Avoiding mouthleaks / mouthbreathing

Jakester · Post by **Jakester** » Mon Jun 12, 2006 6:27 pm

Before I became a hoser I was a mouth breather. But, I managed to get myself retrained to keep my mouth shut. It did take a few weeks and a some elbows. But between the Encore and my wife's reports it seems that its working. (At night anyway)

GoofyUT · Post by **GoofyUT** » Mon Jun 12, 2006 6:33 pm

This is a REALLY GOOD AND HELPFUL POLL!!

Thanks for posting it.

I checked the "keep my mouth shut" box. I've just been blessed. It took me about a week, but figured out how to keep my mouth shut, and now, I can drink while I'm using my Swift, I can yell at my dog, I can even yawn, and not disrupt the inflation of my upper airway, though I can also leak pressured air through my mouth when I want to, which I find to be very useful in eliminating a small blockage in a nostril.

Don't ask me how, and I'm not trying to boast. Promise. Its just a blessing.

Chuck

RedThunder94 · Post by **RedThunder94** » Mon Jun 12, 2006 7:18 pm

don't need anything, i thought i was a mouth breather when i first started but after i tried my new comfortgel nasal i could go all night without mouth breathing. too bad i can't keep my nose from getting congested all the time lol.

IZATIRED2 · Post by **IZATIRED2** » Mon Jun 12, 2006 7:28 pm

YUP

MOLESKIN ON A UMFF.

NightHawkeye · Post by **NightHawkeye** » Mon Jun 12, 2006 7:36 pm

Since it's Show-and-Tell time, I'll post my story also. I've been using a nasal mask for almost five months now, and was doing just fine without mouth breathing. There had been a few times early on when I awakened to the torrent of air, but I, like many others here, learned quickly how to not do that. My therapy was effective, and my AHI averaged between 3 and 4.

The middle of last month though (May), I decided to give Poligrip strips a try and see what the results were. A funny thing happened - I started having quite a few apnea-free nights. Here's the chart showing time in apnea:

I'm surprised at the results of this poll which shows such a large percentage of us who use either tape or Poligrip-strips. My guess is that some of those who don't, actually end up mouth-breathing a little, just like I did, and simply don't know it. No big deal, really, as it doesn't seem to affect therapy much, but all the same it is interesting.

I also encourage anyone who has thought about trying Poligrip-strips to do so. You may be surprised as well.

Regards,
Bill

Bookbear · Post by **Bookbear** » Mon Jun 12, 2006 9:58 pm

This is only with 2 weeks of experience, but when I changed to apap mode instead of cpap mode, my mouth breathing went away (I wasn't a mouth breather as a child or young adult, so I am guessing that the occasional mouth breathing was a response to the apneas....cut down on the apneas and the mouth breathing went away). I am pleased, since I MUCH prefer the Breeze over the ff mask.

brasshopper · Post by **brasshopper** » Mon Jun 12, 2006 10:35 pm

So, when you use a FF mask, you have a special valve to allow you to breathe when you lose power.

You have a rip release to get out of the mask if you get sick with the mask on and you toss cookies.

When you use a nasal mask and you tape up, how do you deal with power failures? How do you deal with a nausea emergency?

I've woken up heaving. No particular reason, no drinking, no drugs. Scarred up my lungs when I aspirated - could see it years later on an MRI. I could feel it for months.

I may use a FF mask but unless I know how I am clearing my face instantly, I am not sure I am willing to glue my mouth shut - maybe tape because I can leave a quick release tab.

And I have a multi-hour power failure here every few months. In the summer as often as twice a month. I think I am gonna try a full face mask - but I'm not willing to tape without a valve that allows me to breathe outside air when the CPAP pressure goes away,

If I still lived in NY, power failures would not be such a concern..

ozij · Post by **ozij** » Mon Jun 12, 2006 11:11 pm

When you use a nasal mask and you tape up, how do you deal with power failures? How do you deal with a nausea emergency?

As long as you brain is healthy, you get snapped out of sleep and rip the mask or tape off.

The subject was actually discussed intensively in the past - you can search for the words "aspiration" and "unconsciuos", in addition to the others mentioned.

A healthy, sleeping brain still does what it has to keep you alive and breathing, which is why our own apneas - and nausea, and regurgitations - wake us. This is different if your brain is damaged.

By the way, I would hesitate to tape if I didn't have full control of my hands letting me rip off the tape. And we do fold it in to give us pull off tabs.

Anyone worried should try a little "emergency rip off" training. If I did't trust myself to be consciuous enough to rip off the tape - or capable enough with my hands - I wouldn't use it.

O.

Sergeant Bob · Post by **Sergeant Bob** » Mon Jun 12, 2006 11:32 pm

There was no option for a dental device which keeps you from mouthbreathing.
I use the MAD (Mouthbreathing Assist Device) designed by Frequenseeker (http://www.talkaboutsleep.com/message-b ... php?t=4750) using two boil and bite mouthguards (at a cost of $2 total).
I've tried taping and my numbers are no better than when using the MAD (which cut my numbers in half).

ozij · Post by **ozij** » Mon Jun 12, 2006 11:47 pm

You're right, Sergeant Bob - I should have thought of that.

How do I edit or delete a poll?
As with posts, polls can only be edited by the original poster, a moderator, or board administrator. To edit a poll, click the first post in the topic, which always has the poll associated with it. If no one has cast a vote then users can delete the poll or edit any poll option. However, if people have already placed votes only moderators or administrators can edit or delete it; this is to prevent people rigging polls by changing options mid-way through a poll

.

I'll try to have forumadmin add the option.

O.

snoozie_suzy · Post by **snoozie_suzy** » Tue Jun 13, 2006 6:04 pm

Have finally joined the "taping" crowd! I was never a mouth breather before cpap, and even after using cpap for months it was never a matter of me waking up with my mouth wide open or wake up with a dry mouth. Instead I would wake sometimes to a "hissing' sound, and being in a groggy state of mind, I first would think it was a mask leak, but each time realized that out of the very corner of my mouth air would occasionally spurt out. Picture someone trying to blow a strand of hair away from their forehead!!! That kind of air leak, not jaw wide open air gushing out leak. So needless to say it took me months to try the tape because my numbers on my sleep data looked great, even the "leaks" section that's why I didn't consider taping at first because I didn't think that much air was escaping that it was affecting my air pressure. Infact, I still don't think that much air is escaping, otherwise I think my HI, AI, FL numbers would be rising and apneas lasting longer. I think these little bursts of air however, are disturbing my quality of sleep, like micro- arousals. I talked about this in a post recently to Apneacinisrael (AII). Its only a suspision though, can't scientifically prove it. Like how when people are awoken by their mask leaks? Well instead of mask leaks its my mouth, and so the leak itself might not be great enough to register on the sleep data each night, but each time it happens,whether or not I consciously wake up or get disturbed from a deeper sleep to stage 1 or 2, that is going to affect how refreshed I feel the next day, but might not be reflected on the data each night.

And THAT is why I chose to tape now.

ozij · Post by **ozij** » Wed Jun 14, 2006 8:09 pm

krousseau · Post by **krousseau** » Wed Jun 14, 2006 11:50 pm

As a person who sneezes a fair amount (though on CPAP it has been greatly alleviated) I would never tape. Sneezing with the mouth taped is too likely to result in forcing "stuff" from the oropharynx into the ears. I use a "homemade" chinstrap that has been very effective-and that allows me to open my mouth if I cough or sneeze.

Ric · Post by **Ric** » Thu Jun 15, 2006 12:08 am

Don't need anything - keep my mouth shut.

(EXCEPT when awake )

-Ric

Ms. Piggy · Post by **Ms. Piggy** » Sat Jun 17, 2006 7:44 am

I tape, am currently using a porous type, maybe a waste of time but I feel safer with it since we had a power failure one night. It was rather scarey waking up unable to breath and feeling rather panicky until I awakened enough to realize that all I had to do was rip the tape off. Not a nice feeling

Avoiding mouthleaks / mouthbreathing

How do you avoid mouthleaks

Really good poll

Mouth breathing

Humidifier

Machine	Mask

Additional Comments: Avg. AHI .4