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.

[Kman34]

Originally Posted by ptlyon

Don't worry. When Alex is gone you'll sleep like a baby.

And there it is...

[Tribesman]

I've had my CPAP for about 2 months now and I STILL can't get used to it. I hate it actually.
ENT doc finally had to prescribe sleep meds in addition, which helped some. But I have yet to make it through the entire night and early morning before taking it off.

[CapsLockKey]

Originally Posted by Tribesman

I've had my CPAP for about 2 months now and I STILL can't get used to it. I hate it actually.
ENT doc finally had to prescribe sleep meds in addition, which helped some. But I have yet to make it through the entire night and early morning before taking it off.

Do you have the full face mask or nasal? I've got the nasal pillow and took to it pretty quick. The doctor said it takes most people up to 3 months to get used to and start seeing results from a CPAP. Only part that bothered me at first was my nostrils felt raw like I had been wiping my nose constantly but that went away after about a week.

[Tribesman]

Originally Posted by CapsLockKey

Do you have the full face mask or nasal? I've got the nasal pillow and took to it pretty quick. The doctor said it takes most people up to 3 months to get used to and start seeing results from a CPAP. Only part that bothered me at first was my nostrils felt raw like I had been wiping my nose constantly but that went away after about a week.

Nasal pillows.
Makes me feel a little better then. I'll have to keep trying with it. I definitely have the condition though, as I've awoken before gasping for air. So, not using the CPAP really isn't an option for me at this point.

[patteeu]

Originally Posted by Tribesman

Nasal pillows.
Makes me feel a little better then. I'll have to keep trying with it. I definitely have the condition though, as I've awoken before gasping for air. So, not using the CPAP really isn't an option for me at this point.

You'll get used to it. It was hard to get used to at first and I quit using it for several months, but I went back to it about a year and a half ago. Now I'm completely used to it and it's so much better than sleeping without it.

[Mr. Kotter]

Lose weight; 20-30 lbs. If not, plan on a C-Pap if you have big plans to live beyond SS retirement age. Otherwise, you'll die in your sleep.

Been there; done that. I'm not kidding...

[DaneMcCloud]

Originally Posted by Mr. Kotter

Lose weight; 20-30 lbs. If not, plan on a C-Pap if you have big plans to live beyond SS retirement age. Otherwise, you'll die in your sleep.

Been there; done that. I'm not kidding...

No offense but this is incorrect.

Apnea goes way beyond weight and has more to due with throat tissue.

I know people in perfect health that weigh 170 pounds or less that have had apnea issues their entire life, including 115 pound women.

[Mr. Kotter]

Originally Posted by DaneMcCloud

No offense but this is incorrect.

Apnea goes way beyond weight and has more to due with throat tissue.

I know people in perfect health that weigh 170 pounds or less that have had apnea issues their entire life, including 115 pound women.

You are half correct; weight can make a big difference for the majority of those with sleep apnea.

[Frazod]

Originally Posted by DaneMcCloud

No offense but this is incorrect.

Apnea goes way beyond weight and has more to due with throat tissue.

I know people in perfect health that weigh 170 pounds or less that have had apnea issues their entire life, including 115 pound women.

This. My friend who opted for the surgery because he couldn't deal with the mask is active duty Air Force and in tremendous physical shape.

[FlintHillsChiefs]

What's this lower jaw mouth guard thing? I might have to try that. I have a really bad deviated septum that needs to be fixed, but for now I'll try the mouthguard and the breathe right strips.

[ptlyon]

It may not be a matter of being able to breathe at all because of restriction, some people's brains just shut off the signal to keep breathing.

[Frazod]

Originally Posted by FlintHillsChiefs

What's this lower jaw mouth guard thing? I might have to try that. I have a really bad deviated septum that needs to be fixed, but for now I'll try the mouthguard and the breathe right strips.

I tried all that crap before I got my CPAP - the strips, the jaw thing, the mouthpiece, the spray. None of it worked.

[Lex Luthor]

I suggest that you take sleep apnea seriously. I didn't, and as a result I almost died last year.

About 15 years ago I went in for a sleep study because my wife complained about my snoring. They put me in a full-face CPAP and it was GOD AWFUL. I tried to go to sleep, but I couldn't. I felt like a fire hose was bombarding my nose and mouth with horrific blasts of air. After about 20 minutes of this I sat up, took of the CPAP mask, said "I cannot tolerate this", and walked out of the clinic.

After that whenever I heard about the health dangers of sleep apnea, I said "**** it, I'm not going to wear that goddamn mask".

Last September I began to have difficulty breathing. Over the course of a couple of weeks it got progressively worse. I thought "Man, I'm just out of shape. I need to hit the gym." Then one night it got so bad that I wound up going to the ER. They admitted me to the hospital and told me I had congestive heart failure.

Well, that got my attention.

Luckily I made it to the ER in time to not die. Now I take a couple of pills twice a day and my congestive heart failure appears to be completely under control. I believe that if I had properly dealt with my sleep apnea for the last 15 years, I wouldn't be a congestive heart failure patient today. There is a direct link between sleep apnea and heart failure.

Here is the part you should pay attention to: I went back to the sleep disorder clinic and asked them to fit me for a full face CPAP, just like the one that had been so horrible 15 years ago. I decided it was time to man up and wear the damn mask. To my surprise, it's not that bad after all. It turns out that they can adjust the settings so that the air flow starts very gradually. They can also set just how strong the air flow should be. If it's properly set up, it doesn't have to be a bad experience at all. The technician who sets it up just needs to have a clue about what he is doing.

I began wearing the CPAP that night, and I've worn it every single night for the last 9 months. I don't even notice it any more. I just put it on and imagine that I'm Bane from the movie "Batman Begins". I can sleep on my back. I can sleep on either side. I just have to try to be careful to keep a good seal on the mask when I put my head on the pillow.

The bottom line: If you have sleep apnea, you really need to address it. Otherwise you could die a lot sooner than you otherwise would.

[Fire Me Boy!]

Originally Posted by Lex Luthor

I suggest that you take sleep apnea seriously. I didn't, and as a result I almost died last year.

About 15 years ago I went in for a sleep study because my wife complained about my snoring. They put me in a full-face CPAP and it was GOD AWFUL. I tried to go to sleep, but I couldn't. I felt like a fire hose was bombarding my nose and mouth with horrific blasts of air. After about 20 minutes of this I sat up, took of the CPAP mask, said "I cannot tolerate this", and walked out of the clinic.

After that whenever I heard about the health dangers of sleep apnea, I said "**** it, I'm not going to wear that goddamn mask".

Last September I began to have difficulty breathing. Over the course of a couple of weeks it got progressively worse. I thought "Man, I'm just out of shape. I need to hit the gym." Then one night it got so bad that I wound up going to the ER. They admitted me to the hospital and told me I had congestive heart failure.

Well, that got my attention.

Luckily I made it to the ER in time to not die. Now I take a couple of pills twice a day and my congestive heart failure appears to be completely under control. I believe that if I had properly dealt with my sleep apnea for the last 15 years, I wouldn't be a congestive heart failure patient today. There is a direct link between sleep apnea and heart failure.

Here is the part you should pay attention to: I went back to the sleep disorder clinic and asked them to fit me for a full face CPAP, just like the one that had been so horrible 15 years ago. I decided it was time to man up and wear the damn mask. To my surprise, it's not that bad after all. It turns out that they can adjust the settings so that the air flow starts very gradually. They can also set just how strong the air flow should be. If it's properly set up, it doesn't have to be a bad experience at all. The technician who sets it up just needs to have a clue about what he is doing.

I began wearing the CPAP that night, and I've worn it every single night for the last 9 months. I don't even notice it any more. I just put it on and imagine that I'm Bane from the movie "Batman Begins". I can sleep on my back. I can sleep on either side. I just have to try to be careful to keep a good seal on the mask when I put my head on the pillow.

The bottom line: If you have sleep apnea, you really need to address it. Otherwise you could die a lot sooner than you otherwise would.

I have a little button on my machine that drops the pressure to like 30% or something and gradually ramps it up over 10 minutes. That thing rules.

I think I've said this before, but it does take time to get used to sleeping with it. When I first started, I'd be lucky to go an hour before I'd wake up and take it off. But over time, one hour turned to two, and two to three. Eventually, I was sleeping through the night with it on. I don't go anywhere without my CPAP anymore.

I never knew how tired I was until I wasn't tired anymore.

[displacedinMN]

The two above --this is why I have changed a few things this summer.

One pop a day. sleep clinic Friday. Walking on a tread mill and 100 sit ups a day.

Small steps