Mouth Breathing Myth

When my patients return for their titration sleep study, I mainly use nasal masks. Many patients explain to me, "but I breathe through my mouth when I sleep." Don't let the title of the blog fool you. These people are right! I even witnessed it during their first night. Why do I say "Mouth Breathing Myth" then? First, a short explanation.

People with sleep apnea have a "clogged" airway, to put it simply. Imagine if somebody pinched your nose closed. You won't suffocate because you know you can breathe through your mouth! So, when your nasal airway closes off, your mouth will open to get the breath that you need. This makes one a mouth breather.

Hence with Positive Airway Support (xPAP), you will be getting the air you need through your nose to open the airway and give you the air you need. This is the purpose of the titration night, to find the pressure that breaks through your clog. It is a natural tendency to breathe through your nose. Once you are able to breathe freely through your nose, your body will revert back to that tendency instead of being in survival breathing mode.

Some patients have a strong habit of breathing through their mouth even though I have them fixed on xPAP. With these people, I add a chin strap. The chin strap usually works well. The mouth breathing habit usually subsides after a short time.

There are some true mouth breathers out there however. These are people who have a deviated septum (severe) or someone who has had their nose broken several times or maybe just once, but severely. It is for these individuals that I break out the full face masks. I usually only have to do this 2 or 3 times a year.

My point being...give the nasal masks a good try before you go to full face. Nasal masks are much more comfortable, they give you more mobility in sleeping positions, and they keep a better seal. It has been shown compliance is low when somebody uses a full face mask vs. a nasal mask.