I have been using CPAP continuously for 10 years and have never had a problem keeping my mouth closed. Lately I have been waking up many times each night with a completely dry mouth. The only thing I can think might be causing this is that I have lost about 30 pounds recently on a low carb diet (5'8", 260-230 pounds). I dislike the thought but I guess I will have to look into some kind of strap to keep my mouth closed.
I use a Resmed S9 Escape
Resmed FX nasal mask
Just started using a humidifier thinking it might help
Sudden Dry Mouth
Re: Sudden Dry Mouth
You may need something to keep your mouth reminded to stay closed...it all depends on how much mouth breathing you are doing and sometimes it doesn't take much mouth breathing to really dry the mouth out.
What machine are you using? Make and model? There is software available (if your machine is a full data machine) for some of the brands that would enable you to evaluate just how much time you might be mouth breathing. It might not be as much time as you think but unless we can see a leak line graph we have to assume the worst.
I do a little mouth breathing from time to time..wake up with a dry mouth from time to time...but when I look at my software reports the leak graph isn't nearly all that horrible...sometimes no evidence of excess leak and sometimes maybe I spend 10 minutes or so with excess leaks in large leak territory. I choose not to mess with chin strap or tape or use a full face mask just to fix maybe 10 minutes here and there of maybe bad leak.
Add your equipment to your profile and let's see if you have some data available so you can see for sure just how bad that mouth breathing is then you can make your decision based on what you see on the actual leak graphs.
What machine are you using? Make and model? There is software available (if your machine is a full data machine) for some of the brands that would enable you to evaluate just how much time you might be mouth breathing. It might not be as much time as you think but unless we can see a leak line graph we have to assume the worst.
I do a little mouth breathing from time to time..wake up with a dry mouth from time to time...but when I look at my software reports the leak graph isn't nearly all that horrible...sometimes no evidence of excess leak and sometimes maybe I spend 10 minutes or so with excess leaks in large leak territory. I choose not to mess with chin strap or tape or use a full face mask just to fix maybe 10 minutes here and there of maybe bad leak.
Add your equipment to your profile and let's see if you have some data available so you can see for sure just how bad that mouth breathing is then you can make your decision based on what you see on the actual leak graphs.
_________________
Machine: AirCurve™ 10 VAuto BiLevel Machine with HumidAir™ Heated Humidifier |
Additional Comments: Mask Bleep Eclipse https://bleepsleep.com/the-eclipse/ |
I may have to RISE but I refuse to SHINE.
Re: Sudden Dry Mouth
Hi ak-guy,
If I recall, the S9 Escape doesn't provide anything beyond compliance data, and what we need here is leakage data. So, to fulfill that need I suggest you video tape yourself overnight.
It certainly IS possibly you are suddenly mouth breathing, and that might point to a need to change your settings (that will be harder without data). HOWEVER, I did the low-carb diet once (lost 60 lbs! hurray!!! Unfortunately I found them again ... boooo!!). I remember that it is naturally diuretic, meaning it causes you to pee more, and in fact it can cause your mouth to dry out all on its own. How low carb? Are you doing, for instance, Atkins-style induction with less than 20gs carbs? That could definitely cause this...
If I recall, the S9 Escape doesn't provide anything beyond compliance data, and what we need here is leakage data. So, to fulfill that need I suggest you video tape yourself overnight.
It certainly IS possibly you are suddenly mouth breathing, and that might point to a need to change your settings (that will be harder without data). HOWEVER, I did the low-carb diet once (lost 60 lbs! hurray!!! Unfortunately I found them again ... boooo!!). I remember that it is naturally diuretic, meaning it causes you to pee more, and in fact it can cause your mouth to dry out all on its own. How low carb? Are you doing, for instance, Atkins-style induction with less than 20gs carbs? That could definitely cause this...
Sleep loss is a terrible thing. People get grumpy, short-tempered, etc. That happens here even among the generally friendly. Try not to take it personally.
Re: Sudden Dry Mouth
How did I miss the S9 Escape note...I swear it wasn't there when I started typing.
Oh well, like Kevin says...no useful data if you really have the S9 Escape...it doesn't gather any useful data at all.
We have to assume the worst unless we know different.
Oh well, like Kevin says...no useful data if you really have the S9 Escape...it doesn't gather any useful data at all.
We have to assume the worst unless we know different.
_________________
Machine: AirCurve™ 10 VAuto BiLevel Machine with HumidAir™ Heated Humidifier |
Additional Comments: Mask Bleep Eclipse https://bleepsleep.com/the-eclipse/ |
I may have to RISE but I refuse to SHINE.
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Re: Sudden Dry Mouth
Same thing happened to me when I lost a bunch of weight. When I first started CPAP I considered myself lucky to be able to train myself to keep my tongue planted on the roof of my mouth and maintain a nice seal to prevent mouth leaks. After losing the weight, I lost that ability and was forced to using a chinstrap. I tried several and by far the best one was the PapCap. It's not just a chinstrap, it's an excellent platform to stabilize your mask headgear regardless of whether you use a pillow, nasal, or full face mask.
President-pretender, J. Biden, said "the DNC has built the largest voter fraud organization in US history". Too bad they didn’t build the smartest voter fraud organization and got caught.
Re: Sudden Dry Mouth
Maybe the weight loss included either the tongue or the area it used to be able to fill?DreamStalker wrote:Same thing happened to me when I lost a bunch of weight. When I first started CPAP I considered myself lucky to be able to train myself to keep my tongue planted on the roof of my mouth and maintain a nice seal to prevent mouth leaks. After losing the weight, I lost that ability and was forced to using a chinstrap. I tried several and by far the best one was the PapCap. It's not just a chinstrap, it's an excellent platform to stabilize your mask headgear regardless of whether you use a pillow, nasal, or full face mask.
Certainly in the realm of possible...
Sleep loss is a terrible thing. People get grumpy, short-tempered, etc. That happens here even among the generally friendly. Try not to take it personally.
Re: Sudden Dry Mouth
Hi,ak-guy wrote:Just started using a humidifier thinking it might help
My question was going to be if your humidifier suddenly stopped using as much water. If you haven't been using the humidifier, and you suddenly start getting dry mouth, then it probably is air escaping from your mouth. An experiment that you can do is try a chin strap for a night, and see if that helps. If it does, then there are options that can be explored for the long run.
-john-