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+--- Thread: mouth breathing (/Thread-mouth-breathing--10041)
mouth breathing - sleepybeaver - 06-26-2015
For the first 2 to 3 weeks of using my cpap I had no problems with my mouth opening at night. I use p10 pillows, for the past 2 or 3 nights I've woken up with a dry mouth and can tell it is slightly open. What is going on...has anyone else had this problem. I don't want to ware a strap to hold my mouth closed.
RE: mouth breathing - worn_out_in_lebanon - 06-26-2015
I had problems with air escaping through my mouth too, that got worse later on. Mainly I practice the method of keeping the tongue a little back and up to keep a seal in the back of the mouth. I also use a Ruby chinstrap. It's not so tight that it keeps my mouth closed, it's just a little snug to encourage me to keep my lower jaw in the right position.
RE: mouth breathing - Mark Douglas - 06-26-2015
I am experiencing/fighting this battle also. I am too am using a strap which has reduced the problem slightly but I frequently awake with my mouth on fire and am woken by the air leakage chipmunking my cheeks and cause mouth farts. I am convinced this is the cause of my "almost apneas" and degrading my sleep quality. Training myself to keep my tongue in place fails as soon as I go into deep sleep. I have tried multiple FFMs but none so far seal fully. I have ordered some med grade silicone rubber with the intention of modifying my current FFM which "almost" seals.
RE: mouth breathing - kimgh - 06-26-2015
I have this problem too. Not every night, but many nights. I wake up with a very dry mouth.
Looking at the large leak events, I see that I had several last night. The longest of them was about 9 minutes duration.
I don't think it's a huge problem for me. It seems to be self-limiting, in that the dry mouth might cause me to wake up, take a swallow of water (I keep a bottle on the nightstand) and re-compose for sleep with mouth firmly shut.
I have been considering asking for a chin strap, but want to see if I can train myself to not need one before taking that plunge.
RE: mouth breathing - lmoretti - 06-26-2015
I've heard of people using medical tape as an option to keep the mouth sealed if they can't wear a full chinstrap.
RE: mouth breathing - AndyB - 06-26-2015
There are several pro and con references on the forum to using tape. I've taped my lips closed for the last 5 nights and it has eliminated the lip-bubbling/droopy mouth issue. I'm using 3M micropore surgical paper tape, which is supposed to be relatively gentle on one's skin, but still no fun to pull off in the morning.
Several members of the forum advise against taping one's mouth closed, but at least one alleged expert encourages it:
http://buteykoclinic.com/blog/anxiety/never-breath-during-mouth-at-night/
I'm hoping eventually to eliminate the use of tape; the thought of taping my mouth for the next 20 years is not appealing.
RE: mouth breathing - tedburnsIII - 06-26-2015
(06-26-2015, 12:34 PM)AndyB Wrote: There are several pro and con references on the forum to using tape. I've taped my lips closed for the last 5 nights and it has eliminated the lip-bubbling/droopy mouth issue. I'm using 3M micropore surgical paper tape, which is supposed to be relatively gentle on one's skin, but still no fun to pull off in the morning.
Several members of the forum advise against taping one's mouth closed, but at least one alleged expert encourages it:
http://buteykoclinic.com/blog/anxiety/never-breath-during-mouth-at-night/
I'm hoping eventually to eliminate the use of tape; the thought of taping my mouth for the next 20 years is not appealing.
I would recommend the Micropore tape- just got a roll of it and it seems to work better and be more user-friendly than Gorilla or Painter's tape. So I am using the Micropore exclusively for my mouth but the Gorilla to tape the overnight recording pulse oximeter securely to my finger.
RE: mouth breathing - sleepybeaver - 06-26-2015
I appreciate all the suggestions, after weighing the good and bad of the tape Idea ( I have a mustache ) I think I'm gonna go with super glue. Definitely no way to mess that up....thanks again all.
RE: mouth breathing - Mark Douglas - 06-26-2015
LOL !
Pictures or it didn't happen
RE: mouth breathing - quiescence at last - 06-27-2015
Pictures would be a nice addition, I agree. And consider that your partner may find it beneficial to have you just leave the tape on through the day as well, though they may not say it outright! That would reduce the irritation of removing the tape. Of course, you'll probably want to change the tape/glue upon showering (every other week whether it is needed or not).