Nasal pillows & mouth breathing

[smark67]

Hi there, I'm currently on BiPap and due to my medical condition (spinal muscular atrophy) I cannot tolerate a full face mask due to not being able to remove it myself and thus feelings of claustrophobia.
I therefore use ResMed Swift FX nasal pillows which work okay but every now and again (more often lately) I wake up gasping for air. I've come to the conclusion that this is because I'm a mouth breather also, and my tongue is sticking to the roof of my mouth thus causing a blockage and stopping me using that method of breathing. I can also only lay on my back and I do not use a pillow under my head at all, if this is significant?

I would appreciate any advice/information/suggestions. Many thanks in advance…

Mark

[OkyDoky]

Hi there, I'm currently on BiPap and due to my medical condition (spinal muscular atrophy) I cannot tolerate a full face mask due to not being able to remove it myself and thus feelings of claustrophobia.
I therefore use ResMed Swift FX nasal pillows which work okay but every now and again (more often lately) I wake up gasping for air. I've come to the conclusion that this is because I'm a mouth breather also, and my tongue is sticking to the roof of my mouth thus causing a blockage and stopping me using that method of breathing. I can also only lay on my back and I do not use a pillow under my head at all, if this is significant?

I would appreciate any advice/information/suggestions. Many thanks in advance…

Mark

For apnea with a nasal mask, not breathing through the mouth is a good thing because you don't leak pressure. But if you are uncomfortable and need to take an occasional breath it seems like a dry mouth may be keeping you from doing that. If that is the case, OraJel For Dry Mouth before sleep might help. Make sure it is the one that says For Dry Mouth and not their numbing gel.

[smark67]

Hi, thanks for that suggestion. I've just ordered an equivalent product here in the UK and hopefully that will help.

[TedVPAP]

Hi there, I'm currently on BiPap and due to my medical condition (spinal muscular atrophy) I cannot tolerate a full face mask due to not being able to remove it myself and thus feelings of claustrophobia.
I therefore use ResMed Swift FX nasal pillows which work okay but every now and again (more often lately) I wake up gasping for air. I've come to the conclusion that this is because I'm a mouth breather also, and my tongue is sticking to the roof of my mouth thus causing a blockage and stopping me using that method of breathing. I can also only lay on my back and I do not use a pillow under my head at all, if this is significant?

I would appreciate any advice/information/suggestions. Many thanks in advance…

Mark

For apnea with a nasal mask, not breathing through the mouth is a good thing because you don't leak pressure. But if you are uncomfortable and need to take an occasional breath it seems like a dry mouth may be keeping you from doing that. If that is the case, OraJel For Dry Mouth before sleep might help. Make sure it is the one that says For Dry Mouth and not their numbing gel.

With all due respect, I don't understand your advice. The OP is using nasal pillows and wakes up gasping for air. Mouth breathing is defeating the therapy. Instead of treating the dry mouth caused by mouth breathing, the OP needs to prevent the mouth breathing or else use a full face mask.

[Sleeprider]

Another possibility is that the gasping is caused by apena that are not being stopped at the current BiPAP settings. Smark67, you could benefit a great deal by downloading the free Sleepyhead software. It will use the data in your machine's SD card and provide feedback if you are having leaks or abnormally high numbers of apena events or other problems. http://www.sleepfiles.com/SH2/

If you share your data, we will be glad to help you understand the likely source of your problems and possible solutions.

[OkyDoky]

Hi there, I'm currently on BiPap and due to my medical condition (spinal muscular atrophy) I cannot tolerate a full face mask due to not being able to remove it myself and thus feelings of claustrophobia.
I therefore use ResMed Swift FX nasal pillows which work okay but every now and again (more often lately) I wake up gasping for air. I've come to the conclusion that this is because I'm a mouth breather also, and my tongue is sticking to the roof of my mouth thus causing a blockage and stopping me using that method of breathing. I can also only lay on my back and I do not use a pillow under my head at all, if this is significant?

I would appreciate any advice/information/suggestions. Many thanks in advance…

Mark

For apnea with a nasal mask, not breathing through the mouth is a good thing because you don't leak pressure. But if you are uncomfortable and need to take an occasional breath it seems like a dry mouth may be keeping you from doing that. If that is the case, OraJel For Dry Mouth before sleep might help. Make sure it is the one that says For Dry Mouth and not their numbing gel.

With all due respect, I don't understand your advice. The OP is using nasal pillows and wakes up gasping for air. Mouth breathing is defeating the therapy. Instead of treating the dry mouth caused by mouth breathing, the OP needs to prevent the mouth breathing or else use a full face mask.

What I was looking at was a person with a diagnosis where he stated

I cannot tolerate a full face mask due to not being able to remove it myself and thus feelings of claustrophobia.

Put yourself in that position. Yes like Sleeprider suggested Sleepyhead data will help and maybe partial taping but the OP has a difficult situation he is trying to deal with.

[TedVPAP]

A chin strap helps some avoid mouth breathing.

[CaptainRaven40]

I use a chinstrap with nasal pillows with good results. I am thinking of trying the mouth guard out instead of the chinstrap and see how that goes. Just to try and change things up a little. I get tired of the chinstrap, but if it is necessary then it is necessary and I live with it.

[OkyDoky]

Another thing that might help with your mouth breathing is a soft cervical collar. It would keep you airway aligned and keep you jaw from dropping. It will not keep you from mouth breathing but might decrease it. Something like this one. http://www.amazon.com/Carex-Health-Bran ... cal+collar
The collar might be more comfortable than the chinstrap but both are workable suggestions.

[palerider]

For apnea with a nasal mask, not breathing through the mouth is a good thing because you don't leak pressure. But if you are uncomfortable and need to take an occasional breath it seems like a dry mouth may be keeping you from doing that.

With all due respect, I don't understand your advice. The OP is using nasal pillows and wakes up gasping for air. Mouth breathing is defeating the therapy.

you shouldn't just guess what's going on, get data and make an informed recommendation.

[chunkyfrog]

Pale rider is correct.
This patient can NOT use a full face mask.
I would suggest trying chin up strips.
When applied correctly, they make mouth breathing awkward, but not too difficult.
I can even speak with one on, but it would make you laugh.

[otrpu]

I dislike chin straps. My solution is ResMed FFM. Nasal Pillow/mouth seal Hybrid FFM. Has a much smaller mouth seal area. Also, has a chin flap, so no chin strap is needed. About the only mask I've found that doesn't break seal when I side sleep. Supplier #1 has it, and offers trial/return. Link for mask is in my equip list below.
Cheers,
otrpu

[OkyDoky]

I dislike chin straps. My solution is ResMed FFM. Nasal Pillow/mouth seal Hybrid FFM. Has a much smaller mouth seal area. Also, has a chin flap, so no chin strap is needed. About the only mask I've found that doesn't break seal when I side sleep. Supplier #1 has it, and offers trial/return. Link for mask is in my equip list below.
Cheers,
otrpu

I cannot tolerate a full face mask due to not being able to remove it myself and thus feelings of claustrophobia.

He has a medical diagnosis where he does not want something on his face that he can't remove.

[R1200ST]

Nasal pillows with chin strap is what I use, and I have no claustrophobia at all. The chin strap applies enough pressure to hold the mouth closed, but you have to train your tongue to stay at the roof of your mouth to block the airway so the pressure does not inflate your cheeks and push through your lips.

Good luck

R