Dry mouth and mask leak only on one side

Last night was my 4th night as a hose head. I.m adjusting is the best way to summarize so far.

Neck roll works but will have to soften it up by removing some stuffing.

I have noticed the mask leak and dry mouth only occurs when I.ve rolled to my right side. I had an inhome monitor so i don.t have any observations from a sleep study that would tell me.

Anyway, how can i tell if it.s an apnea episode that is causing the airflow to increase therefore causing hurricane airflow from the hose which dries out my mouth? When the air is blowing crazy like that my mouth fills with air and i feel like a puffer fish. Does the airflow increase when the machine detects a mask leak?

I was hoping not to wake up anymore at night. Good news is no more nap when i get home from work just to make it bed time.

Regina "To sleep, perchance to dream"

I am sorry for your CPAP issues. I have a wonderful solution. I have had the Inspire Therapy for almost 5 years and it is the perfect solution. It is an implant so there is not a maks, now hose, not water, just a remote to turn it on, then gives me time to go to sleep before it activates, them turn it off in the morning. I don't have any side effects, but do have wonderful rest. It is FDA approved and insurance companies are covering it. Check it out, you will be glad you did .

Hello @DiligentApricotLeopard8586. Whether your airflow changes during the night will depend on the mode of treatment you are using (CPAP, APAP, etc.). It may be worth checking with your equipment provider and physician to see if a download of your data might be helpful in identifying what is happening. Most newer machines can detect mask leak and compensate, so your pressure may be increasing slightly to compensate for mask leak. If you suspect this is an issue, I encourage you to also discuss your mask fit with your providers. It may be that a simple adjustment helps, or a different mask that fits better is needed. Glad to hear you no longer have the need to nap, and hopefully, your sleep will continue to improve! Best wishes!

OK... You are on your way and now is the time to start learning how to minimize the negatives associated with therapy. Answers will be general since you provided no info regarding machine type / pressure. Anyway, most if not all machines have a ramp function. My machine ramps between zero and twenty minutes. That means that it starts at a very low air pressure and gradually goes up to whatever the machine is set for by the prescription (for BIPAP / CPAP but not APAP which self adjusts). The ramp time starts at the lowest pressure possible and ramps up in the selected time period to the pre-set pressure. During this time, I always get air in my mouth but don't notice after since I am generally sound asleep. My machine was set on 20 minute ramp time and that was just too long for me so I tried turning it off and that was too abrupt a start so I settled on 5 minutes and that works well. I am generally sound asleep at five minutes.

Initially, I struggled with mask leaks and air leaking into my eyes and the mask making disgusting noises made it hard to fall asleep. I ended up cinching up the headgear so tight I was miserable. I have since started using mask liners for my full face mask and this mitigates air leaks and noises. The resmed report I receive each day indicates the mask is still leaking but I don't feel it. My AHI incidents are now super low (under 1 per hour) and last night I had NONE. The report showed the mask leaked like crazy but I didn't feel it nor do I care if the apnea is well controlled.

Dry mouth? I use Biotene mouth rinse which helps a lot and turn up the humidifier function as far as it will go on my machine which also heats the humidity. I still get dry mouth but I don't notice as I am out like a log when I sleep and quickly passes in the morning. I also get chapped lips sometimes. It doesn't bother me much compared to the therapy benefit.

I bought a wrist watch style blood oximeter and check my blood O2 level because my O2 levels before the use of the machine were horrible; often down into the low 70s for extended periods. This made me very sleepy while driving or working and the low blood O2 causes serious organ damage. That is a thing of the past and I do like to monitor this with my meter from time to time.

Goooooood luck... figure out what works for you!

I use nasal pillows on a CPAP device with a heated humidifier. My pressure is set to 8 whatever units. I use a Swift II mask. If I turn the humidifier on too high I get the rain forest effect. If too low I get a cold nose. In any case I get a very dry mouth. I don't know if it is a too tight mask or mask leaking. It is definitely a tricky balance to get the right combination of tightness and humidity. But what I always get is a bruised nose if the mask is too tight. Also on a nasal pillow mask be careful not to make the mask to tight as you might constrict airway and not get enough air.

Hello @NeedMoreInfo. Dry mouth may be a sign that you are mouth breathing or that air is escaping through your mouth. If that is the case, a chin strap may be helpful. It may also be helpful to confirm that the pillows you are using with your Swift are the proper size for your nose. Pillows that are too large or too small may cause the mask to leak. Nasal pillows should not be so tight as to bruise your nose or cause discomfort. If you experience issues with the skin at the tip of your nose, CPAP mask liners for nasal pillow, which can be found by doing a Google search, may be helpful. Hope this information helps, and best wishes!