Best method to wear chinstrap with nasal cushion mask?

[LaurenceShaw]

Deborah K.,

Thanks, but I believe that the leaks are from positional changes of the nasal cushion mask while moving around when asleep.  Also, when I awaken in the night I like to grab a little water from a bedside bottle.  Although I'll concede that the dry mouth which leads me to want a drink could be a result of mouth breathing despite the chin strap, I'm not fond of the idea of taping my mouth shut.  My objective is to have minimally invasive CPAP, which is why I use a top of head attachment mask and prefer the nasal cushion to the full mask.  If necessary, since the leaks are typically at worst from 5% to 8% (but have been less than 2% yet a few times close to 30%, which of course is unacceptable), I'll probably just live with it.  My hope in opening this thread was that others might have favorable experience in putting the chin strap OVER the mask, but then I tried it myself and saw that it compressed the air tubes which run along the side of one's face from the top of head connection to the actual nasal cushion.  So that isn't going to be a remedy.  Maybe I'll get a different kind of contoured pillow; I have one now which is higher/lower on the two long sides, but is quite firm so might not give way and instead may push the mask depending on my position.

So, if you are waking up with dry mouth regularly, why do you believe the chin strap is working for you?  Since you do have leaks.  Can you  differentiate between mask leaks and mouth leaks?