Mouth taping with 3M Tapes - Another convert

[HelpMeBreath]

Hello everyone. Well, I finally tried taping. I became so sick of the inconsistency of my nights, always waking up in the morning to see that I had been leaking all night, not enough to wake me up, but certainly enough to effect my sleep quality. I am a chronic mouth breather, chin straps don't work for me unless they are so tight its uncomfortable and even that doesn't stop air escaping my lips. I have to use nasal pillows, for many reasons. I was using the hybrid but I found myself waking many times at night when using masks that protrude from my face.

I don't suffer from sleep apnea because of weight, i have a small throat (small ear canals, nose, etc) and no matter what my pressure, I can usually get my apneas down to close to zero, but no matter what the pressure, the HI is still around 3.5 - 9. Luckily I don't have sinus problems and I am a very light sleeper even with ambien so I wasn't worried about suffocating.

I finally decided to try taping. I went to walgreens to get some of the transpore tape, they were closed, I am impatient so I used a piece of tape that I knew I shouldnt have. I have very sensitive skin, the tape came lose on my mouth from moisture but still managed to irritate the skin on the sides of my mouth.

The next day I stopped in Walgreens and bought some 3M Transpore tape, skeptical but optimistic. I tried one strip of tape, I have larger lips but I also have a jazz patch (little bit of hair on the lower lip) I didnt want to shave. I managed to get the tape with a good seal without touching my whiskers. Wow.. First night with almost no leaks, still not a zero though.

The next night, I tried a piece of tape across my lips (horizontally) then a piece on each side (vertically) over the corners of my mouth to secure the tape. Shut the door to keep the cats out, and went to sleep. I can always tell when I have actually slept well, with real REM sleep. My last sleep study shows that I get about 40 minutes of REM sleep per night. I can count the number of times on my hands that I have actually popped awake feeling rested in the last years, on two hands. One of the ways I know that I really slept was when I wake up my feet and my hands are really hot, its not the most comfortable feeling, but I know the day will be a great one. The morning of the micropore taping, I woke up and knew immediately that I had really SLEPT. I checked my vpap and zero leaks. Happy day.

Its been 4 days now, last night I knew I didnt tape well enough because I didnt use the mirror and sure enough, leaks this morning and it wasn't fastened well. My fault.

I read on this board and a couple others that 3M Micropore tape worked really well. The night of my last post on this board when I was going to start taping, I found a place online that sells the #M Micropore tape in bulk for a very reasonable price. http://www.shopdirectbrands.com/3mand-1 ... 82407.html 12 Rolls for $10, I ordered them and they were delivered in 2 days.The micropore tape seems to have a better seal and its definitely more manageable than the Transpore tape, also when you buy online, a heck of a lot cheaper.

The bonus benefit is that I typically have some skin problems, the area around my mouth tends to get really dry, I was worried about the tape irritating my face. I cant wear any FFM mask because I break out around the sides of my nose from the rubber blocking my pores. Anyway, not only has the tape not irritated me, it seems to have actually helped my skin by keeping it from drying out.

The concept of taping your mouth closed is truly bizarre and a bit unnerving, but it really shows how far we will go to get a good night sleep.

Please don't bother with negative comments about taping, its a personal choice. I cannot imagine that its a good option for heavy sleepers, or people with sinus problems.

[Country4ever]

I use blue painter's tape (for multisurfaces) and it has always worked great. 1" tape across my mouth and 99 percent of the time, nothing gets through.
Be sure to turn a little of the ends under, in case you need to take it off quickly.

[dtsm]

I read on this board and a couple others that 3M Micropore tape worked really well. The night of my last post on this board when I was going to start taping, I found a place online that sells the #M Micropore tape in bulk for a very reasonable price. http://www.shopdirectbrands.com/3mand-1 ... 82407.html 12 Rolls for $10, I ordered them and they were delivered in 2 days.The micropore tape seems to have a better seal and its definitely more manageable than the Transpore tape, also when you buy online, a heck of a lot cheaper.

I now alternate btw paper medical tape and blue painter's tape. Prefer the latter as less adhesion (but still does excellent job) but the downside is if for some reason I take off in the middle of night, have to cut a new strip. The medical tape can be 're-used' but one needs to be slow in removing. I occasional cough at night and man - trying to get the paper medical tape off quickly is tough!

Thanks for the link - that's a great price. I paid $6.00 for two rolls. One order will last a long time.

[Gerald]

You might want to experiment with 2" wide #2080 Blue 3M painter's Tape from Lowe's Paint Dept. I've been using it for over a year....and I can find nothing better.

[Spirit]

Fantastic news, taping works for you