Does CPAP record apenas with open mouth?

[DCwom]

I haven't seen this discussed before, but occasionally I breath with my mouth when I sleep (I use nasal pillows). My API doesn't seem to be affected by this so I wonder how/if a CPAP records this as an event? Any ideas?

[zonk]

Its not straight forward as it seem bc obstructive apnea to do with closed airways and central apnea with open airways. If therapy air escaping as the mouth open it would lower the therapeutic pressure needed to prevent the airways from closing.
A chinstrap can help in this case.

[BabyDoc]

If you aren't having an obstructive event, it shouldn't matter whether your mouth is open or not. It will affect your leak rate, but not the AHI.

If you are having obstructive events and your mouth is open, the machine, because of the leak out of your mouth, may have trouble delivering the needed pressure to overcome that obstructive event. When it can't deliver the needed pressure, it will record an obstructive event and raise your AHI.

[Sleepster]

If you are having obstructive events and your mouth is open, the machine, because of the leak out of your mouth, may have trouble delivering the needed pressure to overcome that obstructive event. When it can't deliver the needed pressure, it will record an obstructive event and raise your AHI.

If you're having an obstructive event, and the machine records it as such, the machine is getting the data it needs to report an accurate AHI.

I would be suspicious, though, because I don't see how the machine can record an obstructive event when you're mouth-leaking.

[Sleepster]

I haven't seen this discussed before, but occasionally I breath with my mouth when I sleep (I use nasal pillows). My API doesn't seem to be affected by this so I wonder how/if a CPAP records this as an event? Any ideas?

You could be experiencing apneas and hypopneas while mouth-breathing or mouth-leaking and the machine is unable to record them. Therefore they wouldn't raise the AHI reported by the machine.

The issue, though, is that if you're mouth-breathing while wearing a nasal mask, your airway is not presurized by the CPAP machine, so it's as if you have no CPAP machine!

If a chinstrap won't prevent you from mouth-breathing then you'll need to go to a full face mask. If I were you, I'd discuss these issues with my doctor or equipment provider. They can supply you with the chinstrap or a different mask.