Snoring

Jandrews · 12-03-2006, 11:59 AM

Saw the post on talking in your sleep and reminded me of this.

Who here has problems snoring? Have you been able to treat it successfully? Any opinons on root cause? Does anyone here use one of those airway breathing machines?

I know I suck the drywall texture off of the ceiling at night, and figured it would be pretty common here.

Let's hear your experience.

JA

BlueSkyJaunte · 12-03-2006, 01:09 PM

My kid snores. I snore. My wife snores louder.

The dry air wreaks havoc with our sinuses. It is something we've learned to live with.

fireant911 · 12-03-2006, 01:32 PM

I have done the overnight sleep study on three separate occasions. I snored (of course) and was diagnosed with sleep apnea and restless leg syndrome. As part of the second sleep study I was outfitted half way through the night with the dreaded CPAP appartus - things improved. The sleep doctor then prescribed a CPAP for me. Once I got acclimated to wearing it was not too bad though I never really took a liking to that device. Allow me to interject that I was always feeling fatigued hence my initial visit to the sleep clinic (plus my wife, who was my girlfriend at the time, thought that I was going to die in my sleep...)

I started running a couple of years back and wore the device less and less. A higher incidence rate of sleep apnea occurs in overweight people and I only weigh in around 170 pounds with a height of 5'-8". During my third sleep study the girl next door to be was around 8 years old and skinny as a rail but she had sleep apnea also. I finally put the machine away last week as I was tidying up for my family to come up for Thanksgiving.

Unfortunately, as part of my diagnosis it was determined that I have an enlarged uvula - a big schlong (sp) would have much much more beneficial than the big o' uvula but I guess you take what you are given...

Milu · 12-03-2006, 02:03 PM

I snore if I am very tired. Laziness helps

Sleep apnea can be a nasty way of waking. Another reason for me to lose weight.

svandamme · svandamme's Garage

i'll snore after boozing
any other time i wouldn't be sleeping on my back

but then again , i'm single, couldn't care less if i did snore, it's not like my cat will give me a hard time over it, i don't give him a hard time over beeing a lazy sod that sleeps 90% of the day...

carnutzzz · 12-03-2006, 02:32 PM

I think I'm with Fireant.

Haven't been diagnosed- but I think I need to go in for testing. I snore real loud, and I've been told I stop breathing.

I don't think it's weight related- 5' 10" 185.

Rick V · 12-03-2006, 03:13 PM

My wife claims that I snore, I've never been able to validate this. She also tells me I quit breathing at times. When ever I awake I am breathing so I think she just has a bad case of the "blondes"

Big Ed · 12-03-2006, 03:17 PM

I have sleep apnea, a pretty bad case of it actually.

Always snored so loud, never thought anything of it. Wife said I stop breathing in my sleep, I said bull$hit, no way I wouldn't wake up.

About a year ago I started feeling like crap -- sort of lightheaded all the time. Went to the doc thinking low blood sugar or something. When blood chemistry came back OK, he ordered the sleep study, where I was diagnosed.

The CPAP machine took about 2 weeks for me to get used to. Now it's no big deal at all. After I got used to it, I couldn't believe how good I felt in the morning...I had no idea how bad it was. I feel like a new man.

If you think you may have this disorder, get yourself tested. You'll be amazed at the difference.

BTW...if you are in the market for life or disability insurance, get it before you are diagnosed. I was unable to get a DI policy (they actually did offer me a policy but the terms were abysmal) this year. Underwriter told my agent that it was the sleep apnea that made me borderline uninsurable. Strange, considering it is effectively treated....

carnutzzz · 12-03-2006, 03:24 PM

Wow- good info.

It's weird- sometimes when I doze off on my back I can feel my throat relaxing to the point where it starts to cut off my air. I guess this is when the snoring starts. It does seem worse in dry air I think.

Could it have something to do with me still having tonsils? What type of Dr. should I call?

tabs · 12-03-2006, 03:24 PM

I can't stand that machine, I have yet to complete a full night with it on. I have the Bipap Machine. A friend has said that my sleep is so distrubed that he thinks I'm going to die.

This past week I've had the Flu, so when I fall asleep in a few minutes I awake feeling completely terrified as a drowning man must feel when he reachs the surface of the water. Sometimes it take a few seconds of gasping before I can get a breath while awake. Believe me this is BAD..

carnutzzz · 12-03-2006, 03:30 PM

I usually try to take FloNase before bed, that seems to help sometimes.

I've been told that my snoring sounds like a dying whale.

TABS- sounds like you have a severe case!

Big Ed · 12-03-2006, 03:32 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by carnutzzz
Could it have something to do with me still having tonsils? What type of Dr. should I call?

I don't know about the tonsils.

My sleep study was ordered by my GP. I don't know what a specialist in this area is called, but your regular doc ought to be able to point you in the right direction.

Big Ed · 12-03-2006, 03:33 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by tabs
I can't stand that machine, I have yet to complete a full night with it on. I have the Bipap Machine. A friend has said that my sleep is so distrubed that he thinks I'm going to die.

This past week I've had the Flu, so when I fall asleep in a few minutes I awake feeling completely terrified as a drowning man must feel when he reachs the surface of the water. Sometimes it take a few seconds of gasping before I can get a breath while awake. Believe me this is BAD..

Get yourself back to the doc so they can figure out a way for you to tolerate the treatment. You don't want to live like that...

Jeff Higgins · 12-03-2006, 03:39 PM

I've done the whole sleep study thing. A couple of things lead to this; my wife tells me I snore, and a constant feeling of fatigue. It turns out I have sleep apnea.

There are other ways to treat this other than that infernal machine. I went to a doctor in Seattle that specializes in non-intrusive cures for sleep apnea. My lifestyle just would not support the machine approach. I'm now fitted with an adjustable mouth guard that looks like a plain old football/boxing kind of thing, except it has two pieces. A top and bottom guard are held together by an adjustable pin; you can put it in different positions to change the position of your upper and lower jaw relative to one another, and change its length to keep your mouth more or less open. Everyone has a "sweet spot" that optimizes your airway; this thing holds that position for you.

This thing is great. The apnea and snoring are gone, and I sleep much better. I'm more alert, no longer fall asleep in meetings, and just have more energy. It is worth looking into as an alternative to that goddamn machine.

daepp · 12-03-2006, 04:09 PM

I love my CPAP. Took a while to get used to - but now I can't stand to be without it. Took it to NYC on my last trip. Don't leave home without it!

sammyg2 · 12-03-2006, 05:41 PM

Isn't modern science wonderful? They finally invented a machine that allows people to sleep.
Just think of all those millions of people who lived for thousands of years without sleep before this machine was invented

I snore and if it gets too loud the wife goes in the spare room. No machine, no tests, no medicine. Same as it has been for thousands of years.

legion · 12-03-2006, 05:49 PM

I used to snore. I put a humidifier in the bedroom.

I sleep much better now.

thedge · 12-03-2006, 05:58 PM

I dont think so, only times anyone has ever commented have been weird situations like sitting on the ground leaning against my rucksack with my head tilted back or something. I think as long as im sleeping in a fairly normal position im fine.

JeffO · 12-03-2006, 07:37 PM

I use a cpap machine. It has changed my life. An article the other day said if you have a size 17 or larger neck size you have a 90% chance of sleep apnea. My sleep study found that I woke up 82 times an hour. The doc asked me how many times I thought I woke up and I replied about 4 to 5 times. At 82 times an hour my rem sleep was nonexistent. When I was fitted with the cpap I went into rem sleep for 1 hour and 20 minutes. Normal is 10 to15 minutes and the extended rem I had was a recovery mode my body went into. Also my blood oxygen level went down to 87%. The doc said to the intern with us what he would do to a patient in the ER at that level and he said he would admit me right away.
Yes losing weight would help but your also fighting your own physiology. I thought I had restless leg syndrome also but the doc said since I did not go into rem my brain never fully shut down my body. This a defense mechanism from when our ancestors slept in trees and when asleep they would not thrash and fall out.

jkarolyi · 12-03-2006, 10:42 PM

I snore loudly so I did the sleep test. Didn't have apnea, but it was found that I have an abnormally long uvula. It touches the back of my tongue! If I want to stop snoring I need to have it cut back, which costs $2-3000 and is considered cosmetic and not covered by insurance.

Got a grin and a blush out of my girlfriend when I told her "The doctor says I have an abnormally long uvula."

If you snore, get the sleep study. Several people I know have apnea and say the machines work wonders.