Sleep Dynamic Therapy http://www.sleepdynamictherapy.com The Sound Sleep Resource Sat, 14 Jun 2008 07:31:01 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.1 en Mouth Breathing, Chinstraps, and PAP Therapy Responses http://www.sleepdynamictherapy.com/2007/12/mouth-breathing-chinstraps-and-pap-therapy-responses/ http://www.sleepdynamictherapy.com/2007/12/mouth-breathing-chinstraps-and-pap-therapy-responses/#comments Wed, 05 Dec 2007 05:54:52 +0000 Dr. Krakow http://www.sleepdynamictherapy.com/2007/12/mouth-breathing-chinstraps-and-pap-therapy-responses/ Day in and day out, it is remarkable how many sleep apnea patients never achieve an optimal clinical response due to mouth breathing. The problem starts with the fact that so many people believe that mouth breathing is somehow normal and the problem ends with the fact that so many people are reluctant to use chinstraps. I went almost two years on an APAP device, imagining I was getting a fairly good response until I tried a chinstrap. Then, “all of a sudden,” I began waking up in the morning without a dry mouth and realized what I had been missing.

I too was one of those individuals that just couldn’t imagine putting yet another contraption around my face or head, yet once I effectively placed the chinstrap and obtained a much better clinical response, I was very grateful that so many different styles of chinstraps were on the market.

The biggest barrier to the use of the chinstrap, I believe, is psychological comfort, because when you first use one, it really feels confining. But, I think this physical sensation actually translates into a psychological feeling of discomfort, which is the more difficult sensation to overcome.

Currently, I use the Respironics Premium Chinstrap, which I personally believe is the best on the market for two reasons. First, it uses a behind the head strap to leverage the chinstrap in a snug but not too tight manner. Second, because of this design, the chinstrap component that goes under the chin and up over the head actually exerts force in a vertical fashion to pull the chin up. Whereas, you can find many chinstraps that are designed in a more compact way, these straps exert force on the chin in two directions, up and backward. This backward force occurs because the chinstrap imaterial runs in a diagonal from the chin towards the top portion of the back of the head. You can actually feel that it’s tugging your jaw backwards, which theoretically could worsen your breathing.

In sum, never sell short the potential value of a chinstrap in your efforts to achieve a great response to PAP therapy. If you awaken in the morning with a dry mouth, chances are high you need one.

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