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I've been on ASV for two months now and my biggest hurdle has been dealing with the high fluctuating pressures and the dreaded "chipmunk cheeks" - air escaping from my mouth and waking me up.

I tried an ace bandage. I tried the Ultimate Chinstrap (Russ and Mary are awesome, but unfortunately the strap just doesn't work for me).

So I set out to make my own and have had good success with it, so I thought I'd share it for anyone who is struggling and looking for ideas.

It is made out of flannel that my kids picked out. I wanted Hello Kitty or Angry Birds, but they chose flannel (they're 3 and 7, go figure). I plan to make a version 2.0 out of a lighter material for the summer. Perhaps some linen. I don't sew, but I learned how to use my wife's sewing machine for this little project. It took me about two hours including figure out how to sew.

It is nice and soft and comfy. Plus it's just sexy as all get out. I'm sure my wife swoons once I get all rigged up.

I use a Swift FX nasal pillows, and put it on over this chin strap. The great thing about it is that it keeps the mask fitted perfectly and prevents it from sliding and shifting around my head. Helps with any issues from waking up due to a misplaced mask. Also, the tension keeps your lips closed with high pressures, but this strap still allows you to breath, talk, cough, etc. if you need to, unlike tape.

The main view. The strap goes around my head and is just a little loose. To add some tension (but not too much), I put an elastic band in the back. The little "cup" on the right curves under my chin. This keep the strap from creeping up into the nasal pillows. All straps are folded in half and sewn on one side. The strap over the top is there to keep the whole thing from sliding down. The intersection of the two straps is where my ears are.



Here's the top view. The back is at lower left. You can sort of see the elastic in this photo.


The front view.

Apneanderthal ... I love this ! You did a wonderful job designing and sewing this chinstrap. I'm especially impressed that you did this when you have never sewn anything before. And your design is very similar to the one I created. Great minds think alike!

It is nice and soft and comfy. Plus it's just sexy as all get out. I'm sure my wife swoons once I get all rigged up.

LOL ... and the plaid is to die for!

As I said above, I also designed my own chinstrap which covers my lips, very similar to yours, after I looked at the Ultimate Chinstrap design. Mine works like a charm too. Keeps my lips closed all night. I make sure my bottom lip is up over my front teeth, bulldog style when the chinstrap is on. (I can't use tape ... I get a rash from the adhesive) And the chinstrap helps to keep the mask in place. Mine is soft and comfy too (I used an old towel, but plan to make a new one using flannel or a plush fabric).

The only difference is, I wear mine under my mask, not over it.

I use the Aloha nasal pillows mask. I found it's cheek straps, even with strap covers, can still leave marks on my face, so when I designed my chinstrap, I purposely made the sides high enough to go under the Aloha face straps. It gives me that extra layer of protection and I never have strap marks. The whole thing fits nice and snug, my lips never open, and my leak lines are incredible.

Great job. Thanks for posting!

Custom chin straps are the way to go.
Elastic does NOT "fit everybody", can hurt, and even compress nerves and block blood flow.
It is so good to see that creative people are at work.

ReadyForRest, I realized I misspoke in my post. I too put my headgear over the top of my homemade chinstrap. That way I can quickly take off my mask when I need to get up in the middle of the night, and just leave this gadget in place.

For version 2.0 (or even this one), I plan to put a strap connecting the back to the top strap, so that the top strap doesn't slide forward. It's not a big issue, but I'm always looking for improvements. And of course, I'll be looking to make some improvements to my sewing technique I thought about putting the elastic inside the strap, rather than on the outside, but that's just getting ridiculous. The main thing for me was avoiding velcro straps, which are bulky and noisy.

Could I please see this on a model? My imagination isn't working today.

Stormynights wrote:Could I please see this on a model? My imagination isn't working today.

I was thinking this too -- I can pretty well visualize it but it would help to see it on someone because I may get out my sewing machine and give this one a try.
Apneanderthal, thanks for posting this.
Oh -- and don't be shy about posting a photo of yourself wearing it -- after all, you said it makes you look sexy. So think how many women will be swooning out here in cyberspace.

Stormynights wrote:Could I please see this on a model? My imagination isn't working today.

Stormy, are you asking me or the OP?

I'm sure apneanderthal's kids think he looks magnificent in that fine, manly plaid.

I called all the models I know, but then I realized I don't know any models. So I just grabbed this guy off the nearby street corner to model for me. Just try to contain yourselves, this plaid is to the opposite sex like catnip is to cats. Or gorillas.

When do you start taking orders?

Very cool!! I like the resourcefulness and problem solving! I've been on APAP for a week now. I had an issue I solved with duct tape. The rushing air made the tip of my nose cold. So I just tear of a piece of duct tape and put it on the tip of my nose. Works like a charm. We can solve a lot of our own problems with some careful thought and experimentation!

Apneanderthal wrote:So I just grabbed this guy off the nearby street corner to model for me.

And what a coincidence the chinstrap fits him perfectly!

Do you have a pattern that you are going to be using for future versions? I'm still trying to picture how to cut the fabric to replicate this design.

Oh, and thank you for the photo -- you're a good sport!

kaiasgram wrote:I'm still trying to picture how to cut the fabric to replicate this design.

You and me both!!

Like I said, I plan to make another, and so perhaps I'll take photos or even do a video of the creation process. It's actually really simple. There are only two pieces necessary. In the meantime, perhaps this will help:

• Get some nice soft, thin fabric. Nothing too bulky. Flannel is working well for me with the colder weather. I'll go for something lighter this spring. You're going to need a fair amount. Probably about a 3 ft by 2 ft piece.
• Fold the fabric in half and pin it together. Draw out the A strap in the image below. I made it about two inches wide and then the circumference of my head plus a couple inches to work with. Now cut it out.
• Fold over the leftover fabric again and draw/cut the B strap. Again, it's about 2 inches wide by the distance from ear to ear over the top of my head. Give a couple extra inches for working with it.
• For both pieces, sew the open side together. Don't bother sewing the ends. Once sewn, flip them inside out so the seam goes inside and doesn't irritate later.
• Wrap the A strap around your head and figure out how tight it should be. I did this myself but a partner could really help here. Make it snug but not too tight. If you wanted to skip this step you could just put vecro strips on each end for adjusting later. I didn't want the velcro though.
• Sew the ends of the A strap together. I just did a simple overlap and then cut off the excess.
• With the A strap, fold the chin "cup" up under your chin and figure out where it should be sewn. This is simple.
• Put the A strap on, and put the B strap over your head. Mark off where it meets the A strap over your ears, then sew the parts together and trim off the excess.
• Optional: add an elastic band to snug up the design. I put a 4 inch piece on the back. Sew one end into the A strap. Then bunch up the strap a little and sew the other end. This way it will tighten the strap when it's on.

That's pretty much all there was to it. The next attempt shouldn't take me more than about 30 minutes now that I know what to do.

I'm bookmarking this. Thank you.
It looks like your ears are not going to get cold.