Newbie...titration study

Hi all,

Just found this site and was recently diagnosed with OSA. I was given a CPAP to take home to evaluate which pressure would be best for me. I was also given a nasal mask and have been reading around a bit. I've survived two nights so far and while it is hard to get used to, I really want and need to stick with it. I've read about issues related to mouth breathing and it made me wonder if I'm supposed to try and keep my mouth closed with the nasal mask? It seems to me it's going to open when I fall asleep and since this is all new to me, it didn't occur to me to ask about a full mask. This looks like a great group of folks and so I thought I would ask if this is an issue for the titration study or for longer term use? The first night it was really weird having that air blowing and I did have my mouth open and was wondering if that would decrease the effect of the process. No one mentioned anything about this when I was given the equipment so I'm trying to do some education to get the best results.

Thanks

You're not 'supposed' to do anything once you're asleep, who could? The point of a full face mask is to allow you to be a mouth breather (which you apparently are) but not lose the Cpap air that way (it'll be redirected down your airway instead of out in the breeze). So why not try one?

Yes, if you open your mouth while using a nasal mask, the air will just go in your nasal passages and out through your mouth instead of keeping your airway open. If this is happening, your mouth will likely feel very dry when you wake up.

I'm just getting started as well and also having trouble keeping my mouth shut. I seem to have that problem rather I'm awake or asleep.

Last night I woke myself up at least twice talking in my sleep with air just blowing away.

If you are having trouble keeping your mouth closed then you are loosing valuable air pressure. Your machine will try to compensate from some of it but won't be able to keep up and you may have apnea. I can tell looking at my data that I have the most apnea when I'm also having large leaks (meaning my mouth is open).

You could try asking for a chin strap to help keep your mouth closed if you don't want to go right to the full face mask. Some people on here even tape their mouths shut but I don't know if you would want to do that or not.

Good luck to you. Those first few weeks of trying to figure out what works for you can be rough but if you spend some time reading old posts and cpap wiki at the top of the page it will make adjusting a lot easier.

I use a FF mask for 6 mos now. I was given a nasal mask to try by my Rt and to my surprise it worked really well. I was always a mouth breather but that was b4 cpap. I have even found even if I open my mouth a little the pressure still keeps the flap closed and no air escapes out of my mouth. I plan on ordering the nasal mask just to have both for when I have a cold and my sinuses are full then I can revert to the FF mask.


Good luck