Sleep Apnea Era: you got it? How do you deal?

[F2BBm3ga]

A long time ago I was diagnosed with sleep apnea. I was prescribed a cpap machine and mask. The machine had a setting of 1-15. My doctor set it to 15 for me. It felt like a jet engine was on my face. She lowered it to 13 but based on my apnea condition, would not lower it any further.

Ive tried for years to make cpap work in my life and just couldnt. There would be months where i tried it off and on and just could not get to sleep with it on. It was always something. I even tried different masks.

Then i tried one of the tongue devices.
This one

That ended up being a waste of slobbering money as id wake up in the middle of the night with it randomly out of my mouth.

I recently saw this....

But reviews dont seem to favorable.

Aside from looking like this

How are you all dealing with your sleep apnea? Im telling u i tried every trick in the book to make cpap work and I just cant sleep with it. I'm dying for a solution tho, literally.

 

[Chirotera]

I use my CPAP. It works pretty well, and auto-adjusts its pressure based on whatever its sensors tells it I need at any given time. I don't even need to turn it on, just put the mask on, the senors kick in and give me that sweet oxygen flow. I've never slept better, and actually wake up feeling refreshed whereas before I was always tired and groggy, waking up every 1.5 to 2 hours.

I know that's not a solution for you, but can you change the pressure on your own? I've noticed mine starts at 5, sometimes I barely notice it's on or doing anything. I've seen it hit 8-9 before though, and that felt pretty intense but not too bad. I can't imagine a 13.

 

[jb1234]

CPAP. The over nose attachment works well for me.

 

[cosmickosm]

My doc said I had a very mild case of it so I got a machine. Tried for a couple weeks and I just couldn't get used to it and it made my sleep worse. So I stopped, now it has a nice layer of dust on it.

 

[Proteus]

Usa a CPAP.

 

[kamineko]

I love my CPAP. Had an adjustment period but now I can tell the difference and would never sleep without it. It's been life changing for me. Is it the pressure that bothers you? Or mask comfort as well?

my machine titrates up, doesn't hit full pressure until it's been on a while

also, do you have a new machine? There have been a lot of improvements.

 

[Squarehard]

If it's severe, you will need to invest in a CPAP.

 

[Doom_Bringer]

I have been suffering with SEVERE sleep apnea for years. It wasn't diagnosed at first, I knew something was wrong with me and all the medical tests came out normal. It wasn't until i recorded myself sleeping, I realized my breathing was being obstructed at night.

Using the CPAP machine has been a life saver, I honestly cannot live without that machine.

 

[SpaceCrystal]

If it's severe, you will need to invest in a CPAP.

Click to shrink...

Yeah, I've gotten one back four months ago on July 2nd after being diagnosed with severe sleep apnea during a sleep study & have been using it ever since. And I have both Medicare & Medicaid to cover it's cost.

 

[aesync]

I have it, thankfully its mild enough that I can get a mouthguard. It costs a fair amount even with insurance but a correctly fitted mouth guard device perscribed from a sleep specialist is INFINITELY better than those cheap knock off over the counter devices. Dude those sleep studies are a pain in the ass to do haha. Here's kind of what mine looks like:

I do think in the future I'll have to switch to CPAP since the device does push my jaw forward and causes a bit of bite mis-alignment, and I still snore on my back. Have another sleep study scheduled for a year from now. Honestly CPAP sounds heavenly from my family members who have it. Even with only the mouthguard its night and day on my health; I used to wake up with nasty headaches and tired as hell after a full night of sleep. Almost completely went away afterwards.

Sorry that CPAP sounds bad for you, but I'd seriously consider staying on it if your doctor tells you to. It can literally save your life. If your apnea is severe enough to warrant it there's really no alternative sufficient enough as far as I know.

 

[Deleted member 4614]

Hey friend, I haven't been diagnosed with sleep apnea.

However, my sleep (and perceived quality) has been a struggle for at least a decade.

I have made some recent improvements that I think are worth considering. (None of these negate your sleep apnea but may improve the quality of the sleep you do get).

- King bed. Extra space if you can afford it is wonderful. I got the nectar. It's expensive but there are also other brands of mattress-in-a-box (look at eluxury supply for a mid tier brand). Important to try out if you can and see what it does in your default sleeping position (some stores have online mattresses available now).
- Background noise and temperature. Cooler is better. I use a fan for both.
- Weighted blanket is wonderful. I think it improved our sleep quality a bit. Also easier to make the bed.
- Keep the air clean with an air purifier.
- Keep the bedroom dark. High quality black out curtains can look nice and give you a sense of safety and seclusion.

Our next step is pillows. Our favorite pillows we tried out in stores were the Leesa hybrids.

Now I'm only offering these ideas because you've already done the right thing and sought to treat your sleep apnea with a doctor, even if it's not working. I only share because sometimes coming at a problem from a glancing angle can help.

 

[Nida]

I have severe sleep apnea and use a CPAP. I use the nose pillows, which I find much easier to wear.

Unfortunately I don't notice a difference and still need like 12 hours of sleep to not feel super groggy.

 

[Hollywood Duo]

Have you tried losing weight? That cured my sleep apnea.

 

[RoboPlato]

I was just diagnosed with extremely severe sleep apnea. CPAP machine changed my life. I probably hadn't gotten a proper night's sleep in years before that thing.

 

[F2BBm3ga]

For those using cpap successfully, can you link your masks?

 

[kyorii]

For those using cpap successfully, can you link your masks?

Click to shrink...

I use a nasal pillow. It's pretty small.

 

[Troll]

I have a suspicion that I have sleep apnea. I've been having strange heart rate spikes when I sleep according to my Apple Watch. This has been going on for literally years and the whole time I thought it was just the device acting up. Then I downloaded a snore app to hear myself sleep and man it sounds like someone is turning off and on a garbage disposal full of meat. The horrible sounds I make at night are really something. Then I noticed that a long quiet spell corresponded with a heart rate spike to 130 in my sleep. Afterwards I hear myself gargling air down my throat and the heart rate decreases.


Should I tell my doctor exactly that? Where do i got form here and is there anything over the counter that might help?

 

[CallMeShaft]

I'm pretty sure I have sleep apnea, but it only really affects me when I lay on my back. Apparently your tongue can press up against the back of the throat when gravity is pulling it that way.

Now I sleep exclusively on my stomach.

 

[Zelenogorsk]

I have it. Did a sleep study 3 years ago and turns out I have severe sleep apnea. Currently don't treat it, i'm just tired all day and sleep all the time. Not good I know. Tried to get used to using the CPAP a few years ago and I could just never get used to it. Hopefully I can cure mine with weight loss (i'm a large man).

 

[kyorii]

For me at least not noticing much of a difference in terms of sleep quality, but at least I don't sound like I am dying anymore.

 

[Zelenogorsk]

Where do i got form here

Click to shrink...

Tell your doctor about what you're currently experiencing and then ask if you can do a sleep study. Basically a night of sleeping in the hospital while being monitored, then they'll know if you have sleep apnea and how severe it is if you do.

 

[TheBryanJZX90]

Self diagnosed because the damn sleep study is too expensive to pay to be told that I will need a mask that I won't be able to afford...

 

[thetrin]

I use a CPAP but I often forget to put it on. I also find it really uncomfortable, and I find I pull off the facemask in the middle of the night, which doesn't really help.

 

[Deleted member 19924]

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[NinjaHound]

I have a CPAP. I have to use a face mask as my nasal cavity is too narrow for a nasal mask. It's taken me a few years to get used to it but I can sleep a whole night now. I feel like absolute shit when I don't use it

 

[Aurongel]

I'm a skinny, healthy 26 year old guy and I don't quite snore at night but I definitely mouth breathe heavily. I've had multiple surgeries as a kid to correct my nasal passage to little effect. I also had a septoplasty two years ago with turbinate reduction that also had absolutely no perceivable affect on my quality of life/sleep. I am completely unable to sleep through the night and generally sleep in two hour increments at best.

I'm planning on making an appointment with an allergy doctor this month to get allergy shots and maybe schedule a sleep analysis. Does anyone here have similar symptoms? If so, what did you do to mitigate these issues?

 

[EccoCid]

Uh I have the same problem and it's so annoying. I can't sleep in planes anymore due to horrendous sounds that come from me.

Also went to a doctor for an infection this summer and he told me to I should get an operation for removing my tonsils. Will it have any effect on breathing while sleeping?

 

[hawaza]

I'm a skinny, healthy 26 year old guy and I don't quite snore at night but I definitely mouth breathe heavily. I've had multiple surgeries as a kid to correct my nasal passage to little effect. I also had a septoplasty two years ago with turbinate reduction that also had absolutely no perceivable affect on my quality of life/sleep. I am completely unable to sleep through the night and generally sleep in two hour increments at best.

I'm planning on making an appointment with an allergy doctor this month to get allergy shots and maybe schedule a sleep analysis. Does anyone here have similar symptoms? If so, what did you do to mitigate these issues?

Click to shrink...

Have you tried the Buteyko method? I've read that it can help with cases like yours.

 

[SinkFla]

Funny thing about this thread, I just did a sleep study test and get my results in two weeks. Will let youse know how it goes!

Click to shrink...

Spoiler alert: you have sleep apnea.

No but really, everyone I know including my dad has it lol. I've never once heard of anyone doing a sleep study that resulted in anything other than an apnea diagnosis.
Maybe it's just the fact that if you're getting a sleep study then it's likely you have sleeping problems anyway?

 

[Deleted member 19924]

-

 

[SinkFla]

I do have sleep problems but I guess I could have narcolepsy or delayed sleep phase disorders so it might not be sleep apnea unless these overlap. Idk

Click to shrink...

Damn I don't know which of those would be the worst :(. Hopefully you don't have anything wrong with you. My dad sleeps like a baby ever since he started his CPAP but after wearing his mask for 15 seconds I felt like losing my shit.

 

[Matrix XII]

I use a CPAP machine, and it's changed my life.

Went with a Resmed Airsense 10 Autoset.

 

[Pickman]

I use the CPAP as well, and use the AirFit P10 nasal pillows mask.

 

[Jazzman]

My Dad, brother and I all were diagnosed within the last 3-4 years, and all of us are loving the CPAP machine now. Interestingly enough though, we all use different style masks. I was a mouth breather at night all my life and I assumed it was because I was heavier, but it turns out I just couldn't get enough oxygen. I really like the nasal masks that vent out the top of your head as you have no hoses to contend with when you roll over. Definitely make sure you try multiple mask styles as it really depends on how you sleep and your nose shape if it will work for you.

Also what CPAP machine do you have? It is possible to calibrate the machine yourself without visiting a Doctor or Sleep Group, because setting the machine to maximum seems crazy to me. Check to see if your machine also has a ramp up setting which starts the machine off at a low pressure to start, and then ramps up once it detects you are sleeping.

New n30 Nasal Mask
Dreamweaver Nasal Mask
Resmed Airsense 10 with Humidair

 

[BebopCola]

My sweet, sweet ResMed CPAP machine keeps me going. And I found out the hard way that if you shut off the ramp-up setting and have the air too high, you'll have all kinds of problems. Keep it as low as necessary if it doesn't have an auto feature.

 

[LordDraven]

A long time ago I was diagnosed with sleep apnea. I was prescribed a cpap machine and mask. The machine had a setting of 1-15. My doctor set it to 15 for me. It felt like a jet engine was on my face. She lowered it to 13 but based on my apnea condition, would not lower it any further.

Ive tried for years to make cpap work in my life and just couldnt. There would be months where i tried it off and on and just could not get to sleep with it on. It was always something. I even tried different masks.

Then i tried one of the tongue devices.
This one

That ended up being a waste of slobbering money as id wake up in the middle of the night with it randomly out of my mouth.

I recently saw this....

But reviews dont seem to favorable.

Aside from looking like this

How are you all dealing with your sleep apnea? Im telling u i tried every trick in the book to make cpap work and I just cant sleep with it. I'm dying for a solution tho, literally.

Click to shrink...

CPAP

 

[mattiewheels]

I always wondered, is bad snoring a symptom of definitely having apnea, or can someone just be loud without having a deeper issue?

 

[Broadbandit]

I use a dreamstation machine with a dreamwisp nasal mask (which I love)

It's also my job. I work for a sleep lab and am the person to get my patients their supplies. CPAP is the gold standard.

You might want to get retested (if it has been 5+ years) AUTO CPAPs exist and settings usually should be like 5-15 or 5-20 and they auto adjust to where you need to be through the night.

 

[ReAxion]

I'm probably on my way to getting the diagnosis. Had my test, just waiting on the doctor to call me back.

 

[hypodrmage]

I use a CPAP with nasal pillow - couldn't do the mask or the one that covered my nose. Once I got used to it and adjusted how my tubing is placed (so it doesn't feel like it's pulling), it's lead to a significant QOL improvement. I wouldn't go back.

 

[BearPawB]

I have a full face mask. It is uncomfortable, but i got used to it.

I want to try the nasal pillow, but also, i think i can be kind of a mouth breather at night, so idk if it would help as much

I always wondered, is bad snoring a symptom of definitely having apnea, or can someone just be loud without having a deeper issue?

Click to shrink...

you can snore without i being apnea, but it is definitely a symptom. If you are overweight I would get a sleep study done .

 

[hypodrmage]

I have a full face mask. It is uncomfortable, but i got used to it.

I want to try the nasal pillow, but also, i think i can be kind of a mouth breather at night, so idk if it would help as much



you can snore without i being apnea, but it is definitely a symptom. If you are overweight I would get a sleep study done .

Click to shrink...

I was too before going to the nasal pillows - but they will force you to breathe through your nose as the air will make it difficult to breathe through your mouth.

 

[Jazzman]

I was too before going to the nasal pillows - but they will force you to breathe through your nose as the air will make it difficult to breathe through your mouth.

Click to shrink...

Yup, amazing how fast your body can adapt once you get the right amount of oxygen through the nose. My wife has had to reach over a night once every couple of months to shut my mouth though, as the constant stream of air out is super loud lol. I will say it does kind of suck when you get a head cold though, as being stuff up at night and using a nasal mask is difficult.

I think once my insurance rolls over again next year I am going to grab a spare full face one just for when I am sick.

 

[F2BBm3ga]

My cpap machine has a ramp up feature that slowly rams up over the course of like 15 minutes or 30 minutes. Cant remember

I have both a full mask and nose pillow mask. I prefer the nose pillows cause its more comfortable but id always wake up in the middle of the night either taking it off or with my mouth open and it not working. I bought a chin strap thing to keep my mouth shut with the nose pillows and i got actual sleep ONE night doing it that way but couldnt replicate it after that. Something always makes me take it off at some point in the middle of the night.

The full mask just ends up randomly bothering me.

I kinda want to try this....

Seems more comfortable than my current mask and the hose is on the back

 

[dem]

I tried to avoid it... but my body kept waking me up to pee in the night. There were nights I'd have to get up 2-3 times to pee. I was getting horrible sleep and my snoring was out of control.

Did the sleep study.. severe sleep apnea. Got the machine.. sleep like a baby now. Wake up feeling far better. I don't fall asleep watching tv... I feel more alert driving.

I'm scared to not have the machine now. Have to travel with it.

 

[cLOUDo]

I have diagnostic of apnea in abril 2018(probably have way before that lol)
I start using the cpap, is very uncomfortable but in time you'll be okay

In October 2018 I start a "healthy" life (I have diagnosed with high pressure and weighted 268lbs)
Now in October 2019 I don't use the cpap anymore (I dropped in March approximately)


I don't say this is your case, but you should look your habits
Maybe you can minimize your apnea

 

[Nida]

I use a dreamstation machine with a dreamwisp nasal mask (which I love)

It's also my job. I work for a sleep lab and am the person to get my patients their supplies. CPAP is the gold standard.

You might want to get retested (if it has been 5+ years) AUTO CPAPs exist and settings usually should be like 5-15 or 5-20 and they auto adjust to where you need to be through the night.

Click to shrink...

Any idea why the Philips Respironicshave disappeared from Amazon?

 

[Jazzman]

Seems more comfortable than my current mask and the hose is on the back

Click to shrink...

I just came across that one this week as well and I am thinking of picking it up as well. It looks like it uses the same headgear as the nasal mask I have, and I found a site online that lets you order masks piecemeal. Might try picking up the mask and strap and using that for when I am congested.

 

[Kumquat]

When I was 390 pounds I used the nasal pillows. It was the least invasive method we had available at the time. The real solution though was losing 210 pounds and not needing it anymore. I'll never go back to sleeping with that damn machine.

 

[Broadbandit]

Any idea why the Philips Respironicshave disappeared from Amazon?

Click to shrink...

because the machines were being sold at a price not approved by the company and without prescriptions. Companies agree to terms when buying/distributing the machines.

My cpap machine has a ramp up feature that slowly rams up over the course of like 15 minutes or 30 minutes. Cant remember

I have both a full mask and nose pillow mask. I prefer the nose pillows cause its more comfortable but id always wake up in the middle of the night either taking it off or with my mouth open and it not working. I bought a chin strap thing to keep my mouth shut with the nose pillows and i got actual sleep ONE night doing it that way but couldnt replicate it after that. Something always makes me take it off at some point in the middle of the night.

The full mask just ends up randomly bothering me.

I kinda want to try this....

Seems more comfortable than my current mask and the hose is on the back

Click to shrink...

the dreamwear full face can be very comfortable.

Try that or the Fischer Paykel Vitera (brand new), Resmed Airfit f20 (They have a silicone and a memory foam cushion), or the airfit f30.