The difference between reducing sleep disruptions from dry mouth versus fundamentally improving sleep quality through addressing structural airway problems
I had sleep apnea for several years, aggravated by allergies. After retirement I embarked on a campaign to improve my health, mostly through a Keto diet. Losing 60 pounds eliminated the apnea, and the reduction in inflammation also ended allergic rhinitis. But I also found that my mouth involuntarily opened during sleep, resulting in dry mouth. My dentist explained that this is one of two outcomes of advanced age (I'm 77), the other being jaw cramping. I've been taping for several years, which has resolved the dry mouth. My oral health has also been better since doing that. I can see where taping during my apnea days would have been potentially dangerous, but it's working well for me now. It's interesting that my father complained of dry mouth up until his death at 97. His treatment was mints, which led to dental problems.
Thank you for sharing, Jim. Incredible what losing 60 pounds and reducing inflammation can unlock—especially reversing apnea and rhinitis, congratulations on the huge health improvement. And I’m really glad to hear taping has been helping you.
Also appreciate your diplomatic read of the article—that was the intention. I fully understand that some individuals, especially those who’ve treated or resolved their apnea, can benefit from taping. It’s the many who haven’t been assessed that concern me.
Yes the taping is essential for sleeping, but sleep is still problematic. Like most of us in the over-70 male crowd, sleep disruption is unavoidable. I'm hopeful that your upcoming OS will help with that. I use an app with my Apple Watch, but mostly it just tells me whether I had a good night or a bad night. I can usually figure that out for myself!
Yes—this is something I’ve been trying to highlight for a while.
Trackers don’t improve sleep—and at a certain point, your improvements exceed their resolution.
How you feel and function becomes clearer than what they can show.
That’s why Sleep OS is built around one core idea:
“Sleep trackers can’t fix what they can’t see.”
And you’re right—sleep often shifts with age. There’s usually more sensitivity in circadian timing, hormone amplitude, and inflammatory tone to some extent. But that doesn’t make it fixed—or inevitable. Many of these patterns can still be modulated with the right upstream inputs (its possible to be in ones 60s-70s and have great sleep!)
BTW, Are you on the waitlist yet? You can check out the details and choose whichever tier fits—Core, Apex, or Elite:
I had sleep apnea for several years, aggravated by allergies. After retirement I embarked on a campaign to improve my health, mostly through a Keto diet. Losing 60 pounds eliminated the apnea, and the reduction in inflammation also ended allergic rhinitis. But I also found that my mouth involuntarily opened during sleep, resulting in dry mouth. My dentist explained that this is one of two outcomes of advanced age (I'm 77), the other being jaw cramping. I've been taping for several years, which has resolved the dry mouth. My oral health has also been better since doing that. I can see where taping during my apnea days would have been potentially dangerous, but it's working well for me now. It's interesting that my father complained of dry mouth up until his death at 97. His treatment was mints, which led to dental problems.
Thank you for sharing, Jim. Incredible what losing 60 pounds and reducing inflammation can unlock—especially reversing apnea and rhinitis, congratulations on the huge health improvement. And I’m really glad to hear taping has been helping you.
Also appreciate your diplomatic read of the article—that was the intention. I fully understand that some individuals, especially those who’ve treated or resolved their apnea, can benefit from taping. It’s the many who haven’t been assessed that concern me.
Has the taping improved your sleep quality?
Yes the taping is essential for sleeping, but sleep is still problematic. Like most of us in the over-70 male crowd, sleep disruption is unavoidable. I'm hopeful that your upcoming OS will help with that. I use an app with my Apple Watch, but mostly it just tells me whether I had a good night or a bad night. I can usually figure that out for myself!
Yes—this is something I’ve been trying to highlight for a while.
Trackers don’t improve sleep—and at a certain point, your improvements exceed their resolution.
How you feel and function becomes clearer than what they can show.
That’s why Sleep OS is built around one core idea:
“Sleep trackers can’t fix what they can’t see.”
And you’re right—sleep often shifts with age. There’s usually more sensitivity in circadian timing, hormone amplitude, and inflammatory tone to some extent. But that doesn’t make it fixed—or inevitable. Many of these patterns can still be modulated with the right upstream inputs (its possible to be in ones 60s-70s and have great sleep!)
BTW, Are you on the waitlist yet? You can check out the details and choose whichever tier fits—Core, Apex, or Elite:
https://thelongevityvault.com/sleep-os/join/
All updates—including offers and early access—will go to the waitlist first.
P.S. You're the first person to hear this, I’ll actually be releasing a new Foundation tier before Core.
It focuses on building & supporting the nutritional base that sleep depends on—at the biochemical level.
That layer needs to be in place before we go into the processes covered in Core—because it is, quite literally, the Foundation.
For some people, when it’s restored, sleep often begins to recover on its own.