How to get saliva back for a dry mouth

I've been having some nasal congestion this winter, and I wake up parched despite my ff mask because I'm definitely mouth breathing. When my nose is clear and my tongue stays where it belongs I have no problem.

Janknitz wrote:I suspect people who have had UPPPs and other procedures can't do this either.

So if you look at your data and don't see evidence of mouth breathing, then you might try working hard to teach yourself to keep the tongue in that magic spot.

Since I had the UPPP about 15 + years ago and other, painful, procedures (don't try this at home) to control/stop my LOUD snoring...... It didn't by the way This explains why it's most difficult to do the little trick you speak of. Additionally, this trick is almost like trying to swallow your tongue, which triggers my extreme gag reflex

I am starting to understand the leak graph, and there is much evidence of mouth breathing. I've read that a FFM is the answer to stop the nightly problem. Since I've severe claustrophobia of any thing that stops me from opening my mouth, it's almost impossible to wear one. I do wear a chin strap though.

I'm sure my comments will invoke a rash of, try this, comments. Isn't that what this forums for?

apw5746 wrote: I am starting to understand the leak graph, and there is much evidence of mouth breathing. I've read that a FFM is the answer to stop the nightly problem. Since I've severe claustrophobia of any thing that stops me from opening my mouth, it's almost impossible to wear one. I do wear a chin strap though.

I'm sure my comments will invoke a rash of, try this, comments. Isn't that what this forums for?

A FFM doesn't stop you from opening your mouth and breathing through it, it prevents you from losing therapy pressure. Find one that feels comfortable they come in all sorts of shapes.

apw5746 wrote: I am starting to understand the leak graph, and there is much evidence of mouth breathing. I

How much is "much"?
I know I mouth breath sometimes....but it is normally short lived and really doesn't impact therapy all that much except for maybe a short time during the night.

So how high is the leak number in that "much"? Is it 26 L/min or 40 L/min?
and how long do you stay in large leak and how often do you go there?

Trying to use a full face mask (for me) would cause more problems than 20 minutes of large leak might cause.
It all depends on how much leak and for how long.
Not everyone who mouth breathes just HAS to have a full face mask or they will die a horrible death from mouth breathing leaks. It doesn't always mean that the entire nights therapy was horrible.

Like Pugsy, my mouth breathing is sporadic, and not enough to force myself to suffer with a full face mask.
Of course, most full face masks simply don't work with my face.
I used tape awhile back, and I believe it helped train my lips to stay together.

chunkyfrog wrote: not enough to force myself to suffer with a full face mask.

Excellent choice of a word - suffer

Pugsy wrote:

apw5746 wrote: I am starting to understand the leak graph, and there is much evidence of mouth breathing. I

How much is "much"?
I know I mouth breath sometimes....but it is normally short lived and really doesn't impact therapy all that much except for maybe a short time during the night.

So how high is the leak number in that "much"? Is it 26 L/min or 40 L/min?
and how long do you stay in large leak and how often do you go there?

I won't get into the numbers, but they are significantly low. Accordingly, I'll live with the dry mouth.

I think I need to adjust the pressure up as I'm starting to get sleepy during the mid-morning, unless being sleepy during the day and pressure aren't related.

apw5746 wrote:I think I need to adjust the pressure up as I'm starting to get sleepy during the mid-morning, unless being sleepy during the day and pressure aren't related

Not necessarily related. Don't go changing the pressure until you understand what your software reports are telling you.

Being sleepy during the day may or may not be related to obstructive apneas ... obstructives are treated with pressure
but centrals (clear airway apneas) aren't treated with more pressure and sometimes an increased pressure can make the centrals worse in about 15 % of the cpap users.

Make sure that what you are wanting to fix...needs fixing first.
Then decide appropriate tool to fix the problem. It may or may not be a pressure adjustment.

Oh, BTW...it doesn't take a lot of mouth breathing to dry out the mouth. I have woke up in the middle of the night with my mouth horribly stuck it was so dry and when I go look at the software reports it looks like maybe 10 minutes of leaking.
So dry mouth doesn't necessarily mean that a person was mouth breathing all night. It can happen with just a relatively short period of mouth opening.

Just when I think I know what the numbers are telling me....I don't. Being on this forum is hurting me more than helping me. Everybody has an opinion. It reminds me of an old saying. It almost goes like this. Opinions are like........., but I won't complete it. Being on this forum is almost like the guy who was at the front door about 45 minutes ago. He's supposed to be a district rep for Century Link. "Who do you have," he asks........ I was polite, listened to what he had to say, then said goodbye.

Life seemed to be much better when it was me, a good book, the TV, some computer, another good book, and the cat. Now I've got SleepyHead, on the computer way too much watching CPAP comments, reading whose got what when.

I'll watch this for 24 more hours, then I'm outta here. Uninstall SleepyHead, drop the forum, then go find a good book to read.

Biotene Gel.......... Your Welcome.