Breathe-right Nasal Strips

Would breath-right nasal strips be a help, hindrance, or waste to my CPAP therapy? If it really opens up the airway as advertised, I could understand how it would help, but I figure it may mess with the seal of my mask.

I've used them before I started therapy, but haven't seen a need for them since.

I'm assuming that you mouth breathe since your mask type is listed as the Quattro FX. The only mask types where these might help would be nasal prongs or pillows, and even then, the pressure would do a better job of keeping your nasal passages open than the strips would.

I gave them a shot for the initial first month I used a nasal face mask with my new CPAP machine and I'd have to say that they worked okay for solving my nasal stuffiness/constriction issues. Of course it was another PITA level of preparation but I was prepared to accept that. However, once I switched to ResMed's FX nasal pillows BreathRite strips were no longer necessary or relevant.

DiverCTHunter wrote:I've used them before I started therapy, but haven't seen a need for them since.

I'm assuming that you mouth breathe since your mask type is listed as the Quattro FX. The only mask types where these might help would be nasal prongs or pillows, and even then, the pressure would do a better job of keeping your nasal passages open than the strips would.

Yeah, I am a big time mouth breather! Okay, so they would be a waste of money. That's what I figured. Thank you!

I've been using breathe right strips every night for several years. For me, they reduce the amount of mouth breathing that I may do, which results in less dry mouth.
I usually use the Mirage Quattro, and sometimes the QuattroFX.

Are they worth trying? yes, definitely. If you buy the ten pack, it's really not much of an investment for you to just find out for yourself if it suits you.

Vader wrote:I've been using breathe right strips every night for several years. For me, they reduce the amount of mouth breathing that I may do, which results in less dry mouth.
I usually use the Mirage Quattro, and sometimes the QuattroFX.

Are they worth trying? yes, definitely. If you buy the ten pack, it's really not much of an investment for you to just find out for yourself if it suits you.

I may have to try them out then! Awesome avatar by the way!

I tried them once. By the second night they were removing the skin of my nose. But they did work a bit.
At one point I had a little thing that went into the nose and did the same thing. It did help to let more air through.

None of them helped with the snoring.

tbhit wrote: Awesome avatar by the way!

Thanks. My awesomeness is exceeded only by your excellent sig line verse!

Most of the time, "apnea" is too far away from your nostrils to be helped by something like that.

However, if you also have a problem with narrow nostrils, they might improve your breathing and help reduce mouth breathing.

I tried them, but could never get them to stick to my nose for more than an hour or two....

archangle wrote:Most of the time, "apnea" is too far away from your nostrils to be helped by something like that.

However, if you also have a problem with narrow nostrils, they might improve your breathing and help reduce mouth breathing.

Then, should I mean that it has got not much use with ff mask?

growing wrote:

archangle wrote:Most of the time, "apnea" is too far away from your nostrils to be helped by something like that.

However, if you also have a problem with narrow nostrils, they might improve your breathing and help reduce mouth breathing.

Then, should I mean that it has got not much use with ff mask?

Even if you use a FFM, it's still better to breathe through your nose as much of the time as possible.

I tried them several times pre-cpap. I'd wake up with the same side as usual completely closed off, and I was using the super-duper ones, too! And they do tend to be hard on your skin. I guess everybody's mileage varies. (I have friends for whom they work great, but they're not using them with a xpap machine.)

Dr. Krakow did a study on them, showing they improved sleep if used for several weeks. I'm currently doing a randomized self-trial of breatherite vs. nozovent vs. nothing, will report in a couple months. Of course, I'm switching every night, whereas the study did it for weeks. My sleep changes based on colds, the weather, my other interventions, so I don't trust data that isn't randomized every day, at least for me.

I think it will depend a lot on your airway architecture, for some people they might make a huge difference by enabling nose breathing, or reducing flow limitation. For others, say someone who sleeps on their back and their tongue falls back and blocks the back of their mouth, they won't do a thing.

archangle wrote:

growing wrote:

archangle wrote:Most of the time, "apnea" is too far away from your nostrils to be helped by something like that.

However, if you also have a problem with narrow nostrils, they might improve your breathing and help reduce mouth breathing.

Then, should I mean that it has got not much use with ff mask?

Even if you use a FFM, it's still better to breathe through your nose as much of the time as possible.

Thanks for reminding about the importance of nose breathing. Yes, researchers say the benefits of nose breathing are multifarious and systemic beside its role in sleep apnea.