(11-16-2020, 05:53 AM)Rcgop Wrote: Is treating dry mouth and dry nose and throat two separate problems with two separate solutions. This article suggests dry mouth is caused by the pressure itself and adding humidity will have little effect...
Yes, two separate problems. Unless one is using a 'mouth mask', which I don't believe exists for PAP therapy of any kind. We have full face masks, nasal pillows, and nasal masks (the latter cover only the nose). So, I say yes, two separate problems, because we aren't meant to mouth breathe.
If you have dry mouth, it probably means your oral cavity is being flushed with a flow of air, and that air can't stop your mouth from drying out horribly no matter how moisture-laden you make it, even to the point of saturation. On the other hand, our noses can moisten air quite a bit more readily and not suffer. They will suffer if the air is too dry, however, hence the accommodation by the humification systems we have. This includes the important heated tubing because you want the moisture the passing air acquires to stay in vapour form and NOT to condense on cold surfaces such as an unheated or improperly heated tube.
Dry mouth, as I stated earlier, is a sign your mouth is being flushed with air. That can happen with mouth breathing or even when our lips stay closed and we do not get the expulsion of air due to an open mouth. I use a nasal mask exclusively, but I also open my mouth and will come awake with a blast of air, even at my low fixed 8 cm H20. So, I must tape my mouth closed. This has what I would assess as a 95+% efficacy, but I do very rarely have a dry mouth at some point during the night, usually when my tongue falls and some of the air rushes around, swirling, into and out of my mouth cavity.
Moral of the story? Get at least some utility out of the tongue suck technique where you automatically press the mid and rear areas of your tongue up to the roof of the mouth, effectively sealing it. The is done by creating a vacuum at the same time, sucking the tongue up to close off the space above it, and to its side.
