a thin line between dry mouth and rainout

[zonker]

Just one more tiny thing:
Make sure your scuncis are not blocking flow from your salivary glands.

pretty sure they aren't. the position of the scuncis haven't changed in the years that i've used them.

i DO however need to shop them again. my supply of unused ones are getting low.

[roadcycler]

[/quote]

i'm across the border in northern area of washington state. where abouts in bc are you?

(i'll be SO happy when we can get back and forth across the border with less strident covid 19 tests!)
[/quote]

We live in the interior of BC near Kelowna. So it is colder in the winter and warmer in the summer than in Vancouver. As per the Covid tests we have stopped any international travel due to the restrictions and procedure to get back in our own country. If you come bring gas! In Vancouver it has hit $8.40 cdn/liter or approx $6.54/us gallon

[zonker]

If you come bring gas! In Vancouver it has hit $8.40 cdn/liter or approx $6.54/us gallon

YIKES!

and i was mildly concerned when it hit 4 bucks here.

[chunkyfrog]

As long as we are driving a hybrid, gas prices are not nearly as painful,
but we purposely bought the hybrid years ago, anticipating runaway gas prices.
As for masks and vaccine, I trust science.
The same science that has given us cpap.

[Deborah K.]

Zonker, I used to use Xyliments too, but when I started mouth taping I no longer needed them. My mouth stays nice and moist every night now. I did not like the idea of taping, but to my surprise I have found that it does not bother me at all.

[ChicagoGranny]

Zonker, I used to use Xyliments too, but when I started mouth taping I no longer needed them. My mouth stays nice and moist every night now. I did not like the idea of taping, but to my surprise I have found that it does not bother me at all.

I was going to suggest the same thing. A strip of 1-inch Nexcare blue tape applied vertically might do wonders. Don't forget to turn your lips in slightly when applying the tape.

[zonker]

want to thank you all for your sage advice.

here is what i learned last night-

1.80 degrees coming into my nose is way more degrees than a poor sensitive soul like me can stand. (whine,whine,whine)

2. i shouldn't be experimenting with any controls during the wee hours of the morning. actually did more harm than good.

tonight, i will go back to humidity of 2. i'll set the temp to 72. then i'll gradually raise it and see how the balancing act goes.

[zonker]

Zonker, I used to use Xyliments too, but when I started mouth taping I no longer needed them. My mouth stays nice and moist every night now. I did not like the idea of taping, but to my surprise I have found that it does not bother me at all.

i'm not getting any air into my mouth. i use scuncis and they work well.

but thanks for thinking of me!

[ChicagoGranny]

i'm not getting any air into my mouth. i use scuncis and they work well.

Is your mouth opening? (Literally, not figuratively)

[zonker]

i'm not getting any air into my mouth. i use scuncis and they work well.

Is your mouth opening? (Literally, not figuratively)

this is an old photograph. i have since added a thin band that goes across the top, i.e. where the green scunci is.

my mouth does not open as far as i can tell.

lips remain together.

[ChicagoGranny]

my mouth does not open as far as i can tell.

lips remain together.

So, airflow over your oral tissues would not be the cause of dry mouth. Then, it could be pressure from the CPAP that is in the mouth. This pressure could easily prevent the flow of saliva from your salivary glands.

That may be the problem. I don't know what the answer is. As mentioned before, I have had good results using GC Dry Mouth Gel. Its viscosity is thicker than any other brand I have found.

The other thing that works really well for me is Trident Original Flavor gum (with xylitol). I break one piece into halves. Without chewing, one half is placed in each upper gum between the teeth and salivary gland. The halves just stay in place all night. They do a good job of stimulating the salivary glands. Actually, I use this trick 24x7. (The doc thinks I have Sjogren's syndrome.) After I started using this gum, my dental hygienist approved because she had to do very little scraping at my six-months cleanings. She attributes the improvement to the gum.

[zonker]

want to thank you guys for the suggestions. turning up the temperature does indeed stop the rainout. (science,ftw!)

however, i find that the resulting warm air coming into my nostrils to be uncomfortable. i'm sure that this can be fine tuned through trial and error. so far, i haven't found that "just right" combination of temperature and humidity that will allow me to sleep comfortably. so i'm going to abandon the experiment and live with the dry mouth.

in the contest of dry mouth vs uncomfortable warmth, i'm picking the former for now.

again, thanks!

[zonker]

So, airflow over your oral tissues would not be the cause of dry mouth. Then, it could be pressure from the CPAP that is in the mouth. This pressure could easily prevent the flow of saliva from your salivary glands.

could be. this didn't start happening until i started using the vauto machine. i took the recommendation of others and set up my vauto so that it would be close to what my "for her" machine was set at. it could be that while those pressures are close, they could still be too high. i'm speculating wildly here, as i haven't a clue.

I have had good results using GC Dry Mouth Gel. Its viscosity is thicker than any other brand I have found.

i'm willing to give it a try. i see it on amazon and other places. thanks for the recommendation.

The other thing that works really well for me is Trident Original Flavor gum (with xylitol). I break one piece into halves. Without chewing, one half is placed in each upper gum between the teeth and salivary gland.

where are you placing it, exactly? and is that specific gum available readily at drugstores?

[Pugsy]

I am not wildly crazy about having to use 86 degrees for hose air temp but rain out is a worse problem for me than the warmth is a problem.
You have to decide which is worse for you.
Play around with the hose air temps to find one that prevents rain out AND is not so swampy warm feeling...if possible.

Now your pressure settings....my own personal thoughts is that you are most likely using a lot more pressure than is really needed to address your apneas because in the past you were chasing AHI numbers wanting to get them as low as possible.
At some point in your experiments I would like to see you really give this VAuto machine a chance to do what it can do when not having its hands tied so much. Your choice but I have read that just having the air enter the mouth from the back airway open door can suppress saliva production and cause a dry mouth even though the air can't exit the mouth via breathing.
I wish I save that document (thought I did but I can't find it) as I thought that could explain a lot of people's dry mouth complaints with no mouth breathing.
Your pressures are quite high...maybe if we reduce them a bit we can reduce the drying effect....something to think about.
At some time in the future I would like to see what your reports look like (and how you feel of course) with some rather marked changes in the settings.
Like
EPAP min 12
PS 4
Max IPAP 25
Auto mode of course

Your choice of course.

[ChicagoGranny]

and is that specific gum available readily at drugstores?

Yes, we buy the big packs at Sam's. Walmart has smaller packs reasonably priced.

where are you placing it, exactly?

Sorta on the first and second molar; horizontal, half on tooth, half on gum above. After a while in the mouth, it will soften and stick like a third-grader's Bazooka on the underside of a desktop.

#2/3 and/or #14/15