I am sure this ahs come up before, but here is my situation.  I have been diagnosed as having "moderate" apnea.  This was a total surprise to me.  I have CPAP (a resmed S7) and a pressure setting of 9.   I have had the machine for just under a week.   My first several days went pretty well.  I experienced some notable relief particularly on the second day.  Last night and the the night before, things changed slightly.  My wife complained that the machine had become noisy compared to the other evenings, I noticed that I had not slept as well.  Last night I was on my own since my wife was complaining that the noise would keep her up.  I noticed that I woke uop several times from the noise of air escaping from my mouth.      

I don't think that I could deal with a full face mask.  I am hoping that this is a temporary situation and not a sign of my future with CPAP.  Does anyone have any thoughts to offer?

Thanks,

Paul

seriously_sleepy wrote:

I am sure this ahs come up before, but here is my situation.  I have been diagnosed as having "moderate" apnea.  This was a total surprise to me.  I have CPAP (a resmed S7) and a pressure setting of 9.   I have had the machine for just under a week.   My first several days went pretty well.  I experienced some notable relief particularly on the second day.  Last night and the the night before, things changed slightly.  My wife complained that the machine had become noisy compared to the other evenings, I noticed that I had not slept as well.  Last night I was on my own since my wife was complaining that the noise would keep her up.  I noticed that I woke uop several times from the noise of air escaping from my mouth.      

I don't think that I could deal with a full face mask.  I am hoping that this is a temporary situation and not a sign of my future with CPAP.  Does anyone have any thoughts to offer?

Thanks,

Paul

Paul,

Do you have a dry mouth in the morning ? This is usually a good sign that you are sleeping with your mouth open. The noise that your wife complains about is not from the machine, but from the mask.

I don't think I could hack a full face mask either. With a pressure of 9 you might consider nasal pillows, which will ensure that the air goes straight up your nares. If opting for this, it might be best to use a large size pillow as the smaller ones can be responsible for soreness in the nares.

Some people report great success with a chin strap. Not the prettiest of things but can be effective. Keeping your tongue on the roof of your mouth (behind front teeth) can be helpful. Not something you can do immediately, but I notice when I wake up that my tongue is usually there.

Any more questions, don't hesitate.

Daniel


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The untreated Sleep Apnoea sufferer died quietly in his sleep.......
Unlike his three passengers who died screaming !!!!!!

(Anon)

Paul, I used a full face mask my first 6 months or more of treatment.  Finally I began taping my lips shut with adhesive tape, in order to wear much more comfortable masks like the nasal pillows interfaces (Puritan Bennett's Breeze, ResMed's Swift, and Aeiomed's "Headrest" - that last one was formerly known as the "Aura", and is my favorite of all.)

Taping the lips shut to stop mouth air leaks sounds like a drastic thing.  A lot of us on the message boards do that, however, when we find that chin straps cannot stop treatment air from puffing out between closed lips, even with teeth clenched tight shut.  The tongue not being in a position to maintain an airtight seal within the mouth is the real culprit leading to mouth air leaks...not the position of the jaw.  Some have reported that a chin strap to keep their jaw up better makes their tongue get a good seal.  Chin straps don't do that for me, however.

Air gushing out the mouth can really wreck getting effective treatment.  We do what we gotta do, sometimes!    Tape works great for me.  Otherwise, I'd have to wear a full face mask every night.

Thanks for the helpful replies.  
This morning I didn't think that my mouth was particularly dry.  I suspect that the leaking is intermittent.   I don't recall which nasal mask that I have, but it is a Resmed.  I find it to be very comfortable.  As with anything new, I am going through a period of experimentation trying to get the fit to be ideal.  I haven't had a chance to look into nasal pillows, but this seems like an option I would like to explore.  

I am far from ready to give up on CPAP.  While I would prefer a solution that doesn't have me teathered to a machine, it would be nice not to be tired all the time.  I will also work on keeping my tongue on the roof of my mouth, perhaps that will do the trick.  I am not adverse to trying a chin strap or even tape.  I do know that I did go three nights without this issue, so some condition has changed.

I must admit sometimes taping my lips and agree that it seems drastic, periods of mouth breathing are I think recorded at sleep labs but Ive never been told
 I also think that a very dry mouth on waking suggests the mouth was open sometimes
Ive never tried a full face mask but it seems they are the future, especially a type that goes under the chin to help keep the jaw closed

The nasal pillows have been the best choice for me.  I have tried the normal nasal masks, the full face (hated it), etc.  Also having the pressuse increased may also help with the leaking.

Regards.


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I don't like tomatoes but I do like to make fun of Steven Seagal movies...

Thanks for the suggestion.  I am back on the machine after visiting having my visit to the ENT specialist.  It seems that I have been clenching my Jaw.  Last night was the first time back on, and I don't recall having my mouth open.  A good sign for sure.  

Its worth trying the nasal pillows to see if they work for me.