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Okay, thank you again.

I use a cervical collar to keep my head from dropping when I sleep and disrupting the mask seal. Is there a pillow that will accomplish the same thing? The collar is hot in the summer. Thank you.

Yes, that is very helpful. Thank you!

Yes, I use SleepyHead. The doctor tried all sorts of settings, and what I have is the best, I guess. My centrals are not even over 2 now; whereas before they were a big problem. I'll try mask fit and moving the mask to a different position too. Thanks for your help.

Thank you for responding. I use the Resmed AirCurve 10. It is a bi-level machine, set on VAuto. The pressure support is set at 4.0.

My pressure setting is, and I use every bit of it:
13 EPAP 18 IPAP

I am using the Resmed Airfit F30. I can get the mask to seal, but after a few hours of sleeping, a loud foghorn sound wakes me up. Does anyone know what could be causing that? The mask is already quite snug so I tried loosening it a little which seemed to help for an hour, but then the foghorn sound came back. Thank you for your help.

One more question, Sierra. Are your lips just in a natural, closed position when you cover them? I've read that some people will pull one lip over the other, but that doesn't work for me either.

Great. Thank you. I really appreciate your response. I'll give that a try.

I found quite a few posts about mouth taping, but how exactly do you apply it so it stays sealed through the night? I wake up, and my lips are parted, and the tape is wet. I’m using the Durapore tape made by Nexcare and a chin strap. I apply one strip horizontally across my thought and three short strips vertically and evenly spaced. Thank you for your help.

I also have a small face and cannot use a full face mask, though I have tried several. My machine is titrated to 20 with a pressure relief of 3.

If you are using a nasal mask, try using a chin strap in conjunction with taping your mouth with a strip of medical tape (Nexcare Durable cloth). You can find it at Walgreens and sometimes at Walmart. Some people use paper tape, but I could never get that to stay on. Make sure you fold the ends over about an 1/8 of an inch so it's easy to remove in the morning.

To help with the chipmunk cheeks, you may want to cut down a toenail separator (Walgreens) and place a piece under each of the mask straps and against your cheeks. I put a small make up round underneath each piece of the separator so they don't leave marks on my face. This will put slight pressure on your cheeks so that they will not puff out. Finally, make sure you use the ramp (at least 10 minutes) on your machine. The chipmunk cheeks will be even worse if you are not using the ramp.

I have had the same difficulties you describe and am finding that over time, my brain/body is learning what to do to prevent all that air from coming into my mouth, but it has taken a few months.

Xylamelts (CVS Pharmacy) are also very helpful with dry mouth. You can even put one on either side of your mouth between your cheek and gum line. It dissolves slowly as you sleep.

Hope that helps, and good luck.