englandsf]

I'd check your numbers first - just wanted to know if you're running high or low pressure as it can make a lot of difference to other choices.