Starting to mouth breathe after 3 weeks of CPAP?

[willo]

I know mouth breathing is common, but has anyone else started to do it after having several weeks of CPAP use where it didn’t seem to occur?

I figured out on night one or two that opening my mouth felt terrible and made it painfully dry. I was waking up with a normal, moist mouth, so I assume there was no mouth breathing.

The past few nights, I seem to be doing more and more of it. I’m waking myself up from the harsh feeling of an open mouth on CPAP.

Could I be starting to experience a deeper level of sleep, hence, the mouth relaxing?

Last night was by far the worst night I’ve had using CPAP. I got up to compliance hours, but mostly awake, reading, trying to get back to sleep after miserable, mouth-opening attempts to sleep...

[pholynyk]

I had something similar happen to me after I had been papping for a couple of months. I figure it was that I was finally relaxing into deeper sleep and my jaw was relaxing. I'm still (!) looking for a chin strap that really fits, after four years. I guess I'm not looking very hard.

[mesenteria]

My money is on that very process, and I hope you find it a happy result because it means you are changing....for the better.  So, I am solidly with pholynyk here.  I understand that the mouth breathing may not be at all welcome as a development, but at least we know you are getting the salutary benefits otherwise.   

You may end up with a chin strap, or try a cervical collar if you can tolerate the new warmth around your neck (I've been fighting with my wife for five months now about her struggle to breathe at night and her snoring, at which she agreed to try a collar.  She HATES it.  Detests. Loathes...with a passion.  But it's wear that or I sleep in the other bedroom.....again.

I have not tried a collar yet, but I recently tried a chin strap.  Nope, no dice.  Back to the tape for me.

[snorybob]

mesenteria:

I too, have to tape. Been doing it for the last 10 months. Tried a lot of masks (ffm-hybrid etc...) it did not work.  

 Still trying tongue technique Now I use the p10 & the: gregger (eliminator collar/rolled washcloth with rubber band underneath). 

It let me leave the collar looser (not as hot ) & serve the same purpose. Last night I used the N30i -1st time -Good #'s.

Imagine, collar /towel + tape +silicone mask!  Man, I must look scary! but I don't care.

10 months ago 41 AHI now around 1AHI.
I sleep a lot better, get up feeling great in a good mood, better half happy.  

You do what you need to do to improve your health, so for now, that's what matters!


       snorybob.

[217manor]

Hi, I use a medical paper tape across mouth, it works but, is not the greatest feeling. Have you discovered a better mouth sealing tape? I am in Australia so delivery from USA can be a problem. Any suggestions appreciated.

[mesenteria]

I use the 'waterproof' tape made by 3M Corp. with the brand name "Nexcare".  It must be the 2.5 cm wide stuff that comes on a white plastic spool, or sold as a roll if available.

Fold over a small tab on one end for easy grip and removal.  Tear off what you need.


I find it works well, for me, placing the upper edge just above my upper lip ridge with the rest below that point.  It might seem 'top light' that way, but it works.  I also puff out my cheeks, lips pursed and held closed, to simulate the condition in which the tape will be stressed while I am asleep and my lips puff out during the pressure, before I adhere the tape into place.  May sound ridiculous, but that is how I have gotten a consistently good fit, and a durable one.

[217manor]

Thank you for your reply. I have used that tape but find that it leaves my face sticky after I remove the tape. Do you do anything to minimise this?
Greg

[mesenteria]

I don't have that problem, or if I am left with a sticky face, it hasn't intruded on my perception sufficiently that I have noticed.  About all I have noticed, me a nasal mask user, is that both my nose and forehead feel oily after using the PAP overnight.  I sure hope my lungs aren't...…………..  

If I touch my upper lip immediately after removing the tape it might feel slightly tacky, but that does not persist through the morning.  Now, at 1400 hours my time, and seven hours after rising, and not having washed my face or shaved, the skin around my mouth feels normal...no tackiness, nor is it oily.

[217manor]

Hi, have you tried Primafix plus 5cms x 5 m. I am waiting to obtain a supply to give it a go.
Greg

[Sleep2Snore]

Well, for what it's worth. I didn't have any air leak out of my mouth when I started, it was not a problem at the start.
The biggest problem was the mask cutting into the bridge of my nose, took a long time and a lot of very long journeys before the Sleep Nurse offered Nasal Pillows after a cupboard full of masks that were useless.
Only after about 3 weeks of using Nasal Pillows did I start to get dry throat and mouth. Then I woke one day to air escaping out a gaping mouth, so I took a bandage that stretched and wrapped it round my head to keep my mouth shut. Still I got the dry mouth and I woke up not being able to breathe. So the Humidifier I got was turned up to the point where I was almost drowning some nights (We didn't get humidifiers here in the UK as they were so expensive, but they did give you them if you protested you couldn't use CPAP without one, I tried to use it without one, but I woke up and I struggled to get any air down my windpipe. I used a spray bottle stuck in my mouth and pulled the trigged to spray directly into my mouth and down my throat. I was desperate to make CPAP work, it did but I had problems with leaks and dryness) then one night I work up to my lips parted and air coming out of them, I thought I had the Ah Ha moment, so taped them up. This didn't work for reasons of tape coming off due to dribbling and tape coming off, then it was not good trying to take it off in the mornings it stayed on.
More pressure was added and the humidifier was turned up and though I still had leaks and a bit of dryness I managed to cope with it, but this was with a fixed machine where a leak didn't mater so much as I had more pressure that I needed.
Fast forward to today where I now have a APAP machine that only delivers whet I need, though it will compensate for a leak, I get an angry red face if it leaks, so as I hated seeing the red face, even though I was doing fine and I was around 0.3AHI I didn't like seeing the red faace and I was back to dryness again.
I got a chin strap from the Sleep Centre, but it never stayed in lace and stretched more than a bungee rope!
So I looked around and sent away for ones from Ebay, made in China and went over the head, round the ears and the back of the head.
They are not perfect, but a huge improvement. I found the bit at the chin needed a bit of reinforcement as it split, but these though not shown on Ebay used this way can go just under the front of the chin, be pulled tight over the head and the rest of the headgear holds it from slipping, it also holds the Nasal Pillow headgear from moving.
I still get a slight leak out through my lips, but two thirds of the night have passed by this time, a small sip of water returns moisture to the mouth and I can work away till morning. I keep a bottle of fresh water in a pull up stopper (pull u to drink) take a sip and go back to sleep.
I know someone that uses a silicone/latex exercise strip to go round his mouth and he say this stops air escaping out of his lips. I don't know what he uses to fasten it, but he used Nasal Pillows and he say it does not interfere with them.
I must try this some day, I have one of these around somewhere.
Air leaks and mouth breathing is always a bit of a problem, unless you use a full-faced mask, but I found when I used a full-faced mask I still had a dry mouth from breathing through my mouth.
IO had to teach my brain that I had to breath through my nose, yes it took a few weeks to get this through my thick skull, but I got there in the end. All I have to do is to get my lips t stay closed against the pressure of CPAP.