Chin strap and FFM?

[joeljjk11]

Does anyone do this? I have noticed that when I breathe through my mouth with my AirFit F10 it causes a ton of leakage and I wake up from it. Could I wear a chin strap and does anyone do this? Also could this mean that the F10 cushion is too small? I use a medium size, thanks!

Joel

[Pugsy]

Yes, many people do this for any number of reasons.
The main reason I see most often is they find that the chin strap helps prevent "jaw drop" which sometime ends up causing the mouth to not be fully inside the FFM.
Chin strap helps support the jaw a bit...it could also do the same in your situation...encourage the mouth to not open so often to mouth breathe...maybe jaw drop is part of your problem.

It's possible the cushion is on the small side...did you ever actually measure your face to see what size it fits?

Some people will even use one of those foam cervical collars with a full face mask to help keep the jaw from dropping and that helps keep the mouth closed sometimes.

You might be surprised at the lengths people will go to doing some rather extraordinary measures to do whatever it takes to attain whatever goals they might have.
Heck...the other day someone was willing to buy (and try) a "mimi" to suck on in an effort to stop mouth breathing...
"Mimi" is his granddaughters term for a pacifier. It didn't work out so great but he tried it.
They actually have "mimis" for adults for various reasons...and people do try them.

[recipefordisaster]

After years on CPAP, using FFMs, I am just starting to have annoying jaw drop. Maybe I'm more relaxed when sleeping now, who knows. I'm experimenting with chin straps and have had the most luck with fleecy elastic tied in a loop, in front of my ears, vertically. It's not the most comfortable under the jaw but it does work. The Coban was less comfortable for me. I already tape my mouth, but the jaw can still drop more than an inch with the lips closed! The leaks are loud and disturbing when my jaw falls out of the mask.

I also tried making jaw straps attached to my mask or the lower straps, and they disturbed the fit too much, pulling the whole mask down or making it fit poorly.

I've thought about trying a cervical collar, but hesitate because I already have a stiff and sore neck (disc and bone spur issues), and I tend to flex it when I sleep, curling into a ball. I think it'd get in the way for me, and being not able to move my neck might make it more stiff in the morning.

I wish more masks went under the jaw-I've only tried a few and they didn't work for me for other reasons.

[joeljjk11]

I have always used the cheap Resmed chin strap with my nasal pillows and it works great for me. I like that is is cotton, anything else irritates me. I tried it with the F10 last night and I slept a lot better and my leakage was only 11l/min which is great for me. I also have a pretty full beard so it makes a FFM a little harder for me to get fitted right. I have to tighten it a lot, I purchased the fisher and Paykel Simplus FFM and am excited to try it when it arrives this week, it seems to have good reviews for people with beards.

[Weagle]

I use a Ruby Chin Strap under my DreamWear Full Face mask.

I tried the Ruby Chin Strap with a nasal pillow and my mouth would still open.
I then tried the DreamWear Full Face mask by itself and found my jaw dropped like Pugsy said.
I then tried the Ruby Chin Strap and the DreamWear Full face and found my solution. I tried putting the chinstrap over the mask but felt like I was squeezing the tubing too much...restricting the airflow, so I ended up putting the chin strap on first and the DreamWear Full Face over that. It may look goofy, but it works.

I also tried the PapCap chinstrap/hood combo, but kept waking up multiple times at night with that one.

[weroberts75]

I've tried the ResMed chinstrap (single strap design) and couldn't get it to stay in place with any mask, no matter how it was configured.

After trying at least half a dozen chinstrap options, I've had the most luck with these:

Ruby Chinstrap (stays in place better than anything, but is also more likely to pull the lower jaw back which is problematic for some people)
Halo Chinstrap (very lightweight; may not stay in place perfectly but is very comfortable and easy to take on and off)
Respironics Premium chinstrap (highly adjustable, works well with most masks but takes practice to get on and off)

I also found that the Ruby and Halo usually work best when worn under the headgear, while the Respironics Premium chinstrap usually works best when worn over a mask.

[joeljjk11]

Don’t mean to bump this old thread but what is the difference between a nasal mask and FFM with a chin strap? I have been experimenting with nasal masks (the Airfit N20) and have had bad luck with it cutting under my nose. I am gonna try the Airfit F20 with the chinstrap and see how it goes. I have to anyway so my nose heals up.

[chunkyfrog]

Swapping masks to allow healing is a great plan,
especially when there is no ideal mask for everybody.
Some folks go for years before they find a real gem.

[joeljjk11]

I have gone four years and am still searching lol!

[tyrone747]

I'm currently wearing a Scunci over my mouth with the Dreamwear FFM. I makes the mask very comfortable to wear and protects my skin. It discourages mouth breathing but would still allow some in an emergency (better than tape). It absorbs drool so it's not collecting in the mask. The only downside is it leaves a line across my cheeks in the morning. I'm currently trying to make the PAD A CHEEK liner work for this reason but I feel the Scunci may be the ultimate solution for me.

[katestyles]

I'm currently wearing a Scunci over my mouth with the Dreamwear FFM. I makes the mask very comfortable to wear and protects my skin. It discourages mouth breathing but would still allow some in an emergency (better than tape). It absorbs drool so it's not collecting in the mask. The only downside is it leaves a line across my cheeks in the morning. I'm currently trying to make the PAD A CHEEK liner work for this reason but I feel the Scunci may be the ultimate solution for me.

Nice creativity! Could you add this idea to the homemade thread?

[zonker]

I'm currently wearing a Scunci over my mouth with the Dreamwear FFM. I makes the mask very comfortable to wear and protects my skin. It discourages mouth breathing but would still allow some in an emergency (better than tape). It absorbs drool so it's not collecting in the mask. The only downside is it leaves a line across my cheeks in the morning. I'm currently trying to make the PAD A CHEEK liner work for this reason but I feel the Scunci may be the ultimate solution for me.

i'm very glad to hear it's working for you! this rig has certainly made my cpap journey much more bearable and effective.

hat tip to jay, if he reads this!