humidifier settings...

[67tony]

They told me to start at setting #2, but since then I have tried it at the highest setting, #5. I don't seem to notice any difference, other than how often I refill the container!

Is the humidifier a gimmick? I wake up with a total dry mouth and throat no matter what setting. Could all the constant air movement be offsetting the added moisture?

My setup is listed below...any thoughts on this topic?

[pickuptruck]

Your mouth is open when you are asleep. Even with a full face mask, your mouth will dry out. Humidifier setting is dependent on the room humidity. Your sleep room is very dry.

[Pugsy]

You are likely mouth breathing and even when using a full face mask the mouth can dry out because of air movement through the mouth. The humidifier is really designed to add moisture to the nasal cavity and not the oral cavity which is much larger. For some people it simply does not add enough moisture.

You aren't the first person to complain of dry mouth using a full face mask.

The PR System One machines have 2 modes of operation for their humidifiers. The default mode is the new mode which uses less heat and less water and bases needs on humidity sensors in the machine.
The old method is still available. It is called Classic Mode (in clinical setup) which will use more heat and a lot more water so it might supply enough moisture to help with the dry mouth.

Biotene makes some mouthwash designed to help rehydrate the mouth or you can try to do something to keep mouth closed more securely to prevent the dry mouth.

[dnrperez]

After much trial and error in short time I found that a setting of "4" is a happy medium. I also use a CVS brand of mouth wash/moisture restoring in the morning. I had the same problem when I first started with mine.

As a person frequently having nose bleeds(BAD) during this time of the year I can say that the humidifer is a blessing for me. I usually take a mucinex for nasal congestion before bed time to help keep my sinuses clear over night, and use the mouth wash first thing after brushing my teeth.

Rich

[Java Time]

I don't seem to notice any difference, other than how often I refill the container!

I have the same equipment as you. I notice 1-3 barely uses any water (tank may last a week), a little more used at a setting of 4, and a LOT of water with 5 (half or more of the water in one night).

I think household humidity may also affect how fast the water evaporates. Dry air in will suck up more water.

Is the humidifier a gimmick?

I don't think so. If I turn it down too much, I get a lot of blood when I do my daily sinus wash. I try to stay as dry / low humidity as I can to reduce congestion, but if I get too dry in my nose during the night or start having blood when using my daily sinus wash, I bump the humidity up a notch.

I did have sinus surgery where they opened up my upper sinuses a lot. This helps the breathing, but means that air doesn't slowly go through and get humidified. Air rushes right through and tends to keep me fairly dry in the sinuses.

So keeping in mind I am on the "dry" side of normal...
In the summer, I seem to like a setting of 3. In winter when the house is really tight and the forced air furnace is running a lot, I go to 4 or 5.

I know I like more humidity than those who may still have their sinus cavities in their unaltered "normal" state with all of the folds intact that add to humidity as air passes through. Too much humidity causes congestion for LOTS of cpap people!

I wake up with a total dry mouth and throat no matter what setting.

Someone already commented you are probably mouth breathing. Lots of suggestions for that. Personally I seem to be able to bunch/tuck my pillow under my chin and that is just enough of a reminder for me to keep my mouth closed.

[Mr. Ed]

This is my first post.......I, too, am a mouth breather and have the dry mouth during the night. I'm not certain which wakes me up first....air leaks or dry mouth. I'm gonna try humidity of "4" tonight. BTW, I didn't know what CPAP was until my doc tested me for SA in September. Started using machine on Oct. 17, 2011. I need sleep, so I'm eager to learn all I can. I have been lurking around this site since September.

[Scbrteyz]

Everyone is very quick to say "you are sleeping with your mouth open". I have severe dryness while using my PR System One with heated humidifier and heated hose. My wife has watched me sleep with my masks and says I absolutely am not sleeping with my mouth open. I have tried FFM, nasal pillows, and now a nose cup style mask. So, what is left to change? I have tried every tube heat setting and every humidity setting. Nothing has helped so far. Also, I know I can use Biotene but if machine is doing it's job, I shouldn't have to. Suggestions? Even my medical equipment supplier is stumped.

[Julie]

Turn down (or off) the heat of the hose... you're setting yourself up for dryness when your local climate may not call for it. If you're in Arizona, you'll need a very different setting than you will in a humid area where many people may never need to use the humidifier, let alone the heat.

[49er]

Everyone is very quick to say "you are sleeping with your mouth open". I have severe dryness while using my PR System One with heated humidifier and heated hose. My wife has watched me sleep with my masks and says I absolutely am not sleeping with my mouth open. I have tried FFM, nasal pillows, and now a nose cup style mask. So, what is left to change? I have tried every tube heat setting and every humidity setting. Nothing has helped so far. Also, I know I can use Biotene but if machine is doing it's job, I shouldn't have to. Suggestions? Even my medical equipment supplier is stumped.

I have found that Xylimelts, https://www.amazon.com/Oracoat-XyliMelt ... elts+discs, have provided better relief for my dry mouth at night than anything else I have tried. Not totally perfect but good enough that I plan on reordering the product once my current supply runs out.

49er

[yaconsult]

Everyone is very quick to say "you are sleeping with your mouth open". I have severe dryness while using my PR System One with heated humidifier and heated hose. My wife has watched me sleep with my masks and says I absolutely am not sleeping with my mouth open. I have tried FFM, nasal pillows, and now a nose cup style mask. So, what is left to change? I have tried every tube heat setting and every humidity setting. Nothing has helped so far. Also, I know I can use Biotene but if machine is doing it's job, I shouldn't have to. Suggestions? Even my medical equipment supplier is stumped.

It is not whether or not your mouth is OPEN that's the problem. You can breathe through your mouth even though your mouth is closed and your teeth are together. The breathing out part is especially easy and at one point I found myself blowing air out of my mouth by blowing it past my fluttering lips. My mouth was closed, but I was still mouth breathing. Many people use tape like 3M Micropore to tape their lips together to make sure they are not mouth breathing. Some people have had good results by using a soft cervical collar. For me, after taping for a while, I found that it was no longer necessary. Apparently, I trained myself to stop doing this.

[palerider]

My wife has watched me sleep with my masks and says I absolutely am not sleeping with my mouth open.

doesn't have to be open much for air to escape and take moisture with it.

[chunkyfrog]

. . . Even my medical equipment supplier is stumped.

Many of us have made that observation.
It may be an occupational hazard. . . ?
(Some of them need to be careful backing up to stumps).

[cpapernewbie]

Everyone is very quick to say "you are sleeping with your mouth open". I have severe dryness while using my PR System One with heated humidifier and heated hose. My wife has watched me sleep with my masks and says I absolutely am not sleeping with my mouth open. I have tried FFM, nasal pillows, and now a nose cup style mask. So, what is left to change? I have tried every tube heat setting and every humidity setting. Nothing has helped so far. Also, I know I can use Biotene but if machine is doing it's job, I shouldn't have to. Suggestions? Even my medical equipment supplier is stumped.

You have exactly same problem as mine. Xylimelt, Biotene and tape on the mouth cannot solve this problem. However, taking off the heated hose and replacing this with a standard hose greatly reduce the problem.

Then early this month I switched CPAP from Resmed S10 to Dream station Auto. I tested both the heated hose (for 1 week) and the standard hose for 1 week - BOTH on "Adaptive" humidity mode and this completely eliminate the DRY Mouth problem which I suffered in the last 2 years.

[Wulfman...]

Everyone is very quick to say "you are sleeping with your mouth open". I have severe dryness while using my PR System One with heated humidifier and heated hose. My wife has watched me sleep with my masks and says I absolutely am not sleeping with my mouth open. I have tried FFM, nasal pillows, and now a nose cup style mask. So, what is left to change? I have tried every tube heat setting and every humidity setting. Nothing has helped so far. Also, I know I can use Biotene but if machine is doing it's job, I shouldn't have to. Suggestions? Even my medical equipment supplier is stumped.

Can you breathe through your nose while you're sleeping?
It's very simple.......if you can't breathe through your nose, you need to breathe through your mouth.
If a person is mouth breathing/leaking, their mouth/throat is going to be dry no matter which mask they're using.
The only difference is that with a full face mask, their therapy is not compromised as it would be with a nasal mask.

Turn the humidifier setting down or off. Too much heated humidity can cause nasal congestion for many people.
Do nasal cleansing before bedtime (so you can breathe through your nose).

If you haven't tried turning your tube and HH settings OFF, you haven't tried "every humidity setting".


Den

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[Irfie]

I suffer the same thing Scbrteyz, to the point where i could see blood stains, but i think its not as bad as it used to be and i am improving daily with it. Heres something you can do which might help you -

-Do a nasal cleaning (Natipot) before 1 hour of your sleep
-No need to turn the humidifier on a high setting, you can leave it to adaptive
-Avoid smoking (during the last 2 hours of your sleep, if you are a smoker)

Dry mouth or throat usually happens when there is air passing by it, it has nothing to do with the humidifier setting or the mask. You might even want to try chin straps and see if that helps, i try and explore every options i have to help me sleep well, its just all about trying different things that might suit your needs.