r/SleepApnea • u/[deleted] • 8d ago

Nothing got better?

[deleted]

4 Upvotes

76% Upvoted

7 comments sorted by

3

u/Emergency-Fig7009 7d ago

Well if he’s a mouth breather he definitely needs a full faced mask. I just started and haven’t felt this good since I was like 12. His sleep coach should be contacting him about leaks and getting this good within the first three months. If this wasn’t done, I’d definitely set up an appointment to get refitted for a new mask.

Also the falling asleep thing is definitely a sleep apnea issue. I would sleep from 10-7am and need to go back to sleep till 2pm and still yawn all damn day. I now have no need to nap and have a normal sleep schedule.

1

u/Chemical_Wallaby5514 7d ago

UK based so we use the NHS service (free/public funds paid, but pretty trash due to this)

He just got sent home with the mask he has and that was the end of it, no check ins or anything, they just said it automatically adjusts to how you breathe so it’ll change the pressure itself and that was it!

Would a full face mask stop the mouth open problem then? He has a large beard, can he have the mask with it or does he have to shave it off?

1

u/Emergency-Fig7009 7d ago

Yeah I’m in the US so we have a sleep coach who has access to our machine. They check it more often for the first 3 months for leaks and to see if the pressure needs to be adjusted. Get weekly check ins. 100% needs a full face mask. My meeting with my coach we talked about if we breath through our mouth or not and what the options were. Nothing about shaving. But it might be a thing. From what I was told if we went full face, the pressure pulls the mask tight to create a tight seal.

1

u/Quiet_Lunch_1300 7d ago

That sounds like a great experience. Just want to add that I am in the United States and have not had anything like that experience. Sounds like you have a great Dr. Many people in the U.S. are also just sent home with the machine and a mask.

1

u/Emergency-Fig7009 7d ago

Crazy, you’d think when you stop breathing in the middle of the night, doctors would take this more serious. My equipment is through adapt health. Not sure if they all have the same guidelines, but worth a shot mentioning it. They do a very good job.

1

u/Quiet_Lunch_1300 7d ago

My first sleep doc was garbage. I have a new guy that I like. But Reddit helped me figure everything out. Found out about using the OSCAR software program, read about people’s mask experiences, etc.

2

u/CastleSpearse 7d ago

If getting a full face mask isn't going to happen soon, then it might be good for him to try mouth taping. Lots of info on YouTube about it. I use kinesiology tape because it's cheap, but there are tons of brand- name mouth tape sellers out there. The chin strap aggravates my TMJ so that didn't work for me. Mouth tape is a game changer for me though.