Ahh I love Essential Craftsman.
This solution will work for the people with the mouth-breathing issue, but probably not for the larger folk with pressure on the airway - in my amateur opinion.
Essential Craftsman says he found that taping his mouth shut with kinesiology tape every night works better for treating his sleep apnea than a CPAP or BiPAP machine:
Tired Contractor Here’s My Simple, CHEAP Sleep Apnea Solution - YouTube
Sounds crazy, but since it's such a cheap solution, it's probably worth a try for anyone dealing with this.
Ahh I love Essential Craftsman.
This solution will work for the people with the mouth-breathing issue, but probably not for the larger folk with pressure on the airway - in my amateur opinion.
I haven't had time to carefully watch the whole video. Did he explain how the tape helped his central sleep apnea (brain shuting off, essentially)? I don't see the connection.
His doctor apparently hasn't seen a whole lot of sleep apnea patients if 32 disruptions is the most he's ever seen. That number, while rated as 'severe' is at the very low end of that rating and not all that uncommon. I think I had 28-30 disruptions per hour when I was tested.
He also complained about his cough caused by his blood pressure medication. "Lysinopril cough" is a very common and well known side effect and I don't know why his doctor wouldn't prescribe some other drug, such as Losartan. I speak from experience on this.
When I first started using a CPAP, I used a mask like he showed in the video, one that covered both nose and mouth. I had the exact same experience as him, with the dry mouth and the mask not sitting securely on my face. This is because I'm a nose breather, and obviously so is this guy. When I switched to a nose cushion, those problems went away. I honestly don't notice the mask at all unless I think about it, although sometimes my nostrils do get slightly irritated but then some lotion takes care of that. I can now sleep through the night and my wife can too, as I no longer snore and I no longer wake up multiple times during the night. And no, holding my mouth closed with a piece of tape would not make the slightest difference to me. As soon as I lie down, keeping my mouth shut, my tongue goes back and shuts off the airway. The CPAP and sleeping on my side fixes that.
I use a full CPAP mask (mouth and nose) and tape my mouth shut also. I think it helps a bit, maybe keeps my mouth from falling open and getting really dry, and stopping me from drooling into the mask. But I wouldn't consider it a substitute for a CPAP machine. Might be enough for some folks I suppose.
Wait, do you use a full mask and tape your mouth shut while using the mask? That doesn't make sense to me if that is the case. Have you tried a nose-only mask instead?
Yeah. I tried the nasal pillow style, which I liked at first. After while though it seemed to collapse against my nose and block my breathing. I also tried a rigid nose-only mask, basically a mini version of a full mask. That didn't work at all--didn't fit me right. So I've stuck with the full mask.
I don't tape my mouth shut so tightly that I can't breathe from it at all. More to reduce or discourage mouth-breathing and drooling. I can still breathe out of the corners of my mouth if I want.
Separate from sleep apnea, nose breathing is supposed to be better for you. How The 'Lost Art' Of Breathing Impacts Sleep And Stress : Shots - Health News : NPR
Anyway, taping my mouth shut seems to help a little and it isn't much trouble. Though if I had to choose between the tape and the CPAP I would choose the CPAP by far.