Started waking up drymouth

[markk]

I started being a hosehead back in November of last year. I've been through a winter now and it's summer, and about two or three weeks ago, something started happening that's hot happened before.

I get woke up because a small amount of air is leaking into my mouth and escaping my lips. Now, from time to time, I have had my mouth open during sleep and it wakes me up, it's uncomfortable and I have a hard time breathing when that happens.

This is different. I have had no signficant problems before. I'd always just close my mouth, apply a slight suction and shove my tongue up against my teeth, like I was sucking on it and usually wake up that way - the number of times I wake up from having my mouth open would be 1-3 a month. But, now for about two weeks, most nights I wake up at least once with a small air leak coming back through my mouth... reminds me of sustained, gentle buzzing your lips or air bubbling up through water. Changes? None that I can think of except I've lost 25 lbs since I started on this thing.

I'm actually finding it a little harder to prevent air coming forward than it used to. Perhaps I'm so used to this, I'm more relaxed now... but.. Still, I need to figure out what I"m doing wrong. Still the same pillow, still the same position, still the same mask, same bed, same everything...

[Goofproof]

I started being a hosehead back in November of last year. I've been through a winter now and it's summer, and about two or three weeks ago, something started happening that's hot happened before.

I get woke up because a small amount of air is leaking into my mouth and escaping my lips. Now, from time to time, I have had my mouth open during sleep and it wakes me up, it's uncomfortable and I have a hard time breathing when that happens.

This is different. I have had no signficant problems before. I'd always just close my mouth, apply a slight suction and shove my tongue up against my teeth, like I was sucking on it and usually wake up that way - the number of times I wake up from having my mouth open would be 1-3 a month. But, now for about two weeks, most nights I wake up at least once with a small air leak coming back through my mouth... reminds me of sustained, gentle buzzing your lips or air bubbling up through water. Changes? None that I can think of except I've lost 25 lbs since I started on this thing.

I'm actually finding it a little harder to prevent air coming forward than it used to. Perhaps I'm so used to this, I'm more relaxed now... but.. Still, I need to figure out what I"m doing wrong. Still the same pillow, still the same position, still the same mask, same bed, same everything...

That's because you are mouthbreathing, you are also loosing the vaule of your XPAP use. A FF mask can correct this. Jim

[markk]

I know that. That's not the question. The question is, why did it start suddenly, after 7-8 months of use?

Looking at my data using sleepyhead reveals no more than 12 times since I started, have I had a large, sustained leak, and I know that some of those were actually mask issues (like I moved and pulled it off to the side, or pulled a strap loose). I'm just hoping someone else had this suddenly start and found a solution other than a full face mask, which to me would be even worse than trying to live with thing over my nose. I had to endure nightmares for a couple months while my mind adjusted to the feel. I had so many dreams of being strangled, drowned, head crushed... Gahhh... At least 2 times a week...

And no, having a chin strap.. ugh. Besides, holding my teeth together doesn't seal it up

[Julie]

I wouldn't focus on why it happened now... people's bodies do change in tiny ways over time, and the smallest things, not at all obvious to us as they take place, occur when we get older and we suddenly become aware of them one day, and even ambient temperature or humidity differences happen, and we cannot necessarily trace them or change them all back, though external ones are easier, and maybe just dealing with solutions is better.

[nanwilson]

Mark
You have answered your own question by asking in your other thread......re: stuffed up nose.
If your nose is stuffed you can't breath through it so you are opening your mouth to get air. I would suggest you have summer allergies or as you said in your other thread ....there is alot of dust around... you could be allergic to dust or whatever is blowing around in the dust. I certainly am, right now the farmers are all haying and the dust is full of hay spores, in another few weeks they will be harvesting the rest of their crops and that will also send me indoors.
Try the neti-pot to clear your sinuses before you go to bed and see if that doesn't work to clear you up.

[markk]

Mark
You have answered your own question by asking in your other thread......re: stuffed up nose.
If your nose is stuffed you can't breath through it so you are opening your mouth to get air. I would suggest you have summer allergies or as you said in your other thread ....there is alot of dust around... you could be allergic to dust or whatever is blowing around in the dust. I certainly am, right now the farmers are all haying and the dust is full of hay spores, in another few weeks they will be harvesting the rest of their crops and that will also send me indoors.
Try the neti-pot to clear your sinuses before you go to bed and see if that doesn't work to clear you up.

I'm sorry you didn't fully read the other thread. That's irrelevant.

I started examining carefully how I was sleeping vs how I first did, and finally came to the conclusion I needed to change my pillow. I got a slightly different height pillow and, I found that I have to very deliberately close and position my tongue and create a good suction in my mouth as I'm falling asleep and it won't happen.

I finally realized I had simply become,.. careless. I had been really busy and really, really tired, and I was falling asleep very casually. I have managed to not have these small leaks for almost two weeks, simply by being more attentive when I fall asleep and by not having my head too far down (back?).

[chunkyfrog]

My subconscious mind lies awake trying to think of ways to outwit my mask.
This is why I rotate masks--to keep the 'evil frog' confused.
I also use a little bit of tape (horrors) although it can get messy when I'm dreaming of Lazer's little buddy.

[lazer]

My subconscious mind lies awake trying to think of ways to outwit my mask.
This is why I rotate masks--to keep the 'evil frog' confused.
I also use a little bit of tape (horrors) although it can get messy when I'm dreaming of Lazer's little buddy.

I have a bit of a sore throat as of late and can't figure out if it could be due to "mouth breathing" or if I'm catching a cold again. Hrmmm

[Sheriff Buford]

Hers's my opinion: after two years of cpap therapy, during the last year, I started picking up habits that either I never had or I thought I had conquered. Stuff like leaks I never had before, never had hose management issues (sleeping on my hose and ripping the hose up), dry mouth (more than usual), etc... I attribute it to sleeping better and getting a "deeper" sleep. To me, it's a nice problem to have. Some of the old-timers may remember me addressing the issues individually. At first I thought I was regressing, but as the different issues popped up, I was able to deal with them and realized its a natural progression to conquering the cpap journey. Regardless of my issues, I have never slept better, felt more refreshed and I actually feel like I am getting better sleep. As I go... stuff keeps popping up and I don't feel I'm regressing, just progressing. Just sayin'

Sheriff