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LOL Snoredog.

Well, there is no doubt about it now after last night. I started the night using my Liberty mask since it is the only FF mask I have. After 45 minutes or so as the pressure rose, it blew the mask off my face basically. No matter what I did it wouldn't seal. I was getting "face farts" like crazy and the nasal pillows were leaking so bad it sounded like a boiling teapot.

I took that mask off and did a hasty tape job. The tape I have isn't wide enough so I had to splice two pieces together. I am not sure at what point in the night it happened, but I blew a hole right through the two pieces of tape. I am gonna look for some different tape today. I am exchanging my Liberty for a different FF mask on Monday so until then I might have to try soldering my lips shut if I can't find tape that works.

Snoredog wrote:tape some air streamers to your chin, that way she'll get a visual when you mouth breathe

Flying_Norseman- just make sure you don't accidentally solder the mask to your face . oh wait, that would ruin the seal

The 3M micropore tape works great for me. I couldn;'t figure out rooster's using 2 tapes stuck together method - well it also blew out for me. The one I use is like an inch wide, and then i cut it about 2.5 or 3 inches in length so it covers the entire length of my mouth, and that works well for me. I do do the inside-out puckering of the lips like rooster's recommended, and the 1" is enough to cover both the top and bottom of my lips ( i sort of suck my bottom lip inside my mouth).

In the morning I use body lotion and let it soak into the tape for a few minutes, and then it's easy to remove without ripping skin.

http://solutions.3m.com/wps/portal/3M/e ... 85P3RT67gl

Echo,

Thanks for the link. I just need a stop-gap solution until Monday when I get my new FF mask. I may not have overlapped the edges of the tape enough for it to be strong enough to hold back the pressure trying to escape. I might have to tape over the tape.

For new readers:

LINKS to: Mouth leaks - Air Leaks - Tape - DIY Guard
viewtopic.php?t=8011

I can use just a chin strap now, but I had to use tape for over three years before my tongue FINALLY
acquired the habit of maintaining an air-leakproof seal inside my mouth during the relaxation of sleep.
Chin straps, even tight enough to make me clench my teeth, did nothing to stop the mouth air leaks
my first three and a half years. Taped mouth was a necessity for me if I wanted to use the nasal pillows
masks I found to be much more comfortable than Full Face masks.

Now that I can use just a chin strap, I don't even have to have the chin strap tight. Just has to
"be there" to keep my jaw from falling completely down while sleeping. My mouth can be partially open
and the tongue still maintains the seal beautifully.

Maybe in three more years my jaw will have learned just how far it can drop and ..."no more."
Then I'll burn my chin strap.

Thanks for the link, RG. My problem isn't that my tongue won't maintain a seal, it is that I blow air out of my mouth after inhaling through my nose, sort of like a runner does (or should do) when jogging. No chinstrap is going to prevent that from happening. The funny thing is, I can't do that while jogging to save my life.

Motorboating, heheheheheheheh.

Have been finding myself doing the same thing. Good thing there isn't someone to see/hear it happen. I only get it when a little saliva wets the lips and breaks the seal.

Flying_Norseman wrote:Thanks for the link, RG. My problem isn't that my tongue won't maintain a seal, it is that I blow air out of my mouth after inhaling through my nose, sort of like a runner does (or should do) when jogging. No chinstrap is going to prevent that from happening. The funny thing is, I can't do that while jogging to save my life.

Actually, you want to keep your mouth closed for running or you will get dry mouth before you even start to get tired.

Well here is what happened when I taped last night to get rid of mouth leaks. It looks pretty much identical to when I don't tape. Except the snores are way down.

Well the data does not lie ... you are leaking from somewhere. If your tape was still sealed when you woke this morning then the leaks came from somewhere other than your mouth.

When I used to use the Swift, I discovered early on that when I shifted onto my side the barrel would also shift and blow the seal on the nasal pillows. That lead me to search for a different mask. For me, the Swift only worked well if I slept on my back and did not move a whole lot ... others will naturally disagree with their own experience.

I agree with you. I have noticed it does that too. I shifted around a lot last night because I was all amped up from playing Call of Duty 4 before I went to bed.

[quote="DreamStalker"]Well the data does not lie ... you are leaking from somewhere. If your tape was still sealed when you woke this morning then the leaks came from somewhere other than your mouth.

When I used to use the Swift, I discovered early on that when I shifted onto my side the barrel would also shift and blow the seal on the nasal pillows. That lead me to search for a different mask. For me, the Swift only worked well if I slept on my back and did not move a whole lot ... others will naturally disagree with their own experience.

Lee Lee wrote: Interestingly, when I don't tape right, I get small leaks and feel awful the next day, even though my numbers still look good.
Weird.

Ditto.
And probably not that weird, because when the air blows out of our mouths, the machine doesn't have any way of identifying an apenea (or any other obstruction to the flow). As far as the machine is concerned, the air flow is smooth -- it has no way of knowing that the air is flowing in the wrong direction.

O.

How can I know if my mouth is opening while I sleep? other than I'm gonna be really tired in the day... I use a Swift mask and CPAP since april 2007 ... I have seen improvement but it could be better, I guess... maybe im leaking ?

Gourou wrote:How can I know if my mouth is opening while I sleep? other than I'm gonna be really tired in the day... I use a Swift mask and CPAP since april 2007 ... I have seen improvement but it could be better, I guess... maybe im leaking ?

A very dry mouth would be one indication.

Den

Do you have software that can show you the leak numbers? Also, as the title of this thread states, often it is someone else that can see it happening while you are sleeping.


[quote="Gourou"]How can I know if my mouth is opening while I sleep? other than I'm gonna be really tired in the day... I use a Swift mask and CPAP since april 2007 ... I have seen improvement but it could be better, I guess... maybe im leaking ?

No, in fact i have some loaner CPAP landed by my hospital.. i just got new insurances and i'm shopping for a brand new cpap, and this is one of my criterias, a damn good monitoring software

in the mean time, gonna ask my GF to take a look at me

[quote="Flying_Norseman"]Do you have software that can show you the leak numbers? Also, as the title of this thread states, often it is someone else that can see it happening while you are sleeping.


[quote="Gourou"]How can I know if my mouth is opening while I sleep? other than I'm gonna be really tired in the day... I use a Swift mask and CPAP since april 2007 ... I have seen improvement but it could be better, I guess... maybe im leaking ?