Sleep apnea. Anyone here?

[Holladay]

The wife says I quit breathing whilst asleep. Yes, I snore but give a crap. We all do.

I just noticed this today when I was trying to take a nap. I kept waking up with a snort and out of breath!

I am 51 aged, 5'8", 180 lbs. I try and eat healthy. I don't get enough exercise, I have high bp and am taking cholestoral crap meds, drink too much et. al.

I did a sleep test 10 yrs ago with no bad results. I am thinking with age, things have changed. I seem to be tried all the time. I put it down as age, work etc.

I don't want to do the "C-Pap" machine, or cut out my uvula (not vulva). I was going to look into the mouth piece thingie that holds out your lower jaw?

I will probably do another sleep test, but think this time they will say I have a problem. Again, don't want to be hooked up to a machine at night (C-Pap).

Has anyone been through this and what was the best solution.

[Fire Me Boy!]

Originally Posted by Frosty

I've had a CPAP for about a year now and am still trying to get used to it. I have no problem falling asleep with the mask on but I end up pulling it off after a couple of hours (I don't remember doing this). The biggest problem is that I can't sleep on my back. I have a deviated septum and I can't breathe if I'm on my back. Sleeping on my side makes the mask eventually slip because of the pillow and the mask will start blowing into my eyes. This is probably why I pull it off.

It's frustrating because I really need this to work because otherwise I am exhausted all of the time. I didn't even try the mouth guard because I know I wouldn't sleep with something in my mouth (braces and headgear as a kid). The only thing that would actually solve it isn't covered by my insurance.

Try a different mask. I was lucky, the first mask I got worked well. I'm a side/stomach sleeper, and I find I can kind of bury my face in the pillow and the mask stays right where it's supposed to.

Took me maybe a month to get used to it, but once I acclimated, I don't go anywhere without it.

[tooge]

Originally Posted by Holladay

The wife says I quit breathing whilst asleep. Yes, I snore but give a crap. We all do.

I just noticed this today when I was trying to take a nap. I kept waking up with a snort and out of breath!

I am 51 aged, 5'8", 180 lbs. I try and eat healthy. I don't get enough exercise, I have high bp and am taking cholestoral crap meds, drink too much et. al.

I did a sleep test 10 yrs ago with no bad results. I am thinking with age, things have changed. I seem to be tried all the time. I put it down as age, work etc.

I don't want to do the "C-Pap" machine, or cut out my uvula (not vulva). I was going to look into the mouth piece thingie that holds out your lower jaw?

I will probably do another sleep test, but think this time they will say I have a problem. Again, don't want to be hooked up to a machine at night (C-Pap).

Has anyone been through this and what was the best solution.

I've done a fair amount of "sleep dentistry" on patients with mostly good results. Not everyone is a candidate, but a sleep test and exam by your dentist, if they do that service, are worth looking into. DO NOT do a palato-uvuloplasty (cut off the uvula). It is usually a very short term fix and can result in acid reflux, and other problems. The mouthpiece is fairly effective, but requires that you meet certain criteria to be successful. The biggest being, how severe your apnea is, and how much it's affected by sleep position. PM me if you need more info.

[Frosty]

Originally Posted by Fire Me Boy!

Try a different mask. I was lucky, the first mask I got worked well. I'm a side/stomach sleeper, and I find I can kind of bury my face in the pillow and the mask stays right where it's supposed to.

Took me maybe a month to get used to it, but once I acclimated, I don't go anywhere without it.

I'm on my third mask already. I think I'm hard to fit or something. I'm still holding out hope for my current mask, though. I made some more adjustments to it and have been able to get about 5 hours the last few nights. If that doesn't work, I'll try a nasal one. However, I can't get a new mask until late September unless I want to pay out of pocket.

One thing that bugs me when I go to the med center to get fitted for a new mask is they always do the fitting while I'm sitting up. That's great that it doesn't leak or anything while I'm sitting in a chair. However, I don't sleep that way. They need to be fitted while I am laying down.

By the way, I finally got your username. Spoon!

[mikeyis4dcats.]

my boss has a cpap, and swears by nasal pillows

[Fire Me Boy!]

Originally Posted by Frosty

I'm on my third mask already. I think I'm hard to fit or something. I'm still holding out hope for my current mask, though. I made some more adjustments to it and have been able to get about 5 hours the last few nights. If that doesn't work, I'll try a nasal one. However, I can't get a new mask until late September unless I want to pay out of pocket.

One thing that bugs me when I go to the med center to get fitted for a new mask is they always do the fitting while I'm sitting up. That's great that it doesn't leak or anything while I'm sitting in a chair. However, I don't sleep that way. They need to be fitted while I am laying down.

By the way, I finally got your username. Spoon!

[KChiefs1]

CPAP is a wonderful thing.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[BigRedChief]

Originally Posted by mikeyis4dcats.

my boss has a cpap, and swears by nasal pillows

Nasal Pillows allow you to keep from feeling you got this whole apparatus on your face.

[BigRedChief]

Originally Posted by Fire Me Boy!

I really dreaded getting the CPAP. It's been one of the best things I've done. I really didn't realize how tired I was until I wasn't tired anymore.

That's because you get to and stay in REMIII sleep longer.

[Fire Me Boy!]

Originally Posted by BigRedChief

That's because you get to and stay in REMIII sleep longer.

I know. IIRC, I was stopping breathing approximately 50x per hour and O2 levels were dropping into the 70s (not as bad as the O2 of 58 when I was hospitalized a couple years ago, though ).

[O.city]

I see tooge has touched on it, but find a good sleep dentist.

[Fire Me Boy!]

Originally Posted by O.city

I see tooge has touched on it, but find a good sleep dentist.

I prefer my dentists to be awake. No offense, tooge.

[Frosty]

I've never even heard of a sleep dentist. Do they just make mouth pieces for snoring/apnea?

[tooge]

Originally Posted by Frosty

I've never even heard of a sleep dentist. Do they just make mouth pieces for snoring/apnea?

Yes. Basically, we order a sleep study. Then the study is read by a sleep physician. Based on certain criteria, ie., positional apnea, airway classification, severity of apnea, we can construct a mouthpiece that moves the lower jaw forward, opening the airway. It's fairly effective.

[Bowser]

Originally Posted by mikeyis4dcats.

my boss has a cpap, and swears by nasal pillows

I'll second this. I use the nasal pillows as well and haven't slept this deep in years.

[tooge]

BTW, there is no such thing as a "sleep dentist" as far as a recognized specialty goes. I've been to several seminars covering the topic and have been treating apnea for about 3 years. Don't blow it off if you have sleep apnea. Essentially, your body is going through the fight or flight fear response all night long. That is NOT good for your heart.