New Chin Strap experiment tonight

[FrankNichols]

Well, my Velcro arrived today, so tonight I try out the idea for a chin strap made from non-stretchy velcro and I will post to this thread in the morning on how it goes.

For those not familiar, there is a youtube video of a sleep doctor with an idea for chin straps. His idea is that most people have problems with the commercial chin straps because they are made with stretchy velcro, which allows you to open your mouth since the velcro stretches. His idea is to sew a couple pieces of velcro to a ball cap, and then make a loop of velcro that goes under your chin and up to attach to the cap/velcro. The Velcro used of course is the non-stretchy kind.

My idea for my first attempt is a little simpler. It sounds complicated below (reading the instructions) but it really is just wrapping 2 straps around your head and doesn't require any sewing or buying a ball cap.

I purchased 45 feet of 1 1/2 inch wide OneWrap Velcro. This is velcro that is double sided - loops on one side, hooks on the other, so it attaches to itself - inside attaches to outside so that it can be wrapped around things, like cables, and attached to itself where it overlaps. I purchased 45 feet because it was cheaper than 30 feet - I don't know why it is cheaper - but it was only $12.50 vs 30 feet which was $18.00 - Lol.

Okay, so here is my "design" for prototype #1:

2 pieces of 1 1/2 inch velcro One Wrap about 32 inches long each.

Instructions:

• Wrap a 32 inch piece around your head just above the eyebrows and ears forming a head strap.
  
• Attached it to itself so it is tight but comfortable.
  
• Be sure to put the soft (loop) side on the inside against your skin and not the sticky/pokey hook side which will scratch you.
  

• Wrap a 32 inch piece under your chin (soft side against the skin) and up over the top of your head.
  
• Attach it to itself on top of your head as tightly as you feel is comfortable. Also attach (just press) it to the head loop it passed over.
  

• (Option 1) Add a piece (about 12 to 14 inches) running from front to back over the top of your head and attaching to the head strap and the chin strap as it passes over them. This would be used if it needed more stability when tossing and turning while asleep.
  
• (Option 2) A 10 to 12 inch piece over your mouth and attach it on both sides to the chin strap.
  
• (Option 3) Place a piece of closed cell foam (about 1 1/2 inch x 5 inch x 1/2 inch) over the mouth and under the mouth strap/cover so it is more comfortable and seals the mouth better. (The mouth strap could also be long enough to go all the way around your head if needed for stability)
  

The two loops should provide stability to prevent it from coming off during flopping around while asleep.

We will see what happens. The first time I put it on I was surprised how comfortable it was - no where near as bad as I expected. So, I will play with the exact routing and tightness of the head strap and chin strap before going to bed tonight and then in the morning we will see how it worked.

I really really really (did I say really?) want to use the P10 Nasal Pillows and as some of you know I have tried everything I can think of to stop my mouth leaks - gluing my lips together, taping my mouth shut, several (many) chin straps, etc, etc, etc... eventually I learn how to defeat them all in my sleep and wake up to a very dry mouth and 90% major leak rates...

The total cost of this highly customizable chin strap is the cost of the velcro, which was about $13.00 delivered from Amazon. Cheaper than many commercial chin straps. Time to make the first version and fit it to my head - less than one minute. Just cut a couple strips and wrap them on my head, very simple.

Wish me luck!

Frank

[trish6hundred]

Hi FrankNichols,
Good luck with your homemade chin strap.
It will be interesting to see how you do when you post your results tomorrow.

[surferdude2]

I think you'll find that option 2 will be of great value for stopping the leakage through the lips, which is a common problem. An important point is to lap the bottom lip over the top one as far as is comfortable prior to applying the strap. That's the only way I have beat the leakage problem after trying ALL other methods.

Dude

[FrankNichols]

Well, this is tomorrow morning, and if you understand that you are more awake than I am

I used the DIY chin strap last night and I don't think I will be doing further tests.

1. It worked.
2. It was not as comfortable as I first thought it would be.
3. It is more comfortable than some of the commercial chin straps I own.
4. It stays on, and does not slip off like so many of the commercial chin straps I own.
5. (Edit) I almost forgot - it is VERY EASY to use, do not be intimidated but the DIY label. It is easier to put on than most of my commercial straps. And it stays on rather than slipping off.

The reason I wanted to test this is I wanted a way to use the P10 mask, and for that it worked, however, the reason I wanted to use the P10 mask was because of how light and comfortable it is. Adding the chin strap just negates that benefit and I don't see any reason to choose that over the F10 FFM.

Also, if you want to try this, a couple things I found.

1. Put the P10 on FIRST, then the chin strap. This is because the P10 head gear is made of soft fuzzy material, which will stick to the hooks on the outside of the chin strap, and it is NOT easy to get off once it gets stuck. By putting the P10 on first, the soft fuzzy side of the chin strap is against it and they don't stick together. Another way of looking at this is if your P10 head gear is stretching out so that it is no longer tight enough, sticking it to the chin strap solves that problem.

2. And extension of #1 - after putting on the chin strap don't get too close to anything soft and fuzzy, or you could end up wearing it. That 1 1/2 inch velcro loves to grab things and it holds on very tight - don't ask how I know this... (blankets don't make for very good hats.)

3. The cost of this chin strap beats any other I have seen. It costs roughly $1.30 per chin strap - of course I had to buy enough velcro to make 10 of them. If you can find a supply of smaller amounts that would be good, I bought 45 feet of the stuff (about $13.00 - or less than the cost of my Respiratronics Chin Strap). To make one strap you will need about 60 inches (or less depending on your head size) - so about 5 feet. Or you can buy 45 feet and make chin straps for 10 of your BFFs.

[BadGoodDeb]

ROFL laughing about the blanket sticking to you .... (sorry!)

Consider buying 1/4 yard of fleece or flannel fabric. Cut it into strips the same width as your velcro is, or maybe 1/8 inch bigger. Stick those to the outside of your new chinstrap thingy, so that nothing ELSE will stick to it.

I'm big into "making things work"!