I started taping my mouth and..............

Jethro · Post by **Jethro** » Fri Jun 13, 2008 2:03 pm

around 3 in the am I wake up with my tape leaking by.
I've been using the 3m tape ( white cloth like athletes use ) is this the right tape or should i be using something different? ( I have a short goat tee also)
Oh and i followed the directions from another thread.

Pineapple · Post by **Pineapple** » Fri Jun 13, 2008 2:09 pm

Jethro,

I wear a RG strap (Rested Gals Tights) over my mouth to help keep the corners from blowing loose.

roster · Post by **roster** » Fri Jun 13, 2008 2:26 pm

Jethro,

That's probably not the best tape to use. Here is a thread I wrote two years ago: viewtopic.php?t=9653&. If I were to start taping again I would use this same method.

BTW, The Hybrid mask provided to be a winner for me and eliminated the need for mouth taping.

Good luck,

Rooster

SleepGuy · Post by **SleepGuy** » Fri Jun 13, 2008 2:49 pm

Jethro,

The best solutions to problems are always the easiest solutions.

All you need is a chinstrap that provides the right kind of tension so that it simultaneously closes the jaw AND moves the fleshy part of the chin upwards to push up the bottom lip about 1 cm. The bottom lip prevents mouth breathing.

Close your jaw and breathe out. There's nothing to stop the air from escaping between the teeth.

Now push up gently on the fleshy part of the chin so as to move up the bottom lip about 1-2 cm and try to breathe out. You can't. The bottom lip seals the airway escape through the lips.

This is not hard. It need not be very difficult. You just work with the body instead of against it, aka ergonomic design.

I just spent three days at Sleep 2008 in Baltimore showing dozens of doctors and therapists how this works and got a lot of fantastic feedback.

For more information, check out this thread:

viewtopic/t31976/Pursleepwow.html

Disclaimer: i am the PurSleep guy, just in case you don't know. While I do have a vested interest in my little business, I am even more interested in finding simple, effective solutions to CPAP-related problems.

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socknitster · Post by **socknitster** » Fri Jun 13, 2008 3:12 pm

SleepGuy,

I hate to burst your bubble, but I can still blow air thru my lips when I do this. My anatomy is singular, I guess. I saw my Grandfather do this weird lip puffing thing when I was a kid taking naps with him--he most certainly had apnea, by the way. And from the description my husband has painted, I inherited it. I can puff air through clenched teeth and closed lips with a chinstrap on and my lower lips pushed up as you describe.

I trialed 3 chinstraps when new to cpap to avoid taping. I would just wake up gasping for air and the chinstrap wet with drool. I had to move to tape to control the apnea since ff masks don't fit my face. And I just look like a typical gal, I swear!

I hope your technique DOES work for most--but it doesn't work for all.
Though I would dearly LOVE for it to.

Jen

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rested gal · Post by **rested gal** » Fri Jun 13, 2008 5:24 pm

socknitster wrote:SleepGuy,

I hate to burst your bubble, but I can still blow air thru my lips when I do this.

Same here.

I don't doubt that SleepGuy's method works for some, but sure doesn't for me. Been there, tried that...that exact same method of pushing the lower lip up.

I had to use tape for over three years. For the past year a chin strap has worked for me, but only because my tongue finally (it took three years!) formed the habit of staying in an air sealing position during sleep if my jaw doesn't drop down too much.

viewtopic.php?p=272998#272998

SleepGuy · Post by **SleepGuy** » Fri Jun 13, 2008 9:05 pm

Unless you've really "been there and done that" with a truly stiff material, one that provides a great deal of tension in a specific area and distributes that tension evenly back into the surface area, you won't get enough tension to seal the lips. Flexible materials don't work. I've been there and done that, too.

While the Pap-Cap hasn't been widely tested yet so far it's batting 1000 for people who have actually used it. In any event it makes a lot more sense than most every other approach I've seen / investigated / tried etc.

chipbutty · Post by **chipbutty** » Sun Jun 15, 2008 5:50 am

I found the opposite with the Hybrid (minus the chin flap) and the Liberty. I don't mouth breathe but my jaw drops and air enters my mouth from the mask and I get the blowfish effect. If I use the Hybrid with the chin cup I don't get it as much. Other than that problem, and it's very frustrating, hybrid style masks have proven to be the best for me since I started cpap a couple of months ago. But they do tend to encourage my jaw to drop.

rooster wrote:Jethro,

That's probably not the best tape to use. Here is a thread I wrote two years ago: viewtopic.php?t=9653&. If I were to start taping again I would use this same method.

BTW, The Hybrid mask provided to be a winner for me and eliminated the need for mouth taping.

Good luck,

Rooster

Jethro · Post by **Jethro** » Mon Jun 16, 2008 8:35 am

rooster wrote:Jethro,

That's probably not the best tape to use. Here is a thread I wrote two years ago: viewtopic.php?t=9653&. If I were to start taping again I would use this same method.

BTW, The Hybrid mask provided to be a winner for me and eliminated the need for mouth taping.

Good luck,

Rooster

I'm getting sized up tomarrow, i'll request the Hybrid
Thanks!