[CPAP] Air jet from mouth

[Jimboiii]

Has anyone solved the problem of air shooting out of their mouth just as they're relaxing into sleep? I use nasal pillows and the continuous positive air pressure goes in my nose, and when I am finally falling blissfully asleep, everything inside my mouth relaxes and the air blasts right out of my mouth and wakes me up. Isn't a CPAP supposed to help me get quality sleep, not wake me up whenever I drift off? Thank you for your ideas.
-jimbo

[Melman]

Many including me have the same problem. The solution in my case was a full face mask. Other options are taping your mouth or Training your tongue to stay at the roof of your mouth to block air from flowing out of your mouth (a technique I've never been able to master). Chin straps which hold your mouth shut are another option but they don't prevent air from flowing out between your teeth and through your lips.

[multicast]

It's as simpel as this: as a mouth breather the first choice must be a full face mask, otherwise the therapy just literally blows out and is not only annoying but quite useless as well.

Or you use a nasal mask and train your tongue.  As that training may last between one and a half month up to one and a half year you should tape your mouth in the meantime.

[dapal]

I use full face mask Airfit F20, but waking up with little dry mouth. I just push my tongue around to wet it again. I tried tape my mouth too some time while wearing Full Face Mask.

[sheepless]

I depend on a soft cervical collar to minimize my lip leaks. too much facial hair to tape or to use any of the half dozen ff & nasal masks I've tried. if you try a chin strap, get one that supports the chin vertically rather than pull the chin back. the tongue suck technique would work well for me if I could only master it, as my problem, like yours apparently, is a floppy palate allowing air into the mouth. you might work on that while trying the other methods.

[Jimboiii]

Thank you, sheepless. Unfortunately, I have no idea what the "tongue suck" method is. Please elaborate.
-jim

[pen123]

I use a chin strap and try to keep my tongue at the roof of my mouth. This helps a lot, but sometimes air still comes out. What is your pressure say at?

[sheepless]

search the forum for it. OpalRose can explain in detail. I haven't got it down so not the best source to explain it. however, in short, it's learning to keep your tongue against the roof of your mouth, tip of tongue against upper teeth. this keeps air going in and out of your nose rather than letting air into your mouth.

[harrywr2]

I was a lifetime mouth breather. My Sleep doctor insisted I make a 'good faith' effort to use a nasal mask.
My 'secret' was to position my tongue on the roof of my mouth like I am going to make a 'clucking' noise with my tongue then hold it there.
I practiced while awake and in about a week it became 'habit' when I slept.
My dental hygienist has noted a dramatic improvement in my gums since I went on CPAP and used a nasal mask(6's and 7's became 3's and 4's) so it was worth the initial irritation and frustration. YMMV

[Captain Howdy]

Hey Jimbo. Just been through the exact same issue. I use a nose mask. I'd wake up with dry mouth, headache, sore throat and breath that will choke a rhino. Not sure where you're at with sleep or AHI etc etc... 

So  after
a bit of research I decided to try a chin strap. I am a mouth breather, my jaw falls open when I relax. Apparently, your mouth is not for breathing, it's the job of your nose. And many people who suffer from apneoa, breath through their mouth to compensate. 

So. I bought a chin strap and gave it a go. It took awhile to get used to breathing through my nose, but it's been a good week. AHI has fallen to below 2! I'm sleeping 7+ hours a night. It's crazy. I recommend doing a bit of research on chin straps. But here's a couple of things I learnt.

- don't need to tighten so much it clamps your jaw. Just tighten it enough that you can still open your mouth, but it's supported. So when you relax it stays lightly closed.
- I drooled heaps. It was rank. It got better the more I got used to it
- takes awhile to get used to breathing through your nose. But I learnt it's easy to retrain yourself. Use a non steroidal nose spray to clean the old nose. 
- I dialled back my pressure a bit as I found it hard to adjust.

Obviously do some research, go to the docs or whatever as I'm just a dude with no qualifications!