How can I stop air coming out of the mouth ?

[tommyngo]

I been on the APAP for 2 months and stiil have not overcome the main issue : waking up several times during the night due to air intermittantly expelled from the mouth !

I have tried nasal mask & full-face mask, chin strap and even mouth-taping but to no avail !! The result is I feel tired in the morning . The situation seems worsened after my doctor suggested trying a narrower pressure range ( i.e. 8 to 13 cm H2O rather than from 5 to 20 cm H2O ) .

Last nite, I used the nasal mask , set pressure range at : 8 to 13 cm H2O . The air kept coming out of my mouth every few minutes, even thouh I had tried consciously breathing in and out through my nose !! I was dead tired in the morning !

Is there any hope for continuing using APAP in my case ?

I am thinking of sleeping face down without APAP ( i.e. like on a massage table with face support ) to see if I can alleviate apnea .

Please comment and help .... Thanks

[Sleeprider]

I don't think APAP is the issue. If you can't resolve losing air pressure through your mouth, you need a full-face mask. There are also hybrid masks that address this issue. It appears you've tried very hard, but not everyone masters the ability to seal off the airway with nasal therapy. APAP will work fine with a FFM or hybrid. What problems did you have with the FFM?

[sonicboom]

Don't give up - There are also some good suggestions on this thread:

http://www.apneaboard.com/forums/Thread-...-with-XPAP

[tommyngo]

What problems did you have with the FFM?

I still woke up a few time when using the FFM . The reason is the air pressure balloning up my cheeks and also drying throat due to air pumped in . Apparently, I opened my mouth under the FFM !

Another point is my AHI index averages around 20. under the FFM . For the nasal mask , the AHI mostly under 1. I do not know if the results are reliable but it is clearly the trend : much higher AHI with the FFM !!

[tommyngo]

Don't give up - There are also some good suggestions on this thread:

http://www.apneaboard.com/forums/Thread-...-with-XPAP

Thanks for the ref. I am reading it with great interest !!

[OpalRose]

tommyngo,
Do you have problems breathing in and out your nose due to congestion or other nasal issues?
If so, be sure to use nasal rinses and sprays to help with that.

I noticed you have not tried a nasal pillow mask. Is that a consideration? It could prove easier to use in combination with a chin strap.

The only other thing I can suggest is to use your tongue to seal off the air so it cannot escape out your throat. You do this by placing your tongue to roof of mouth with tip of tongue behind front teeth. Then suck lightly upwards. This allows your tongue to make a seal at the back of your throat so no air can escape. This does take some practice, but will work.
Much better than using a chin strap. :grin:

Also, your leak rates may be high due to this mouth breathing, and if you are showing high leak rates, your AHI number may not be accurate.

You are not going to feel well rested until you can get this under control. I suggest you download Sleephead software and start looking at your stats, especially leak rates.

[tommyngo]

[quote='OpalRose' pid='130659' dateline='1442076611']

I usually get some nose blocks in the Winter and this is the reason I have the FFM ready just in case .

I appreciate your kind tips & very helpful suggestions. Thanks .

[Dagmar]

I been on the APAP for 2 months and stiil have not overcome the main issue : waking up several times during the night due to air intermittantly expelled from the mouth !

This is driving me quite crazy too. I'm on my third chin strap. The Halo Chin strap so far is working the best for me but I have to tighten it down during the night a few times as it stretches. The Halo's design is excellent, I just wish the material were less stretchy.

Good Luck, don't give up!

[BKeeper]

I've had similar issues. Now 5 months in I'm getting good results. Early on I switched to nasal pillows and felt great but had unacceptable mouth leaks. When I switched to FFM, I had a heck of a time getting AHI under control and just couldn't zero in on proper pressures. Went back to pillows but with mouth taped (possibly dangerous, but I really wanted to figure this out!) with 2" paper tape. Same results as the FFM - high AHI and trouble finding right pressure. Finally guessed based on comments here that not only were pressure requirements higher on FFM than pillows, but also that I needed a tighter pressure range on APAP, possibly due to ResMed's aggressive pressure rises with flow restrictions and apneas. Now on a tighter 2 cm h2o pressure range and about 3 cm higher top pressure, I've got AHI consistently under 5 (and I feel good)! I'm about to go back to FFM and quit taping!

So - possible take-home for you is that you might need a tighter pressure range, and also that you might need higher pressures when mouth leaks are eliminated. I don't know how to zero in on these without either a period of adjusting pressures and watching the data with software so kindly offered here - or a really good sleep study titration.

[Ghost1958]

You will likely need to up pressure a bit but im beting a Fitife total face is your answer.
No cheek ballooning , the pressure is equal alm over your face. Doesnt feel so " pressury" sas other masks and makes no difference if you mouth is open or closed.
Used one for quite a while.