Chin Strap - how tight should this be ?

Hi Everyone,

How tight should a chinstrap be, should it not allow *any* opening at all of your mouth ? I have just recently started using one, and don't really know how tight this thing should be. I can open my mouth with it on without too much effort ...

Thanks !

Chin Straps are a poor solution at best. They tend to pull the jaw backwards, that makes the problem with the airway being blocked easyier. A FF mask or taping if using a Nasal mask is a better option. Jim

A chinstrap can be a decent "training" device, but the "basic" chinstrap simply can't GET tight enough, IMHO. The one I had LOOKS like this one, but wasn't this exact model https://www.cpap.com/productpage/univer ... hleak.html.

If you can get it tight enough, it just slips up or down the back of your head to keep it from getting tight enough to do what it's supposed to do.

I tried stapling it to my head, but found that the blood just made the back of my head slicker and was murder on the sheets.

Perhaps other models with multiple straps, such as https://www.cpap.com/productpage/topaz- ... strap.html would work better. But that's simply a guess with no experience to back it up.

If it stretches, it won't hold. Try the Cpap Cap from pursleep.com. It's comfortable, doesn't pull your jaw back and it doesn't slip. But it doesn't keep my mouth from releasing air and waking me up. I still have to tape.

Bev

Hey osa_frisco!

The problem a chin strap is attempting to fix is with nasal masks, or nasal pillows. Ideally the air is being pushed into your lungs through your nose at a high enough pressure that it keeps your throat/pharanx from collapsing. Air, as well as water, will always follow the path of least resistance.

If your mouth opens up, the air will come out your mouth instead of going into your lungs. So the chin strap is attempting to help you keep your mouth shut. But as anyone who has had a broken jaw can attest, you can breath through your mouth, even if your jaw is wired shut. So you need to figure out a way to keep your lips shut if you happen to be a mouth breather, or use a full face mask.

The recommended ways to keep your mouth shut include taping it shut (search for other threads on this), or Orajel (search for other threads on this too).

I use a full face mask so it isn't an issue for me.

My 2 cents-
I use the pap-cap from Pur-sleep, especially with a full-face mask - it helps stabilize my jaw so that it doesn't drop open and shift the mask around (causing leaks).
A tried a normal chin-strap but couldn't stand it - the band was too thick, choking me, and it was very uncomfortable when I tightened it.

I don't bother using a chin-strap with my nasal mask, because the air leaks through my lips with or without the chinstrap. For that , I have to tape. ...as do many people.

Anyway back to your question - tighten it enough so that if you keep your teeth clenched, and then relax your jaw - it shouldn't fall down. Making it too tight may actually have a worse effect, in that it may bother you at night and wake you up.

I woke to find air blowing through my teeth and bubbling through my lips.

I also had a small tooth grinding problem. With the strap, the problem became substantially worse. It was actually reversing the healing of recent root canal/crown I had performed.

I also found it difficult to breath sufficiently through my nose only.

So, the nasal mask/strap had to go.

You want it just tight enough to stop the mouth leaks. No tighter.

There are a lot of people here who have a lot of trouble with mouth leaks. Fortunately I don't seem to be one of them ( I have other problems, but we won't get into that If my mouth falls open then air will flow out my mouth and wake me up so I do wear a chin strap. If my mouth is closed, then my tongue is large enough to maintain the right seal. It all has to do with the shape and size of your tonque and mouth.

I find I don't need to keep it very tight at all, just tight enough that the lips don't fall open. I can comfortably talk with the chin strap on.

The only way to find out for sure is to experiment. Start with it loose and keep going tighter until the problem goes away. My experience was that a mouth leak would wake me up so I always knew when they were occurring.

Sounds like you are jacking it up too tight right now if it is causing other problems.

[ I used one of them for awhile and they need to be pretty tight untill you learn to keep you mouth shut. Remember , you need to learn to keep your lips shut not just your mouth. I have found the I have actually developed the condition where my jaws hurt. But I keep my mouth shut. rmoug=thquote="osa_frisco"]Hi Everyone,

How tight should a chinstrap be, should it not allow *any* opening at all of your mouth ? I have just recently started using one, and don't really know how tight this thing should be. I can open my mouth with it on without too much effort ...

Thanks ![/quote]

nate fry wrote:
How tight should a chinstrap be, should it not allow *any* opening at all of your mouth ? I have just recently started using one, and don't really know how tight this thing should be. I can open my mouth with it on without too much effort ...

Try it with it just tight enough to keep your lips closed while your jaw is relaxed. That isn't very tight. You should be able to open your mouth pretty easily. Remember that you probably won't be *trying* to open your mouth while you sleep. If you have problems with mouth leaks then you can gradually go tighter. It will take some time to find the right balance.