Mouth filling from inside with air

What you are experiencing is usually called "chipmunk cheeks" on this forum. It seems a little strange that no one has used that term in this thread. I had the same problem when I started out with a nasal mask. My cheeks would swell up, and shortly the pressure would flow out the mouth. So, I switched to a FFM. This solved the problem, but brought on dry mouth. I learned to use a dry mouth gel for night-long comfort.

mikeinstlouis wrote: ↑

Sun Aug 19, 2018 10:02 am

I am using a full face mask right now. I have a much higher leak rate cuz whenever I move it seems that it wants to leak. I find it uncomfortable and difficult to sleep.

Which FFM? Most people have to learn to sleep with a mask and prevent leaks. Here are some tips:

To reduce unintentional mask leak -

- Make sure the mask is fitted properly. (See mask manufacturer's video.)

- Make sure the headgear is adjusted properly (See mask manufacturer's video.)

- If you use a low ramp pressure or a low minimum pressure, you should fit and adjust your mask at the higher pressures it is operating at for most of the night. You would temporarily change the machine pressure settings while you do the fitting and adjusting. It's best to do this well before bedtime before you are tired and ready for sleep. Don't forget to change your settings back to the ones you prefer.

- Make sure to use good hose management - the hose should not pull on the mask. Notice how your hose is positioned between machine and mask. It should be positioned to minimize any pull on the mask. Hose management is an individual practice. How it is done depends on the mask, the position of the machine, your sleeping position and other factors specific to the individual.

- If you still have problems, learn from the forum what mask liners are available.

- Start a thread in cpaptalk asking for help. Subject: Need Help with Mask xxxxxx

- If your mask still has excessive leak, try other masks. Many people report trying several masks before they find one that works well for them.

Note: Links to just some of the mask manufacturers' instructional videos can be found on the forum host's website - https://www.cpap.com/cpap-masks.php and https://www.youtube.com/

- CG

Your pressure didn't really go any higher at 4:30ish than it did earlier in the night.

At around 4:00 you had a little cluster of hyponeas and the machine didn't really do much except level off a little bit in response to the hyponeas. Don't see near the pressure increase that I would have thought we might be seeing.

It is probably REM which is quite common.

How about trying minimum of 6 and maximum of 6 (that way it's a fixed pressure but we won't lose FL flagging like we would if we went to cpap mode because it might be important to see any FL flags if they happen)??

Don't worry about the AHI at the moment. Concentrate on sleep quality first. While the AHI isn't probably ideal...it's far from horribly horrible.

What was your diagnostic sleep study AHI anyway?

The stuff that happened after 4:30 probably isn't real since you know you weren't really asleep and those flagged events are making the AHI look worse than it is. Awake flagged events have to be mentally removed from the evaluation process because they don't count.

Since the last 2 short sleep sessions you weren't really asleep...turn them off for the time being and then you can see the AHI for the time up until you woke up at around 4:30ish.

To turn them off...go over on the left side under the statistics and scroll down to the bottom where you will see each sleep session.
They will be green black. Click on the last 2 to turn them red/black and they will be removed from the reports and you can see what the AHI would be if they weren't clouding the picture. You can turn them back on later if you wish.
This is the only way we can omit awake breathing...when we have separate sessions.

I always wondered how to remove those other time spans. Thank you!

ChicagoGranny wrote: ↑

Thu Aug 23, 2018 3:49 pm

What you are experiencing is usually called "chipmunk cheeks" on this forum. It seems a little strange that no one has used that term in this thread.

Hrrmph, pages 1 & 2
viewtopic/t172582/Mouth-filling-from-in ... b#p1263533

viewtopic/t172582/Mouth-filling-from-in ... b#p1264223

viewtopic/t172582/Mouth-filling-from-in ... 5#p1264517

Jay Aitchsee wrote: ↑

Thu Aug 23, 2018 5:21 pm

ChicagoGranny wrote: ↑

Thu Aug 23, 2018 3:49 pm

What you are experiencing is usually called "chipmunk cheeks" on this forum. It seems a little strange that no one has used that term in this thread.

Hrrmph, pages 1 & 2
viewtopic/t172582/Mouth-filling-from-in ... b#p1263533

viewtopic/t172582/Mouth-filling-from-in ... b#p1264223

viewtopic/t172582/Mouth-filling-from-in ... 5#p1264517

teehee

Jay Aitchsee wrote: ↑

Thu Aug 23, 2018 5:21 pm

ChicagoGranny wrote: ↑

Thu Aug 23, 2018 3:49 pm

What you are experiencing is usually called "chipmunk cheeks" on this forum. It seems a little strange that no one has used that term in this thread.

Hrrmph, pages 1 & 2
viewtopic/t172582/Mouth-filling-from-in ... b#p1263533

viewtopic/t172582/Mouth-filling-from-in ... b#p1264223

viewtopic/t172582/Mouth-filling-from-in ... 5#p1264517

now, no arguing, you two.

I have the exact same problem. I do not breath through my mouth.
I wear a full face mask.
I find things are good for about 2 hours and then air bursts through my lips waking me up and breaking the seal on my mask. I already suffer from dry mouth but since using the cpap my dry mouth has gone to a whole new level.

leonclingman wrote: ↑

Sun Mar 03, 2024 3:00 am

I have the exact same problem. I do not breath through my mouth.
I wear a full face mask.
I find things are good for about 2 hours and then air bursts through my lips waking me up and breaking the seal on my mask. I already suffer from dry mouth but since using the cpap my dry mouth has gone to a whole new level.

this is an old thread and your comment may not get the attention it deserves.

i suggest starting a new thread.

good luck!

leonclingman wrote: ↑

Sun Mar 03, 2024 3:00 am

I have the exact same problem. I do not breath through my mouth.
I wear a full face mask.
I find things are good for about 2 hours and then air bursts through my lips waking me up and breaking the seal on my mask. I already suffer from dry mouth but since using the cpap my dry mouth has gone to a whole new level.

Yeah, you should have started a new thread. However, I also use an FFM but use sleep strips on my lips to prevent the problem you described. X-strips - https://www.amazon.com/Pain-Free-Remova ... _1_19_sspa?

I realize this thread is a few years old but reading it I felt comforted because Mike in St. Louis is describing exactly what I’ve been experiencing. I’m two weeks into my BiPAP experience. When it’s working well I love it. I feel refreshed by the air. But I’m repeatedly awakened by exactly what Mike n St Louis is describing. I was just curious if Mike has any update. I really want this to work but right now I’m sleep deprived and frustrated. I will continue to try.

Benrub wrote: ↑

Sun Aug 25, 2024 11:42 am

I realize this thread is a few years old but reading it I felt comforted because Mike in St. Louis is describing exactly what I’ve been experiencing. I’m two weeks into my BiPAP experience. When it’s working well I love it. I feel refreshed by the air. But I’m repeatedly awakened by exactly what Mike n St Louis is describing. I was just curious if Mike has any update. I really want this to work but right now I’m sleep deprived and frustrated. I will continue to try.

You may not get a reply from mikeinstlouis because he hasn't been back here in nearly 4 years.
You probably would get better ideas if you start a thread/topic of your own.
Search the forum for "chipmunk cheeks" because that is the common term we use for what you are describing.
It's a common complaint and there are various options you can try to reduce it.

leonclingman wrote: ↑

Sun Mar 03, 2024 3:00 am

I have the exact same problem. I do not breath through my mouth.
I wear a full face mask.

In all seriousness, if you don't breathe through your mouth, the first thing that I'd try is a nasal mask or a pillows mask.