Hello Guest, Welcome to Apnea Board !
As a guest, you are limited to certain areas of the board and there are some features you can't use.
To post a message, you must create a free account using a valid email address.

or Create an Account


New Posts   Today's Posts

Thoughts on mouth breathing and xPAP effectiveness?
#1
Thoughts on mouth breathing and xPAP effectiveness?
Hi, I was hoping I could get a few opinions on an issue I've been having trouble with.  I have terrible trouble breathing nasally, especially at night.  I luckily have a Mirage Quattro full face mask and my sleep physician said that mouth breathing should not prevent successful therapy with my ResMed Autoset 10 if I have my full face mask correctly sealed.  I have, however, heard from others that nasal breathing is highly recommended to the extent of almost being a necessity for success with any xPAP device.  Can anyone chime in on this subject with their experiences and opinions? 

I have been using my Autoset 10 for just about two months now and I really can't say I've experienced any improvements, so I am trying to gauge whether that may be because of my issues breathing with my nose.
Post Reply Post Reply
#2
RE: Thoughts on mouth breathing and xPAP effectiveness?
Nasal breathing is generally regarded as superior to mouth breathing in everyday life, and I think this has carried over into attitudes towards CPAP. In fact many technical papers refer to the treatment as nCPAP (nasal CPAP) with the inference that only nose breathing is acceptable.

However it has to be recognised that many people can't breathe through the nose due to congestion, deviated septum or other reasons. That's why we have full-face masks. Early in my CPAP experience I got a lot of congestion which caused me to mouth-breathe, with no detrimental effects except for a dry mouth. Over time the congestion disappeared and I now breathe through the nose, but I still like a full-face mask.

So I have to disagree with those who've told you that only nose breathing is acceptable.
Post Reply Post Reply
#3
RE: Thoughts on mouth breathing and xPAP effectiveness?
Nasal breathing is preferred, more 'natural', and should be TRIED. But mouth breathing is absolutely acceptable.
Post Reply Post Reply
#4
RE: Thoughts on mouth breathing and xPAP effectiveness?
The following is an excert from performing a search using, the term, "Advantages of nose breathing".  I hope it will prove of some use.

Dr. John Douillard, DC, CAP on May 6, 2014 Wrote:
  1. Nose breathing drives oxygen more efficiently into the lower lobes of the lungs rathe than staying in the upper lobes, as with mouth breathing. With nose breathing, all five lobes of the lungs are used to breathe rather than just the upper two. The lower lobes of the lungs have more parasympathetic, calming and repairing nerve receptors, which are activated during nose breathing exercise. The upper lobes have more sympathetic (fight or flight) stress receptors that are activated during mouth breathing exercise.

  2. The lower lobes of the lungs are also gravity fed, and thus have more blood. Therefore, they have the ability to perfuse more waste (CO2) out of the body. The reason we huff and puff during exercise is because we are not removing the CO2 as efficiently as we could be. Nose breathing maximizes this action.

  3. Breathing into the lower lobes of the lungs massages and exercises the diaphragm at the base of the lungs, making us more efficient deep breathers in the long run.

  4. Freeing the diaphragm to contract and relax fully massages the stomach situated just below the diaphragm, allowing for more efficient stomach function which can help in avoiding heartburn and hiatal hernia-like symptoms.

  5. Nose breathing (nasal breathing) forces the entire rib cage to breathe. Deep nose breathing engages all 12 ribs to act as levers that massage the heart and lungs, rather than acting as a cage that squeezes the heart and lungs 26,000 breaths a day.

  6. Nose breathing and full rib cage activation acts as a pump to pull lymph fluid from the lower parts of the body up into the chest cavity and to the heart supporting healthy and active lymphatic flow.

  7. Nose breathing and full rib cage activation is critical for optimal flexibility and elasticity of the spine, head, neck and low back.

  8. Nose breathing exercise has been shown to increase the production of nitric oxide. Nitric oxide is an important cellular signaling molecule in the body which has a hand in many favorable physiological processes, including expanding blood vessels, increasing blood flow, and protecting the organs from damage. Nitric oxide has been coined the Noble Prize-winning panacea molecule. Nitric oxide was not shown to be produced during mouth breathing exercise.

  9. Nose breathing lowered heart rate and breath rate compared to mouth breathing exercise.

  10. Nose breathing exercise increased alpha brain wave activity compared to mouth breathing exercise. Alpha brain waves are produced during relaxation or meditative states. Mouth breathing exercise produces a significant amount of beta brain waves that are associated with a stress response.

  11. Nose breathing exercise increased brain wave coherence compared to mouth breathing exercise. Brain wave coherence is associated with calm and organized brain function.

  12. Nose breathing exercise was perceived as less exertion (it was easier) as compared to mouth breathing exercise, according to the Borg Scale of Perceived Exertion.

  13. Nose breathing exercise demonstrated shorter recovery times and better endurance than mouth breathing exercise.

  14. Nose breathing exercise measured a significant reduction in a galvanic skin (stress) response compared to mouth breathing exercise (it was less stressful).

  15. Nose breathing exercise reported 50% less fight or flight stress and 50% more calm parasympathetic activation when compared to mouth breathing exercise. Bottom Line: Exercise does not have to be painful. In fact, studies show that we burn fat better when we are not straining during exercise. Consider nose breathing during exercise and begin to enjoy your exercise routine, maybe for the first time ever!
Crimson Nape
Apnea Board Moderator
www.ApneaBoard.com
___________________________________
Useful Links -or- When All Else Fails:
The Guide to Understanding OSCAR
OSCAR Chart Organization
Attaching Images and Files on Apnea Board
Apnea Helpful Tips

INFORMATION ON APNEA BOARD FORUMS OR ON APNEABOARD.COM SHOULD NOT BE CONSIDERED AS MEDICAL ADVICE. ALWAYS SEEK THE ADVICE OF A PHYSICIAN BEFORE SEEKING TREATMENT FOR MEDICAL CONDITIONS, INCLUDING SLEEP APNEA. INFORMATION POSTED ON THE APNEA BOARD WEB SITE AND FORUMS ARE PERSONAL OPINION ONLY AND NOT NECESSARILY A STATEMENT OF FACT.
Post Reply Post Reply
#5
RE: Thoughts on mouth breathing and xPAP effectiveness?
Interesting info Crimson Nape.

To breathe or not to breathe, that is the question.

My take is similar to others, nasal breathing is preferred and has medical reasoning, but if you need to breathe through your mouth, be Nike and just do it.

Your full face mask permits this. I'm trying to train myself to just nose breathe and be able to use my N/P30i but I still go to the full face eventually because I breathe through both nose and mouth lots of times.
INFORMATION ON APNEA BOARD FORUMS OR ON APNEABOARD.COM SHOULD NOT BE CONSIDERED MEDICAL ADVICE. ALWAYS SEEK THE ADVICE OF A PHYSICIAN BEFORE SEEKING TREATMENT FOR MEDICAL CONDITIONS, INCLUDING SLEEP APNEA. INFORMATION POSTED ON THE APNEA BOARD WEBSITE AND FORUMS ARE PERSONAL OPINION ONLY AND NOT NECESSARILY A STATEMENT OF FACT.
Post Reply Post Reply
#6
RE: Thoughts on mouth breathing and xPAP effectiveness?
It may be just a fluke but since I switched to pillows and use mouth tape (can’t think of the brand off hand) I fall asleep much easier and my pressures don’t rise and fall nearly as much as they do with full face. Both my F20 and F30 would spike to 17 - 18 on a regular basic. Since I switch to pillows it hasn’t gone above 11.5 while driving my AHI even lower. Even before I found the right setting which lowered my centrals, pillows were giving me a lower max pressure while keeping my AHI in check. From my personal experience I would say nose breathing is superior to mouth breathing. But everybody is different and that might not work for you
Download OSCAR <——— Click
Post Reply Post Reply
#7
RE: Thoughts on mouth breathing and xPAP effectiveness?
Crimson Nape that makes a lot of sense. Back when I was running 6 years ago or so I read an article that was saying that if you could get the same volume of air through your nose that oxygen would be processed more efficiently and it’s recommended to breath through your nose during recovery for that reason. Paraphrased but that’s the gist
Download OSCAR <——— Click
Post Reply Post Reply
#8
RE: Thoughts on mouth breathing and xPAP effectiveness?
Several years ago had this "moment of inspiration", speculating that since cold air is more dense than warn air, then it should contain more oxygen per cubic whatever.  Therefore a person's SpO2 level should be higher in colder climates as well. Neat idea until I found out that the warmer the air, helps the body to more efficiently absorb oxygen,  The nose aids in prewarming the air on the way to the lungs to help this.  Needless to say   I quickly discovered it was a wash and was on to other simpler thoughts.  Things like, "why are planets and moons round and everything else in space is irregular shaped?".   Oh-jeez

I'm in one of those moods today. . .
Crimson Nape
Apnea Board Moderator
www.ApneaBoard.com
___________________________________
Useful Links -or- When All Else Fails:
The Guide to Understanding OSCAR
OSCAR Chart Organization
Attaching Images and Files on Apnea Board
Apnea Helpful Tips

INFORMATION ON APNEA BOARD FORUMS OR ON APNEABOARD.COM SHOULD NOT BE CONSIDERED AS MEDICAL ADVICE. ALWAYS SEEK THE ADVICE OF A PHYSICIAN BEFORE SEEKING TREATMENT FOR MEDICAL CONDITIONS, INCLUDING SLEEP APNEA. INFORMATION POSTED ON THE APNEA BOARD WEB SITE AND FORUMS ARE PERSONAL OPINION ONLY AND NOT NECESSARILY A STATEMENT OF FACT.
Post Reply Post Reply
#9
RE: Thoughts on mouth breathing and xPAP effectiveness?
So we've gotten back around to the round vs flat planet thing. I'm on the round planet side as the other sides argument falls flat.
INFORMATION ON APNEA BOARD FORUMS OR ON APNEABOARD.COM SHOULD NOT BE CONSIDERED MEDICAL ADVICE. ALWAYS SEEK THE ADVICE OF A PHYSICIAN BEFORE SEEKING TREATMENT FOR MEDICAL CONDITIONS, INCLUDING SLEEP APNEA. INFORMATION POSTED ON THE APNEA BOARD WEBSITE AND FORUMS ARE PERSONAL OPINION ONLY AND NOT NECESSARILY A STATEMENT OF FACT.
Post Reply Post Reply
#10
RE: Thoughts on mouth breathing and xPAP effectiveness?
Thank you to everyone who shared their input. It's nice to know that mouth breathing should be okay, but I will try my best to figure out how to breathe through my nose. I experimented with mouth taping last night and using my AirFit10 nasal pillow mask. Needless to say I slept terribly. I will have to experiment with decongestants and making my room as allergen free as possible.
Post Reply Post Reply


Possibly Related Threads...
Thread Author Replies Views Last Post
  Mouth leak with new machine LaraM 0 11 1 hour ago
Last Post: LaraM
  Worried about periodic breathing / CA patterns Jorgo 43 1,075 8 hours ago
Last Post: Jorgo
  How do I reduce mouth leaking? meatheadmd 6 359 Yesterday, 01:42 PM
Last Post: Old Codger
  Mouth Tape Tradegy PappaJoe 5 311 03-23-2024, 01:49 AM
Last Post: stevew168
  OSCAR flow rate assessment -- mouth leaks, palatal prolapse? manders513 9 227 03-22-2024, 06:16 PM
Last Post: BigWing
  How can I tell if my mouth is open with a nasal mask while I sleep? evenflow 15 1,075 03-08-2024, 09:55 PM
Last Post: stevew168
  Choosing Apnea Mouth Guard newtothis1 9 800 03-08-2024, 09:52 PM
Last Post: stevew168


New Posts   Today's Posts


About Apnea Board

Apnea Board is an educational web site designed to empower Sleep Apnea patients.