Please Help! Chipmunk cheeks waking me up despite taping mouth shut

Pugsy wrote: ↑

Mon May 30, 2022 2:41 pm

Chris33022 wrote: ↑

Mon May 30, 2022 2:34 pm

But I guess I don't understand how you could use this feature (ability) while asleep if you are hoping to benefit from the pressurized air, because you need to let that air in through your nose and into your lungs.

Big difference between what we can do while awake and have it transition to have it happen while asleep.
You are controlling that valve or reflex action while awake. It's intermittent...not permanent change.

My brain has learned how to manage that back door when I am asleep and let only tell the reflex action to kick in when the air is trying to enter the mouth. It took me probably 6 months to figure out that the brain learned when to shut the back door and when to open it...I guess anyway.

Sorry I didn't respond sooner, but I had to deal with some urgent stuff.

I did an experiment too and formulated various answers to post, but in the end I think they're probably not worth posting. So maybe I'll just say that in my case I think my only hope is that maybe one day the back of my mouth (and my tongue) will just stop letting air into my mouth when I sleep. Using the other valve we talked about--the one that stops air (that's incoming from the nose) from reaching my lungs or my mouth would not be a good option because if my mouth is shut I would die of suffocation if I'm not letting air in through my nose.

Anyway, thanks for all your help and patience!

Chris33022 wrote: ↑

Mon May 30, 2022 8:14 pm

Using the other valve we talked about--the one that stops air (that's incoming from the nose) from reaching my lungs or my mouth would not be a good option because if my mouth is shut I would die of suffocation if I'm not letting air in through my nose or mouth.

You still don't understand how the valve works. While you are asleep you have zero control over it. You can't suffocate.
What the brain does is activate the reflex briefly so that air can't enter the mouth but it doesn't stop the air from proceeding down the airway.

While you are asleep....you have zero control. 13 years on cpap....never once have I had any problem with any sort of suffocating or air starved sensations.

I think you're right. I think I just don't understand it because it's not an ability I have--yet. I hope one day I will acquire it. You're lucky to have it. Thanks again!

zonker wrote: ↑

Mon May 30, 2022 6:03 pm

we certainly have enough dummies on the forum!

I resemble that remark.

ChicagoGranny wrote: ↑

Tue May 31, 2022 9:02 am

zonker wrote: ↑

Mon May 30, 2022 6:03 pm

we certainly have enough dummies on the forum!

I resemble that remark.

And the tone of it goes so well with your avatar!!!!