"Mouther" clarification?

I gather from various posts that mouth-breathing is a problem under any circumstances -- is that correct?
Why is that, exactly?
At first, when I was having bad aerophagia side effects with cpap and FFM, I assumed it was because I was sucking down too much forced air through mouth. So, I switched to apap and nasal mask (which has reduced aerophagia significantly so far), figuring any air I took in through my perpetually gaping mouth would be just usual amount of nocturnal atmosphere in my room (which I like to think is moderately pleasant).

But now I'm wondering if mouth-breathing of any kind impacts effectiveness of machine?

thanks, tom aka Big-Mouth Bass

Never used a ffm but if you are suffering from aerophagia you are not getting full benefits from your therapy. Dry mouth can't be too comfortable either. Glad you found a mask that you like, that is the first hurdle. Do you have the software? You have one of the best available machines out there, the software is very crucial in getting the most of your therapy. You seem to be running wide open on pressure, that needs some attention. Track down Uncle Bob on these posts and get the free download at the bottom of his signature, it's a must have. You will need a chin strap to keep your mouth closed. I use a papcap and it works great, only complaint is the velcro is not silent when I adjust or remove it. I about got to peel the wife off the ceiling occasionally, now I remove it real slow to not create a "problem". It keeps the strap marks and crinkled hair away, I think some of the negative female comments were about the :helmet head" look, so it may be for people with thin or short hair? I like mine. john

Doubtful Tom wrote:
But now I'm wondering if mouth-breathing of any kind impacts effectiveness of machine?

That is exactly the problem. With a nose mask, if air leaks out through your mouth, the xPAP will not be able to deliver the correct pressure, and possibly not enough pressure to keep your airway open.

With a FFM, the pressure is the same whether your mouth is open or not. But you have the aerophagia problem with FFM. Solutions some of us have found use a nasal mask plus
chin strap or papcap to help keep the mouth closed or using tape to keep the lips sealed. You can search "chin strap" "papcap" or "tape" on this board.

JLK - Aerophagia is about swallowing air, not mouth breathing per se. It's about gas-like stomach pain often from a pressure set too high, or some other reason, but is not another word for mouth breathing.

Good distinction, thanks, Julie.

Julie wrote:JLK - Aerophagia is about swallowing air, not mouth breathing per se. It's about gas-like stomach pain often from a pressure set too high, or some other reason, but is not another word for mouth breathing.

That makes it simple, thanks. Time to don yon strap of chin.

M.D.Hosehead wrote:

Doubtful Tom wrote:
But now I'm wondering if mouth-breathing of any kind impacts effectiveness of machine?

That is exactly the problem. With a nose mask, if air leaks out through your mouth, the xPAP will not be able to deliver the correct pressure, and possibly not enough pressure to keep your airway open.

With a FFM, the pressure is the same whether your mouth is open or not. But you have the aerophagia problem with FFM. Solutions some of us have found use a nasal mask plus
chin strap or papcap to help keep the mouth closed or using tape to keep the lips sealed. You can search "chin strap" "papcap" or "tape" on this board.

I tend to disagree that mouth breathing is unacceptable under any conditions. I mouth breathe a bit during the night - I'll leak an extra 15L/min for a short while and then shut it up. I've looked at my reports and even wave form breath by breath reports of the times when I mouth breathe. I find no problems of interest.

Most if not all of my problem is upper airway - probably because I've had a UPPP years ago. I think all my problem were upper airway anyway and the UPPP was just from an overzealous ENT who had a laser and wanted some money.

I've found in the last few months since I restarted therapy that a nasal mask on APAP worked better than a FFM if I kept the lower pressure below a certain limit (for me 8.5). Anything above that causes too many mouth breathing problems. I suspect that as long as I keep the lower limit below a certain point, things work fine and it is the long-term higher pressure that makes me open my mouth. Even if my APAP cycles close to 12 (my upper limit), my mouth seems to stay shut most of the time because it is a temporary increase. If I have my lower limit increase even to 9 - all bets are off - so 8.5 seems to be the threshold (for me).

When I used a FFM and optimized the pressure, I found that my AHI was generally higher as all I was doing was mouth breathing inside the mask. Since I tend to have mostly upper airway problems, it seems advantageous to force air into my nose as much as possible - because that's what needs splinting.

I've seen a lot of people like me who have tested with mostly hypopneas and I guess that they would react the same way. Mouth breathing can be a big problem for some - but I don't think it is the end of the world for everyone. I wake up with no dry mouth or any other problems, and my AHI stays generally in the 0.1-0.4 range. So I'lll keep my FF masks for when I have a cold.

Feel free to disagree, but I swear - it works.

[quote="jonquiljo"]I tend to disagree that mouth breathing is unacceptable under any conditions....... Mouth breathing can be a big problem for some - but I don't think it is the end of the world for everyone.....



Ok. Ok....mouth breathing is ok when my wife is not in bed with me! john
Thanks for the clarification, Julie. I thankfully have never had that problem and read next to nothing about it. I meant to state if he was noticing it, by waking...he wasn't getting full benefits from his therapy. There is so much to learn!