CPAPtalk.com

Pugsy wrote: ↑

Fri Mar 26, 2021 7:23 am

jt1212 wrote: ↑

Fri Mar 26, 2021 1:08 am

I was just concerned being a "newbie" if it was more to it and should be looked into. Beings that I have facial hair, will a different mask make a difference anyway? I don't think I can do a nasal mask.....too much mouth breathing for me. Chin strap didn't work for me unfortunately.

Not really much more to look at unless you want to drive yourself crazy looking for every minor little detail in something that might cause something.
You know what that KISS principle is????

The simpler that you can keep things ...less work for you and less stress on you and that's always a good thing IMHO.

Think about your goals....getting good sleep and controlling the apneas. It's not getting a good math score or having pretty perfect leak lines unless your sleep isn't good and you aren't feeling the good numbers.

It does sound like you have to make peace with a full face mask...and chin straps aren't meant to be vise grip tight to prevent the jaw from falling down and opening the mouth. They work well for the people who only need a gentle reminder to keep the mouth shut but some people simply have to open the mouth to breathe for various reasons and it is what it is.
I tell people if they can't breathe during the day without using their mouth because of nasal congestion issues....probably going to need a full face mask. Now if they only mouth breathe at night and don't during the day....nasal masks are an option for those that want to try them.

So...do you have a lot of nasal congestion going on that forces you to mouth breathe and you can't ever get your nose cleared up enough to not have to mouth breathe? If the answer is yes...keep peace with the full face mask...and since you have facial hair and I assume want to keep it...you are going to have ugly leak lines but not so ugly that your therapy suffers. We accept it and shrug our shoulders and move on.

Now if your answer is no...and you don't have to mouth breathe during the day...we could have a different discussion about using some sort of nasal mask and maybe something else besides a chin strap to help keep the mouth shut. Up to you if you want to go there.
FWIW...I thought I was a mouth breather and needed a full face mask too.....but I absolutely hated full face masks that were available 12 years ago when my cpap journey started. I found out I was mouth breathing at night only and out of habit from gasping for air so much because of untreated apnea events happening.
With time I was able to break the mouth opening so much habit and successfully use a nasal pillow mask. I made it work because I had no full face mask alternative at the time that I could really even sleep with.
Choices today are much better than the FFM choices available 12 years ago.