I have recently returned to using my CPAP, and I probably will be back with many more questions, but this one has me baffled right now so hopefully someone can help. I had a Resmed S9 and it was having issues including the humidifier not seeming to work. So I got a brand new machine the other day (the 10) and it's definitely using the water because the water chamber is almost empty in the morning but my throat and mouth are super dry several times a night. I have a nasal mask, but I also use a chin strap to keep my mouth closed. I really don't think my mouth is actually opening because in the past that would always wake me up and my lips aren't drying out at all.
What seems to be happening is that while my lips are staying closed my jaw is still dropping enough for the air to flow from my nose through my mouth without actually leaking. My chin strap already has to be rather uncomfortably tight to be very effective, any tighter and I doubt I could tolerate it.
At first I thought I should bump up the humidifier but last night I changed it from 5 to 6 and I woke up with a tube full of noisy water droplets.
Any thoughts on what I can do to prevent this from happening?
Thanks! Heather
I need a lot of humidity too, and one thing which helped with the water issue is to increase the temperature in your tube (if you have heated tubing). If your room is very cool, without the heating you'll start getting condensation inside the tube. Try increasing the temperature one degree at a time and see if that helps.
Patty
I don't have heated tubing, but maybe I should look into it when I get my next set of supplies. I skipped it the first time they asked because honestly I don't like the idea of warm air coming at me. I tend to always be rather hot so I thought that would just make it worse. But if it helps me get enough moisture without causing the tube to fill with water I guess it's worth a try.
Thanks!
I used to wake up with very dry mouth, but then I was given a heated tube to go with my Resmed 10 and it certainly has helped quite a bit. I also used a nasal mask. My mouth is sometimes a little dry but nowhere near as bad as what it used to be. I have both the humidifier and heated tube on auto setting and I have not noticed any difference between not having the heated tube and having the heated tube in regards to hot air. I was also given a chin strap which certainly reduced quite significantly the leaks registered on the machine that I was having with sleeping with my mouth open.
My experience has been that dry mouth and a lot of water being used points to your mouth opening a bit and air escaping that way. There are numerous ways that folks have found to keep this from happening; as has been pointed out, the strap, tape (ouch) and I use a mouth guard. All these mitigate mask leak which is really mouth leak. My pressure is set 21/25 and I have the humidity on 2 and a tank lasts 3-4 days (UNLESS I HAVE MOUTH LEAKS) and these will use the water in a single night.
SleepyMommy703, any updates? Just curious being that I'm having the same issues. I just purchased the climate hose so I'll let you know if it worked for me.
How did it work out? My doctor's office just ordered the heated hose so I have yet to give it a try. The dentist also gave me Biotene at my cleaning last week but I haven't used that yet either. I don't anticipate that is going to make any difference as I'm making saliva I'm just getting dried out by the air flow.
I can't quite figure out why some nights it's really bad and others not as much. Maybe it's partially my position. Same goes for leaks though. Some nights I have a perfect 20/20 score for leaks and others I drop to 11 but I do the same thing each night. So frustrating.
I wake up after 2 hours and have to peel my lips from my teeth and gums. I have actually ripped skin off doing that. I sip water now, but still wake up the same way. Is there a humidifier that you can hook up with any machine? It did work back a few years ago. It is to the point now when sometimes I don't even put it on and most times leave it off after the first wake up.
I'm the same. If the pain from my dry mouth doesn't wake me up by 2 hours, my humidifier will be bone dry & my lips are stuck to my teeth. My tongue feels like I've been licking cactus. I have a heated hose & I use biotene as well as a mouth wash. I have tried a chin strap - it was not help either. None of it works. I am at a complete loss & getting desperate. Any other recommendations would be gratefully accepted.
SleepMommy703, the air always flows from your nose through your mouth as the 2 are joined and the join doesn't close (barring horrible injury), so I doubt that is the cause of your woes. You mentioned that when you turn up you get noisy condensation, which in the business we call rain out. Do you have a heated tube? If so, try turning up the tube heating level also. Also, you can try tucking the hose under the covers with you to keep it warm and thus prevent rain out. Another good trick is to wrap it in a scarf for insulation. You can buy CPAP tubing insulators, but they work no better than a scarf and are expensive, so I wouldn't bother. Have you considered trying a full face mask to see if this reduced your dry mouth? If you don't like the bulk of them, the Amara View works very well for most people and is much smaller the average full face mask.
Hi Sleepymommy-I'm a sleepy mommy too! As it happens, I have a bite splint. When I first started to use my CPAP, I chose NOT to wear my bite splint for fear of adding too many factors.
But over the weekend I started using it again and WOW! No dry mouth or throat. None at all. I think the bite splint closes the remaining space in my mouth so that there is no place for air to travel. Even if you don't use an orthodontic appliance, WiredGeorge mentioned using a mouth guard. You can pick one of those up at a sporting goods store.
Hmm. I am supposed to wear retainers at night but haven't in a while. I wonder if that would be enough to fill up the space. I'll go ahead and give it a try.
Thanks!
That sounds perfect. I have an upper bite splint and a lower retainer. Mine still fit because I had braces as an adult, and don't want to get old lady teeth as I age (my orthodontist warned me about that). I'd love to know if this works for you-not sure if my situation is simply a fluke. I've been trying to avoid using the humidifier because it just adds a layer of complication that I don't want. It also makes the Resmed significantly smaller.
I had previously mentioned I used a mouthgaurd purchased from amazon.com. This type mouthguard is known as a boil and bite type. You put it in boiling water for 10 seconds then bite down on it to form impressions of your bite. Problem is, I ruined 3 of the 4 I had purchased as they turned into blobs from being in the was too long (obviously). I bought a new type boil and bite from eBay that doesn't require boiling; only very hot water and is much less prone to melting. Seems to be superior material:
I have large mouth leakage, rarely exceeding a 5 on myair...this lead to bad dryness, it could be alleviated(somewhat) by turning the humidity up(have heated hose as well). However, this was more humidity than I wanted...got a chin strap, turned humidity to 2 and heat to 80 and got moisturizing lozenges by ACT...usually, I awake after 5hrs sleep to use the facilities and pop a lozenge at that time...this has solved most of my dry mouth and even helped with mouth leakage since everything is staying lubricated...I also wear dentures which I remove at night causing me to work at "training" my tongue to stay glued to my palate...these things have allowed me to achieve around 15 on myair and sometimes a 20 (wahoo).............. madjack
Thanks for your help. I've been on cpap since Tuesday, May, 5 and I have horrendous dry mouth. I can't nose breathe due to my bone disorder so I use the Phillips full face mask and I also have dentures which I remove every night. I do us hated tubing and heated humidifier but the dryness is making me want to quit and continue using my tracheostomy for sleep apnea.
Just to be clear. If you raise the temp AND the humidity it should reduce the sore throat? As a recent user of CPAP, I find the air hot and b/c of claustrophobic feelings. So, I lowered the temp. Ill try increasing humidity, and hope it won't result in "rain out",which sounds bad. Thanks for past posts, and any replies I might get. Haven't slept much, or well, in a 6 weeks
If your sore throat is being caused by dryness, then increasing the humidity should reduce the soreness. Turning up the temperature of your heated tube will prevent rain out (condensation inside the mask and tube). So, if you are dry/sore increase humidity. If you are getting rain out then increase the tube temp.
The humidifier seems to be working well as most of the water is gone. the funny thing is that I switched to an air sense ten from the fisher and P Sleep style and this humidifier is heated but does not have heated tubing. Though I had rain out, no more dry throat. I must be rally warped or something.
I think the secret is to get the humidity as high as possible without causing rainout. The ResMed AirSense 10 has an automatic humidity control setting that does this, but it requires the heated hose to make it work. It works well for me. The heated hose can be bought as an option and costs in the range of $35 or so.
