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mkirkwag wrote:And now for the contrarian view: I still got dry mouth with my mouth taped using nasal masks - pillow and "regular." My doctor finally told me that it isn't uncommon and isn't necessarily solvable - it's exactly what you describe. They see it in the lab with people who aren't mouth-breathing. I know someone is going to get irate and call them incompetent. All I can say is that it's an award winning sleep clinic and I've had good care. That doesn't guarantee that they're right, but it does fit with my experience. The way I get some relief is to raise the expiration relief setting (c-flex on my machine) to it's highest level (greatest amount of relief-lowest pressure). That keeps me from getting that full mouth feeling most of the time. I still get some dry mouth, so I use a dry mouth wash right before bed and keep a glass of water next to the bed. Of course you'll also want to explore the good advice you got here and find out if you really are mouth-breathing before you give up. Good luck!

Thanks again to all for the suggestions and differing opinions.
Mkirkwag, what is a dry mouth wash?
Someone else suggested "Entertainer's Secret" to moisturize the throat at bedtime, but I couldn't find it at the pharmacies I went to. Ideas?
And Gerald, not wanting to be tedious, but now that I have gotten the blue paper tape, do I need any chapstick or anything on my mouth, or is it better to just leave that off? I do want to have unbloodied lips on my face tomorrow..... .....In fact, this is how I don't want to look tomorrow morning!

66.....

I don't use Chap-Stick. I've never found it to be necessary.

If you'll remove the tape just as you would if you didn't want to disturb a nice paint job underneath, you should do OK.

As I mentioned before, the "trick" is to remove the tape by pulling parallel to the surface on which it is stuck (your face).

If you pull "straight out", the discomfort will not be fun.

When I install my tape....just before pulling on my mask.....I press the adhesive firmly against my skin. In addition, I use a band of "Rested Gal's Panty Hose Tights" over the tape to add a little pressure....and to help the adhesive. The mild pressure that the tights put on top of the tape help to prevent "blow-outs" (adhesive release caused by air trying to get out of my mouth).

Hope this helps...........

plr66 wrote: And Gerald, not wanting to be tedious, but now that I have gotten the blue paper tape, do I need any chapstick or anything on my mouth, or is it better to just leave that off? I do want to have unbloodied lips on my face tomorrow..... .....In fact, this is how I don't want to look tomorrow morning!

I use Aquaphor instead of chapstick.

The trick I learned from someone on this board is to suck in your lips before applying the tape. After the tape is on, you can relax your lips, and you'll find a nice tight seal.

So last night was my first mouth-taping experience, and I learned some things. The blue "delicate surface" painter's tape is great--holds tight, removes easily and I didn't even notice it, surprisingly. Used just chapstick.

I did wake up a few times as usual (mid early-morning hours), and became aware that rooster has to be right about the liklihood that I am at least a mouth blower at times. (I have no congestion, and have never been a mouth breather to my knowledge. Even my snoring is closed-mouth, I've been told). Anyway, when I woke up, my jaw was slack and cheeks puffed out, so I figure that without the tape, I at least would be puffing that air out my mouth. I have long been in the habit of keeping the tip of my tongue on the roof of my mouth against front teeth with a sort of suction to keep it there. Guess I can't do anything about what I do with it while sleeping though, right?

I forgot to reset my C-Flex from 1 to 3, as was suggested here, but I never woke with the inside of my mouth all dried out & stuck together. We'll see if this continues. Since I only have a "SmartCard" on my machine, I hope that all these things can be tracked for effectiveness when I take it in for my compliance-check in a couple of weeks.

When you take your smart card in in a few weeks, all of your detailed information of what you did yesterday and today will be gone. The smart card only keeps details for one week. That is why so many of us have the card reader and software that allows us to see every night in detail what happened. When we make a change, ie, taping, chinstrap, we can see right away how that change affected our sleep patterns. I highly encourage you to invest in these useful tools to manange your treatment.

Bev

rooster wrote:When one is asleep, one does not know what is going on.

This is wisdom.

"

Mkirkwag, what is a dry mouth wash?
Someone else suggested "Entertainer's Secret" to moisturize the throat at bedtime, but I couldn't find it at the pharmacies I went to. Ideas?

"

Sorry I took so long to answer. I use Biotene. At first I got it at a small pharmacy in the hospital (I had to ask for it, but they had it), then I ordered it from Amazon. I had free shipping at the time, so I didn't bother to check the more common outlets for it.

Just be careful taping. I thought, "like I vomit in my sleep?!? How likely is that?"...then discovered that I occasionally have reflux. For reasons I can quite fathom, not being able to open my mouth made me retch, and the paper tape didn't snap open quite as easily as I thought it would. That was the end of taping for me - I don't need stomach acid in my lungs.