Using my mask for the 1st time tonight & kind of scared....

[KC119]

I'm a mouth breather (during sleep) & this mask won't let me breath out of my mouth. I know this is irrational but I'm afraid I'll stop breathing & die. I'm using the Nuance Pro gel pillows mask. Any advice?

[LSAT]

The pillows allow air to go into your nose...it DOES NOT stop you from breathing out of your mouth, but, you will not get the required therapy with mouth breathing. YOU WILL NOT SUFFOCATE!!!!

[icipher]

I had a similar fear when I started. Whether people admit it or not, lots of us have had this fear or a similar fear. Getting used to CPAP takes courage and a bit of a leap of faith, but if you stick with it, your anxiety over it will lessen. Good luck and let us know how the first night goes.

[Julie]

The mask has vents, etc. built in. If you were to become unconscious in your sleep (not the same things) and the power were to go out in your house, your body would take over and you would breathe regardless, or else you'd wake up and throw off the mask. But you will (cannot) die because of the mask. Thousands of us wear the dumb things and wake up every day... I understand it's irrational, so suggest you wear just the mask alone while watching TV or something til you forget it's on. It won't happen in 5 mins so be patient, it will happen.

[Wulfman...]

I'm a mouth breather (during sleep) & this mask won't let me breath out of my mouth. I know this is irrational but I'm afraid I'll stop breathing & die. I'm using the Nuance Pro gel pillows mask. Any advice?

Why on earth didn't you get a full face mask if you're a mouth-breather?

Try doing some nasal cleansing before bedtime so you can breathe through your nose. Try keeping your tongue to the roof of your mouth while you sleep. AND, maybe turn the humidifier setting down or Off, which will give you cool, passover humidification, to keep your nasal passages open. Too much warm humid air can cause nasal congestion.


Den

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[KC119]

Thanks everyone. I really appreciate you taking time to reply. We'll see how it goes & I'll give my provider a call so they can drop off a mask that covers my mouth too!!! Good night.

[Fruttipebbles]

I am a mouth breather too using the nasal pillows but my doctor assured me I didn't "need" the full face mask even though I asked about it.

[archangle]

Welcome. Please fill in your equipment profile. There are instructions in the link in my signature line. If you have the right CPAP machine, it can tell you whether you're mouth breathing or not.

If you can't figure out which machine you have, tell us EVERYTHING, repeat EVERYTHING it says on the top or front surface of the machine that has the controls on it.

You won't suffocate. You may wake up thinking you're suffocating, but if you do, resist the urge to rip the mask off and consciously breathe in and out deeply and feel the air coming and and going out of your nose. If the machine stops blowing, you'll open your mouth and breathe that way, the same as you would if your nose clogged up during the night without CPAP.

[novatom]

I've mentioned this several times on this board but I haven't seen anyone concur with me.

I use the Nuance pillows too, and am on my third week of CPAP therapy. They're the first and only mask I've used so far and they work well for me. I do sleep with my mouth open but I found that when using the nasal pillows, the air that circulated through my nose and mouth created a "vacuum" effect that forced my mouth closed. Whenever I consciously tried opening my mouth, the vacuum would force my mouth to shut back up (not tightly, just enough to close it when I'm asleep and not trying to keep it open). The data shows it too- no leakage. I don't know if that was the intended effect and I haven't seen anyone else mention this but that's how I've been able to use them successfully (so far).

[old dude]

I'm a mouth breather (during sleep) & this mask won't let me breath out of my mouth. I know this is irrational but I'm afraid I'll stop breathing & die. I'm using the Nuance Pro gel pillows mask. Any advice?

Just know that you're not alone. I'm a lifetime anxiety patient and have/had this same issue.

It gets better with time, but as others have suggested it sure sounds like you need a full face mask.

[KC119]

Once I finally fell asleep, I slept like a baby. Woke up once because the hose was in an uncomfortable position. I didn't have any other issues. Shocked that I was able to sleep with my mouth closed. I feel so amazing! Hope this will continue.

[novatom]

So let me get this straight. Was last night the first time on your CPAP therapy? Or just the first time with the mask? If the former, you are one quick adapter! I'm very envious!

[palerider]

I'm a mouth breather (during sleep) & this mask won't let me breath out of my mouth. I know this is irrational but I'm afraid I'll stop breathing & die. I'm using the Nuance Pro gel pillows mask. Any advice?

just tell that irrational part of your brain that if you DON'T use the mask, then you're much MORE likely to stop breathing and die.

mask=life!

[chunkyfrog]

Once I finally fell asleep, I slept like a baby. Woke up once because the hose was in an uncomfortable position. I didn't have any other issues. Shocked that I was able to sleep with my mouth closed. I feel so amazing! Hope this will continue.

I'm glad you have had such a positive experience the first night.
Sometimes fear really is the worst thing.

[KC119]

Yes, Novatom, 1st time on the CPAP therapy. Now I think it was the anticipation. Only wore it 3 hours 1 night & 5 last night. Going to check out some other masks tomorrow. Not liking it so much now, lol.