Dreamwear not working with chin strap

After hearing so many good things about the Dreamwear, I decided to try it out. After an initial hiccup with the wrong-size nasal pillow, I wore the mask all night for the first time last night. I really like it, but I'm having trouble wearing a chin strap with it, and I was hoping someone had a suggestion.

The instructions for the PR chin strap say to wear it over the headgear. I tried that at first, but of course that compresses the side tubes. Next, I tried wearing it under the headgear like I do successfully with my Nuance Pro, but that also had problems. I persisted and wore it all night, but the chin strap caused the nasal pillow to leak a little bit all night when slide sleeping, for two reasons. First, the strap adds thickness to my face, which changes the geometry and therefore fit. Second, and more importantly, I think masks in general rely on friction against the skin to hold them in place, but with the strap interceding, there is less friction and the mask/pillow slides out of place easier.

I just got off the phone with PR technical support, but they couldn't suggest anything. They recorded my complaint and basically said it sounds like one cannot wear a chin strap with the Dreamwear mask. Is anybody able to do this? Have you had the problem I'm having and were able to overcome it?

Have you tried a FF mask, which would make a chin strap unnecessary?

Just how bad would the mouth opening issues be if you didn't use a chin strap?
Would they be relatively minor or would there be huge issues?

Which PR chin strap are you using? Wonder if a different chin strap might work better...there are different chin straps out there along with maybe making your own.

Julie wrote:Have you tried a FF mask, which would make a chin strap unnecessary?

Oh, god, don't remind me! That was the first type of mask I tried and hated it. Nasal masks, too. It's not that they are uncomfortable, but that they leak really bad on me. I guess relying on a longer margin to seal (relative to a nasal pillow) is just asking for problems on my face. I'm actually quite happy wearing a Nuance Pro (nasal pillows) with the chin strap. I was just seeing of it could be improved upon.

Pugsy wrote:Just how bad would the mouth opening issues be if you didn't use a chin strap?
Would they be relatively minor or would there be huge issues?

Huge issues. I actually started out last night without the chin strap but woke up right after nodding off with the sound of air rushing out of my mouth. Before I wore a chin strap, once my RT had increased the pressure, my mouth would become COMPLETELY dry, and I would fully wake up so often that I never got level-three, REM, or whatever characterizes deep sleep. I was a zombie. Couldn't work, afraid to drive, etc. for about a month.

I'm now working on reducing the pressure while maintaining a low AHI. At some point, it would be nice if I could forego the chin strap, but for now I gotta have it.

Pugsy wrote:Which PR chin strap are you using?

"DELUXE CHIN STRAP"

Pugsy wrote:Wonder if a different chin strap might work better...there are different chin straps out there

I bought an "EasySleep," tried it on once, and sent it back. What a joke.


Then I tried the PAP-Cap, but it never fit quite right. I even used safety pins and tape to modify it. I wore it for about a month, but it would slip forward, rub my ears, etc. I might try it again, but for now...

Pugsy wrote:along with maybe making your own.

This! My favorite so far is the one I made from two elastic bands I found around the house. One of the bands stretched out, so I place it with two of these guys:


The PR chin strap is very basic, too, and I'm hopeful that it works just as well as my homemade one.

I don't know how long you have been on this therapy but you might be able to ditch the chin strap later if the mouth/brain will learn to stay closed. It took me about 3 months I think it was...I chose taping as it was less annoying than a chin strap was annoying. Then I started "forgetting" to put the tape on and not doing it and I found out that the mouth just didn't come open nearly so much as it did at the beginning of therapy.

So...there is the possibility that perhaps later you could ditch the chin strap...I can't guarantee it but there's a chance. I am not the only one who learned to keep their mouth shut....at least for the most part.

I use a cervical collar. It is more comfortable than a chin strap and works better for me.

Ditto, Stormynights.
A soft cervical collar will keep the jaw from dropping and not interfere with the mask.
This is the one I use in a 3 inch width (2.5" shown):
Soft Cervical Collar at Amazon

Pugsy wrote:you might be able to ditch the chin strap later if the mouth/brain will learn to stay closed.

I wore the Dreamwear mask all night last night for the first time and without a chin strap. I had xerostomia all night but not the super-bad dry mouth like I have had at higher pressures, so I was hopeful. However, when I checked my AHI with SleepyHead this morning, it was 3.44, whereas I'm used to around 1.00. I guess, due to the slight mouth (and mask) leaks, my BiPAP machine wasn't able to maintain enough pressure, resulting in a bunch of OAs.

Even though this AHI is unacceptable, I am encouraged that I can eventually stop wearing a chin strap. Thanks for the suggestion. For now, though, I'm going back to my Nuance Pro and chin strap. Once I get my AHI stable again around 1.00, and possibly drop my pressure further, I'll try to wean myself off of the chin strap.

BTW, the Dreamwear is just not for me because

• the mask leaks ever so slightly--I can hear but not feel the leaks
• the strap adjustments are right above my ear, which gives me a headache when side sleeping
• the relatively large surface area of the plastic air tubes against my face makes me a bit sweaty there.

Here is a dreamwear chin strap solution that seems to work for me (so far).

i am new to cpap.

last nite had my first successful full night's sleep. on previous attempt i discovered that a chin strap was needed for dreamwear mask (my mouth kept opening).

Obtained and tried a 'halo' chin strap which seemed to put a lot of extra gear on my head, chafed on my ears, and resulted in pain on my temples.

halo chin strap has straps which velcro through slots in it's own head piece. So, here is what i did:

1. pulled halo straps out of halo head piece.

2. Trimmed up straps so that they would not chafe on ears.

3. Put DreamWear on and ran straps around DreamWear side tubes (don't know what side tubes are really called) and velcro'd the straps at a length that keeps my mouth closed, comfortably.

4. Had to use a different nasal cushion (went from medium wide to medium) to get a good seal.

So, this solution:

1. worked great last night (hopefully, will tonight too!)

2. reduced the amount of gear on my head (which is why i wanted to use DreamWear in the first place).

3. eliminated temple pain and ear chafing.

fisher wrote:Here is a dreamwear chin strap solution that seems to work for me (so far).

i am new to cpap.

last nite had my first successful full night's sleep. on previous attempt i discovered that a chin strap was needed for dreamwear mask (my mouth kept opening).

Obtained and tried a 'halo' chin strap which seemed to put a lot of extra gear on my head, chafed on my ears, and resulted in pain on my temples.

halo chin strap has straps which velcro through slots in it's own head piece. So, here is what i did:

1. pulled halo straps out of halo head piece.

2. Trimmed up straps so that they would not chafe on ears.

3. Put DreamWear on and ran straps around DreamWear side tubes (don't know what side tubes are really called) and velcro'd the straps at a length that keeps my mouth closed, comfortably.

4. Had to use a different nasal cushion (went from medium wide to medium) to get a good seal.

So, this solution:

1. worked great last night (hopefully, will tonight too!)

2. reduced the amount of gear on my head (which is why i wanted to use DreamWear in the first place).

3. eliminated temple pain and ear chafing.

Could you post a photo of your set up please?
I'm interested but Id need to see it

I also have the dreamwear nasal pillow - I found this chinstrap to be very effective.
https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com ... 6QnhaL.jpg

good review can be found https://www.amazon.com/CareFusion-Stop- ... merReviews

I also use micropore tape as well, because the chinstrap (for me) won't stop lip-leaks. happy hunting - K

I rigged a chin strap using a separate dreamwear headgear. I put the regular headgear on and adjusted it to fit. Then I added another headgear through the same attachment holes so that it goes down instead of toward the back. I position it so that the large part of the headgear goes under my chin and the small elastic part goes across my chin under my lower lip. It works perfectly. I tried a few others and had the same problems you did. I finally figured out how to have the chin strap attached to the mask, giving enough tension to keep my mouth from falling open without pulling down on the mask too much. I hope it works for you as well as it does for me.

Frid wrote:I rigged a chin strap using a separate dreamwear headgear. I put the regular headgear on and adjusted it to fit. Then I added another headgear through the same attachment holes so that it goes down instead of toward the back. I position it so that the large part of the headgear goes under my chin and the small elastic part goes across my chin under my lower lip.

Pics or it didn't happen.

Frid wrote:I rigged a chin strap using a separate dreamwear headgear. I put the regular headgear on and adjusted it to fit. Then I added another headgear through the same attachment holes so that it goes down instead of toward the back. I position it so that the large part of the headgear goes under my chin and the small elastic part goes across my chin under my lower lip. It works perfectly. I tried a few others and had the same problems you did. I finally figured out how to have the chin strap attached to the mask, giving enough tension to keep my mouth from falling open without pulling down on the mask too much. I hope it works for you as well as it does for me.

Jonathan, is that YOU? LOL