9 months on CPAP - recent mouth breathing

[hoser]

So, I have been on CPAP for 9 months using an S9 and a swift fx mask.

On occasion I would wake up or be woken up by my wife sounding like Darth Vader because my mouth was open and air was rushing out of my mouth.

For the last week or two the incedence of mouth breathing has become more frequent and my leak numbers while not bad are worse than the trend for the last several months.

I'm hoping that this is just a momentary phase that will pass.

[trish6hundred]

Hi hoser, Hopefully it is just a phase, but have you thought about trying a chinstrap? BTW, WELCOME! to the forum.!

[Bompa]

Hi Hoser:
Welcome to the forum.. I am also a mouth breather and had to start using a chin strap (chin restarint) and it made the world of difference.

[PaulaO2]

Yeah, get a chinstrap. There's some different types available. Go to your supplier and ask to try the different ones. It's a good thing to have around.

[Sleepster]

On occasion I would wake up or be woken up by my wife sounding like Darth Vader because my mouth was open and air was rushing out of my mouth.

That's called mouth-leaking. It prevents the CPAP machine from pressurizing your airway, so it can collapse just as if you were sleeping with no CPAP machine.

This happened to me when I started. I wore a chinstrap for a few weeks and it cured the problem. I was able to go for several months without the chinstrap, and it started again, so now I'm back on the chinstrap.

What happens is the muscles that keep the jaw closed relax when you fall asleep, the jaw drops down, and air leaks out the mouth.

The chinstrap is like a training device that can teach you to keep your mouth shut (only while sleeping, ha ha). Sometimes, though, people need to wear it continuously.

[Allen]

I wear a Seatec chin strap which I paid $30.00 for here in Australia, it was recommended as I opened my mouth sometime through my overnight sleep study on the cpap machine.

[mckevin32]

Yep, count me in the chinstrap crowd as well.

After over a year of no problems (also with the Swift FX) I suddenly found myself with mouth leaks nightly. I asked my doc (okay, his nurse) for a chinstrap script and she said that if I was mouth breathing I needed a full face mask, I held firm, she relented, and I am happy with the results.

[zonk]

For the last week or two the incedence of mouth breathing has become more frequent and my leak numbers while not bad are worse than the trend for the last several months.

Have noticed anything else such as dry mouth or stuffy nose?
A chinstrap can help minimize mouth breathing and you can breathe through the nose and mouth with full face mask but just a bit difficult to maintain a seal but should not be an issue with your pressure at 8

[hoser]

Okay, after reading the thread about what could cause mouth breathing, I decide that maybe having the humidifier on .5 was too low. I live in South Florida so humidity is high and I have had the humidity setting at .5 for several months. I guess it's too dry so I increased the humidity to 1.5 and the mouth breathing problem has gone away.

[PaulaO2]

Interesting! Something to keep in mind. Thanks for updating us!

During the summer, I don't use the humidifier at all. Sometimes, like if I am experiencing seasonal allergies, I'll use the 'pass over' method where I have water in the tank but no heat.