keeping your mouth closed while sleeping

springman946 wrote:how do I keep my mouth closed while I am sleeping I dont want to have to use a chin strap I still wake up once ina while even thought I am using my cpap

Being claustrophobic, the idea of a full faced mask smothering me, trapping me, was too hideous to contemplate. I used the Comfortlite 2 mask, but was waking up with dry mouth. I investigated chin straps, and since I was already having trouble with the amsk, the idea of wrapping my head in an ace bandage was really hideous -- too hot to contemplate.

So I invented my own -- a "brandy keg" of a 4" foam cylinder and a narrow strap, and now sleep just fine.

Insopitus... i'm with you. One small vertical strip of silk surgical tape (with bottom tag) works for me. Keeps the lips closed.

Good point, Avi; Since my home made patterns are only marginally similar to "chin-up strips",
I probably should call them something else, maybe "bulldog yap-stoppers"
--(to encourage proper and effective placement)
Since I have never, (nor do I ever expect to make), a single penny on the image I have posted (free);
I say, "Bring it on!" (I do have certain members of the media on speed dial)
Looove to have the opportunity of a BIG public forum! A trial--yesss!
Publicity for free-thinking cpap users! Make my day!

I was convinced, since I tended to breathe through my mouth before cpap that I needed a full face mask or a chin strap if using nasal pillows or mask.

When I first got the machine, they were out of stock of chin straps, so I went home with a Quattro FX. (I didn't want to discover I needed a chin strap and not have one) It was "ok", but I had to crank it fairly tight to avoid leaks.

Two weeks in and I decided I'd try nasal pillows and a chin strap, so I stopped in and picked up a Swift FX and a Respironics chin strap. First night, used both and was both more comfortable, far fewer leaks and a lower overall pressure. (S9 7-20 was going to 12-15 with the Quattro FX. Stayed around 9-10 with Swift FX)

Second night with the Swift FX, and I figured I'd give it a shot without the chin strap, just to see what happened. Turns out I can keep my mouth closed while asleep when wearing the Swift FX, and the chin strap is kind of handy for hanging the hose from my headboard.

TL; DR: Even if you breathe through your mouth without cpap or with a full face mask, you might not need a chin strap when using nasal pillows or a nasal mask. Give it a try!

I have been experimenting with what I think of as an internal chin strap.
I purchased two boil-and-bite night guards.
Molded one to my top teeth and one to the bottom teeth.
Then I trimmed the back molar part off of each one and separated the soft material from the hard material out of the cut off sections. I had two little balls of soft material.
I put the extra soft material back in the hot water and dipped the back teeth of each night guard in to soften everything again.
I stuck the little balls back on to the ends of the two night guards, wrapping the material over the back end so it joined both night guards together.
I softened the back end again and put the combined top-and-bottom guard in my mouth to mold the back teeth again, and make sure they were aligned well.
Now I was left with a night guard that was sort of "hinged" at the back ends.
I bought some thermoplastic denture adhesive.
It comes out of the tube in a sort of malleable ball. I ran a bead of the adhesive all around the edges of the two guards on both the lip/cheek side and the tongue side. The instructions say to heat the tube and soften the adhesive before using, but I found it easier to work with at room temperature.
After joining the two pieces with the adhesive, they were no longer hinged, but one solid two-sided mouth guard.
With the guard in my mouth, I can create a little bit of suction to keep my lips tight around it, and my jaw doesn't open. My lips occasionally do, but I can't put any sort of tape on my face, so that's a problem I can't overcome. I just re-create the suction when I become aware of it.
I haven't figured out how to put a picture in the post, so I set it as my avatar.
I wash it in shampoo in the morning when I wash my mask parts. The adhesive will stay tight for a week or more.
If I need to cough, drink, or talk in the night, I simply give it a little push with my fingers through the skin on my cheeks to pop either the top or the bottom one off.
I need to re-make it with my lower jaw resting a little farther back. I have the front edges of my teeth nearly aligned, because I read that pulling the lower jaw forward is part of the treatment for OSA with dental devices.

hbananas wrote: I haven't figured out how to put a picture in the post, so I set it as my avatar.

OMG--that's what that is. I did'nt want to ask

hbananas wrote:I have been experimenting with what I think of as an internal chin strap.
I purchased two boil-and-bite night guards.
Molded one to my top teeth and one to the bottom teeth.

You don't have a problem with air leaking around the back side of the guard and between your guard and cheeks, and out through your lips then? Looks like an interesting approach. Don't seal the lips, seal the jaws.

When I first started CPAP I was a mouth breather so I purchased the Ruby chinstrap. I hated using it so I tried a recommendation from one of the forum members. I put the end of my tongue behind the back of my upper teeth. I practised this all day and now it is habit. Perhaps this technique is what keeps my mouth closed during the night. I just know that I no longer need the chin strap and only on occasion do I wake up with dry mouth!

merhaba12 wrote:When I first started CPAP I was a mouth breather so I purchased the Ruby chinstrap. I hated using it so I tried a recommendation from one of the forum members. I put the end of my tongue behind the back of my upper teeth. I practised this all day and now it is habit. Perhaps this technique is what keeps my mouth closed during the night. I just know that I no longer need the chin strap and only on occasion do I wake up with dry mouth!

I tried a chin strap for awhile. Didn't work. My jaws stay closed but the air just blows my lips open. They don't have to open much, probably not more than just enough to push a paper match through them.

merhaba12 wrote:When I first started CPAP I was a mouth breather so I purchased the Ruby chinstrap. I hated using it so I tried a recommendation from one of the forum members. I put the end of my tongue behind the back of my upper teeth. I practised this all day and now it is habit. Perhaps this technique is what keeps my mouth closed during the night. I just know that I no longer need the chin strap and only on occasion do I wake up with dry mouth!

Actually, the interesting thing is that if you can train yourself do the "tongue on the roof of mouth behind front teeth" while you're sleeping, it doesn't matter if you open your mouth or not, your tongue is blocking the air flow that's keeping your airway open from coming out of your mouth...Who knew *smile*?

RogerSC wrote:Actually, the interesting thing is that if you can train yourself do the "tongue on the roof of mouth behind front teeth" while you're sleeping, it doesn't matter if you open your mouth or not, your tongue is blocking the air flow that's keeping your airway open from coming out of your mouth...Who knew *smile*?

Roger, how long did it take you to do that? I'm about 2 weeks into my CPAP journey. Discovered I needed a chinstrap after one night. I've been doing very well with it (my AHIs are normally around .1 or .2), but I cinch that sucker down tight. Part of me is afraid to mess with (if it ain't broke, don't fix it, right?). It doesn't wake me up at night. But it feels second nature already to keep my tongue up there, so I'm wondering if I could ditch it. When I'm awake I don't like the vice grip feeling I have with it on. I guess the worst thing that'd happen is that I'd wake up with a dry mouth (and some aerophagia), right?

Iowamv wrote:I guess the worst thing that'd happen is that I'd wake up with a dry mouth (and some aerophagia), right?

I'm afraid the worst thing that'd happen is that the air leaking out of your mouth would not be available to hold your airway open, and you would have increased apneas and hypopneas.

My problem is that I grind my teeth. I started wearing a respironics chin strap a few months ago because I could feel the leaks. I definitely drool on my pillowcase during the night. When I first got my cpap several years ago, I got a mask, but it was bruising the bridge of my nose, so I quickly switched to a nasal pillow and have been using one ever since. Is a ultimate chin strap really worth it?

I tape most every night it helps to keep my wife from using her big toe .... well never mind.

When taping i make a tab by folding the tape onto its self on both ends. No feeling trapped if you need to use your month as its alwas eay to remove.

I use a Prana (brand) yoga headband made out of soft stretchy cotton worn over my head and under the front part of my jaw. I pulled the bottom up to just below my lower lip and rolled it over a few times to make a firm edge, then pinched the headband just below each ear and stitched back and forth on my old Singer to hold those pinched places tight. I also took in some extra stretch at the top seam. It works great. Only problem is sometimes I get too hot while sleeping and tear all the headgear off...so I set up a tiny personal fan next to my pillow and that works. I also found a rather sticky lip gloss made of beeswax and apply that and it helps hold my lips together.