Dry Mouth

[Hawthorne]

Right - the Hybrid. It's a full face mask with no forehead straps and no nose bridge piece either. Both forehead straps and masks that go on the nose bridge bother me to the extent that I can't sleep or, in the case of the nose bridge get a nasty mark). I use nasal prongs and pillows so do not have those problems. I have the Hybrid for when I am congested with a cold and unable to breathe through my nose. I can use the full face when needed and not deal with the issues that bother my sleep or leave bad marks on my face.

Not sure about it and a moustache though.

[roster]

Hey guys,

I have the same problem with air blowing through my lips, even with a chin strap. I think I get less sleep with the CPAP than I did before. I'm wondering about some kind of mouth piece similar to what boxers wear.....obviously less bulky and thinner. I can't use a full face mask because of several brain surgeries through my forehead that is painful with the head piece of the mask. Anyway, has anyone heard of some sort of, maybe Latex, mouth piece that might seal agains the inside of the lips? Oh, I have a bushy moustache so no tape here and the moustache is NOT leaving.

I tried three different types of over-the-counter mouthpieces; result was wasted money and wasted time. These three FF masks do not touch the forehead - Hybrid (my favorite), Liberty (second-rate copy of Hybrid) and Fischer & Paykel 432.

[Falcon1]

..............

My latest experiments suggest that rinsing my nose with sea salt water (isotonic so it matches the tissues) before sleeping is not good and does tend to cause blockage of nasal passages later in the night. ..........

Ottarod

My ENT works closely with the sleep lab in the same practice. He also told me that the salt water rinses are great but use them in the morning and not in the evening. Your comment and my ENT's comments are contrary to many discussions on this forum. However, since the words from my ENT, I have avoided using my neti pot after 4:00 p.m.

My Comments:

I like Den's remarks regarding the importance of individual experimentation regarding various treatment approaches. Hopefully Den won't mind me paraphrasing him here: "[Many things are] dependent on the individual...It seems logical...that users...experiment with different options..."

Obviously there are exceptions, but in general I believe that this advice is applicable to many non-medication treatment approaches (such as herbal supplements, natural/home remedies like nasal saline irrigation, etc).

In regards to nasal saline irrigation, specifically, I also have found in my personal experimentation that performing this procedure in the evenings leads to increased nasal swelling and blockage at night time. I find it best to perform my nasal saline irrigation earlier in the day (preferably before 4pm).

I'm not sure what the exact mechanism/cause is of my increased nasal swelling while I'm in bed, if I perform my nasal saline irrigation in the evening. However, it's easy enough to just refrain from doing my saline irrigation in the evenings, and instead perform it earlier in the day.

By the way, nasal saline irrigation with a "neti pot" is an ancient Ayurvedic process and is still very common in India. Many people there use a neti pot regularly each morning, and it is performed as routinely as brushing one's teeth.

Regards.

[Gale Hawkins]

I have found after brushing my teeth drinking two glasses of water right before I go to bed helps with hydration in general but is more of a requirement for those of us with arthritis to reduce morning pain.