Does CPAP give you bad breath?
One month into therapy, I've bumped into yet another thing they don't warn you about with CPAP: BAD BREATH
My partner of 20+ years is telling me that, "You smell metallic now" and points to my breath as the cause. Weird!
Can't pin the issue down to any obvious thing -- humidification? nasal issues? mask materials? broken blood vessels (bleeding can smell metallic)? change in oral flora (I've intentionally given up mouth breathing)?
Anyone else in the same boat? I feel I could write a book about all the "surprises" that come with CPAP therapy, lol, but this one stumps and annoys me.
RE: Does CPAP give you bad breath?
"(I've intentionally given up mouth breathing): What does that mean? Are you using a chin strap that pulls up?
Are you using mouth tape?
A dry mouth can cause bad breath or halitosis.
As you probably know, the saliva helps you to neutralize the acids produced by bacteria localized on your tongue and it also helps you to prevent tooth decay.
With dry mouth from CPAP, you almost have no chance to escape from bad breath (halitosis), even if you wash your teeth 10 times a day.
Can you post Oscar Charts?
RE: Does CPAP give you bad breath?
My apologies, for I seem to have sacrificed clarity for brevity in my initial post....
As a lifelong mouth breather, My main concern was how CPAP would affect my ability to breathe comfortably overnight. However, even during the preliminary sleep study, it became apparent that I could easily breathe through my nose, as long as the air pressure was sufficient, and that keeping my mouth closed was virtually automatic.
My dream of transforming into a nose breather was ultimately fulfilled when I upgraded to the airtouch n30i nasal pillow mask which I absolutely love.
I now sleep soundly throughout the night with my mouth fully closed, with no sign of a dry mouth or throat as had become my custom every morning.
I have my airsense 11 set to humidity level six, below which my sinuses do dry out and become a bit crusty, and I added a hose sleeve to prevent rain out. The current setup is perfect!
Thus, I must discount the idea of dry mouth being the cause of my changing breath aroma. In fact, I may salivate too much overnight judging from the wetness I occasionally feel on my cheeks (did I mention I'm a I am a stalwart side sleeper?).
If I weren't headed out of town at the moment, I'd be happy to post my Oscar charts. Suffice to say I have an AHI of zero, never snore and sleep 9 to 10 hours nightly with only nominal mask leakage.
RE: Does CPAP give you bad breath?
I have not heard of pap therapy causing bad breath. I guess that it's something physical - maybe different food, physical changes in your mouth or throat, etc. I hope you can overcome this, whatever is causing it. But
don't give up needed therapy!
RE: Does CPAP give you bad breath?
I waited a while before adding to this thread, so I could get a better grasp on what's really going on.
Seems as though there are times throughout my slumber that pressurized air makes its way past my tongue and out of my (otherwise closed) mouth. I may have to give chin straps a go, to see if that assists my jaw muscles. Until now, I've just been using my "huggy" pillow as a prop against my chin, thinking that was sufficient precaution against my mouth opening.
Thus, I'm currently attributing "sour mouth" (not calling it dry mouth, because it feels great upon waking, and XyliMelts have been an absolute delight overnight) to this "bypass air". Don't think I wanna go the route of "mouth tape", as that seems rather extreme.
RE: Does CPAP give you bad breath?
Given your "huggy pillow" isn't quite working and you are moving towards chin straps, beware/be aware that traditional chin straps aren't designed to actually work! Traditional neoprene chin straps wrap around the tip of the chin and the top, back of the head, the problem being that the jaw joint (which is just in front of the ear) is located along the line between those two points. This is illustrated at the top of the More Info >> Further Info page of
Supplier #37. That means that traditional chin straps force the jaw almost directly into the jaw joint, which is the least effective angle to be apply the force. I'd suggest you look into the Knightsbridge Dual Band chin strap, which has straps which pass under the jaw and lift vertically to work with the natural rotation of the jaw.
(Please use the
Supplier #37 link. A keyword search will still likely lead you to counterfeits.)
RE: Does CPAP give you bad breath?
Suggestion much appreciate, and I promise to do extensive homework on this topic before making a move (as always).
Not really a fan of chin straps in principal... already enjoying the minimalism of my beloved N30i nasal pillow (words I never thought I'd utter until discovering mere weeks ago that such a thing exists). Frankly, I forget many nights that I'm eveing "doing CPAP", much less wearing a mask. Thus, the thought of adding any additional apparatus to the mix has me balking.
If only there were a humane and safe way to cause one's lips to remain together, a tall order indeed for a lifelong mouth breather. Perhaps there are also jaw exercise one can do to tone up one's musculature in that area. Hmm... again, deep dive planned before adjusting anything.
RE: Does CPAP give you bad breath?
Many use a 2x5 in strip of Kinesiology Tape made of 95% cotton and 5% spandex
I also use a somnoseal device just inside my mouth to stop mouth leaking.
I use a REMplenish™ Myo-Nozzle - Adult size on a stainless steel straw to exercise my tongue.
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05-01-2025, 02:47 PM
(This post was last modified: 05-01-2025, 02:48 PM by super7pilot.)
RE: Does CPAP give you bad breath?
LibraSun, I use a novel approach to the air leaking past my lips. Which has happened even while wearing my Knoghtsbridge chin strap. And that approach is to wear a wide air band that goes over your mouth. I just made it fit correctly by pinching it down to the proper size and sewing the two sides together to reduce the diameter. It imparts just a bit of pressure to keep ones lips from flapping like a flag. And any drool is caught as well.
RE: Does CPAP give you bad breath?
What is an air band? Might you mean a hairband? A fellow on another CPAP site did that, and it seemed to work for him.
