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Mouth Breathing Questions
#1
Mouth Breathing Questions
Hi - My AHI numbers have been better lately since switching from nasal pillows to a nasal mask - from average of about 8 to an average of about 3-4.  Tried a couple of full face masks but could not keep the seal.  Right now using a ResMed 9 Auto until my sleep study in a few weeks. (May turn out that I really need a bipap machine - just trying to get through each night until then).

The first question is - can significant mouth breathing increase the rainout in the mask?  I have humidity set really low (tried auto also) but am getting a ton of water in the nasal mask being blown into my nose - really pretty bad and uncomfortable.  Also turned up the tube temperature - no luck.

Second - I think I remember someone saying Sleepyhead does not really show mouth breathing?  Is the only way to know is how dry your mouth is in the morning?

Third - If I am strongly mouth breathing, it it logical that it would cause the machine to spike pressure at night since it would getting no resistance back through the mask/hose, and it would try to compensate by strongly increasing the pressure? I stopped using the DreamStation for now do to strange pressure spikes that the ResMed 9 is not doing.

I'm still waking up with my heart pounding, strong anxiety, and sense of doom every morning - would love to calm all that down until the sleep study may show something.  Takes about half the day to feel normal - I'm not tired - just feel terrified, and dread going to sleep at night.

Thanks for any suggestions you may have.
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#2
RE: Mouth Breathing Questions
For the rain out problem try setting your machine lower than your bed.

Sleepyhead displays leak rate charts that can display mouth leak type graphs.

As far as the spikes, it would help if you could put up a chart using sleepyhead so the wise ones can tell you whats going on.
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Beginner's Guide to SleepyHead
Mask Primer
5
Advisory Members serve as an "Advisory Committee" to help shape Apnea Board's rules & policies.

Membership in the Advisory Members group does not imply medical expertise or qualification for advising Sleep Apnea patients concerning their treatment.



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#3
RE: Mouth Breathing Questions
Thanks for the suggestions.

One other thing I noticed is I may be confused as to whether to turn the temperature up or down - there was a post that said to turn the temp down to decrease rainout and I was turning it up?  But I'm just not sure.
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#4
RE: Mouth Breathing Questions
Quick Rainout solutions

1. Put machine on the floor so condensation drains back to humidifier
2. Decrease humidification to minimize condensation.
3. Insulate hose to prevent condensation (Hose cozie)
4. Use heated Hose
5. Increase room temp to minimize condensation
6. Weather modification, decrease ambient humidity (If you can do this one you will make a fortune)

Always post a daily chart when you have a question.  There is a lot that we can eek out of the data.

Fred
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#5
RE: Mouth Breathing Questions
Thanks for the reply.  I do have the hose looped downed which I thought would help - have a side table that puts the machine level with my head and really no way to get it lower right now.

I have tried all the the other things many times.  Everything is insulated, use a heated hose, tried auto heat, and then manual all the way down to one, room temp not really cold at 73, and I will work on weather modification, especially elimination of hurricanes and tornadoes. Smile

I always had rainout with my Breeze pillows and since they are discontinued, I am trying some nasal masks.  My favorite is the F&P 407 and that's the one that gets the major river in it....I tried a ComfortGel last night - had a poor seal, and it was not comfortable, but there was little rainout.  It's frustrating because I can't tell a big difference between the hard plastic mask parts between the two, and don't know why the big rainout with the F&P.

Bonjour - I notice you use pillows. Is there a difference between the amount of air you get between pillows and a nasal mask?  I was thinking I might not be getting enough air with the pillows and thought maybe a nasal mask would help, but I don't understand the mechanics involved.  My AHI's have gone down by 50% with the nasal mask to about 3-4.
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#6
RE: Mouth Breathing Questions
I'm just throwing this out there to check.

Make sure to not over fill the humidifier tray

Try drying out the hose to make sure there's no left over water

Make sure the Machine is level

Last resort turn off the humidifier and dump the water out of the tray.
Download SleepyHead
Organize your Sleepyhead Charts
Posting Charts
Beginner's Guide to SleepyHead
Mask Primer
5
Advisory Members serve as an "Advisory Committee" to help shape Apnea Board's rules & policies.

Membership in the Advisory Members group does not imply medical expertise or qualification for advising Sleep Apnea patients concerning their treatment.



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#7
RE: Mouth Breathing Questions
(09-20-2017, 04:14 PM)bluemom51 Wrote: Bonjour - I notice you use pillows. Is there a difference between the amount of air you get between pillows and a nasal mask?  I was thinking I might not be getting enough air with the pillows and thought maybe a nasal mask would help, but I don't understand the mechanics involved.  My AHI's have gone down by 50% with the nasal mask to about 3-4.

I do not notice a difference, never looked for one.  Definitely a sensation of "less air" with the P10.  I'm one of the lucky ones who can feel real comfortable at very high pressures, though I'm currently running VERY near my low setting currently.
What size of pillows are you using?  We see that many have been given a size smaller than they needed to be comfortable.  I use the large.  There is a need to try the next size larger pillow and possibly the next size smaller.

It is not uncommon for a different size mask to require a different pressure.
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#8
RE: Mouth Breathing Questions
Yes - filling the humidifier container 1/4 inch below the line.  I have dumped it out.
I will take off the hose and shake it out again tonight.

Also going to try different temperatures and see if that helps.

Months ago I reached the ResMed tech dept and they said to duct tape my entire Breeze mask-the hose and the part that holds the pillows.  Interesting suggestion, but bizarre.  At the time I was trying an Autosense 10 machine and they said it would drown me if I used a Breeze.  Sounds like that would make a terribly heavy, uncleanable, mess of a "pillows mask".  I passed on their suggestion.

And it could well be my Resmed 9 is on its last legs -I'm just trying to limp along with it until I can get through the sleep study.  Just too terrified to retry the DreamStation after waking up in a breathless panic and calling 911 and an ER visit.
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#9
RE: Mouth Breathing Questions
Bonjour - I was using the large pillows and most nights felt like I was getting enough air.  Right now, with the nasal mask, I feel like I am getting good air, but the amount of water being thrown at me is causing me to breathe shallow because it's just too much.

Wish I was brave enough to try the DreamStation again, but waking up feeling like you are 5 minutes from death just freaked me out.  Could not breathe, heart racing crazy, panic attacks, calling 911. And then a week later woke up at 5 with the worst headache of my life and thought I was having a stroke (neither of those had happened in 10 years, and hasn't happened since switching back to a ResMed 9) Ugh - turned me into a completely freaked out mess. But from the few nights I did use it, even without great numbers (and visiting the ER), there were no real humidity problems. Hard to tell who is malfunctioning - me or the DreamStation....or if I just cannot breathe properly with its algorithm (alway used ResMed before).
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