Does anyone else here CPAP?
 

I've been using this thing for a couple of months, and it does improve my rest. But I don't understand what is a "therapy hour." If I use it for 8 hours the counter shows 6-6.5 hrs. If all I had to worry about was results I wouldn't care, but for my insurance co. to pay for this thing ($980!) I have to get 4 hrs of therapy 21 out of 30 days. I can't get it above 20/30. It said 20/30 two weeks ago, and it has recorded 4+ hrs every night for the past week, and it still says 20/30. Does anyone know how these things count hours? If I don't get it up to 21/30 before Feb 12 I have to pay for it out of pocket.

WTF is CPAP?

I should. I did a sleep study and I was right on the cusp of needing one. Tried it in the sleep study and could not stand it. I started taking Claritin daily have have managed to avoid one. What a hassle it must be.

CPAP, or continuous positive airway pressure, is a treatment that uses mild air pressure to keep the airways open. CPAP typically is used by people who have breathing problems, such as sleep apnea.

I had the sleep analysis done at the sleep centre . Lots of wires attached to me. PITA. I have sleep apnea, restless leg syndrome. Was recommended to me to get CPAP. I could not imagine wearing that thing at night .

I will take my chances. Wake up a lot at night due dreams and breathless. CPAP? What's next? Catheter. Beam me up Scotty!

Guy

That was me. I was depressed for a week after the doc talked to me and said no way.

But later I though what the heck may as well try it. It's not nearly the PITA I imagined it to be. In the sleep study I woke to the barely-unconscious sleep state (stage 1) 18 times in 6 hours and spent almost no time in deep sleep. I never really felt rested. Now I wake to stage1 sleep 1 or 2 times a night. It's a big improvement in my life and worth the inconvenience. I just wish I understood the damn machine better.

Funny thing, I used to dream that I was awake and couldn't sleep almost every night. I would get up the next day pixxed off at the world for not letting me sleep. That doesn't happen any more.

If you use the ResMed brand, maybe you can try this to see the Clinician settings.

ResMed S9 CPAP Setup

Maybe they put in some funny numbers for the "therapy" time.

If you don't have ResMed, do some Google searching to see if you can find how to get into the Clinician settings on your brand.

I have been using the ResMed S9 Elite with humidifier for over a year now and it has helped me to sleep better and not be tired later in the day.
ResMed... and the mask I use is the Swift FX nasal pillows Swift FX. Very comfortable and I didn't have any problems adapting to the mask.

Here's a link to supplies. CPAP Machines and CPAP Masks for the Treatment of Sleep Apnea
For the machines and complete masks, they will need your prescription on file. But parts of machines/masks do not need prescription. Go figure.

CPAP.
A small electronic box, with air pump and pressurized air hoses leading to a mask.
-When you breathe out, the face mask is supposed to allow you to breathe out nrmally.
-When you breathe in, the machine air pump is supposed to help you breathe in.

I thought of it a as C-CRAP.

The mask never sealed right to the face, even after 3-4 visits to a top medical facility.
Huge farting noise around the cheeks woke up everyone in the room and neighborhood.
No additional Oxygen benefit to the system.

Dad would pull that s*** off his face late at night and finally get some good rest.

Been on a Cpap about 10 years....Getting used to it was hell. Doc said a full 1/3 of those that should be one one never follow through; as some here have said....

My doc prescribed sleep meds to keep me sleeping and not wake up to take it off.

Now, I wouldn't be without it. I feel much more rested. I see my sleep doc once a year and take in the SD card from the machine....He can look at a graph and tell exactly how much I sleep each night and whether it is good sleep or not.

I've been told is you should use a CPAP and do not, it puts a load on your heart that can take years off your life?

THIS^^^ Wife wanted to have me tested... I can't sleep in a room with a clock ticking! No way I could get through a sleep analysis or fall asleep with a mask on my face... sorry, not for me.

"What Happens During Non-REM Sleep?
There are three phases of non-REM sleep. Each stage can last from 5 to 15 minutes. You go through all three phases before reaching REM sleep.

Stage 1: Your eyes are closed, but it's easy to wake you up. This phase may last for 5 to 10 minutes.

Stage 2: You are in light sleep. Your heart rate slows and your body temperature drops. Your body is getting ready for deep sleep.

Stages 3: This is the deep sleep stage. It's harder to rouse you during this stage, and if someone woke you up, you would feel disoriented for a few minutes.

During the deep stages of NREM sleep, the body repairs and regrows tissues, builds bone and muscle, and strengthens the immune system."

The sleep study showed that I spent almost no time in Stage 3 sleep. Plus, if you've got apnea you are probably suffering oxygen deprivation, and that can't be good for your heart.

There was a post about this some time ago if you search for it. Lots of pros and lots of cons. The only way to see if it will work is to get a sleep study done, they will tell you how many times and hour you stop breathing, etc, etc. In my case I was stopping 80 to 90 times an hour so I was not getting good sleep at all. The print out of the study was pretty scary to look at. Since I am over 65 medicare paid for it and my wife uses it also. An added benefit, my electricity rate is lower AND I pay about $75 a month less for electricity!

I use the bipap setting, it is a constant pressure but varies for inhale and exhale, I too use the swift nasal pillow, I was unable to tolerate the face mask for more than 5 minutes.

To the OP. You can buy a machine on eBay or craigslist I have seen them as low as $300. You can program yourself, search for set up instructions online. Buy your own and you won't have to worry about the insurance.

I went through three sleep studies over a period of two years and,still didn't narrow down a pressure that would let me sleep, either my stomach would fill with air or if to low it wouldn't keep my airway open.

Once I found out how to program the settings I was able to find a balance that works for me.

If you still need to get the hours up for your insurance just wear it for a few hours during the day when you are watching TV or other inactivity.

If you want to own one, I just listed this one on Craigslist.
Fisher & Paykel SleepStyle 200 CPAP Machine - VERY low time!

That's a good deal, someone should grab. I tried to find a used one a few years ago after I had a bag stolen in Mexico and Ins said they wouldn't replace the old one till it was 5 yrs old...

Found I couldn't get one on Ebay since you a supposed to only buy with a prescription....

Not meaning to step on anyone's toes on this forum, but I have it that a considerable percentage of folks on CPAP machines are perhaps a bit overweight? And maybe they wouldn't need the machine as quite as much should they be able to shed a few pounds?
Jim

^^
That's #1 on the list of things they say you can do minimize apnea. I'm proof that being overweight isn't the only cause though. I'm not skinny but no one would call me fat.

If I remember correctly, the VA awards 50% disability now if the service member is diagnosed with sleep apnea? It appears it is caused by stress in 90% of the diagnosis.

I have been on CPAP now Bi-PAP for ~15 years. I can't sleep without it. I find that the type/fit of the mask is crucial to how well it works. I started with a nasal pillow type, did not work for me at all.

After trying 5/6 different masks I found Respironics Profile Light masks work best for me. You can swivel the hose up so that the covers don't knock the mask off and they seal with very light pressure.

Profile Lite Nasal CPAP Mask with Optional Headgear by Respironics

i'm on one, took a while to get used to it. I would stop breathing 17 times an hour. Always tired and my wife would not sleep in the room with me; my snoring and the worry when I stopped breathing if I'd wake up. I was tested about 6 years ago and was told I was ok, now I have moderate. I'm not over weight but I am a Soldier. The hardest thing is the dry mouth, some nights I take the mask off because of the dry mouth.

I would suggest you lose weight anyway. I also encourage you to do as your doctor recommends WRT any sort of respiratory therapy. Oxygen is sort of vitally important to your brain. If your pulse ox is running 99% great, if it is sub 90%, well, that is bad.

Patrick,

If you smoke you best quit, that scheisse will kill you and take a looong time to do it.

Toby

Weight is often a factor, but not the only factor. I've lost considerable weight since I started about 10 yrs ago......My sleep Doc sez I can do another sleep study and probably be fine without CPAP. I declined. I've gotten so that I prefer it......

my story exactly...

You have no idea how much I weigh. Why would you suggest I lose weight?

Yes, they list smoking as one of the major exacerbating factors in sleep apnea.

Lighten up WD. No pun intended. Tobra is simply stating that being overweight can increase the chance of snoring/sleep apnea.

^^

OK, let me restate it.
You have no idea how much anyone here weighs. Why would you suggest we lose weight "anyway?"

A lot of people with obstructive sleep apnea don't know they have it. Answers to a couple of simple questions could suggest a need to have it evaluated.

1. Do you feel rested when you wake? If not, is it because you didn't sleep well or were not in bed long enough? If you find yourself in bed for 7-9 hours but still poorly rested, that could be a OSA problem as it keeps you from reaching deep, restorative levels of sleep.

2. Does your spouse/S.O./who ever notice that you snore then stop breathing for a bit followed by a gasp and snoring deeply/loudly? If so, you almost certainly have it.

So, what to do?

1. Consider asking about a sleep study.
2. If you have OSA, get all of your options. Some people need to lose weight, some are retrognathic (google it), some need a dental appliance, some need CPAP, some might need surgery (UPP and/or tonsilectomy). At the end of the day, the issue is that there is tissue obstructing the airway during sleep and that causes real problems up to and including not waking up one day because of it.

Because you said you could stand to lose some weight and you are asking about CPAPs. A smart ENT would not be a bad idea, my brother had issues similar to those you describe. He had a uvulaplasty, or whatever they call it, but continued to have issues until he lost weight. Patrick, I addressed you more personally than I customarily address anyone because this is serious business and my words are sincere, Toby. I don't think you are fat, that shirt just makes you look fat.

PS Tonsillectomy is no joke in an adult, actually sucks almost as much donkey balls as a kidney stone.

So Pavulon, what is it about human anatomy that has allowed people to evolve to a point where the tissue in their throats prevents them from being able to breathe while sleeping?

JA

I use to do CPAP. I actually liked it and slept like a baby. I've lost weight, though, and no longer need it. Others in the house may disagree...LOL

That reads like a rather pointed question for some reason...at least a little.

In any event, I suspect that the problem has been around for long as people have presented in all shapes and sizes. Some think that selection for the ability to produce complex sounds (speech) has promoted it. Of course, the diagnosis of it has exploded ever since treatments were developed (draw your own conclusions here). I'm sure there are other notions as well but Google produced those below. Did you have other ideas?

Sleep apnea, evolution, and breathing masks: an excerpt from David K. Randall’s Dreamland

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http://www.ersj.org.uk/content/7/10/1741.full.pdf

Evolution of snoring and sleep apnea | herworldPLUS

I've been a snorer since I was a skinny immigrant kid.

I don't sleep well without my CPAP anymore. I wish I could use it on a plane ride. It's embarrassing waking up to your own snoring.

I'm not familiar with the counter you are referring to. It may be something that your machine shows that mine doesn't? It was always my understanding that the insurance companies that monitor such things, before covering the cost, are going by average actual usage (mine doesn't care) in hours/day.

I don't pay any attention to what the machine displays as that is VERY limited. There is a free software package you can get that will show you exactly what your doctor can see in incredible detail. You will need an SD card reader to use it. From my experience my sleep Dr. didn't even get to see this level of detail but only received a small snapshot of a portion from the DME provider.

SleepyHead OpenSource CPAP Review Software
SleepyHead OpenSource CPAP Review Software

I find it really useful to monitor how things are going. I've been on the machine for ~1 1/2 years and find I can't sleep without it. Sure, sometimes annoying but for the most part it's now just white noise.

Not a user but my understanding is that if you need it you better make sure you're using it as there is great cost for not doing so in terms of your health.

I didn't say I need to lose any more weight and neither did my doctor. He said just the opposite. He showed me the list of recommended therapies for those who experience apnea and went down the list.

1. Lose weight if you are overweight.
"Won't help you, you aren't overweight.

2. Stop smoking.
"Won't help, you don't smoke.

3. CPAP
"I recommend this"

4. surgery
"It's surgery. I don't recommend it."

It counts number of hrs/day and the number days/month that hrs/day is greater than 4. Insurance wants to see 21 out of 30 days where it is used at least 4hrs per day or they assume you aren't using it enough for them to pay for it.

Thank you for that URL. It is exactly what I need.

I'd be curious what SH shows in the Overview > Usage graph. You'll see that it automatically red flags sessions that are less than 4 hours per day.

Everything's linked under the download page but in case you missed it the MAN is here:
SleepyHead Users Guide - SleepyHead Wiki