Mouth gets dry as a bone

[n9tel]

Hello All, I have been using CPAP for about a year now. I have a ResMed "ELite" and use a full face mask- Mirage Quattro. I have been at 10 up until last week when they bumped it up to 12. It didn't seem like any difference to me. Anyhow, it seems like I can never get enough humidity out of the thing. I have experimented with many different settings but no luck. I have been using it with the dial turned all the way up for a couple of months now. It still doesn't seem like enough. My mouth gets extremely dry during the night. The lady at the sleep center said it's because I am opening my mouth during sleep and I need a chin strap. I am not convinced. I am not happy with the Dr, or the sleep center. I am a newbie to this sight and any help/suggestions would be appreciated.
Thanks,
Dave

[Elbysmom2004]

I don't have a solution for you but I'm right there with you. I turn the humidity up to the highest and my mouth is still dry as a bone but yet my nose is running to my ankles. Go figure. I know I sleep with my mouth open but I cannot use a chin strap or tape my mouth. I can't stand it. I just got used to it kinda. I keep a mouth wetting sponge like they give you in the hospital when your in labor and when it gets really bad I take the mask off or lift it up and use that.

[roster]

Dave,

Welcome.

Two things:

1. Humidifiers are designed to keep the nasal airways from being too dry.They are generally insufficient to keep the mouth moist if the user is breathing through the mouth a lot.

2. By turning the humidifier up in an attempt to keep the mouth moist, you may actually be making the mouth drier. How? Too much humidity can cause congestion in the nasal airway. Congestion in the nasal airway commonly leads to more mouthbreathing. Do you have even minor nasal congestion?

My advice is to adjust the humidity to the lowest level that keeps the nasal airways from feeling dry. Let's see if that reduces the mouth breathing ergo the mouth dryness.

After this if you (still) have nasal congestion we should discuss in this thread how to reduce it.

Regarding chin straps, they are designed to hold the jaw up when the patient is using a nasal mask. Patients using full face masks do not commonly also use a chin strap - too much gear!

Not too many of us are happy with our sleep doc or lab - so join the gang. Also, most of us did not have a good therapy until we got a machine, card reader and software to monitor pressure, apneas, hypopneas, snores and leak rate. This allowed us to tweak our masks and machine settings to achieve an optimal pressure. I highly recommend you look into this. We can help.

If you fill out the equipment profile we can target our comments better. Choose 'text' for the profile.

Regards,

[n9tel]

Thank you for the reply and advice. The Dr suggested I do what you suggested, However his reasoning was that the heater was actually making the humidity evaporate to quickly. This didn't make alot of sense to me. I turned it down for a few hours but ended up turning it right back up because as you said, my nasal airway seemed to get to dry. I DO have minor nasal congestion at times. I shower in the mornings and that usually seems to get things loosened up. I will try a lower setting again tonight and see what happens. As to "tweaking" my machine, they act as though it is a matter of national security to NOT allow me to do anything with it. They will not demonstrate how to change settings, etc. The lab I use does not even have a card reader. All of this was going to be the subject for my next post but you've hit on it right away. It seems as though the DR is just shooting from the hip as to pressure settings. You say I should "look into this". I am not sure what you mean. Can I get software and a card reader myself? Also I would be happy to fill out an equipment profile but I don't see anything I can click on that refers to "text". Thanks again for your help.
Dave

Dave,

Welcome.

Two things:

1. Humidifiers are designed to keep the nasal airways from being too dry.They are generally insufficient to keep the mouth moist if the user is breathing through the mouth a lot.

2. By turning the humidifier up in an attempt to keep the mouth moist, you may actually be making the mouth drier. How? Too much humidity can cause congestion in the nasal airway. Congestion in the nasal airway commonly leads to more mouthbreathing. Do you have even minor nasal congestion?

My advice is to adjust the humidity to the lowest level that keeps the nasal airways from feeling dry. Let's see if that reduces the mouth breathing ergo the mouth dryness.

After this if you (still) have nasal congestion we should discuss in this thread how to reduce it.

Regarding chin straps, they are designed to hold the jaw up when the patient is using a nasal mask. Patients using full face masks do not commonly also use a chin strap - too much gear!

Not too many of us are happy with our sleep doc or lab - so join the gang. Also, most of us did not have a good therapy until we got a machine, card reader and software to monitor pressure, apneas, hypopneas, snores and leak rate. This allowed us to tweak our masks and machine settings to achieve an optimal pressure. I highly recommend you look into this. We can help.

If you fill out the equipment profile we can target our comments better. Choose 'text' for the profile.

Regards,

[roster]

....... As to "tweaking" my machine, they act as though it is a matter of national security to NOT allow me to do anything with it. .......

Dave,

I think the insecure idiots tried to get it written into the Patriot Act. They are lobbying Obama to keep a section of Gitmo operating for patients who change their settings.

On listing the equipment, when you go to "Profile" and then "Edit Equipment", just above the Submit Button select "Text". If you select "Image", we cannot tell what equipment you have without following the link.

Let us know which machine you have and we can tell you whether software is available for that model.

Also, check out Dr. Falcon's posts in this thread for good suggestions on how to reduce or eliminate congestion. I now take a generic Claritin every night during the pollen season just before bed. I highly recommend a Neti pot also.

Regards,

[roster]

BTW, Here is a good resource on how to change the pressure on a CPAP machine. But please, ask us and members will be glad to advise you.

[roster]

Sorry, here is that link to changing pressure on the most popular machines: http://www.cpap-supply.com/Articles.asp?ID=130

[dllfo]

Try Oasis, it is at most pharmacies. An oral surgeon told me about it. I have used it for a couple of years and it helps a lot. Supposed to keep Dry Mouth away for a couple hours or more. Dry Mouth can mess up your teeth (per dentists) so don't ignore it.

[garymbsail]

Dave and all,
I'm quite sure the issue is mouth breathing. Although the saliva flow decreases naturally during sleep, the bone-dry situation you describe must be mouth breathing. As I understand it, the full face masks are for mouth breathers. Rooster's take seems right on, but you still need to find your right combo of mask, humidity, and pressure. I'm a nasal pillow guy, but when I had some stuffy nose nights, I tried some Afrin-type nasal spray to keep things open overnight. DO NOT USE MORE THAN A FEW NIGHTS in a row, but may help sort out some other questions. The lower humidity setting will minimize aggravating rainout. The other suggestions for topical products such as OASIS are useful, but won't get you through the night. The observation that a dry mouth can be tough on teeth and gums is absolutely correct. So, make sure you've done the brushing and flossing bit well [no, your hygienist is not kidding]. Some good tothpastes for dry mouth are Crest Prohealth and a specialty product called Biotene. Definitely avoid rinses that contain alcohol.
Hope the machine tweaking helps, and be patient and persistant - it's worth it.
Gary

[dllfo]

You are correct about the Afrin. When I flew in the Air Force we carried Afrin for a "Get me down" spray. Not to be used regularly.

I use Nasonex and Astelin for stuffy nose. Prescription stuff.

Another thing the Oral Surgeon said to use was ACT mouthwash.

Due to lung damage, I expel sputum 24/7, so a full face mask doesn't work too well. Nasal pillows have worked well. I get dry mouth once in awhile, so I have to use whatever I can .... hence Oasis. BUT I am open to other suggestions.

[n9tel]

Thank you to all that replied to my post. I still need advice. I am still NEW to this website and am finding it hard to use. I am NOT a seasoned veteran with CPAP and am not a blogger or whatever other computer geek terms you can think of. I actually have a real job. So I don't like spending alot of time on the computer. Here are some questions I have regarding replies to my post...

What is "rainout"?
What is "Oasis"?
Why do I need to fill out my "profile"?
I tried doing this and my equipment was not listed.
How to I respond to a particular reply to my post?
Why did I have to put in a confirmation code to reply to a msg?

[roster]

Thank you to all that replied to my post. I still need advice. I am still NEW to this website and am finding it hard to use. I am NOT a seasoned veteran with CPAP and am not a blogger or whatever other computer geek terms you can think of. I actually have a real job. So I don't like spending alot of time on the computer. Here are some questions I have regarding replies to my post...

What is "rainout"? Humidty condensing in your hose or mask.
What is "Oasis"?An expensive brand of mouthwash that provides temporary relief of dry mouth. Unlike most popular brands, it contains no alcohol and this is the reason it is better for temporary relief od dry mouth.
Why do I need to fill out my "profile"?Without knowing what equipment you have, we can waste time by not being able to target adive.
I tried doing this and my equipment was not listed. Did you click on the "Submit" icon and wait for a confirmation?
How to I respond to a particular reply to my post? Go to that post and click on the "Quote" icon. Type your reply in the new box that pops up.Why did I have to put in a confirmation code to reply to a msg? Because you are not logged in and the software thinks you are a visitor. It wants to prevent being spammed by machines. Log in and set the box below your login info for "Log me in automatically each visit". The software will put a cookie in your computer and will log you in automatically when you are using that computer.

[n9tel]

Try Oasis, it is at most pharmacies. An oral surgeon told me about it. I have used it for a couple of years and it helps a lot. Supposed to keep Dry Mouth away for a couple hours or more. Dry Mouth can mess up your teeth (per dentists) so don't ignore it.

Could you tell me what "oasis" is please?

[n9tel]

Dave and all,
I'm quite sure the issue is mouth breathing. Although the saliva flow decreases naturally during sleep, the bone-dry situation you describe must be mouth breathing. As I understand it, the full face masks are for mouth breathers. Rooster's take seems right on, but you still need to find your right combo of mask, humidity, and pressure. I'm a nasal pillow guy, but when I had some stuffy nose nights, I tried some Afrin-type nasal spray to keep things open overnight. DO NOT USE MORE THAN A FEW NIGHTS in a row, but may help sort out some other questions. The lower humidity setting will minimize aggravating rainout. The other suggestions for topical products such as OASIS are useful, but won't get you through the night. The observation that a dry mouth can be tough on teeth and gums is absolutely correct. So, make sure you've done the brushing and flossing bit well [no, your hygienist is not kidding]. Some good tothpastes for dry mouth are Crest Prohealth and a specialty product called Biotene. Definitely avoid rinses that contain alcohol.
Hope the machine tweaking helps, and be patient and persistant - it's worth it.
Gary

Could you tell me what "rainout" is?
Thanks

[yorkiemum01]

I too use a Quattro FF (and a mouth breather) and prefer my humidity at a lower setting,
so i've had to use Biotene spray before I turn in at night (also use their toothpaste). for me
personally, it has made it tolerable. Hope you find the right 'fix' for you.