does anyone else get a tremendously dry mouth at night?  When I wake up, it is bone dry,  Is it from the air pressure?

Also, I was having a bit of trouble with my Ultra Mirage nasal mask, so I went to the medical supply and got the breeze sleep gear to try.  It seems that both have benefits, and challenges, so I am keeping both to alternate when I need to.  I have been using the sleepgear for several nights, and feeling very comfortable, but last night, I had a sore place in one of my nostrils, so I switched back to the ultra mirage, and had a good night.

Amyma wrote:

does anyone else get a tremendously dry mouth at night?  When I wake up, it is bone dry,  Is it from the air pressure?

Also, I was having a bit of trouble with my Ultra Mirage nasal mask, so I went to the medical supply and got the breeze sleep gear to try.  It seems that both have benefits, and challenges, so I am keeping both to alternate when I need to.  I have been using the sleepgear for several nights, and feeling very comfortable, but last night, I had a sore place in one of my nostrils, so I switched back to the ultra mirage, and had a good night.

Hi,

Dry mouth is usually an indication that your mouth is open during sleep (while using a nasal mask).

I'm not familiar with the nasal pillows, but I believe that people can have some problems getting used to them. Soreness in the nares can be caused by high pressure leading to a 'breaking in' period. This can be offset by a gel (call your supplier). The other cause, I believe, is that the actual silicone pillows are too small. They come in a number of sizes and you may need a larger size.

Kind regards,

Daniel

I had the same problem.  I switched to a full face mask. (F&P HC431).  I use a heated humidifer on a setting of 3 or 4 (REMStar Plus w/c-flex CPAP).  I still occasionally have dry mouth, but never as bad when I was using a nasal mask.  The chinstrap never worked for me.  My mouth still pops open w/ chinstraps and I have tried several different types.

I bought my FF mask out-of-pocket since my insurance wouldn't pay for another one until six months.  It was worth the $125 that I paid for it...  Sleep, Sleep, Sleep... blessed Sleep!


_________________
mesocosm

OSA / PLMD / Atrial Fibrillation

Amy,  Daniel gave good advice about using a gel to help ease discomfort while getting used to nasal pillows.   Ayr gel,  KY jelly, and Neosporin ointment are some of the most popular.

Also as Daniel said, using a bigger size of nasal pillows can help - bigger than most DME's would "fit" you with.   DME is message board shorthand for the "home health care supplies store" - the people that sell you "Durable Medical Equipment".

The sizes of Breeze nasal pillows are in these colors:

Blue - small
Clear - medium
Light mint green - large
Lavender - extra large

I'm a woman with average size face and smallish nares (the openings to the nostrils) but I find the "Large" nasal pillows very comfortable with the Breeze.   "Large" stay more to the outside of my nostrils, sealing very well without having to be crammed up insides the nostrils.

Some find it helpful to rotate between two or more masks that suit you....keeps any one interface from pressing on the same areas, night after night.

If you are leaking treatment air out your mouth - very likely since you described a dry mouth - you really will have to get that problem solved.  Gotta get that air going where it can really do the job.  Air detouring out the mouth won't keep the throat open.   As mesocosm said, you might need to go to a full face mask (covers nose and mouth) if you can't stop the mouth leaks or mouth breathing while wearing a nasal mask or nasal pillows.

A woman on another message board came up with a design for a homemade mouth guard that several, including me, have been able to make for ourselves.  Stops our mouth air leak problems and lets us wear whatever mask we choose:

Topic started by frequenseeker Dec 01 2004   subject: mouth leak solution, cheap DIY oral appliance