If you struggle with mouth breathing or dry mouth while using continuous positive airway pressure cpap therapy for sleep apnea keep in mind that there are several things you can do that will help.
Cpap nose pillows mouth breathing.
Although mouth breathing is a common characteristic among those with sleep apnea many will find that sufficient airflow delivered via cpap can open the nose up.
This may require some accommodations.
If you breathe through your mouth at night or sleep with your mouth open some cpap devices may worsen dry mouth.
So when it s bedtime sit on your bed and place mask on your face with straps loose.
These air leaks often awaken users causing sleep fragmentation.
A chin strap may help keep your mouth closed and reduce the air leak if you wear a nasal mask.
Mouth breathing allows for air leaks that compromise cpap efficacy as air delivered through the nose exits the open mouth before reaching the respiratory airway.
A full face mask style device that covers your mouth and nose also may work well for you.
Simply closing the mouth causes your cpap to work wonders and helps you sleep through the night.
Conversely with the mouth closed the air delivered from cpap isn t rerouted but travels through the respiratory airway.
When the mouth opens the jaw becomes free to move and it may shift the tongue back into the throat especially when sleeping on the back.