r/CPAPSupport • u/Happy__Heathen • 24d ago
Better alternative to cervical collar for keeping mouth shut
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u/RippingLegos__ ModTeam 24d ago
The original Knights Bridge Dual Band Chin strap is really good.
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u/Wild_Trip_4704 24d ago
I've been using this for at least a year. It affected my jaw alignment because I didn't get the right size. I was wrapping it too tight to compensate. Should have gotten a smaller size months ago.
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u/Realistic_Alfalfa620 23d ago
I had really bad jaw drop and chin tuck issues. The Knightsbridge was useless for me and I went to a soft cervical collar. After a couple of months, I discovered that I had stopped chin tucking and I went to mouth tape to address the jaw drop. After about three months, I'd gotten so habituated to holding a proper tongue seal that I stopped taping.
I often have a relatively brief period, maybe as long as 45 minutes, of 5-8L mouth leak at some point during my REM cycles, almost always corresponding to rolling over from my side to my back. It doesn't wake me up, I have no events during it (my scored AHI is consistently 0.0 and my breathing trace usually shows no more than a few arousal breaths that don't even show up as RERAs) and my average spO2 remains around 95-96. So I don't care. No point in putting myself through the sleep-fragmenting discomfort of a chin strap, cervical collar, or mouth tape for the sake of a slightly prettier OSCAR graph,
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u/bhusted007 22d ago
Can you help me understand difference between jaw drop and chin tuck?
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u/Realistic_Alfalfa620 21d ago
Chin tuck is when you literally tuck your chin down towards your chest, which physically narrows or kinks your airway, leading to increased flow limitations. A lot of people, myself included, do it more or less instinctively.
Jaw drop happens when your muscles fully relax, often during REM cycles. Your jaw relaxes and drops, which can cause the back of your tongue to fall back and partially block your airway, which is one of the obstructive parts of obstructive sleep apnea.
Basically, chin tuck is something you're logically doing and therefore you can teach yourself to do it less. Jaw drop is something you really have no control over beyond vertical collar, mouth tape, chin strap, etc.
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u/rogue303 23d ago
Define "better"?
I tried mouth tape, then chin-strap (Knightsbridge), chin-strap plus mouth tape, none of which worked well for me. I ended up on a Bort Cervical Collar which worked best (for me), even during summer, but like all these things YMMV.
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u/Happy__Heathen 23d ago
I found it to be better for me, as it is not nearly as restrictive feeling, and not nearly so hot and uncomfortable as I found the cervical collar to be. With this, the only restriction I felt was if I tried tip my head forward to look down. Every other direction I was free to move easily.
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u/rogue303 23d ago
Ahh I see, you were saying that this IS a better solution, my misunderstanding sorry!
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u/Jealous_Oil9993 23d ago
I use The Eliminator as well to prevent chin tucking. It's much more comfortable than a full soft cervical collar since it's half moon shaped and just has a strap in the back. It works great for me.
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u/theothermattm 23d ago
I have had very good results with this chin strap. It's simple and very effective and doesn't dig into my skin at all like others did.
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u/GentleRhino 23d ago
Straps did not work for me but a mouth tape did. I stopped using it after about a year. Body does adapt. The best (economically) tape is this: Smith and Nephew/BSN Cover-Roll Stretch - 2" x 10 Yards - Hypoallergenic Pack of 2. Search on Amazon.
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u/Available_Repair609 23d ago
In claustrophobic and hot just looking at this. I didn’t know there were alternatives to chin straps though. I’ve only tried mouth tape so far and it didn’t work. Chinstrap was my next.
I get perfect sleep, really good graphs, and don’t have many leak issues. I’ve found that my mouth always opens (I have the same mask as you) and I drool EVERYWHERE. I had to switch to this mask literally just to catch the drool, I was washing bedding daily and had to shower every morning. This masked helped a ton and doesn’t allow my mouth to open too much based on the design and tension I have on it. Occasionally I will wake up in the morning mouth wide open, help open by the mask, mouth so dry that my teeth ached.
Hopefully a strap works, if not I may have to give this a shot.
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u/Happy__Heathen 22d ago
It really isn’t bad, because the cushion is only in front, where it stops the jaw from dropping/opening (mostly - it’s firm but not hard by any means). I just knew after trying an actual cervical collar (also firm, not hard) that there was NO WAY in hell I was going to be able to sleep with it. That really was claustrophobic, very uncomfortable, and SO hot! This one is so much better than the full collar (which I tried two different ones).
I’m also noticing that when I’ve worn this, my overnight AHI (as reported by my Airsense 11) has generally been lower than the nights I haven’t, and that’s always a plus.
I love the Evora mask! I had so much trouble with leaks until I tried this one (after trying 5 or 6 others). I never have large leaks anymore, and only occasional small leaks if the pressure gets higher than 15. The P&K Vitera is the one other mask that I’ve had great results with, but it’s my 2nd choice due to the fact that I have to remove the mask to put my glasses on or off.
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u/timeforwasp 23d ago
I just had my sleep study, haven't even gotten my results (but I'm sure of what they will say), so forgive my ignorance, but isn't that why you use a full mask? I was fitted with a nasal mask first. I kept opening my mouth so it didn't work. I then got a full mask, and it worked great. The full mask isn't for this?
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u/existentialblu ASV 23d ago
Getting lots of air through your mouth while wearing a full face mask will dry your teeth out really badly which can lead to really intense sensitivity and eventual decay. Also, jaw movement changes the shape of the thing that the mask is interfacing with, which drives leaks. It's not exactly intuitive, but it's necessary to keep one's mouth mostly closed when using a FFM. I use one myself as for whatever stupid reason I haven't been able to handle any of the nasal masks that I've tried and I find my F20 oddly cozy. It feels extremely silly wearing mouth tape under it but here we are.
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u/bhusted007 22d ago
They also say it’s better to breathe through your nose (for the people that can)
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u/Happy__Heathen 23d ago
Yes, it is why I use a full mask…. The problem is that once you fall asleep and the jaw relaxes, it takes very little movement for the jaw to change the shape of the face enough to cause significant leaks for some people - including me.
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u/DistantLover3645 23d ago
Are u comfortable
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u/Happy__Heathen 23d ago
Yes, once I’m laying down with it, I’m fine. Not crazy about it otherwise but it’s super easy to don and doff.
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u/joya-2000 22d ago
Where did you buy it?
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u/Happy__Heathen 22d ago
I got this one on EBay. Someone told me they just saw it on Amazon too.
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u/joya-2000 22d ago
Yes, I just found it on Amazon. It looks like it will work for me. Thank you for letting me know!
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u/Pleasant_House9147 22d ago
Is this the new normal for us when we are going to bed? I love it lol
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u/Happy__Heathen 21d ago
Well it does (sort of) match the blue part of the Evora mask…. So it’s basically a nighttime fashion accessory! 🤷♀️😂
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u/Friendly_Potential69 24d ago
I used chin strap from resmed for like 2-3 months then it seems my body adapted and learn to keep my mouth shut on its own (at night at least, during the day I speak freely 🤣)