[CPAP] Issues with dry mouth waking me up since raising pressure, can't find good solution

[jlpool]

Hello everybody. I was previously having issues with my masks causing great tension at night as you can see in this thread, and raising the pressure seemed to help that issue be less bad, along with switching to a new nasal mask (the Resmed N20). This new one fits way better than any other I've had before, and other than this issue I'm having right now, is great.

The issue right now is that when I'm sleeping, my air pressure is now high enough that I can feel the air pressure in my mouth, and opening my mouth makes it shoot out. At night, this seems to be happening because I keep getting woken up at night with my throat/mouth completely dry - if I do nothing, it'd wake me up probably 5-6 times.

My leak rate is good, so if that's the problem, it can't be leaking very much or very often.

I've looked up the issue and what other people have tried, but none of the common solutions seem to have worked so far:

1) Taping my mouth shut leads to me suddenly freaking out and having to rip it off as if I'm suffocating within two hours of falling asleep. Not sure what's going on there or why that happens. A chin strap might not be *as* bad, but I'm skeptical to spend money if that also causes the same problem (since I believe the air's only coming out of the middle of my lips to begin with])

2) I've raised the humidity as much as I can without the heated tubing washing out. Technically I could try buying one of those cloth tube covers, but I'm not sure that's really the right solution to this problem.

3) Using biotene mouth rinse before bed helps, but that only lasts about 4 hours so when I use that I end up waking once or twice a night instead of 4-6 times. I saw posts suggesting Xylimelts so I'll purchase those when I run out.

4) Full face masks have always been a huge problem for me - my skull is a lot larger than average, so I have issues fitting anything from glasses to these masks, and every one of the full-faces I've tried so far has caused huge neck problems either because I have to tighten it so hard to keep it from leaking, or because even being as loose as it can go it's still too night and squeezes the back of my head and spine.



This has really been getting me down, and I'm not sure what else I can even do aside from the Xylimelts. Does the reaction from taping my mouth raise any alarms as to something that might be wrong? Or does anyone else have other suggestions? I did have surgery inside my nose (turbinate reduction) about two months ago and that's made it more prone to be irritated, so that might a factor, but I'm not sure since that hasn't bothered me in a while now.

[gainerfull]

Have you considered a full face mask with the large size head gear?

What about mouth tape but slicing a hole in the middle for the first couple of nights then gradually making the hole smaller over the course of a couple of days until you're comfortable with mouth tape?

Finally, have you tried a soft cervical collar? I recommend the velpeau brand. The mouth dryness is definitely coming from your mouth being blown open at night and staying open for long periods of time as evidenced by your leak rate chart. You essentially have your mouth open all night.

[MoreBeers]

I second the suggestion for Mouth Tape when using a Nasal Mask.

I switched to a ResMed P30i a few weeks ago, from a very problematic relationship with a ResMed F20 Full Face, and it has been a massive and welcome improvement.

However, I also suffered from very bad dry mouth initially, where the solution was just to use Mouth Tape.

I use Hypaflex Medical Tape, and found the 10 cm x 10 cm size was perfect, as I just need to cut off 3.5 squares and that fits over my mouth perfectly.

One tip, fold a small area at the corner of the Tape back on itself, because that makes rapid removal of the Tape very easy.

Otherwise, you will struggle to gain any purchase when trying to remove the Tape.

Another tip, is to blast Saline Nasal Spray, such as Olbas, up your bugle holes (AKA nose for non-English readers!) around an hour before bed and then, pre-bed, have a good face and mouth wash, and blast out any yuck from your bugle.

Do not use Medicinal Nasal Sprays, unless there is a good medical reason, as these can cause Arrhythmias, so should only ever be used short term IMHO. But Olbas is natural, and saline based, so can be used daily without any side effects. Or just use saline, that'll also work to help decongest the bugle before bed.


Aim to go to bed with as clear a bugle as you can, then the Mask and Humidification will go straight to work, and should keep your nasal airways clear thereafter.

Also, try not to allow your cheeks to inflate (the upper ones!), as that tends to lead straight to pressure venting from the mouth, and can force its way past the Tape if not well secured.

My wife also now uses a ResMed P30i, and she also used Mouth Tape initially, and for the same reasons, but found after a few weeks, she no longer needed it.

I started using the P30i later than her, so I am still using Mouth Tape, but suspect it won't be long before I can wean myself off that, possibly by reducing the area of my mouth that the Tape covers, until I can go without it totally.

Lastly, if I still get a dry mouth, it just means the Tape has been bypassed, or come partly off, due to me allowing my cheeks to inflate, and then blowing that pressure past the Tape. If I keep the Tape on all night, and my jaw closed, then I do not have any issues with dry mouth.

I hope that helps.

MoreBeers