Is everyone here a mouth breather -----

[JuanBoy]

Just curious but it seems that most people in the forum are mouth breathers that are trying to convert to nose breathing for CPAP.
Are there people here that are primarily nose breathers that have difficulty breathing through their mouth at night?
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When I am congested at night, I'm not able to sleep while breathing through my mouth. Somehow I can't figure this out. Dose anyone have some ideas or similar problem with a fix for it?

[Froro]

I'm not a mouth breather. Never had an issue breathing through my mouth at night though as far as I know. Even with the severe congestion I have I still only use the nasal pillows. (although lately it takes a few minutes to clear the sinuses before falling asleep)

[ilvsleep]

I hate breathing out of my mouth to sleep. I have only had my cpap one week and the first few days I had to really work to keep the air from escaping out of my mouth! Last night was a very good night with no mouth leaks that I can tell( I have no software yet). A leak usually wakes me up but not last night. The dry mouth is the worst when using pillows and opening your mouth. If I feel I still have trouble I will try a chinstrap.

[Janknitz]

I thought I was a dedicated mouth breather when I first came to CPAP and started out with a FF mask which made me MISERABLE. To my great surprise I was able to use a nasal mask and I gradually worked my way up to a nasal pillow mask. I never have an issue with mouth breathing.

If you look for posts from SleepMBA and get a link to her blog (or you can go to my blog and click on the link "Sleep and CPAP", she has a geat post about mouth breathing. She is a sleep tech RT and says that when people are at their optimal pressure they can breathe naturally through their noses in most cases. She successfully starts almost all of her patients off with a nasal mask and only uses a FF mask in rare instances. She sounds like she knows what she is talking about.

It helps to deal with nasal congestion--saline rinses, allergy meds, nasal steroids all help if you need them.

[blakepro]

Just curious but it seems that most people in the forum are mouth breathers that are trying to convert to nose breathing for CPAP.
Are there people here that are primarily nose breathers that have difficulty breathing through their mouth at night?
______________________________________
When I am congested at night, I'm not able to sleep while breathing through my mouth. Somehow I can't figure this out. Dose anyone have some ideas or similar problem with a fix for it?

I definitely fall into this category. I use a nasal mask every night and have no trouble keeping my mouth closed. I got a full face mask to use when I have a sinus cold but I have a terrible time trying to breathe through my mouth using it.

[JuanBoy]

I have vasomotor rhinitis - recently diagnosed - which has lasted for three months. Currently CPAP seems to make the congestion worse even with the humidity on high. So I thought that mouth breathing would relieve this.

[loisseau]

I think I'm a combo breather. I start nasal with the pillows, but if my sinuses are blocked, one or both, I revert to mouth breathing. This is why the ResMed Liberty mask works for me.

[Julie]

Juan Boy - have you tried turning the humidifier down? It often works, as having it on a high setting causes congestion in many people.

[Joe50]

I blame my knuckle dragging for making me a mouth breather.

[JuanBoy]

Juan Boy - have you tried turning the humidifier down? It often works, as having it on a high setting causes congestion in many people.

I tried that and had unbelievable vasomotor symptoms so I cranked it up and had fewer problems. For myself, I would like to have more humidity than the machine can provide. But thanks for the suggestion.
JuanBoy

[pdean44]

I am a mouth breather after years of congestion allergies and apnea. I can use my mask with a chin strap. I was snoring when i wasnt using one. Or so i am told.

[TheDreamer]

Oh so I'm not alone....I'm not a mouth breather. I did the get a full face mask for when my nose is congested....but I'm having a really hard time to learn to breath through my mouth in this case. End up using the nasty nasal spray so I can get some air that way and eventually get to sleep.

Wonder how I can learn to mouth breath....

The Dreamer.

[JayC]

On CPAP I am a nasal pillow user, and a nose breather.

I drooled and mouth breathed earlier in my life; not sure if I did that because I could not breathe for whatever reason, or had not figured out how to keep my tongue in my small jaw.

Sleep Doc says I don't need a full face mask, because nose breathing is what I should be doing, and we will need to address the reasons (allergies, or whatever) that I am not nose breathing when they come up. In the last 2 years on CPAP, I have had no reason to revisit the conversation......I mouth breath or mouth leak briefly a few times a month....it that.

Don't use a chin strap either.....

J

[sleepmba]

I thought I was a dedicated mouth breather when I first came to CPAP and started out with a FF mask which made me MISERABLE. To my great surprise I was able to use a nasal mask and I gradually worked my way up to a nasal pillow mask. I never have an issue with mouth breathing.

If you look for posts from SleepMBA and get a link to her blog (or you can go to my blog and click on the link "Sleep and CPAP", she has a geat post about mouth breathing. She is a sleep tech RT and says that when people are at their optimal pressure they can breathe naturally through their noses in most cases. She successfully starts almost all of her patients off with a nasal mask and only uses a FF mask in rare instances. She sounds like she knows what she is talking about.

It helps to deal with nasal congestion--saline rinses, allergy meds, nasal steroids all help if you need them.

Thanks for mentioning me, Janknitz. I thought my ears were ringing.

Interesting posts so far. I'm glad to hear some success stories about nose breathers. Check out my site listed on the bottom of my post. I'm adding new things a few times every week. If there is something you want me to write about or address, please make a suggestion either on here, or my e-mail is listed on the blog site. To set the records straight, I'm a Sleep Technologist (RPSGT), not a RT (respiratory therapist)...and a he.

[JuanBoy]

Oh so I'm not alone....I'm not a mouth breather. I did the get a full face mask for when my nose is congested....but I'm having a really hard time to learn to breath through my mouth in this case. End up using the nasty nasal spray so I can get some air that way and eventually get to sleep.

Wonder how I can learn to mouth breath....

The Dreamer.

So have you tried just parting your lips slightly to let the air pressure work for you?
The pressure may need to be lowered a bit also.
Originally I started at 15 for nose breathing and lowered it to about 10 for mouth/nose breathing using a FFM. I was able to mouth breathe with a small amount of nose breathing which seemed to work.
Unfortunately, the pressure disturbs the vasomotor so I need to figure a way just to mouth breathe for a while.
juanboy