I had severe sleep apnea (30+) and got a CPAP. I just couldn't stand it. Was so uncomfortable I cried even when testing it before using it in practice. I had already propped up my bed (Inclined Bed Therapy style) that helped me sleep through most nights instead of waking up several times but started searching for more and found the taping trick. That worked wonders. Did a sleep test again, with tape, and it was slightly below 20. From what I understand, my apnea is of the type where I can forget to breathe even though I'm awake, so I went on to the yoga breathing (also suggested by dr P in another video). I haven't had any new test, but the degree of feeling refreshed waking up, points to it adding something. Even after 2-3 yrs of taping, if I forget I'll start mouth breathing, getting dry in the mouth, waking myself up with snoring and apnea. I use the cheapest micropore tape I can find. It's a little too sticky, so I put it on the back on my hand first and let it sit until I get to bed and put it over the mouth. No alcohol needed, as suggested in this video. Putting the tape onto the bed linen first also works for making it less sticky.
Thank you for making this video on mouth taping. If you recall, I made a previous comment on one of your videos regarding mouth taping. I agree that it does work for some people, in some circumstances. It is refreshing how you outlined this without the usual trapping of other UA-camrs who claim “this one thing,” works for everyone. In my experience, my sleep is better correlated to mouth taping, by the percentage of deep sleep. I know this as I track my sleep with a Coros Vertix 2 watch. Also, when I mouth tape, I have no brain fog the next morning.
Scored a 20 before. I'm so glad he's talking about the problems with mouth taping with nasal obstruction. I used mouth tape for months not realizing that my oxygen levels were dropping dangerously at night. I discovered it after finding a wearable oximeter. Turns out, my nose was so obstructed, I was causing dangerous oxygen desaturation and causing screaming morning headaches. Score of Zero today: I had a septoplasty to correct a deviated septum, outfracture to give more room for airflow, and correction for nasal collapse syndrome. I also had a bone spur removed from one nostril. My nose is open and my airflow is unobstructed through my nose. Huge surgical success. I'm so excited to be able to breathe through my nose effortlessly after suffering for so long with restricted nose breathing. My AHI is 15 with no cpap. I haven't been cleared to resume cpap post surgery. I am however supplementing with oxygen and mouth taping. Today was day 1 of the breathing exercises. I got Sleep Apnea Solution and downloaded the guided breathing exercises. I'm really looking forward to healing my sleep apnea
@@dylanpetkusmd Dr what can be done for sever sleep apnea caused by an elongated soft palette is there any hope for me at getting rid of this condition, CPAP isn't helping is making things worse it's really uncomfortable and on top of that doctors are dismissing my problems entirely all because they say well your AHI is low so you're fine and that's not the truth and I feel far from it, please help before this condition get's the better of me I can't take it anymore it's ruining my life
Excellent information that many people desperately need. I have sleep apnea and simply could not sleep with a CPAP. I tried mouth taping with hush strips and it worked wonders, at least for me. No more waking up tired or lethargic, no brain fog, etc. I have been taping for about 2 years already. As you clearly indicated, mouth taping is perhaps inadvisable for someone with chronic nasal congestion, or nasal abnormalities that diminish their airflow unless those conditions can be properly remedied first. Many thanks for what you do on this channel.
Excellent Video! Your Videos aren’t boring and you are helping so many people. I recently had a Sleep Study and was diagnosed with mild sleep apnea. I refuse to use a CPAP. New subscriber and will continue to watch your Videos!
I use mouthtape and c-pap, I occasionally wake up with dry mouth. Exercises, mouth tape and c-pap all help with obstructive apnea. I have central apnea( the shitty one) which means the co2 sensors in the heart don’t signal the body to initiate a breath. Only cure is a pacemaker type device surgically implanted, or a super expensive CSA machine.And yes, alcohol and eating late in the day makes apnea worse.For those that have sinuses that are inflamed( symptom of late feeding)breathing in diluted xilitol into sinuses helps open sinuses prior to sleep time, xilitol on your teeth( no rinsing) help kill bad bacteria, promote healthy ones and remove biofilm on teeth. Thanks for sharing this on taping, you won’t learn this from any sleep center!
it seems you've learned a lot of great things along the way! Great job in putting in the work on your health... it ain't always fun, but it's always worth it
I was on CPAP 20 years ago with severe sleep apnea. Did exhaustive research and had my tonsils removed (they touched) and turbinates reduced (chronic allergies made them huge). Then I got braces from a functional orthodontist to enlarge my oral arches which did enlarge my airway a small amount (and also fixed some other bite issues.). At the end of all of that I did a sleep study and had been cured. At that time, I was 100% compliant with my high pressure bipap but didn't love it. My facial anatomy was such that I couldn't use a full face mask. So, based on recommendations from smart folks I found online I always used nasal pillows with 3M tape. However I recently had to go back on. No idea what changed. My pressure is significantly lower than last time at least. I went back to my old routine of mouth taping with nasal pillows. Unfortunately I'm finding that the nasal pillows being sold now are so incredibly inferior to the ones I had 20 years ago! I've recently added the yoga breathing as I get into bed to relax and I'm finding it is really helping me relax to fall asleep and I'm feeling so much more refreshed when I wake up. As someone who has ADHD and chronic insomnia this is life changing! I don't know if this will get me off of CPAP again--I'm not even getting my hopes up--but it's improving my quality of life and I'm grateful for that, Dr. P. Thanks!
I do not have sleep apnea and I don't use a c-pap. I do use mouth tape for dental purposes. Breathing through your mouth causes dry mouth and changes the bacteria in your mouth, not just the ones that produce nitric oxide. I do sleep better with mouth tape as well. The only tape I can use consistently every night is Pap-MD. I don't need the entire strip so I cut in quarters.
I absolutely need to tape my mouth and it has to be taped tight with the good stuff (either cover roll or KT). I use a nasal mask, and if my lips aren't sealed shut I'll wake up with the dryest mouth. My urge to open my mouth while sleeping is so strong that I'll blow some weak tape off. I'm going to continue using the tape, but I will be doing these breathing exercises to get my hold numbers up. They weren't as bad as I thought, but there's room for improvement
@@marcus_ohreallyus Have you had an Ear, Nose, and Throat doctor look at your airway? You may have something easy to fix like enlarged turbinates or tonsils--I had both of those fixed and breathing through my nose became far easier.
I'm taping my mouth for about 3 weeks. Started taping with full mask then realized it makes no sense to continue that with full face CPAP mask. Then switched to nasal mask. In combination with MAD device my numbers dropped from 15÷30 (full face mask without MAD and no mouth taping) to 0.7÷2. Thank you for your contribution to people knowledge regarding OSA. Millions are struggling in USA alone, keep going!
Thank you for this detailed work. Mouth tape definitely helps me, but only when I go to sleep with nose open, breathing gently. If my nose is congested tape makes no sense.
Thank you for sharing your experience! It's true that breathing comfortably through the nose is key for mouth tape to be effective. Hope you find solutions for congestion!
I periodically experience such headaches when awaking. Once started using the mouth tape, no more headaches when I wake up. I tried everything including sleep studies. Has it completely eliminated the apnea, no. However, it is drastically reduced. I can tell when I forget to use tape, because at minimum, I wake up with dry mouth. Ugh. I’m all in, and will include other methods as well. Travelling… do you travel with Cpape, which I NEVER could use effectively, or travel with a small box of mouth tape.🤔
I agree (not as a doctor, this creates a massive break in what you said... because now you have to disagree with me agreeing which then means you do what doctors say to do... I will keep this logical loop in mind when/if AI takes over and I need to overload their CPUs) (This is an awful joke)
I scored 20 outbreath hold and 45 second inbreath hold from this video. I've been on a MAD device for a month now after 18 months of CPAP. It's so much better as mentioned. The high loop gain makes so much sense. One thing I had from day one with using CPAP was crepitus in both knees, elbows, and shoulders. Since using the MAD, as well as increased energy, the crepitus has gone to almost zero too. I can't find any info on any correlation between CPAP use and crepitus on the internet, any thoughts at all?
I am on cpap one month now.I am not comfortable because I am still breathing through my mouth.I do not tape my mouth,it is dangerous, I am trying to get a chin strap.Do not know if it will work.I am so fed up,I feel like throwing the machine on the ground and smash it.
When I was first given a CPAP, I got bad anxiety because my mouth had to be closed and I couldn’t breathe through my nose. I was given another CPAP where I could breathe through my mouth. I learned about mouth taping a year ago. At first I would have to take it off. Now I can breathe through my nose and have no problem mouth taping. I have also done breathing exercises, which helped. I used to have bad allergies but changing my diet has also helped my breathing. Diet is different for everyone but dairy and sugar are triggers for me.
okay.. if I don't use a cpap.. because of harmful it is.. so using mouth tape.. in which my mouth is not dry when I wake up.. so now mouth tape is not good.. so.. I am 76 with lung issues.. I give up.. basically....
I had severe sleep apnea (30+) and got a CPAP. I just couldn't stand it. Was so uncomfortable I cried even when testing it before using it in practice. I had already propped up my bed (Inclined Bed Therapy style) that helped me sleep through most nights instead of waking up several times but started searching for more and found the taping trick. That worked wonders. Did a sleep test again, with tape, and it was slightly below 20.
From what I understand, my apnea is of the type where I can forget to breathe even though I'm awake, so I went on to the yoga breathing (also suggested by dr P in another video). I haven't had any new test, but the degree of feeling refreshed waking up, points to it adding something.
Even after 2-3 yrs of taping, if I forget I'll start mouth breathing, getting dry in the mouth, waking myself up with snoring and apnea.
I use the cheapest micropore tape I can find. It's a little too sticky, so I put it on the back on my hand first and let it sit until I get to bed and put it over the mouth. No alcohol needed, as suggested in this video. Putting the tape onto the bed linen first also works for making it less sticky.
Thank you for making this video on mouth taping. If you recall, I made a previous comment on one of your videos regarding mouth taping. I agree that it does work for some people, in some circumstances. It is refreshing how you outlined this without the usual trapping of other UA-camrs who claim “this one thing,” works for everyone.
In my experience, my sleep is better correlated to mouth taping, by the percentage of deep sleep. I know this as I track my sleep with a Coros Vertix 2 watch. Also, when I mouth tape, I have no brain fog the next morning.
thanks! and yes... there's no miracle cures... everybody has to find their own recipe based on their own needs!
Scored a 20 before. I'm so glad he's talking about the problems with mouth taping with nasal obstruction. I used mouth tape for months not realizing that my oxygen levels were dropping dangerously at night. I discovered it after finding a wearable oximeter. Turns out, my nose was so obstructed, I was causing dangerous oxygen desaturation and causing screaming morning headaches.
Score of Zero today: I had a septoplasty to correct a deviated septum, outfracture to give more room for airflow, and correction for nasal collapse syndrome. I also had a bone spur removed from one nostril. My nose is open and my airflow is unobstructed through my nose. Huge surgical success. I'm so excited to be able to breathe through my nose effortlessly after suffering for so long with restricted nose breathing.
My AHI is 15 with no cpap. I haven't been cleared to resume cpap post surgery. I am however supplementing with oxygen and mouth taping.
Today was day 1 of the breathing exercises. I got Sleep Apnea Solution and downloaded the guided breathing exercises. I'm really looking forward to healing my sleep apnea
Way to track how mouth taping impacts you! It's super important! I think you'll see a pleasant bump with the breathing exercises!
@@dylanpetkusmd Dr what can be done for sever sleep apnea caused by an elongated soft palette is there any hope for me at getting rid of this condition, CPAP isn't helping is making things worse it's really uncomfortable and on top of that doctors are dismissing my problems entirely all because they say well your AHI is low so you're fine and that's not the truth and I feel far from it, please help before this condition get's the better of me I can't take it anymore it's ruining my life
Excellent information that many people desperately need. I have sleep apnea and simply could not sleep with a CPAP. I tried mouth taping with hush strips and it worked wonders, at least for me. No more waking up tired or lethargic, no brain fog, etc. I have been taping for about 2 years already. As you clearly indicated, mouth taping is perhaps inadvisable for someone with chronic nasal congestion, or nasal abnormalities that diminish their airflow unless those conditions can be properly remedied first. Many thanks for what you do on this channel.
Glad you're a mouth tape success story! And thanks for watching!
Excellent Video! Your Videos aren’t boring and you are helping so many people. I recently had a Sleep Study and was diagnosed with mild sleep apnea. I refuse to use a CPAP. New subscriber and will continue to watch your Videos!
I always strive to be non-boring! lol Glad you found our channel!
good stuff. love it. you seem well more informed and dedicated to helping than most mds
I appreciate that!
I use mouthtape and c-pap, I occasionally wake up with dry mouth. Exercises, mouth tape and c-pap all help with obstructive apnea. I have central apnea( the shitty one) which means the co2 sensors in the heart don’t signal the body to initiate a breath. Only cure is a pacemaker type device surgically implanted, or a super expensive CSA machine.And yes, alcohol and eating late in the day makes apnea worse.For those that have sinuses that are inflamed( symptom of late feeding)breathing in diluted xilitol into sinuses helps open sinuses prior to sleep time, xilitol on your teeth( no rinsing) help kill bad bacteria, promote healthy ones and remove biofilm on teeth. Thanks for sharing this on taping, you won’t learn this from any sleep center!
it seems you've learned a lot of great things along the way! Great job in putting in the work on your health... it ain't always fun, but it's always worth it
I use a bandaid a little sideways across my mouth, occasionally. Lets me crack open if needed or pops off if needed but otherwise its very helpful.
I was on CPAP 20 years ago with severe sleep apnea. Did exhaustive research and had my tonsils removed (they touched) and turbinates reduced (chronic allergies made them huge). Then I got braces from a functional orthodontist to enlarge my oral arches which did enlarge my airway a small amount (and also fixed some other bite issues.). At the end of all of that I did a sleep study and had been cured. At that time, I was 100% compliant with my high pressure bipap but didn't love it. My facial anatomy was such that I couldn't use a full face mask. So, based on recommendations from smart folks I found online I always used nasal pillows with 3M tape.
However I recently had to go back on. No idea what changed. My pressure is significantly lower than last time at least. I went back to my old routine of mouth taping with nasal pillows. Unfortunately I'm finding that the nasal pillows being sold now are so incredibly inferior to the ones I had 20 years ago! I've recently added the yoga breathing as I get into bed to relax and I'm finding it is really helping me relax to fall asleep and I'm feeling so much more refreshed when I wake up. As someone who has ADHD and chronic insomnia this is life changing! I don't know if this will get me off of CPAP again--I'm not even getting my hopes up--but it's improving my quality of life and I'm grateful for that, Dr. P. Thanks!
6:37 “A lot of times, experts-they’ll just be saying stuff.” 👍🏻👍🏻
I do not have sleep apnea and I don't use a c-pap. I do use mouth tape for dental purposes. Breathing through your mouth causes dry mouth and changes the bacteria in your mouth, not just the ones that produce nitric oxide. I do sleep better with mouth tape as well. The only tape I can use consistently every night is Pap-MD. I don't need the entire strip so I cut in quarters.
I have slept good with mouthtape, and I have slept terrible with it. Playing the didgeridoo every day has done more for me than anything.
sounds like you targeted the muscular issues you needed!
Im new to your channel, such helpful information and i like how you think.
I absolutely need to tape my mouth and it has to be taped tight with the good stuff (either cover roll or KT). I use a nasal mask, and if my lips aren't sealed shut I'll wake up with the dryest mouth. My urge to open my mouth while sleeping is so strong that I'll blow some weak tape off. I'm going to continue using the tape, but I will be doing these breathing exercises to get my hold numbers up. They weren't as bad as I thought, but there's room for improvement
always room to grow!
Isn't that the worst feeling--when your mouth is that dry? It's horrible for your teeth too.
@@jenthulhu it sucks. I feel like there's no way to keep my mouth shut
@@marcus_ohreallyus Have you had an Ear, Nose, and Throat doctor look at your airway? You may have something easy to fix like enlarged turbinates or tonsils--I had both of those fixed and breathing through my nose became far easier.
I'm taping my mouth for about 3 weeks. Started taping with full mask then realized it makes no sense to continue that with full face CPAP mask. Then switched to nasal mask. In combination with MAD device my numbers dropped from 15÷30 (full face mask without MAD and no mouth taping) to 0.7÷2.
Thank you for your contribution to people knowledge regarding OSA. Millions are struggling in USA alone, keep going!
glad you're doing much better!!! and thanks for watching!
Thank you for this detailed work. Mouth tape definitely helps me, but only when I go to sleep with nose open, breathing gently. If my nose is congested tape makes no sense.
Thank you for sharing your experience! It's true that breathing comfortably through the nose is key for mouth tape to be effective. Hope you find solutions for congestion!
I periodically experience such headaches when awaking. Once started using the mouth tape, no more headaches when I wake up. I tried everything including sleep studies. Has it completely eliminated the apnea, no. However, it is drastically reduced. I can tell when I forget to use tape, because at minimum, I wake up with dry mouth. Ugh. I’m all in, and will include other methods as well.
Travelling… do you travel with Cpape, which I NEVER could use effectively, or travel with a small box of mouth tape.🤔
I have sleep apnea and I am a slow breather. I forget to breathe while awake as well as while I am asleep. For the most part I am a mouth breather.
If most doctors say not to do it that’s another reason to do it.
I agree (not as a doctor, this creates a massive break in what you said... because now you have to disagree with me agreeing which then means you do what doctors say to do... I will keep this logical loop in mind when/if AI takes over and I need to overload their CPUs) (This is an awful joke)
I scored 20 outbreath hold and 45 second inbreath hold from this video. I've been on a MAD device for a month now after 18 months of CPAP. It's so much better as mentioned. The high loop gain makes so much sense. One thing I had from day one with using CPAP was crepitus in both knees, elbows, and shoulders. Since using the MAD, as well as increased energy, the crepitus has gone to almost zero too. I can't find any info on any correlation between CPAP use and crepitus on the internet, any thoughts at all?
I tried mouth tape a couple times.
First time seemed alright. But got Slack until apnea really kicked in.
I have an untreated deviated septum though.
Thx
you're welcome! what was the most helpful for you?
Lack of evidence for so called dangers of taping.
I am on cpap one month now.I am not comfortable because I am still breathing through my mouth.I do not tape my mouth,it is dangerous, I am trying to get a chin strap.Do not know if it will work.I am so fed up,I feel like throwing the machine on the ground and smash it.
I would really recommend some of the breathing exercises, they can help your CPAP work a bit better! Stay strong!
I have used mouth tape. I did rip it off in my sleep the first night. It comes off easily. After a month or so I didn’t need it anymore.
When I was first given a CPAP, I got bad anxiety because my mouth had to be closed and I couldn’t breathe through my nose. I was given another CPAP where I could breathe through my mouth. I learned about mouth taping a year ago. At first I would have to take it off. Now I can breathe through my nose and have no problem mouth taping. I have also done breathing exercises, which helped. I used to have bad allergies but changing my diet has also helped my breathing. Diet is different for everyone but dairy and sugar are triggers for me.
@@joannhacker9120 yes giving up sugar has been a huge blessing to my health. Sleep has improved drastically.
This is a bit long form :) but a lot of great info - thank you!
okay.. if I don't use a cpap.. because of harmful it is.. so using mouth tape.. in which my mouth is not dry when I wake up.. so now mouth tape is not good.. so.. I am 76 with lung issues.. I give up.. basically....
Are you a doctor?
there are only so many other things that the "MD" can stand for...
That's not an answer@@dylanpetkusmd
Dr Petkus, what's the best fasting protocol for someone with moderate to severe apnea? Longer fasts, or just not eating during evening?
There's a lot of variation (this is a future video) - but the second option (not eating in evening) is a great start