How snug for chin strap?

General Discussion on any topic relating to CPAP and/or Sleep Apnea.
Sleepy-me

How snug for chin strap?

Post by Sleepy-me » Fri Oct 22, 2004 8:27 am

I've done everything other than buying a chin strap. Used a head band, an ace wrap, yet still wake up within couple hours. They are snug enough to know I have it on.

How snug should the chin strap be, to keep mouth closed during the night?


Thanks
Jan

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rested gal
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lip - not chin

Post by rested gal » Fri Oct 22, 2004 1:07 pm

Hi sleepy-me,

Many people find that just keeping the chin up (jaw closed) doesn't stop air leaking from the mouth at all. Or prevent mouth breathing, for that matter. Try this experiment: close your mouth, clench your teeth, close your lips, let your tongue relax down (don't hold your tongue against the roof of your mouth) and try to exhale. puffffffffffffffffffff

Air can easily puff out from between closed lips if the tongue doesn't seal it off from within your mouth. Holding your chin up isn't going to stop that from happening, no matter how tightly you fix a chin strap.

The only answer that's worked for me is constant practice trying to "train" my tongue to form a habit of staying plastered up against the roof of my mouth. It's easier to accomplish that if the jaw is being supported somewhat, but I personally would never use a chin strap so tight it hurts. Trying to use the tongue against the roof of the mouth probably wouldn't work at all for people who have an extremely high roof. I doubt their tongues could form an effective wide, flat seal up there.

An alternative position for the tongue that can block air from escaping is this: pull your tongue back and let it "widen" until it blocks off the entrance to your throat. Breathe through your nose. Even if your mouth falls open, the seal formed by the tongue filling the entrance to the throat will block off air from escaping through the mouth.

Either way, (tongue against roof of mouth - or dropped wayyy back) the problem is that the tongue may not stay in a sealing position during totally relaxed sleep. People who enjoy using nasal masks and never have air leaks through their mouths most likely have tongues that naturally stay in one of those positions or the other. The rest of us stuggle to find ways to stop the leaks.

imho (I'm not a doctor!) the absolutely surest way to prevent mouth air leaks is to tape your lips closed. Sounds dangerous, but a lot of people have to do that or their cpap therapy is next to useless. Treatment air escaping into the room doesn't get the job done. It must go where it's supposed to go - into the throat to hold it open. So, we do what we gotta do. Even if it means taping our lips firmly shut.

Sleepy-me

Thanks

Post by Sleepy-me » Fri Oct 22, 2004 3:06 pm

Taping the mouth shut might work, will give it a try tonight.
Not sure I can get to sleep, trying to keep tongue in place.

Thanks
Jan