How to get saliva back for a dry mouth

[Daisypie]

If you do a sucking motion while still wearing your mask it will produce saliva. Do about 4 times and take the saliva and spread it around all over your mouth. If you need more, do it again. In fact you also can get a mouth full and swallow it to help your throat if it feels dry. This is a fast and easy way to still stay in bed and fix your mouth in a few seconds. Don't laugh, just try it and you will be amazed at the results.

I wear a nose mask. It is a True Blue and I love it. My personal thoughts on why my mouth becomes so dry is because if I have it to loose the humidity is going out the side and not enough inside my mouth. The True Blue is very easy to fix this with some little tabs on the side of the mash without taking off the mask or readjusting the straps. I think it is only when I am sleeping too soundly that I am not aware of the leak. I use the humidifier and normally do not have the problem but when I do it is extreme.

[BlackSpinner]

You are mouth breathing and losing therapy air. Get a full face mask.

[LSAT]

You are mouth breathing and losing therapy air. Get a full face mask.

+1

[Wulfman...]

You are mouth breathing and losing therapy air. Get a full face mask.

+1

+2 or +3 or more.

"Dry mouth" = "mouth=breathing". You need to fix that. Nasal cleansing, turning down humidifier setting, full face mask.


Den

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[Daisypie]

Actually I am not mouth breathing. I have a mouth guard because I grind my teeth. When I wake up and my mouth is dry it is past the point of just being dry. My mouth is tuck together and my mouth does not feel like fleshy type feel but rather like totally dehydrated. Many times my jaw is sore because I am clinching my teeth together so hard.

[Daisypie]

Actually I am not mouth breathing. I have a mouth guard because I grind my teeth. When I wake up and my mouth is dry it is past the point of just being dry. My mouth is tuck together and my mouth does not feel like fleshy type feel but rather like totally dehydrated. Many times my jaw is sore because I am clinching my teeth together so hard.

[herefishy]

Try sleeping with a sugar free cough drop in your mouth - keeps my mouth moist.

[BlackSpinner]

Actually I am not mouth breathing. I have a mouth guard because I grind my teeth. When I wake up and my mouth is dry it is past the point of just being dry. My mouth is tuck together and my mouth does not feel like fleshy type feel but rather like totally dehydrated. Many times my jaw is sore because I am clinching my teeth together so hard.

A mouth guard does not complete eliminate mouth breathing. However if you are sure then you need to see a doctor about that, but I would try a full face mask first. Dry mouth is a symptom of other issues or medications and it will destroy your teeth.

[Nozzelnut]

Make sure you're your mouthwash is alcohol free too; it can add to the dry mouth.

[Jeannh]

[...turning down humidifier setting....[/quote]Turning the humidifier DOWN? I thought more humidity=moister mouth! I've tried everything for dry mouth unsuccessfully - almost ready to quit altogether, but I keep the humidifier setting as high as possible- should I be turning it DOWN?

Also, I tape, and still get "Sahara-mouth" with the tape in place. I've tried FFMs but cannot control the leakage - they are just too big, even hybrids.

[BlackSpinner]

[...turning down humidifier setting....

Turning the humidifier DOWN? I thought more humidity=moister mouth! I've tried everything for dry mouth unsuccessfully - almost ready to quit altogether, but I keep the humidifier setting as high as possible- should I be turning it DOWN?

Also, I tape, and still get "Sahara-mouth" with the tape in place. I've tried FFMs but cannot control the leakage - they are just too big, even hybrids.[/quote]

Yes, down for some people. Too much humidity for some will cause their nose to be blocked so they mouth breathe.

[Janknitz]

So I have another take on this:

Even if you are not losing air out of your mouth, you may still be having airflow IN your mouth because you are not sealing off the mouth from the nasopharanx. Try this experiment:
1. Put your tongue firmly on the roof of your mouth, behind but not touching your top teeth--on the little ridge behind them.
2. Plug your nose and open your lips, then try to breath in.
If you can't breathe in, that means that the tongue position is doing a good job sealing off your mouth from the rest of the airway. Some people cannot get a good seal, and I suspect people who have had UPPPs and other procedures can't do this either. Others don't manage to keep their tongue in that spot all night.

The trick is to learn to sleep with your tongue in that spot all night. If you don't, air still gets into your mouth to dry it out, even if you can keep a good seal on your lips. To learn to sleep with the tongue in that position, practice by keeping your tongue there all day, except when you eat or talk.

If you are not sealing off the nasopharynx well, you will experience a dry mouth even in a full face mask. It may not be anything you can fix, in which case going to bed well-hydrated will reduce the misery a little (as long as you drink your fluids earlier so you don't have to get up to pee all night).

The other thing that causes the dry mouth is sinus congestion that forces you to mouth breathe. That's why it was suggested that you try turning the humidity DOWN. For some people (like me!), having the humidity too high causes nasal congestion. Other people need lots of humidity to avoid nasal congestion, so you'll have to play with it to find your sweet spot.

So if you look at your data and don't see evidence of mouth breathing, then you might try working hard to teach yourself to keep the tongue in that magic spot.

[Jeannh]

If you are not sealing off the nasopharynx well.

I tried the experiment, and DO get a good seal. I'll try and practice putting my tongue there during the day, hopefully that will make a difference at night.

The other thing that causes the dry mouth is sinus congestion that forces you to mouth breathe.

I'm lucky here - no congestion.

So if you look at your data and don't see evidence of mouth breathing...

What would this look like in the data? A leak pattern?

Doesn't tape eliminate mouth-breathing?

Thank you for you help!

[Pugsy]

What would this look like in the data? A leak pattern?

Doesn't tape eliminate mouth-breathing?

It shows as some sort of leaking on the leak line and yes, tape will prevent it if the tape is still secure in the AM...there is no way to mouth breathe BUT...I think Jan's point about tongue placement is to prevent air from entering the mouth via the airway in back.
Thinking that it may be the air exchange entering the mouth from the airway itself (we see that with chipmunk cheeks) that may be potentially a drying factor to the oral cavity despite the mouth staying close, taped or whatever to prevent mouth leaking or mouth breathing.

If someone tapes their mouth and the tape doesn't come loose...the leak line should be flat for the most part on the PR S1 machines unless auto adjusting pressures are used and then it will vary with pressure increases or decreases due to vent rate.
It won't be flat at 0.0 on a PR S1 machine.
It should be flat at 0.0 on a S9 machine though...or close to it.
Anything else and the tape is secure means leak at the mask somewhere...nose pillows move or nasal cushion moves or whatever.

The tongue placement trick...works great while awake but the tongue gets lazy when we go to sleep.
That's why people can keep mouth closed while awake and tongue in roof of mouth works great while awake and goes south once we fall asleep. Chipmunk cheeks happen, mouth breathing or at least mouth leaking will occur because the tongue relaxes and opens that back door to the airway.

Your dry mouth...if the tape is secure when you wake up...then your dry mouth isn't from mouth breathing or air exchange through the lips.
Now is it because of air entering the mouth via the back door??? It might be.
Is that air movement enough to dry out the mouth with the air sneaking in past the relaxed tongue?...I suppose it is very possible especially if someone had a tendency to easily get dry mouth.

[Jeannh]

Is that air movement enough to dry out the mouth with the air sneaking in past the relaxed tongue?...I suppose it is very possible especially if someone had a tendency to easily get dry mouth.

That must be me. I can keep the leak, finally, under 24/l on my S9. I'm gonna work hard on the tongue placement during the day, and have switched sleep docs in hope of some help there. I've been at this since sept, and just cannot seem to get past the dry mouth. The VPAP helped a little, although I'm totally guessing about the IPAP and EPAP, since Apria was useless, just left it wide open.

I'm trying really hard, use it every night, and feel a little better. But I really thought it'd be smooth sailing by now. I hate to keep posting my dry mouth whine, since everyone else seems able to get past it. Ideas always appreciated.

Thanks, Jean