chin strap and/or full face mask suggestions

Over the last 3 nights as I've increased my EPAP, and my AHI has started to drop and non-responsives have greatly dropped, my exhale puff index has increased - from 4 to 7 to 11. Pretty sure my mough is opening with these higher epaps, and it will only get worse as I have to step it up some more. I suppose I may have to go to a full face, but I would like to try the hopefully cheaper route of a chin strap first. I am uncomfortable with the idea of taping.

I did buy a Halo strap - the one with the chin cup, when I bought my Swift Fx, but it won't stay on. With my double chins it tends to roll up off my chin within an hour or so and take the mask off with it. So I'm looking for suggestions for alternative chin straps or other things to keep my mouth closed.

Alternatively, I wanted to start getting some feedback from people who use full face masks as to what type they find the best as far as comfort, leaks and efficacy, to help narrow down the research and choices somewhat if that's the route I need to take.

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And BTW - last night my AHI was at 13, and my non-responsives was still about 4. Significant improvement from my first couple of nights 12 days ago, when they were both in the low 30s. But despite still waking a lot and being sleepy all day I believe I am starting to see some results in that I have actually had more energy than usual this weekend- at least I've gotten more outdoor chores accomplished than I usually have the stamina to complete.

Thanks again Everyone!

I wear a nasal mask and had a lot of leakage problems but a week ago I added a mask liner from http://www.padacheek.com and it did wonders for my leak problems and my AHI levels have gone down as well. You may want to call Karen, the owner of padacheek and see what full face masks she has liners for and try a liner with your mask if your think you're going full face.

There is really just not much point in asking other people about masks... it is a completely individual matter when it comes to micromillimeter differences in facial features, how well padded yours might be vs someone else's, how you sleep, with which pillows or not, whether you have a moustache, or the bridge of your nose together with cheekbone structure may allow air leakage into your eyes... it's one (lousy) business we all have to go through (trial and error) before finding what works and one person's experience of one mask or another is not likely to tell you much, except e.g. that a certain mask reviewed on Cpap.com will have a lot of bad reviews or the opposite, but even very popular ones may just not work for you.

IndyDave,

I use a nasal mask with a Philips Respironics Premium Chin Strap. I have used it from day one (over 5 months now) and have never found any problems or issues with it. Maybe it could work for you?
https://www.cpap.com/productpage/premiu ... hleak.html

I also use with the chin strap the 'tongue technique' I learned from posts here on the forum (search the forum for tongue technique if my description is confusing). You put the tip of your tongue at the back of your upper teeth, push the remaining part of your tongue upward toward the roof of your mouth. Then with your tongue in this position swallow any saliva that may be between your tongue and the roof of your mouth (I kind of suck backwards like I using a straw, but I don't open my mouth or lips). What you want is a slight suction to develop which will keep your tongue in this position while you sleep. Unfortunately this technique does not work for everyone, but you might still want to try it if you haven't before.

At this point I might be able to just use the tongue technique all by itself, but I am so used to also using a chin strap that I don't want to mess with my sleep which is going really well at this point.

Good luck!

John

I want to rave about my chinstrap. I am using the Deluxe Style Chinstrap from cpap.com (generic for the Respironics Deluxe), found here: https://www.cpap.com/productpage/deluxe ... hleak.html. I love (!) it.

This is the third chinstrap I have tried, and the first two (with chin cups), I hated. They didn't stay put, they didn't keep my mouth closed, just... didn't work for me.

But this one! It's great. It's big enough that it holds my neck/jaw and then curves up over my chin, making it much more comfortable and effective at keeping my jaw from relaxing open. And it's cheap. This strap was a real godsend for me.

I wear mine kind of like the guy in the picture, with one skinny strap behind my head. But instead of putting the second skinny strap over my forehead, I put it directly over my lips. It doesn't seal anything like tape would, but that tiny amount of pressure pushing against my lips acts as extra insurance (for me) against opening my mouth. Might be worth a try.

Chin strap preferences are as high individual as mask preferences. What works for one person may be a total failure for the next person.

Here is one that a lot of forum members use with success (also have been a few reported failures)..
The PapCap from pur-sleep
http://www.pur-sleep.com/products/produ ... category=6