Are you a CPAP user who occasionally wakes up with an extremely dry mouth and throat? Do you use a nasal or nasal pillow mask but see little to no positive results?
If so, it may be time for you to check out a chin strap. Chin straps can help minimize mouth breathing, get rid of dry mouth, and even reduce air leakage from your mask.
What is a Chin Strap?
A chin strap is a small piece of stretchy cloth that extends from the bottom of your chin to the top of your head. It helps keep your mouth closed while you’re wearing it.
The chin strap has a padded chin cup and straps around the back of your head. They are available in a variety of different sizes and are pretty easy to adjust.
Although it may look (and sound) a tad scary at first, a chin strap may be the answer to all of your problems. Because it gently holds your mouth closed at night, a chin strap can improve your CPAP therapy.
If you’re using a nasal or nasal pillow mask with extremely high pressure, then you might not notice that the air is blowing your mouth open at night. This causes something called mouth leak, which is when valuable air pressure escapes through your mouth.
The result is that you may be experiencing very few benefits from your CPAP therapy. No wonder you feel as tired as the day you started therapy!
Benefits of Using a Chin Strap
By gently holding your mouth closed at night, your chin strap will help eliminate bothersome side effects like dry mouth. If your symptoms are especially pronounced, then a chin strap might be necessary in order to ensure that the air from your CPAP therapy is not escaping.
Plus, a chin strap has the added benefit of keeping your CPAP mask secure throughout the night. Have you ever woken up only to discover that you took your mask off during the night and tossed it over to the other side of the bed? If so, a chin strap could help you keep it on by offering an additional layer of stability.
A chin strap could be very beneficial for you so don’t let preconceived notions prevent you from giving it a try. Make sure you try it on with your CPAP machine so you can be sure that it’s comfortable.
However, don’t try to use a chin strap to prevent snoring, especially if you have a nasal blockage or deviated septum. In that case, it could do more harm than good.
