Question: middle of sleep cotton mouth + dry throat

[Makaveli3]

Hi all,

So far my cpap machine has been great. Just sometimes I get cotton mouth and a dry throat. So far I set my humidifier to 5, should I increase it? I've been increasing it 1 every night to see which is comfortable.
Issue is that my throat gets dry and i will start coughing and wake up again.

im using a full mask

[ChicagoGranny]

You are probably breathing through your mouth. As little as five minutes of this can cause a very dry mouth and throat.

CPAP humidifiers do a good job of keeping the nasal passages from drying. They don't do a good job of keep the much larger oral opening from drying.

A tactic to prevent your mouth-breathing would be good.

1. I use mouth tape under a FFM - https://www.amazon.com/Advanced-Breathi ... 07PG6118J/ . Works great.

2. Another thing to try is a firm foam cervical collar. Collars help keep the jaw from dropping, plus they hold the neck/spine in the best position for airway patency. https://www.amazon.com/Universal-Cervic ... ref=sr_1_7

[zonker]

granny's suggestions are spot on. i use the firm foam cervical collar plus a method that i found here on the forum-
https://www.cpaptalk.com/viewtopic.php? ... s#p1086296

also, xylimelts are a good preventative. these are small discs that you place between cheek and gum. it adheres and slowly melts throughout the night, promoting saliva. find them in the oral health care section of your drugstore. both cvs and riteaid carry them. if not, they can be found on amazon.

good luck!

[clownbell]

Agree with Granny. Taping made a HUGE difference for me. I happen to use MedVance 2" silicone tape available on Amazon, mainly because it is easy to remove without taking a layer of skin with it. Maybe I will try Granny's suggested product. Don't be afraid of taping. The criticisms of taping are, in my view, akin to "the sky is falling in" Chicken Little.