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Lukie wrote:this is all kind of spooky like the stuff you see and hear about in those naughty stores that you have to be 18 to shop in. I would be scared to take any risk of asphixiation

Great, then don't tape. I suggest you also stay in your house with mattresses strapped around you in case of a tornado, Don't live near microwave towers. Don't drink fluoridated water. Don't expose yourself to the sun cuz you might get melanoma. Don't drive a car or fly in a plane... and certainly don't eat anything at all because you might get cancer. Simple really. Of course, I'm sure you didn't even bother to read thru my long reply (much less try it) on how I found a way to safely tape your mouth... no more dangerous than a face mask. But then what do I know.

The answer to your question as to the danger of taping the lips, it is if you use a nasal mask, and tape your lips also. Nasal masks don't have anti asphyxia valve as full face mask do. So if the CPAP machine stops working for any reason then you don't have breathing air coming thru your nose and you also can't use your mouth to breathe. So essentially you get asphyxiated. If you use a chinstrap instead then it leaves some gap for emergency breathing.

Are you asking your question b/c you want to prevent a Dry Mouth?

Taping your lips don't stop air from entering your mouth from the nose and throat, i.e. from the "back side" (pharynx). When you swallow your saliva which is generated in the salivary glands around the mouth, and then secreted into the mouth and subsequently you swallow it (also during sleep), air must come in from the back to replace the swallowed saliva's volume because your lips are taped closed and air can't come in from the front to do it. So this air circulation, from the "back side", will dry your mouth in spite of taping it. It could be to a lesser degree than from an untaped mouth also b/c the air from the pharynx is moister. But, it is clear that taping your mouth to prevent a Dry Mouth, completely, is not possible.

You better off with a Chinstrap which would prevent opening the mouth very wide but would allow some lips opening to let air be breathed from the front. However, using a Chinstrap instead of a full face mask would cause the XPAP's treatment to be affected.

I myself use a traditional nasal mask with the addition of a chinstrap. I am using quite a stiff chinstrap but even if it does engage the teeth, I can still open my lips without opening the teeth. So some air does go in and out there which causes me to have a semi Dry Mouth. Especially, up at my upper front teeth. So when I go to the bathroom to urinate I also rinse my mouth with faucet water. Overall, it's not too bad. The CPAP that I am using is robust enough to deal with some mouth leak without compromising its diagnostic ability.

You can see in my recent one year report that my unintentional Leaks (which include mouth leak) were way below the allowed value of 24 Liter per Minute. During 95% of the time my unintentional rate was below 8.4 L/Min:


avi123

Have you seen these? Some people have success with them and they are FDA approved. It is a form of mouth taping.
http://www.chinupstrip.com/
I have not tried them but perhaps they are a solution.
I am a mouth breather and have tried several chin straps, ff masks, pillows and nasal masks.
Right now I use Quattro Air and a ResMed chin strap. My AHI recently has been around 0.5 with leaks around 10L

Here is what I've been using lately, wrapping it horizontally around my mouth and securing in back with the built-in velcro. It is soft and I can breathe through it if I want to, just before lying down, while still hooking everything up. But the pressure of the wrap against my face tends to keep my lips closed when I don't make the effort to open them. It has significantly reduced my dry mouth and my leak line.



Compared to taping, my mustache and beard are a non-issue with this wide, soft band. And when I look in a mirror while wearing it, I don't look like a helpless hostage in an old train robbery movie. Instead, I look like one of the train robbers. Much better for the ego!

Best wishes, Nate

Gerald wrote:Archangel......

I agree with everything in your post except the last four words.

Each instance of taping is separate from all other instances. Therefore, the risks do not add up.

You do not understand probability if you make that statement.

Gerald wrote:I have considered all the dangers you have written about.......and I believe the risks to be so negligible that they aren't worth talking about.

Gerald

Read up on "confined space entry" and "aspriration pneumonia." Then consider that you're doing this every night for the rest of your life. The risk is not negligible. It may be worth the risk to you, but it's not negligible.

NateS wrote:Here is what I've been using lately, wrapping it horizontally around my mouth and securing in back with the built-in velcro. It is soft and I can breathe through it if I want to, just before lying down, while still hooking everything up. But the pressure of the wrap against my face tends to keep my lips closed when I don't make the effort to open them. It has significantly reduced my dry mouth and my leak line.



Compared to taping, my mustache and beard are a non-issue with this wide, soft band. And when I look in a mirror while wearing it, I don't look like a helpless hostage in an old train robbery movie. Instead, I look like one of the train robbers. Much better for the ego!

Best wishes, Nate

You could also use this which will give you some warms too:





avi123's idea