[Pressure] New to cpap and I need direction

[mountainsleep]

Last night was my first night on cpap. I had to wear a chinstrap tight to keep air from blowing out my mouth. I had similar problem in sleep study but I did fall asleep. I will call doctor Monday but I would appreciate direction from others who have overcome this issue. I have Phillip's Remstar Pro C-Flex with humidifier and a nasal mask. My setting is a 6. I had great difficulty falling asleep. I felt like I had to keep my mouth forced closed or bursts of air would come out. I read about an auto device from Phillips and Resmed. Should I look into another system or do I just stick with this until I get used to this. Is this simply what we must go thru when we first start? Much thanks for any help.

[woozie38]

Last night was my first night on cpap. I had to wear a chinstrap tight to keep air from blowing out my mouth. I had similar problem in sleep study but I did fall asleep. I will call doctor Monday but I would appreciate direction from others who have overcome this issue. I have Phillip's Remstar Pro C-Flex with humidifier and a nasal mask. My setting is a 6. I had great difficulty falling asleep. I felt like I had to keep my mouth forced closed or bursts of air would come out. I read about an auto device from Phillips and Resmed. Should I look into another system or do I just stick with this until I get used to this. Is this simply what we must go thru when we first start? Much thanks for any help.

Many forum members have posted a lot of information on this particular problem, viz. therapy air exhausting via the mouth. It's a common problem & one which most of us have encountered. Among suggestions are use of a chinstrap, training the tongue, mouth taping and lastly,changing to a full face mask.
Out of these, I am convinced, the most effective solution is to change to a FFM such as F&P's "Simplus". In any event, if the situation is allowed to continue, your therapy will be compromised, you will have "dry mouth" & your dental health will deteriorate. I recommend changing your mask & I hope you do so soon. Good Luck

[mountainsleep]

Last night was my first night on cpap. I had to wear a chinstrap tight to keep air from blowing out my mouth. I had similar problem in sleep study but I did fall asleep. I will call doctor Monday but I would appreciate direction from others who have overcome this issue. I have Phillip's Remstar Pro C-Flex with humidifier and a nasal mask. My setting is a 6. I had great difficulty falling asleep. I felt like I had to keep my mouth forced closed or bursts of air would come out. I read about an auto device from Phillips and Resmed. Should I look into another system or do I just stick with this until I get used to this. Is this simply what we must go thru when we first start? Much thanks for any help.

Many forum members have posted a lot of information on this particular problem, viz. therapy air exhausting via the mouth. It's a common problem & one which most of us have encountered. Among suggestions are use of a chinstrap, training the tongue, mouth taping and lastly,changing to a full face mask.
Out of these, I am convinced, the most effective solution is to change to a FFM such as F&P's "Simplus". In any event, if the situation is allowed to continue, your therapy will be compromised, you will have "dry mouth" & your dental health will deteriorate. I recommend changing your mask & I hope you do so soon. Good Luck

I appreciate your help.

[truetopath]

You shouldn't really have to cinch down the chin strap. As R_G says it should gently encourage your jaw to stay forward. As far as popping your mouth open, I found auto mode causes more problems for me. Best of luck to you!

[trish6hundred]

Hi mountainsleep,
WELCOME! to the forum.!
You shouldn't have to wear your chinstrap so tight. The idea is to gently move your jaw forward so as to help keep your mouth closed.
Hang in there for more suggestions and much success to you with your CPAP therapy and fine tuning it.

[trailrider]

My thought is that 6 is too low for you to breathe in comfortably and you are opening your mouth to get more air in. This messes up the inhale and exhale with the machine and it all gets frustrating. If needed don't be afraid to turn the pressure up a couple of notches to 6.4 or 6.8 or 7.

[worn_out_in_lebanon]

Many forum members have posted a lot of information on this particular problem, viz. therapy air exhausting via the mouth. It's a common problem & one which most of us have encountered. Among suggestions are use of a chinstrap, training the tongue, mouth taping and lastly,changing to a full face mask.

I can totally relate, and am in the same process, and have tried all of the above.

Another option to add to the list is a hybrid mask. It has nasal pillows mounted on top of a mouth-only mask. I'm finding this is easier to get a seal than a full face mask, and more comfortable to wear too. It solves the problem of air escaping through the mouth.

Currently I have the Respcare/Innomed hybrid, and will be trying the Mirage Liberty soon. The Liberty has "dual-wall" nasal pillows like the P10 that I'm accustomed to.

[Moriarty]

Last night was my first night on cpap. I had to wear a chinstrap tight to keep air from blowing out my mouth. I had similar problem in sleep study but I did fall asleep. I will call doctor Monday but I would appreciate direction from others who have overcome this issue. I have Phillip's Remstar Pro C-Flex with humidifier and a nasal mask. My setting is a 6. I had great difficulty falling asleep. I felt like I had to keep my mouth forced closed or bursts of air would come out. I read about an auto device from Phillips and Resmed. Should I look into another system or do I just stick with this until I get used to this. Is this simply what we must go thru when we first start? Much thanks for any help.

First night could be the hardest...

I did try a chinstrap when I first went to Nasal Pillows - i was told it was essential. I found for me the strap did not help one bit. It kept my jaw shut but did nothing to keep my lips shut. I experimented with what it took to breath through my nose while I was awake and found that tongue placement was critical for me. It seems counter-intuitive but when I got it right I found that the pressure actually locked my tongue in place holding the seal against the inside of my gums....
Its difficult to describe and can be different for different folks but it is worth persevering to see if its possible for you.

Good luck.

cheers

David

[mountainsleep]

Thanks to all for the input!