Ocassional mouth breathing question...

[sleepyDB]

Hello!

Just passed my 6 month mark, and I'm happy to say things are going pretty well. It's not easy, and I still don't like it, but I am 100% compliant and getting good numbers. I think I'm beginning to feel a bit more energy now.

Here's my question:
Just recently, I've found myself waking up in the middle of the night with a REALLY dry mouth. Husband says he hears a loud "swishing" noise some nights. The only thing I can assume is I'm breathing out of my mouth and losing air. It doesn't happen everynight, and my AHI and leak numbers are always acceptable.

Do I need to be concerned with an ocassional night of mouth breathing? I hate the idea of a chin strap or taping my mouth! What do you think?

Thanks for your replies....I so appreciate the great posters on this site!

[BlackSpinner]

They have the technology - it is called a full face mask or a Hybrid. Why risk your health?

[LoQ]

I think you need to find a way to deal with that. Unless you are also unhappy with your mask, try a Chin-Up Strip. I have not used them myself, just the ones I make at home like these. My home-made strips work great.

[sleepyDB]

Thanks for the quick replies...

Wouldn't my leak or AHI numbers be in an unacceptable range if I wasn't getting good therapy on those nights??? The numbers are always good. This has only happened a few times, certainly not every night.

I know it would be a serious problem if it happened often, but do I really need to treat it if it is just ocassional?? It seems as though I'm fine if I stay on my side. Then I don't do it at all.

Thanks, again, for your replies. Anyone else wanna chime in???

[needzzzzs]

Wish I had an answer for you, but instead, your post has prompted the question: what *is* an acceptable leak rate? If AHI is below 5, (lately I've been running between 3.5-4.6), with a leak rate in the 20% or under range, is that considered acceptable? I ask, because I'm sure I occasionally mouth-breathe too (use a nasal pillow mask).

Debbie

Wouldn't my leak or AHI numbers be in an unacceptable range if I wasn't getting good therapy on those nights??? The numbers are always good. This has only happened a few times, certainly not every night.



I know it would be a serious problem if it happened often, but do I really need to treat it if it is just ocassional?? It seems as though I'm fine if I stay on my side. Then I don't do it at all.

Thanks, again, for your replies. Anyone else wanna chime in???

[LoQ]

Thanks, again, for your replies. Anyone else wanna chime in???

You are welcome for the reply.

It seems to me that you are wanting someone to tell you it's OK not to fix this problem. If you think the problem is not serious enough to worry about, then feel free to let the issue go. None of us really can know whether you need to fix this problem or not. We've simply offered you our perspectives.

HTH.

[sleepyDB]

Thanks! I guess I was just thinking that IF my numbers showed I wasn't getting good therapy, then I would do something about the mouth breathing. Maybe that's naive....

Here's one more question, then...
CAN you have good mask leak numbers and AHI numbers and STILL HAVE A PROBLEM WITH MOUTH BREATHING? Wouldn't it show up in the numbers?? I certainly don't want to jeopardize my health, but I also don't want to jump to the conclusion that I need to make a change when all else is going well.

Thanks, once again!

[TooGroggy]

I started using nasal pillows after finding it difficult to sleep for longer than an hour with any of the six full face and hybrid masks I tried. And I too occasionally wake up in the middle of the night with a dry mouth. I've scoured the data collected by the machine trying to figure out how often this happens and for how long. So far, I haven't been able to spot a pattern.

Still, I've decided not to worry about it. I figured that whether I am breathing through my nose or through my mouth, I am still breathing. And if I stop breathing through either my nose or my mouth, the machine should pick that up as an event.

Maybe my logic is wrong. If so, someone please explain how.

[DocWeezy]

How do you feel the day after a dry mouth episode? If your numbers are in your normal range and you FEEL OK, the same as on a non-dry-mouth night, then I think it is a toss up as to whether you need to worry or not.

To me, it would all depend on (a) how often is it happening, and (b) is it impacting the way you feel the next day. Put those together and see if you think you need to change something.

I'm learning that I can have an occasional less-than-perfect-leak line and a dry mouth night and it doesn't impact either my AHI or how I feel in the long run. Conclusion: not going to worry about it. But that's how I feel about it.....how do YOU feel about what is happening--that is what is important.

Weezy

[Lizistired]

I use FX pillows too and this has been happening to me the last week or so. I wake up with my mouth so dry and stuck together. I had never had that before. I think it's sinus congestion and I'm sleeping really good when my sinuses close so my mouth opens. It seems to be happening less this week so I'm not worrying about it.

[TooGroggy]

I did a bit of reading on "mouth breathing" and have come to understand that a dry mouth is caused by pressurized air going in through the nose and out through the mouth. When I experimented with the mask, I found that once the pressure was released through the mouth, it was possible to mouth-breath, but only if I stopped letting air in through my nose.

Whether this is happening when I'm asleep or whether I continue to let air leak through my mouth is the big question. The first scenario should appear as a flat line on the air flow graph. The second should appear as a peak in the leak graph. And if I am thinking about this right, the first scenario means that I may or may not be breathing whereas the second scenario means I am definitely not breathing.

Finding the data to figure out how frequent and how long the episodes are sounds very painful. Perhaps a piece of tape or a chin strap isn't a bad way to go after all

[Pugsy]

I on occasion will sometimes open my mouth (hubby reports some mild snores).
Apparently the time is very short lived because the reports give no indication of anything being amiss.
I don't have dry mouth particularly though. My AHI is rarely over 2 and most of the time less than one. My leak line is pretty straight except for my tossing and turning sometimes.
I cannot wear a full face mask. It is not going to happen.
So I just don't worry about a little snore every now and then because I have done my best already.

Now if I often had a dry mouth, and my leak line was all over the country, and my pressure was blowing the pillows out of my nose trying to fix the leak, then I would worry and probably go back to taping for a while. Haven't taped since about 3 months into therapy.

[Janknitz]

See if you can get in the habit of sleeping with your tongue firmly planted on the roof of your mouth, on that ridge behind the front teeth. That way, even if you open your mouth, the air should not come out because the tongue in that position seals off the nasalpharynx. Another thing that will help is to try to stay on your side--use a pillow or something to block you from rolling onto your back. These are easier and more comfortable than having to go the chin strap and taping route, and may be enough to do it for you.

[sleepyDB]

Thanks, all, for your replies.

The last few nights have been without any problems, so I guess I will only worry about it when I need to. Things are pretty smooth for the most part right now, so I'm not going looking for problems! Until my numbers show me it's causing concern, I will just go with it.

Thanks.....I do really appreciate your help!