Sleep apnea

[Drdogface]

Yep, just found out I have it and will be on O2 or CPAP soon. Problem now is that I guess I snore loudly and my wife gets really PO'd. Even moved to the couch in the other room the other nite and still she was kept awake. I dunno if the Rx's I get will stop the snoring...I kinda doubt it, so if any of you can recommend a way to deal with this it will save my marriage... Are there comfortable ear plugs she could wear... Some of you must have had to deal with this in the past.. ???

[Targa Me]

from what I understand the 02 and cpap will work for you and you should feel 100x's more rested.
some wive's complain that when hubby uses the cpap it sounds like she is sleeping with darth vader.
Lose weight if need be. eliminate beer or cocktails during the week if you can.
some wive's also have used custom made ear plugs but they're still not 100% effective.
good luck to you.

[tabs]

That CRAP machine is crap...could not last over 2hrs a night with it on...I even had the one that was supposed to breath with you instead of the constant flow one...get out of the rhythm of the machine and your sucking for air. I always found myself having taken the mask off in my sleep.

Think of alternatives...like losing weight..there just has to be a better way to solve the problem than that fking machine.

[Targa Me]

yes, the machine takes "getting use to". but it can be done.

[recycled sixtie]

My wife and I sleep in separate beds as we sleep better that way. I have sleep apnea and restless leg syndrome but dont use cpap machine as I think that it would feel uncomfortable to sleep. I sleep in the basement and she sleeps upstairs and when I nap after lunch I do so on the couch and she can hear me upstairs. If you have a big enough house then you could get a bed further away from her? Also sleep apnea has risks I think of heart attacks because you may be holding your breath when u are asleep. Sometime I wake up short of breath and I know that is a symptom of sleep apnea. Being overweight can contribute to it. Unless u use the cpap machine, I hope u have a big house! Hope this helps.

[Drdogface]

Originally Posted by tabs

That CRAP machine is crap...could not last over 2hrs a night with it on...I even had the one that was supposed to breath with you instead of the constant flow one...get out of the rhythm of the machine and your sucking for air. I always found myself having taken the mask off in my sleep.

Think of alternatives...like losing weight..there just has to be a better way to solve the problem than that fking machine.

That's what I'm afraid of. Having said that, I do have friends who love them.. I guess there's little in between...either love or hate. I'll just have to see. I'm hoping I can just get an O2 concentrator/generator to solve the problem if I don't need the positive pressure.

The O2 generator is rental only for $525/mo...yikes...and Medicare won't pay unless your O2 levels get really low for a long time. The VA may be of some help to me.

[Zeke]

Ask your dentist about an appliance. I don't know anything about them, just know they are available.

[Drdogface]

Originally Posted by recycled sixtie

My wife and I sleep in separate beds as we sleep better that way. I have sleep apnea and restless leg syndrome but dont use cpap machine as I think that it would feel uncomfortable to sleep. I sleep in the basement and she sleeps upstairs and when I nap after lunch I do so on the couch and she can hear me upstairs. If you have a big enough house then you could get a bed further away from her? Also sleep apnea has risks I think of heart attacks because you may be holding your breath when u are asleep. Sometime I wake up short of breath and I know that is a symptom of sleep apnea. Being overweight can contribute to it. Unless u use the cpap machine, I hope u have a big house! Hope this helps.

Yeah, I think it may come to me sleeping downstairs...we do have a big house. SA is very dangerous to your heart so please do get some help with it. I know about the weight and it's coming off slowly. I need to lose about 20 more.

[vash]

My buddy has the machine. He got used to it right away and now sleeps like a baby. He was my roommate. I used to dream of suffocating him with his pillow. It wasn't the snoring that got me. (loud!) it was went his breathing stopped abruptly like a flap valve slammed shut that got me.

Good luck.

[ronster]

It depends on the CPAP device you get as some are progressive in reaching your maximum air pressure to keep your air passage open. You can set the device to reach max pressure up to ten minutes and typically by that time you and your spouse are asleep. The mask you select can also have an affect on how you sleep depending on whether you select a full mask, that covers your nose or a pillow mask that has soft inserts that sit on the nostril opening. Pillow masks are typically lighter, smaller and less intrusive. The hardest part is dealing with the hose and how it comes out of the mask either over your head or out of the bottom of the mask. I just switched from a pillow mask that had the hose coming out the top and over my head to one that comes out of the bottom of the pillows and is on a swivel. The new mask is much more comfortable and easier to deal with.
There are different types of sleep apnea the most common being the type where your tongue relaxes and falls back in your throat sealing the air passage off and the worst type is the deterioration of the throat muscles so they collapse when you relax into sleep. You need to find out which you have. Losing weight will not have any affect on the second type and may have some effect on the first but not always.
I cannot urge you strongly enough to start addressing your apnea issue quickly as the long term effect of lack of oxygen and carbon dioxide buildup in the body has a severe effect on health of internal organs, has been linked to heart disease, stroke and severe brain damage as illustrated by tabs.
You will also see a change in personality and more positive outlook on life as you begin to get the quality of sleep that you need to be a functioning human being.

[id10t]

You can have my CPAP machine when you pry it from my cold dead face... best thing I ever did. Took 2 or 3 nights to get used to it, won't go without it.

[azasadny]

Good luck! I went through all of the sleep apnea testing when I was suffering from severe, chronic insomnia, before we found out I had liver disease, which caused the insomnia.

My wife snores really bad and it's been bothering both of us, so we got a humidifier for the bedroom and she hasn't snored since we got it. Not saying this is what you need, but it may help if the heated air is dry in your house, like ours is...

[Drdogface]

Originally Posted by ronster

It depends on the CPAP device you get as some are progressive in reaching your maximum air pressure to keep your air passage open. You can set the device to reach max pressure up to ten minutes and typically by that time you and your spouse are asleep. The mask you select can also have an affect on how you sleep depending on whether you select a full mask, that covers your nose or a pillow mask that has soft inserts that sit on the nostril opening. Pillow masks are typically lighter, smaller and less intrusive. The hardest part is dealing with the hose and how it comes out of the mask either over your head or out of the bottom of the mask. I just switched from a pillow mask that had the hose coming out the top and over my head to one that comes out of the bottom of the pillows and is on a swivel. The new mask is much more comfortable and easier to deal with.
There are different types of sleep apnea the most common being the type where your tongue relaxes and falls back in your throat sealing the air passage off and the worst type is the deterioration of the throat muscles so they collapse when you relax into sleep. You need to find out which you have. Losing weight will not have any affect on the second type and may have some effect on the first but not always.
I cannot urge you strongly enough to start addressing your apnea issue quickly as the long term effect of lack of oxygen and carbon dioxide buildup in the body has a severe effect on health of internal organs, has been linked to heart disease, stroke and severe brain damage as illustrated by tabs.
You will also see a change in personality and more positive outlook on life as you begin to get the quality of sleep that you need to be a functioning human being.

Thanks for all that. Trust me, I'm on this big time. I can't see my Doc soon enough to get started in dealing with the machine or O2...which ever works best. The folks at the med supply said a lot of people do fine on just Oxygen. At least I'd like to try that since it's all rental equipment.

I do also appreciate the advice on the mask as I have concerns about that. I see (on the web) so many different masks made and would not have a clue where to start. I want to start feeling good again and get my wife off my case about napping in the daytime and snoring and..... The day after being on O2 all night at the sleep clinic I felt 15 years younger and more positive than I have in a long time. What a difference.

I appreciate all the input I'm getting on this topic. This forum is the best place on earth....except for PARF

[LakeCleElum]

I snored a lot and was diagnosed with sleep apnea in 2003, I had no idea I had a problem. I was just tired all the time. I had to spend a night in the hospital for a "sleep study - it indicated I quit breathing 80 times per hour.

Cpap prescribed and very hard to get used to. Ask doc to prescribe sleeping pills so you won't take it off in the middle of the night. Stats say a full 35% of those told to use a Cpap give up and don't follow thru. It's important for your health, both the heart and dental health (grinding teeth and gum disease).

Now, I love my Cpap. On the rare time I forget to take it when traveling, I don't snore anymore. Might be connected to the 85 lbs I've lost in the past 16 months?

It's important to get a handle on this, both for your health and you wife's also.....G'luck.

[juanbenae]

Originally Posted by id10t

You can have my CPAP machine when you pry it from my cold dead face... best thing I ever did. Took 2 or 3 nights to get used to it, won't go without it.

+1.

the thing is like crack in that im hooked now. there are two types of head deals, nose pillows and another type thats like an f16 pilot's head gear. tried both and stuck with the pillow type. they did bug my nose at 1st but a lil smudge of vasaline helps. no longer require mid day naps, my chick can sleep with me now without wanting to kill me. biggest problem now if not stiring throughout the night and sleeping too long on my shoulder making it hurt..

been a lil over a year and i can not go with out it now. sturggling to get it to run all night off the motorhome battery system at race weekend though. it sucks a ton of power. go dog go, have a sleep study and get on board.

toby

[ronster]

Originally Posted by Drdogface

Thanks for all that. Trust me, I'm on this big time. I can't see my Doc soon enough to get started in dealing with the machine or O2...which ever works best. The folks at the med supply said a lot of people do fine on just Oxygen. At least I'd like to try that since it's all rental equipment.

I do also appreciate the advice on the mask as I have concerns about that. I see (on the web) so many different masks made and would not have a clue where to start. I want to start feeling good again and get my wife off my case about napping in the daytime and snoring and..... The day after being on O2 all night at the sleep clinic I felt 15 years younger and more positive than I have in a long time. What a difference.

I appreciate all the input I'm getting on this topic. This forum is the best place on earth....except for PARF

Here's a link to the ResMed Swift FX nasal pillow masks. I switched to this just recently and it has been a game changer.
ResMed - Nasal Pillows

[Drdogface]

Originally Posted by car 311

+1.

go dog go, have a sleep study and get on board.

toby

Thanks Toby. I have had the study done, but the results have only just been sent to my Doc. I can't wait to get started and get back into life... I may have the same problem with the RV, though, and going to fish camp in Canada.

[boba]

I have been using CPAP since sleep study done in 1994. I love it because it works. The first night I used it I could feel the difference. I have used a number of different headpieces over the years. There are more options today, Find one that works for you. I now use a full nose mask with a swivel fitting for the hose. Getting a comfortable fit is the key, so it is worth trying as many of the options until you find what works for you. It is not hyperboly to say it will change your life, as well as possibly saving it.

BTW I also was a seismic snorer, no more.

[John Rogers]

I have been using the "air pump" for a couple weeks now and the difference in the way I feel is amazing! I have been having trouble sleeping since my days in the Navy in the 70s and 80s and I always thought it was just stress or something? Anyways as my health has been getting worse my doctor had me get a lung capacity test which was okay although my chest hurt badly at times. The I had the heart test for stress and even radioactive dye injected which showed no blockages or restrictions. The last thing she said was to have a sleep apnea test done which I thought was silly but went along anyways.

The night of the test they hooked a couple of dozen sensors to me and the next morning gave me the news which was pretty bad. On my side, my breathing would stop 25 to 30 times an hour but worse was sleeping on my back where my breathing stopped 65 to 70 times an hour! The doc said "no wonder you are tired and feel like hell as you do not get any rest at night"! So a week later I redid the test with the CPAP machine and mask that just covers my nose since I have a beard and the full face will not seal well with a beard. NO breathing stopping! and I didn't even wake up to go pee three or four times like normal but sure had to go when I did wake up!

Anyways, Medicare pays for mine and I got it a couple of weeks ago and except for our two baby Pugs not liking it, there have been no issues. I was afraid I would have trouble adapting to the mask but the falling asleep has not been an issue and since mine adjusts the air humidity and has a heated hose there is even moisture which helps me sleep. The waking up many times each night has stopped and I sure wish I had this many years ago. These CPAP machines seem to be expensive, mine was $1600 or so and it has a chip that the doctor has to read every 3 months to insure I am using it.

As for other methods, the doctor told me that the mouth inserts, even perscription ones do not work long term and tend to make the jaw joint sore and that surgery to open up the throat is a possibility but works long term in less than 40% of the people and since my tonsils have been removed that won't help either.

Good luck with it and I think you'll find it will help.

[cantdrv55]

I don't get a good night's sleep without my CPAP so I use it all the time. I travel on biz frequrntly and I bring it with me wherever I go. Losing weight won't help for me. I snored as a kid. My parents should've had my tonsils removed.