Sleep Apnea Tips: Fix Your Dry Mouth And Throat Pain With A CPAP Chin Strap

If your CPAP machine dries out your mouth and makes your throat hurt, it might not be the machine's fault. The way you sleep could actually be the cause of these problems—especially if you sleep with your mouth open. A CPAP machine helps you breathe better throughout the night by continuously sending oxygen to your lungs. However, the CPAP machine isn't as effective as it should be if you breathe through your mouth. As a result, you sleep less throughout the night, as well as experience a number of problems that include throat infections and dry mouth. Here are some things to know about your problems and how a CPAP chin strap solves them.

What Is Mouth-Breathing And How Does It Affect Your Quality Of Sleep?

Mouth-breathing occurs when the lower jaw relaxes, falls open and stays that way throughout the night. Your relaxed state causes your head to fall back on your pillow, which stretches the muscles of your throat. The stretched muscles press against the air tubes that connect the nasal passages to your throat. As a result, the air you receive from your CPAP machine struggles to get pass the blocked air tubes and into your lungs.

In addition, your tongue relaxes over over the opening of your throat and disrupts your swallowing reflexes. When these things happen, saliva builds up in front of your tongue until you snore or make choking and gurgling sounds. If you mouth-breathe every night, your snoring and other sleep apnea symptoms increase until your quality of sleep suffers. You awake tired, irritable and generally unwell the next morning.

Breathing through your mouth also increases your risk for throat infections, such as strep throat and tonsillitis. Unlike your nose, which uses small hairs to filter out germs, your throat doesn't have the means to remove impurities. The air that does push pass your blocked throat ends up staying inside it. Once there, the air dries out your throat tissues and creates the ideal home for bacteria and germs to grow.

Eventually, the moisture on your soft palate, inner cheeks and gums dries out from the excess oxygen inside your mouth. The air also mixes with the saliva around your tongue until it becomes thick and foamy. The dryness attracts the germs in your throat, which leads to dry mouth and other dental issues like cavities.

There's a way to solve your problems. You can use a CPAP chin strap to hold your jaw in place.

How Does A CPAP Chin Strap Correct Mouth-Breathing?

Using a CPAP face mask by itself isn't enough to prevent your mouth-breathing or control it. The way the mask fits over your head may have something to do with this. For example, most CPAP face masks come with one head strap. The strap wraps around your head and sits just above or below your ears. In addition, the strap doesn't support your chin and lower jaw. Your unsupported jaw slips open once you fall into a deep sleep.

A CPAP chin strap eliminates the issues above by supporting the top of the head, lower jaw and sides of the face at the same time. Instead of using just one strap, the chin strap features several large or wide bands that connect at different points on your head. The bands cover your head like a soft helmet. These features keep your lower jaw closed, which prevents the need to breathe out of the mouth.

Also, the CPAP strap for your chin:

Keeps your throat muscles relaxed, which prevents your head from falling back during the night
Attaches to the CPAP face mask to keep it in place at night, especially if you move around a lot during your sleep
Features an adjustable strap that supports a wide chin, double chin or high cheekbones

Be sure to tell the supplier about your CPAP face mask, including the size and type. You want to find a chin strap that fits on your face and head correctly when you use it. Otherwise, the strap won't keep your jaw in place.

You can get the sleep you need and prevent problems with the right tools. To find a chin strap that works for you, contact a reputable CPAP chin strap supplier for assistance. For more information, visit a website like http://www.cornermedical.com.

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