Soft cervical collar for chin tucking and mouth breathing

I adjusted well to APAP, but still had two problems.

1) Chin-tucking while sleeping on my side. It happened when deep asleep and the position cut off my air supply when my chin nearly touched my chest.

2) Mouth breathing/leaking, again while sleeping on my side.

To resolve the first issue, I happened to resolve both.

I decided to wear a neck brace (soft material, the kind you wear for whip lash). It lodges nicely between the back end of the jaw and the collar bone, which together provided strong support to keep the chin up. My chin now only can sink halfway, never completely to my chest. It stopped the chin tucking and as a result I go on breathing. It also stopped the mouth leaks as it just provides enough support to keep the chin up, in combination with the chin strap.

I still wear the chin strap (tied on first, before the mask goes on as I discovered the other way around causes problems).

The neck brace is very cheap and considering how much it helped in my case, I am posting it on the boards.

A timely post for me as I worked out that my clusters of OAs and hypopneas were probably caused by exactly what you were talking about, chin tucking. I bought a soft cervical collarand will use it for the first time tonight, without the chinstrap. I see the collar as doing the same job as the chinstrap, keeping the mouth closed. When I put it on this afternoon I had to work hard to open my mouth.

Obviously this will feel unnatural for me but so does all the CPAP gear so I'll get used to it.

Thanks for the post

I thought it would feel strange or annoy me, but in fact, I found the first few nights quite pleasant. I no longer need to worry about the chin tucking + the neck brace keeps the neck quite warm, a plus in my book. And, indeed, taking into account the other gear, it's only a minor change. Best of luck with it!

We call those 'soft cervical collars'. The idea of a 'brace' would scare most of us off I think, giving us visions of the hard plastic and very large ones you'd need after accidents.

Thanks Julie, I wish I could adjust the title. (ETA: just updated that title, don't want to scare anyone off).

Anyone considering any feedback shared on these boards obviously needs to talk with their specialists to make any decision, and if you use any devise, you need to check whether it is fit for purpose, including long term wearing it at night etc. I have not been wearing the collar for long and I'm not a medical expert, only a patient sharing what has worked for them in the last weeks. I have no experience with longer term use.

What?

I struggle with wearing nasal pillows and my tendency to mouth-breathe. I've been wearing a chin strap (the generic PR "deluxe") and experimenting with 3M porous surgical tape ("Transpore".) I've noticed that obviously chin straps do not prevent all mouth leaks and the tape has not been working out very well due to: 1) a limited application area due to having a beard - even when trimming all around mouth, 2) the tape tends to detach around the ends and 3) I tend to drool when the mouth is allowed to be open at all (gross, I know) and this just makes the tape detach further. I am thinking a "soft cervical collar" would be a good thing for me to try.

There a many types available on Amazon, and I figure one type of collar may not work well for everyone since there are different sizes and variations. I remember reading somewhere about a 4'' collar helping someone. Some on Amazon are 2''. Looking at the pictures, it is clear that the collar can sit much lower depending on the person and not lift the chin much, if at all. Given the size of my neck and chin area, I am thinking the 'tall' one would work best for me just to make sure it would push up my jaw. I see that for Visitor the collar keeps the neck quite warm - this would be undesirable for me, but perhaps it's not something than can be avoided. I'm still researching collars to see if I can find one that might not cause excessive warmth for me.

For those of you who have tried or use a soft cervical collar, do you have any recommendations in terms of brand, supplier or desirable features? Thanks!

Apparently there are some places so backwards (Nebraska) that you need a prescription to buy one in person.

RRL wrote:I struggle with wearing nasal pillows and my tendency to mouth-breathe. I've been wearing a chin strap (the generic PR "deluxe") and experimenting with 3M porous surgical tape ("Transpore".) I've noticed that obviously chin straps do not prevent all mouth leaks and the tape has not been working out very well due to: 1) a limited application area due to having a beard - even when trimming all around mouth, 2) the tape tends to detach around the ends and 3) I tend to drool when the mouth is allowed to be open at all (gross, I know) and this just makes the tape detach further. I am thinking a "soft cervical collar" would be a good thing for me to try.

There a many types available on Amazon, and I figure one type of collar may not work well for everyone since there are different sizes and variations. I remember reading somewhere about a 4'' collar helping someone. Some on Amazon are 2''. Looking at the pictures, it is clear that the collar can sit much lower depending on the person and not lift the chin much, if at all. Given the size of my neck and chin area, I am thinking the 'tall' one would work best for me just to make sure it would push up my jaw. I see that for Visitor the collar keeps the neck quite warm - this would be undesirable for me, but perhaps it's not something than can be avoided. I'm still researching collars to see if I can find one that might not cause excessive warmth for me.

For those of you who have tried or use a soft cervical collar, do you have any recommendations in terms of brand, supplier or desirable features? Thanks!

I've been using a cervical collar since last Sunday and while I don't think it's improved mouth leaks it isn't worse in this regard to my chin strap so I'm sticking with it. Mines a medium size which is 3". It's a cheapo and I'm looking for something a bit more comfortable thought this one is OK at the moment.

RRL wrote:I struggle with wearing nasal pillows and my tendency to mouth-breathe. I've been wearing a chin strap (the generic PR "deluxe") and experimenting with 3M porous surgical tape ("Transpore".) I've noticed that obviously chin straps do not prevent all mouth leaks and the tape has not been working out very well due to: 1) a limited application area due to having a beard - even when trimming all around mouth, 2) the tape tends to detach around the ends and 3) I tend to drool when the mouth is allowed to be open at all (gross, I know) and this just makes the tape detach further. I am thinking a "soft cervical collar" would be a good thing for me to try.

There a many types available on Amazon, and I figure one type of collar may not work well for everyone since there are different sizes and variations. I remember reading somewhere about a 4'' collar helping someone. Some on Amazon are 2''. Looking at the pictures, it is clear that the collar can sit much lower depending on the person and not lift the chin much, if at all. Given the size of my neck and chin area, I am thinking the 'tall' one would work best for me just to make sure it would push up my jaw. I see that for Visitor the collar keeps the neck quite warm - this would be undesirable for me, but perhaps it's not something than can be avoided. I'm still researching collars to see if I can find one that might not cause excessive warmth for me.

For those of you who have tried or use a soft cervical collar, do you have any recommendations in terms of brand, supplier or desirable features? Thanks!

I found shorter (2.5'') to be more comfortable than taller (4"). Taller seemed to be uncomfortable at the sides of the neck under the ears. The shorter collar seemed to be as effective in reducing "chin tuck" and Flow Limitations.
Try to find a collar that is close in terms of neck circumference. A "one size fits all" could be uncomfortable if there is additional thickness caused by overlap in the back.
Probably all collars are going to produce a degree of warmth. Mine is covered with a terry cloth type material, which is warmer, but doesn't promote sweating.
You could get an idea of how one might work by wrapping a piece of foam (maybe 1X3X6") in a bandana or similar and tying around the neck.
I use something like this: http://www.amazon.com/OTC-Cervical-Coll ... cal+collar

I also tried a soft cervical collar. I find it much more uncomfortable than the mouth tape. I also needed to over-tighten the collar so I could not get my chin down while sleeping. This interfered with my airway, so I gave up on using the collar.

PEF wrote:I also tried a soft cervical collar. I find it much more uncomfortable than the mouth tape. I also needed to over-tighten the collar so I could not get my chin down while sleeping. This interfered with my airway, so I gave up on using the collar.

Yeah PEF, unfortunately this was my experience too a night ago. So I wear it looser again. This darn APAP thing is a nuisance to get right. Still want to try it for a couple of weeks as the mouth leaks did get better for most of the time (and so did the chin tucking). I'm sticking to nasal pillows as they are so handy for me compared to a full face mask. I never wore one, but had a nasal mask before and keeping the seal in place was difficult + I got sores on the nose. So I guess a full face mask is not (yet) for me. I'll keep trying. The cervical collar is just another attempt to find the right balance. Mouth taping did not work for me.

I've used this brand every night for nearly five years - http://www.amazon.com/Carex-Health-Bran ... cal+collar

A local pharmacy carries it in 3-inch and 3.5 inch heights. I like it higher and crammed up under my jaw. It seems to be more effective that way.

The cells in the polyfoam do slowly break down, and the collar begins to offer less support. I replace mine about every three months. They are only $8 so I am happy with this.

Gramps and I are going to be experimenting with a different type of collar. If it works better, I will post the results.