Mouth breather

[cindjo717]

I find that my nose is stuffy much of the time so I breath through my mouth a lot. This morning ( only my third night on c-pap) I felt gas pains in my stomach. I think that I may have swallowed air? I wonder what I can do about this, I have heard of the chin strap. Oh joy another sexy accessorie for me to wear to bed!

[cnew]

FWIW, my DME sold me a Sulliven Chin Strap (https://www.cpap.com/productpage/resmed ... hleak.html), and it doesn't work at all for me. It slides right off my head.

[bdp522]

Have you checked with a doctor to find out what your sinus issue is? Maybe try using a neti pot before bed? With a full face mask, mouth breathing will still get you adequate treatment. You might need to turn the humidifier up to keep from getting a dry mouth. If you nose gets completely clogged you don't want to seal your mouth too well!

Brenda

[RandyJ]

If you're using a full face mask, you shouldn't need a chin strap. It doesn't matter if you inhale with your mouth.

Many of us who occasionally suffer from aerophagia use Gas-X or equivalent (simethicone) for gas relief. You may notice that it doesn't happen everyday, but only occasionally. If it becomes severe, you can talk to your sleep doctor about it.

Also, as bdp522 said, sinus rinses will help, and perhaps eliminate, the stuffiness.

[pap4life]

Gas pains seem to be more common with mouth breathers who use a ffm.. The air has no place to go but down the wrong pipe when you breath through your mouth. Try to learn to keep your mouth closed. Place your tongue at the roof of your mouth. Practice this. You can't breath out of your mouth with your tongue in this position. Otherwise wear a chin strap, but you don;t need one with a FFM. Maybe consider a pillows system with chin strap.

When nasal congestion hits, the CPAP usually helps to open my nose. Try Neti-potting oor a nasal spray before bedtime.

[ozze_dollar]

I have been using a Xpap machine now for 6 months. Normally I use a chin strap because of my mouth breathing. I had noticed by half the night the strap slips and is not effective, however because the strap is there and still touching me I dont mouth breath.
Last night I tried it without the strap and had no mouth breathing.You can always tell if you have by the dry mouth. The one piece of advice i can give you is that when things seem to be too hard after a period of time they all become a lot easier.

[chunkyfrog]

cnew:
I have modified my Sullivan chinstrap so it stays up; check your inbox for my PM/how-to.

[LSAT]

Randy is right.....If you are using a FF mask you shouldn't need a Chinstrap. You could try taping your mouthj chosed along with your current mask. Until you learn to keep your mouth closed and breath through your nose.

[Larry in Cincy]

I use a ffm and I end up breathing thru my mouth after I fall asleep. After being asleep for about an hour I am awakened by my mouth being so dry it feels totally dehydrated. I have to take off the mask and get a drink to be able to go back to sleep. I have a Resmed Vpap auto 25 set on bipap at 19 and a H 4i humidifier that I keep on 2-1/2. I have set it up to 5 but it doesnt help. I have tried biotene, and it doesnt help. I am now using chin straps to keep my mouth closed. Because I had to use a chin strap anyway I got a swift fx nasal pillow mask which is much more comfortable than the ffm. I have tried a number of chin straps and most slide off the top of your head. The one most effective is white, about 2-1/2" wide. It is hot and not too comfy bt it works. Keep trying. You will find one that works for you.

[LSAT]

PAPCAP can't slip
http://www.pur-sleep.com/products/produ ... category=6

[GumbyCT]

If you're using a full face mask, you shouldn't need a chin strap. It doesn't matter if you inhale with your mouth.

It does matter if your mouth opening breaks the mask seal. Experiment with the chin strap to keep the mask sealed during the nite.

Also some docs (like Park and the one on last nite) feel that mouth breathing is not as effective as breathing thru the nose.

[dtsm]

PAPCAP can't slip
http://www.pur-sleep.com/products/produ ... category=6

Pur-sleep offers 14 day trial period with full refund policy, so no harm in trying it out.

I started with blue painter's tape [#2080, two inch], then migrated to papcap. Both worked well....

[tryingtolive]

So I was diagnosed with extreme severe apnea ... I quit breathing on average 33 times an hour ... I have 2 machines and have never used one for more than a day or two ... my dry mouth is so horrid (pain) that it is not an option to use the machine ...I have tried every humidifier setting, I keep water next to my bed ... tried biotene ... I wake up and my tongue is soooo dry that it literally hurts to touch it anywhere (like trying to swallow water to stop the dryness) .... I have had a nose surgery to open passages for more airflow ... has anyone tried the papcap? Does it work? do I change from a FFM ... or will a ffm still work ... on top of everything esle, I am a stomach and side sleeper, which usually pushes on my face and breaks the seal, allowing air to flow everywhere. Desperate for real results, so need to use my machine and yet scared of the pain ... I sometimes get maybe 1 to 2 hours of sleep(dont know how good) before the machine gets turned off from the pain .... seriously need some advice and help from this community ...Please

[dtsm]

Welcome. Can you help us to help you by:

1. posting your equipment
2. if you have a data capable machine, can you give us your settings and results

[SMenasco]

I replied to another post with this statement and thought I would place it here for anyone that really wants some relief from dry mouth. It may not work for everyone, but certainly solved the problem for me. I, too, suffered with extreme dry mouth. That is, until I finally found out what solved the problem. Increased humidification? No. Different medication? No. Hybrid or full face mask? No. Tongue training? No. Chin strap? No. CpapCap? No. Reduced pressures? No. In my case, I've tried them all. I've chased all the remedies everyone suggested. I've spent good money on straps, caps, masks, all to no avail. In my case, the answer? Taping. The ONLY method that will for sure keep your mouth shut during sleep, thus eliminating for good the old painful dry mouth. No one in the industry has addressed the open mouth problem with any success. Taping absolutely solved my problem, once and for all. One of the nice ladies on this forum suggested it to me. Although I really don't look forward to taping my mouth shut for the rest of my life, I am willing to do so, in order to achieve the sleep, rest and alertness the next day that taping affords me. You can go to nasal pillows if you like. I like them because they don't leak. But you do not need to replace your full face mask. Just tape up and put your mask on. My suggestion? Do not use duct tape. Paper medical tape leaves a terrible adhesive residue. J&J cloth surgical tape works fine, but it takes four strips for me and i Use a lot of it. The best I have found is 3m blue painter's tape, No. 2080 EL. Comes in 60 yard rolls for $10 at Wal-mart. You only need one strip about 5" long. However, it works best if you are clean shaven and clean the oils off with alcohol before taping. There are some well meaning folks on this site that will pitch a hissy when someone recommends taping, saying that it's dangerous, and that you will suffocate if the power goes off. I respect their right to believe that way, but in my opiniion, it's bunk. People can follow their own conscience. Me, I'm going to tape. I enjoy the uninterrupted sleep. Good Luck!