Interesting Alternative to Chin-strap

I've been on CPAP for over a year now and mouth-leakage has consistently been my main problem once I was past the initial adjustment. My particular OSA condition seems to be caused by a size five tongue in a size three mouth, and anything that pulls my jaw even slightly backwards or reduces the space in my mouth sends my AHI soaring. I've tried various chin-straps including a pap-cap and they never quite did the job although I intend to customize the pap-cap and try again. Yes, I tried poligrip strips (I can't tape thanks to a moustache my wife likes), and they don't hold on my lips through the night. I even made a successful version of the DIY dental appliance suggested by Frequentseeker in another forum -- which indeed blocked the mouth-puffs, but also raised my AHI due to the unfortunate tongue-mouth ratio mentioned above .

I'm a side-sleeper and not a mouth-breather. Recently I decided to try a new approach: I bought one of those u-shaped travel pillows (one with visco-elastic foam) and before sleeping put it around my neck backwards to use as a chin-rest while one side supports my neck (thus keeping the airway a bit more open). My leakage rate has gone down and so has my AHI.

As this is my first post here although I've been lurking for some time, I'd like to thank the people here for providing such a wealth of experience and useful information.

Great idea!1 Wonder if it will work for me? BJ's has a 2pack of those for about $10.00.
Bev

PIX! I NEED PIX!

I don't think I completely get how I'm supposed to do this. But I'm intrigued and want to try it.

OutaSync, if you manage it, PM me with pix! I swear I won't put them up on YouTube!

I know I have one of these travel pillows. I just have dig it out and 'speriment.

Thanks for the tip!!!
B.

I hope it will work for you. The idea, Babette, is simply to put the thing abound your neck so the opening is in back rather than in front. Then, if you lie on, say, your right side, the right side of the u-pillow will fit between your shoulders and the usual pillow(s) your head rests on. Meanwhile, the thickest part of the u-pillow (now in the front) holds your chin up. Elegant in its simplicity despite how it makes one look less than elegant, but then, our masks aren't exactly the height of suaveness either. Anyway, the idea sprang from info here about using a pillow or rolled-up towel to hold up one's chin. The problems with using any old pillow or towel is keeping the thing in place all night, and trying to keep any part of the supporting structure out of the exhaust airstream, which as I'm sure you know makes an annoying sound and may even interfere with proper CO2 elimination. The travel pillow is constantly supported by one side of the neck plus the chest and solves both problems. The nice thing is that for actually traveling, I can buy the inflatable kind and it should work just as well.

And it doesn't bother you to have that weight on your neck all night? I have a blow up one. I might try that first as it wouldn't weigh that much.

There's no weight from the pillow on my neck, OutaSync, although some of the weight of my head is now distributed downwards to my neck. The pillow is a semi-rigid structure with an opening somewhat wider than my neck. So the topside of the travel pillow -- opposite to the one my neck rests on -- exerts no pressure whatsoever.

Raj wrote:before sleeping put it around my neck backwards to use as a chin-rest while one side supports my neck (thus keeping the airway a bit more open).

When you said "backwards" I was thinking tht you had the U running under your chin to keep it from falling towards your chest. Yes, I guess we do need "PIX". But you have to watch that Babette so she doesn't post them to youporn.com.

Bev (who had never seen porn until innocently reading the thread about melatonin. No wonder Babette can't sleep! )

Actually, I've been sleeping like a baby recently, since discovering it myself...

LOL,
Babs - Who blames it on the new Beau, who told her