Somniflex Sleep Strips To Keep Mouth Closed

[ChicagoGranny]

https://somnifix.com/products/mouth-str ... -sleep-aid

These have hardly been discussed in the forum, but they definitely look interesting to me. They were brought to my attention today by member Bookit.

I use sleep strips by Somnifix to keep my mouth closed. They stick only to your lips so no tape lines around your mouth. And they can handle whatever spit I sleepily throw at it. My mouth only opens during certain sleep cycles. This way I avoid a full mask AND dry mouth. You might give them a try. I get mine from Amazon.

[clenchingtobreathe]

Looks interesting....but the breathing slot is a no go for me. I had to start taping my mouth to help stop mouth leaking....and an opening of any kind would defeat the purpose for me, I think. The air would just blow out more slowly!

[Bookit]

It does not have an opening. You can make one if you want. But mine has never opened on its own.

[ChicagoGranny]

It does not have an opening.

Interesting. But, their website leads me to believe otherwise???

Breathing vent: Our strips ensure that users always have a mouth breathing route if necessary

https://somnifix.com/products/mouth-str ... -sleep-aid

Is it possible their lawyers made them add a vent on later versions?

[ChicagoGranny]

Looks interesting....but the breathing slot is a no go for me. I had to start taping my mouth to help stop mouth leaking....and an opening of any kind would defeat the purpose for me, I think. The air would just blow out more slowly!

Your machine can compensate for some leak. The question would be how much would leak through the strip's opening (If it has an opening).

[Bookit]

I will try to explain it better.

Technically there is a vent. It is small and you would have to forcibly open your mouth to open that little vent. I'm sure it has more to do with keeping someone from suffocating than actually allowing mouth breathing. The point of the strip is to NOT breathe through your mouth. However if you could not breathe through your nose, by forcing your mouth open, it would open the vent. The adhesive is strong.

I press my lips firmly together and then apply the strip. I have never had a leak or the vent open. The vent is so small that, even if it were open, your machine could easily compensate.

My problem with skin tape (trying to use cheaper methods) is that I develop an annoying leak by 3 am. The adhesive is not strong enough. But because it touches my face, not just my lips, I don't want the tape adhesive any stronger. It makes my skin red and even makeup can't hide the redness.

Somnifix strips leave no redness, no latex allergy, and I can happily continue using my nasal pillows. They work for me.

[mbushroe]

WOW! Taping over my mouth before putting on any kind of nose mask or nasal pillows would just totally freak me out! From when I was young and my septum was deviated and sinuses didn't work well I have a deep down feeling that if I were forced to only breath through my nose ( like having tape over my mouth) and left in a corner somewhere, by the next morning I would be dead because it would take more effort/oxygen to force each breath in and out my nose than I would get oxygen out of the breath and just slowly asphyxiate. And so I have been using a full face mask since I was able to arm wrestle them into giving me one instead of the alien, face-hugger, nasal pillows monstrosity that they initially insist I use.

But if you prefer taping your mouth shut to avoid air leakage/blow out so that you can use one of the much smaller, less intrusive nose masks and still work with higher pressures than I am glad that it works for other people and to see that there is an off-the-shelf item to make that easier to do. Just don't get anywhere near me with one of those!

[Okie bipap]

Like you, I too had a very badly deviated septum and continuous sinus problems. When I was around 55, I had my deviated septum repaired and have been able to breathe through my nose ever since. I have had very few sinus infections since then. I would highly recommend having the deviated septum repaired. It makes breathing easier during the day as well as at night.

[poppi2]

How many items per $21 box? Am on my phone, I’ve tried and failed to determine how many. Thanks.

As Roseanne Roseannadanna used to say, “Never mind.” The answer is 28.

[Grace~~~]

They are $17.99 right now on the somnifix.com site.

...and there's a 40% coupon off on your first order with coupon code BFCM40.
https://www.wethrift.com/somni-fix

[mbushroe]

Like you, I too had a very badly deviated septum and continuous sinus problems. When I was around 55, I had my deviated septum repaired and have been able to breathe through my nose ever since. I have had very few sinus infections since then. I would highly recommend having the deviated septum repaired. It makes breathing easier during the day as well as at night.

I have had both septoplasty for the septum and UUUP for the apnea in the last 10 years. I am now able to breath entirely though my nose, it is just that my hind brain has been hardwired not to believe that. In fact I prefer not to wear the mask at all if my sinuses are too plugged up. Hind brain and fore brain conflict and the compromise is no mask.

[ChicagoGranny]

From when I was young and my septum was deviated and sinuses didn't work well I have a deep down feeling that if I were forced to only breath through my nose ( like having tape over my mouth) and left in a corner somewhere, by the next morning I would be dead because it would take more effort/oxygen to force each breath in and out my nose than I would get oxygen out of the breath and just slowly asphyxiate. And so I have been using a full face mask

Yes, if you can't get enough air through your nostrils, you should stick with the FFM.

if my sinuses are too plugged up

What's the condition of your turbinates? Are they chronically enlarged?

Are you consulting an ENT about managing clogged "sinuses"? I put sinuses in quotes because the problem is often temporarily inflamed and enlarged turbinates.

[weroberts75]

WOW! Taping over my mouth before putting on any kind of nose mask or nasal pillows would just totally freak me out! From when I was young and my septum was deviated and sinuses didn't work well I have a deep down feeling that if I were forced to only breath through my nose ( like having tape over my mouth) and left in a corner somewhere, by the next morning I would be dead because it would take more effort/oxygen to force each breath in and out my nose than I would get oxygen out of the breath and just slowly asphyxiate. And so I have been using a full face mask since I was able to arm wrestle them into giving me one instead of the alien, face-hugger, nasal pillows monstrosity that they initially insist I use.

I also had a deviated septum. I've had two sinus surgeries and have learned to breathe through my nose; however, I spent almost my entire childhood and early adulthood mouth breathing.

I've used the SomniFix strips with a full face mask. They have cut my AHI's in half and have helped me to sleep more deeply.
However, when I have used the SomniFix strips with a pillows mask, I have had huge leaks because of the vent hole.
I'm still in the process of learning to breathe through my nose full time, though.
I'm optimistic that the problem of mouth breathing even with the strips may go away.

[Bookit]

WOW! Taping over my mouth before putting on any kind of nose mask or nasal pillows would just totally freak me out! From when I was young and my septum was deviated and sinuses didn't work well I have a deep down feeling that if I were forced to only breath through my nose ( like having tape over my mouth) and left in a corner somewhere, by the next morning I would be dead because it would take more effort/oxygen to force each breath in and out my nose than I would get oxygen out of the breath and just slowly asphyxiate. And so I have been using a full face mask since I was able to arm wrestle them into giving me one instead of the alien, face-hugger, nasal pillows monstrosity that they initially insist I use.

I also had a deviated septum. I've had two sinus surgeries and have learned to breathe through my nose; however, I spent almost my entire childhood and early adulthood mouth breathing.

I've used the SomniFix strips with a full face mask. They have cut my AHI's in half and have helped me to sleep more deeply.
However, when I have used the SomniFix strips with a pillows mask, I have had huge leaks because of the vent hole.
I'm still in the process of learning to breathe through my nose full time, though.
I'm optimistic that the problem of mouth breathing even with the strips may go away.

Make sure, if you use the strips, that you press your lips tightly together. I kind of turn my lips inward. No air is getting through there unless I push very hard with my air. The strange things we do to sleep better...

[rickyjoe48]

I have been wearing the somnifix strips for about a year with an oral appliance. And they have worked very well. I am now moving to an ASV Machine with a circadian nasal mask. I intend on using the mouth strips as long as they work as opposed to a full face mask. I agree with the tip to firmly press your lips together before you apply the strip. My oral appliance had a fair amount of vertical to it and after about a half hour I would lose Lip seal. The effect of that was very similar to what people describe with a large mouth leak on CPAP: extremely dry mouth.

The strips adhesive, while strong, does not feel like it’s pulling the skin off your lip on removal; or leave tape residue; red marks; or any other side effects that I can find. Wearing an oral appliance can cause excessive salivation, but the strips handle that very well.

There have been nights where I obviously removed the strip while asleep, but that was when I first started. It got to be kind of a game to figure out where the sticky strip ended during the night

I had a lot of sinus problems and it was discovered I had a begnie tumor in one. During the surgery to remove the tumor they all so removed one complete Turbinate and trimmed the other one back significantly which did away with all of my problems breathing through my nose.