Hi Austin. Welcome to the Apnea Board.
Is your chin strap adjustable? It sounds like it may be too tight.
Do you normally have any problems breathing comfortably through your nose while you're sleeping without CPAP? If you do, you may need a full-face mask.
What is your starting CPAP pressure? The standard machines range from 4-20 cm H2O. If your equipment provider didn't change the bottom number, that will put you at 4 cm, which doesn't seem to be enough pressure for most people to feel like they can get enough air. If you're starting off at 4 cm, you might ask to get that changed to 5.
You could also experiment with sleeping without the chin strap. If you are opening your mouth too much, it will show up as "large leak" and your machine will tell you.
I just switched to nasal pillows about 3 weeks ago. I noticed the first few nights that I used them that I could feel the pressure trying to push my tongue forward (which will let air leak from the mouth if it moves far enough.) I adapted after about 3 nights, and I don't feel that anymore.
I really, really like the nasal pillows. There's almost nothing on my face compared to other types of masks. The trade-off, though, is having to be able to keep your mouth closed, or at least closed enough not to cause large leaks.
(06-09-2016, 04:09 PM)Austin Wrote: Hello! I am new to this forum and have been using a CPAP machine since Monday night. The pressure is still in test mode for another couple of weeks. I am trying to learn as much as I can to make this as comfortable experience as possible.
I am using a nasal pillow and was given a chin strap to keep my mouth closed. The first night I was unable to keep the chin strap on as I kept feeling like I wasn't getting enough air. I kept yawning over and over and eventually threw it across the room. I'm even yawning right now just thinking about that chin strap!
I'm sure it is all psychological but I just can't imagine not being able to open my mouth at all while I'm sleeping. Can anyone shed some light on what I need to do here?
Thank you!