First Night With The Oracle

Wanted to let everyone know about my experience with the Oracle (mouth only) mask. I had read the experiences of lots of people on this forum before trying it, so I was prepared for dealing with trying to swallow saliva and rainout, my mouth drying out, nose plugs, and other issues.

I had no trouble at all with the nose plugs. That surprised me. It was comfortable and stayed in just fine. I think it may have to do with the fact that I have always been a natural mouth-breather. But other than feeling different, it was OK.

I did feel the need to swallow quite often, but I think that was more to do with having something in my mouth, which was unusual. I seemed to be OK with it except my mouth drying out. That was also a bit annoying. But all-in-all, I think all these things combined made up the only reason why I couldn't quite sleep through the night with it - just a couple of hours. If I can get used to it, I think it has great potential. I'm hopeful.

Thanks to JDS74 for all his tips. They were very helpful.

Cheers!

Ken

Ken

So glad you are having some success.
Remember to up the humidity level when using this mask to minimize the mouth drying effect.

Thanks. I tried it again today trying to nap, since I didn't get much sleep last night. I still have two major problems. Having my mouth open seems to keep stimulating my swallow reflex. I feel like I'm being water-boarded. Well, not that I know what that truly feels like, but I feel like I'm drowning. Once I get over the semi-panic and start to relax, the swallowing reflex decreases, but then comes the inflated cheeks. I am using the strap, but that isn't preventing my cheeks from puffing out.

So if anyone has any suggestions for those two issues, I'd be happy to try them.

One thing I was thinking about was the mask selection in the S9 setup. Do I have to select a different mask? Right now it's set to "nasal."

Thanks.

Ken

Tighten up the strap just a little.
No tighter than necessary so you can still slide a couple of fingers under it.

When you're ready, try to learn to not use the nose plugs.

You need to seal off your nose with your soft palate. It's the flap at the back of your nose between your nose and mouth. You close this off when you blow up a balloon, so that air doesn't leak out your nose.

I found I could put in the Oracle mask, blow slightly back into the mouthpiece until I felt my nose "close off." Then I would sort of freeze up and gradually relax without opening up my nose. To me, it felt like the pressure helped hold my soft palate closed.

I never got used to the rough feeling in my throat. I did often need to cough or swallow.