my answer to mouth breathing

[Gilley]

Well, after adjusing my pressure up to 13 trying to get my AHI under 5 I have real trouble with mouth breathing. I struggled to make the full face mask work. Taping is not an option, so I went through Restedgal's list of links and found my answer. On one of her links I saw someone posted about using a headband or sweatband to cover thier mouth. I found one and attached it to my head straps so it fit over my lips...Hey This could work.

Below are the graphs from my reports first is with out the headband: AHI was 11.9 and leak rate was 73


This is with the headband last night: AHI 6.8 leak rate 22 and 7.5 hours of SLEEP!!!

[brazospearl]

Good plan! It's easy and cheap, so if it doesn't work you haven't lost anything. Let us know if it keeps working!

[guest2]

I guess you could take my wife's suggestion when we were talking about mouth breathing not long after I started therapy. The discussion, and I do not remember how, came up right after a heated "talk" we were having. Her answer to the problem of mouth breathing was "JUST STOP". After she had left the room for a few minutes I caught her drift. And we have stayed married for over 30 years, amazing.

[Janknitz]

I was a mouth breather before CPAP but I wanted to try a nasal mask and I knew my sensitive skin was not going to tolerate stuff like poligrip, taping, etc. Chin straps don't work because there's not enough chin there (which is one of the reasons I have OSA).

I sleep on my side and I always rest my top arm on a firm pillow hugged against my chest because of shoulder pain. So I pushed the end of the pillow up against my jaw to passively hold my mouth closed. I also put some Chapstick on my lips just so they were slightly tacky--as a reminder to hold them together.

This was just enough to keep my mouth shut (my husband would be so pleased!). I'm not saying it's enough for everyone and I am not an active sleeper--I stay in one position almost all night. But for some people it might be all you need.

[GumbyCT]

Her answer to the problem of mouth breathing was "JUST STOP". After she had left the room for a few minutes I caught her drift. And we have stayed married for over 30 years, amazing.

So is it the command "JUST STOP" that is needed?

I believe the 1st step in OSA therapy should be a review of how we breath naturally and a review of how to breath thru your nose.

Meaning any troubles breathing thru your nose (either nostril) will not help your therapy, at all. It may be we ALL need to learn 'how to breath' correctly.

[kteague]

Seeing is believing. I guess there is at least one other person that has worked for since it was in a list of fixes. I know someone that has been offered simple tips but seems to prefer struggling along. Good for you for trying things to help yourself.