Anyone with a full beard able to use a CPAP mask?

Posted by kenmanwithaplan @kenmanwithaplan, Apr 4 8:43pm

Hi, I am struggling with using a CPAP because I have a full beard and I can't keep my mouth closed. I also have narcolepsy which results in me having extremely vivid dreams to the point in which I talk, scream, and even sing in my sleep. I have tried using chin straps and they don't work at all. I have tried using breathing guards that go in front of the teeth and those don't work either. I have also tried a cervical collar which does well in keeping my mouth closed but the air just purses through my lips anyway. This results in me swallowing air and my stomach becomes so bloated that I wake up in pain. I'm at my wit's end and I really don't know what to do. I feel like crying. Is there anyone out there with a full beard who has had success with any type of mouth tape or a full CPAP mask? Is my only choice to shave and look like a complete ugly doofus? I really hate this.

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John, Volunteer Mentor | @johnbishop | Apr 5 7:46am

Welcome @kenmanwithaplan, Sorry to hear you are having some difficulty using the CPAP due to your beard. Even though I don't have a beard I can totally relate as I've been using a CPAP for 5+ years and still struggle and change masks often. I'm a mouth breather and have tried a nasal mask without success and switched back to a full face mask but still struggle some. I am currently trying a new ResMed AirFit F40 full face mask which seems OK at the moment but I'm hoping to find a cloth cover which makes it more comfortable on the face. I'm not sure what type of CPAP mask you are using, but it may be worth seeing a sleep medicine doctor or therapist to see if there is another mask that might work better.

@thankful and others who have used a CPAP with a beard hopefully can share some suggestions with you.

What type of CPAP mask are you currently using?

Jim, Volunteer Mentor | @jimhd | Apr 5 4:53pm

@kenmanwithaplan I've been using a CPAP or BiPap for more than 20 years, with a full face mask. I also have a beard, but to give the mask a better chance of sealing, I shave just under my lower lip. My mask is an Air Touch F20 with a silicone cushion that adjusts to the contour of my face as I breathe. I'm also a mouth breather, even though after surgery 10 years ago I can breathe through my nose. Hard to break a life time habit. But, as I'm sure I'm no different from others, my mouth gets really dry, so I use Biotene mouthwash at bedtime and keep Biotene spray on my nightstand for when I wake up, not being able to swallow because my mouth is so dry.

I change positions all the time, so I know that I move the mask many times during the night. And sometimes I hold the mask in place without waking up.

Good luck. I know that my machines have improved my life, if for nothing else I sleep better.

Jim

gloaming | @gloaming | Apr 5 9:57pm

This is my usual comment when I see this question:

In the military, gas masks are worn on clean-shaven faces. When in garrison, or on shore, combat engineers and naval ratings wear beards, as will the officers if they choose. But when in operations, and a gas mask seal is critical, the beards come off. Mind you, this is a full-face mask covering to the sideburns, down under the chin, and around the top of the forehead to near or at the hairline. You don't want to breath in chemical or biological compounds that are designed, and tested, to be lethal within an hour or so.
On my other forum where I live with the apnea folks, some of the men (no women....yet) claim to get a satisfactory leakage report while they keep their beards and use masks of a description. So, the best determinant of your case is you, yourself, and how you use your mask. Plus, of course, what the next day's report says about the numbers of arousals, events of hypopnea and obstruction, and leakage. If they always seem to by higher than other CPAP users you know, maybe it's time for a new mask, to tweak the pressures, or to trim the beard, or remove it altogether.