dry mouth

General Discussion on any topic relating to CPAP and/or Sleep Apnea.
gacnfdr8
Posts: 1
Joined: Tue Oct 12, 2004 11:04 am

dry mouth

Post by gacnfdr8 » Wed Oct 13, 2004 9:18 am

I don't recall waking with a dry mouth during my sleep study. Now, it is a nightly occurence. Has anybody had this experience and if so what did you do to correct it? I have tried adding more moisturre by turning the dial on my machine to maximum. Doesn't seem to help. Any suggestions? Thanks

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JudyAnn
Posts: 195
Joined: Thu Sep 09, 2004 8:32 am

Post by JudyAnn » Wed Oct 13, 2004 10:11 am

When I first started treatment in July of this year, I would wake up choking and with a very desert dry mouth. My mouth would drop open and then the air that was going up my nose would go in a circle through and out of my mouth causing me to get the "desert dry mouth" and choak. I got a chin strap and have not had the problem since.

Maybe that is what is happening to you and maybe a chin strap will help also.

Let us know.
Judy

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rested gal
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Joined: Thu Sep 09, 2004 10:14 pm
Location: Tennessee

dry mouth

Post by rested gal » Mon Oct 18, 2004 5:25 pm

gac, besides just the discomfort of having a dry mouth, there's a more important consideration. If you are doing either of these things.... leaking therapy air out your mouth before it can reach your throat or breathing through your mouth some of the time while you sleep with a nasal mask, you're not really getting full therapy all the time.

A chin strap solves the problem for some people, as it does for JudyAnn; but for many, a chin strap doesn't get the job done. If you sit there right now, close your mouth and even clench your teeth closed lightly, then try to exhale like that, you'll see that air leaks can happen easily. Exhaled air can puff right out, even with the jaw completely up. The trick is keeping your lips closed - firmly enough to prevent puffs of exhaled air from "unsealing" them. Once unsealed (and remember muscles get relaxed when sleeping) then a little leak can become a big one - and pretty soon air can be gushing.

If a chin strap doesn't get the job done, another possiblity (used with a chin strap, or by itself) is to wear an Ace bandage or even a stretchy headband, across your closed lips at night - to help keep them closed. If the Ace can also keep the sides of your cheeks from ballooning out, so much the better. The less air that builds up in your mouth, the less chance of it puffing out through your lips.

Something else that can help is to start practicing keeping your tongue in a position to close off air escaping either in or out of your mouth. A good "sealing position" for the tongue is to have the tongue thrust forward and upward, placed against the roof of the mouth... the same position the tongue goes into when you swallow. If you will consciously put your tongue in that position when you are ready to sleep, and move it back into that position again any time you are awakened by mouth leaks, its possible to eventually train your tongue to form a habit of sealing off mouth leaks. If you don't want to use accessories (storebought or homemade) to keep your mouth and lips closed, and your mouth does hang open a bit (or a lot) when you sleep, an alternative is to let the back of the tongue drop way back...using the base of the tongue to seal off the entrance to your throat.

Or, you can do what many do about mouth leaks - use a full face mask (covers nose and mouth only) so that it doesn't matter whether you breathe through your nose or your mouth - all the treatment air will get into you, one way or another. A heated humidifier is even more important if air flow is going to be hitting the inside of your mouth.

Sleepyhead
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Joined: Tue Oct 19, 2004 7:17 am

dry mouth

Post by Sleepyhead » Tue Oct 19, 2004 3:39 pm

There are mouth washes made primarily for Diabetics for dry mouth. They are the brands Biotene, Mouthkote and Salivart. I have used Biotene, and it works very well. They have tooth paste also. You can find it in the drug store with mouth washes. It comes in a white plastic bottle Try using it before you go to bed and in the morning. It's worth a try. I don't have humidity problems with my CPAP, as I live in Florida.

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JudyAnn
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Post by JudyAnn » Tue Oct 19, 2004 3:44 pm

You know, I live in Georgia and I am going to try my machine one night without the humidifier because right now I keep it at 2 and don't notice anything.

Judy