Anyone else affected by sleep apnea?

[CoffeeCat]

I'm not looking for medical advice. I have an appointment with a sleep-disorder clinic.

I thought it might be nice to share stories or information for support.

I was wondering if anyone else had sleep apnea or other sleep problems.

It's really astounding how much this can affect your life. I don't think I've woke up feeling
refreshed ONCE in the past year. I feel exhausted most of the time.

Anyone else have a story they'd like to share...about how sleep problems affected you, or how
you got better?

[Dappleganger]

1. Had the sleep study done.

Didn't have apnea, just enlarged tonsils and sinuses with deviated septum--had that taken care of and it made a world of difference.
Of course now I can't smell. :(

[spag68]

15. Can't smell

You can smell if you want too, just get dirtier and don't wash, and soon you will smell.

[orleans]

29. doesn't that change the way food tastes? not being able to smell? n/t

[Dappleganger]

38. Yes, pretty much.

I can smell it if it's very strong but most of the time, food tastes quite bland to me.
Thank goodness I have a husband who loves to cook because otherwise my family would be in for it!

[Captain Hilts]

2. Yes, I have a friend with it. A fellow in his late 30s. He had the sleep study done.

He sleeps on oxygen now, I believe.

[pnwmom]

3. My husband does. It took him about a week to get used to the machine,

but after that he really noticed the difference in how much better he feels. It's been a few years now, and we're both grateful.

Good luck!

[Missy Vixen]

4. I have sleep apnea

I have been using a CPAP machine for almost two years now. When I was diagnosed, I was having an episode once a minute. In other words, the nurse who initially spoke to me about the findings of my sleep study told me that I was getting twenty minutes of sleep a night. This had been going on for many years.

The side effects of sleep apnea are sufficiently frightening to get treated, but mostly, the fact that those who get on a CPAP feel better is immeasurable. I still have fatigue, though. The last time I saw the sleep doctor, he mentioned that I may have to start using a medication to alleviate this.

I wish you luck, and hope that if you are treated, you will be able to tolerate the machine and see immediate improvement as a result. :hug:

[Rosa Luxemburg]

5. my husband does

he has an appointment with the hospital soon. He tried the CPAP but couldn't sleep in it. He is thinking of trying the dental device. He had cancer of the throat so his tissues clam up at night. It is a very serious thing because it can lead to heart failure.

[DLnyc]

14. I got some relief from the dental device, but my son had problems with it.

He developed very serious jaw pain, probably from the device, I think. Anyway, he stopped using the device and has no more jaw pain.

I also stopped using my device, but have lost some weight and learned to sleep on my side with my head tipped forward. (Tipping your head forward thrusts your lower jaw out, same as the dental device; seems to help.)

[C_U_L8R]

6. Here's what worked for me..... a green diet

i used to get really bad almost scary apnea attacks.
Coincidentally a couple of years ago I changed up my diet...
lots more veggies... no processed food... a lot less fat and meat
I called it my colorful diet... anything colorful was good and
anything beige or brown was bad. Added in some spirulina
supplements, some probiotics and an occasional cleanse regime.
And you know what... almost right away I stop suffering from apnea.
And what's weird is if I slip in my diet and say, have a burger and fries...
the apnea comes right back. You might try it and see if it works for you.
Let me know.

[Lint Head]

7. I have laryngeal spasms. It's the same thing except I stop breathing and

gasp for air because moisture drips on my larynx causing it to close. I have to sleep on my side. When I have surgery they have to watch me closely. I had the sleep study done but got very little sleep because the guy in the next room was snoring so loudly.
:dem:

[goclark]

8. Had the study and waiting for the machine

They said I had "mild to moderate" sleep apnea.

So I told my Dr. that I didn't want the machine --- he let me have a piece of his mind and I am grateful.

He told me that I must have the machine -- in addition to helping me to sleep through the night ( I usually get 4/5 hours if I'm lucky) he stressed --- I could have a heart attack, diabetes, cholesterol issues and on and on.

I know he has my best interest in his heart and so I am going to do it.

This is the 2nd study that I've had, the first was 3 years ago and I just could not agree to the machine etc.

Now the choices of gear are much better and I finally realized that this is about my health, not how it looks.

I still need encouragement and will keep you posted.

[imdjh]

20. I kind of feel like Seven of Nine or Michael Jackson

I don't mind the machine at all. I bought an extra machine just in case one fails, and I bought an oxygen machine as well for good measure. Now, I go to my room and put on my "charger" and go right to sleep, sleep through the night, and am annoyingly cheerful in the morning. I like sleeping with the machines, because I live in fear of a heart attack (I'm 52) and I figure I'm already on two of the machines they would put me on at the hospital.

[goclark]

35. That's for letting me have such a positive spirit about it

Do they have a traveling machine too?

Are there better websites to order them or do I pick it up from the pharmacy?

[imdjh]

53. I would look for the best price on the internet and then go to a pharmacy for price match

I did notice in just checking that apparently a "prescription" is now required for these machines. Maybe it was just that website, I can't imagine why a person would need a prescription for a machine. I also noticed that the masks are disgustingly expensive.

If you can do this through your health insurance company or Medicare, then it ought to be paid for under "durable medical equipment" and your doctor should know how to see that that happens.

It is absurd that some companies rent these machines instead of buying them for their policy holders. As you can see, the rents on these machine would quickly pay for them. BTW, my machines are now something like five years old and still working just fine.

Like I said, the masks are expensive. They are also covered under the durable medical equipment. If you have insurance, then find out how often you can get a new mask and mark it on the calendar to start collecting them. Call me paranoid, but I have long suspected that insurance would stop paying for this stuff when it became too commonly needed. Taking good care of a mask can make it last , well I have never thrown one away.

Finding the right mask is essential. There are all different kinds and most of them do NOT work for me. Leakage from a mask can be annoying as hell and disturb your sleep. You'll be better off than you were before, but not getting the full benefit.

The "up your nose" mask looks cool and seems to make sense on paper- but for me it did not work at all, even one night. It's too uncomfortable and eventually I suspect it would cause irritation o the nostrils.

I use this kind:

[Dogmudgeon]

9. I was a sleep tech for ~8 years.

I saw a LOT of sleep apnea, probably 1800-2000 patients with OSA.

The process of curing apnea is amazing to watch on the polygraph if you are educated in its use. I'd also had several years of EEG and other neurological tech experience, plus a few years of electronic engineering study. It was like watching every piece from several scientific disciplines come together perfectly and cure a life-destroying illness. The only way to describe this synergy of patient, electronics, and medicine was "beauty". It was a super-effective, minimally-invasive treatment that changed lives in as little as eight hours -- and as bad as the working conditions were for techs, I don't regret a second of it.

There were many times when I would put the patient on CPAP, and as soon as I was able to abolish the apnea by adjusting the pressure properly, the patient would fall into an extraordinarily deep sleep. Delta waves like breakers on a quiet shoreline, REM discharge patterns like choreography. On a few occasions, the patients had to be woken rather aggressively in the morning.

For those with serious obstructive sleep apnea, CPAP is a miracle cure.

Sleep disorders run in my family on both sides. I went into sleep medicine in part because I have had life-long sleep paralysis -- the entire narcoleptic syndrome, in fact, with the sole exception that I don't get the immediate sleep attacks. As a tech, I learned to deal with it. No one, human or animal, was really breaking into my room to kill me; the aliens were not coming for me; and the explosions I heard were my internal experiences of random neural discharge.

I also had the honor of saving my father's life. He had such profound sleep apnea that his heart would stop for as long as 20 seconds during episodes in REM sleep. He had been having "silent heart attacks" and TIAs. CPAP therapy gave him at least five additional years of life, most of them with good quality.

Good luck on your coming PSG. I can't promise that you will experience a miracle, but you will be in the care of professionals who will do as much for you as is possible. They perform this modern magic several times a week. The amazing has become routine -- as all sleep should be.

--d!

[imdjh]

22. Yay!

I love how you described the immediate effect of the CPAP because that's EXACTLY how it felt.

Here's the crazy part. After that wonderful CPAP experience during the night of the sleep test----- I had to WAIT TWO WEEKS for the machine! Maybe it was one week. But that I now knew that I had a life threatening condition and they were making me wait? It didn't make sense.

But after all that crazy, getting the machine was a miracle. I could hardly wait until it was time to go to bed.

Oh, and if you sing "Do You Believe?" with the CPAP mask on, you sound just like Cher.

[napoleon_in_rags]

10. Water before bed, no smokin' no drinkin' lose body fat.

Those seem to be the basics. I wonder if yoga helps. There was this meditation period I did years ago, where I figured out how to slow down my heart a lot, and breath almost not at all in this certain state. But after that, I would sometimes kick into the state in my sleep, and stop breathing. So I wonder if there couldn't be some "mindfulness of breathing" meditations that might help reverse that.

[Olney Blue]

11. My husband has a CPAP machine and an oxygen concentrator.

He can finally get some rest, and I can sleep too because the snoring is gone!

[tg]

12. Yes

Yes, apparently for most of my life given the way my sleep habits have changed -- sleep through the night, willing to go to bed before I am dead tired.

I got used to the CPAP machine almost immediately and the change in how I felt when I woke up was astounding. It did take a couple of years to learn about the different styles of masks and find one that didn't leak when I rolled over.

Good luck, -tg

Edited to add some non-obvious side effects:

One thing I learned after having the CPAP machine was that the stress and anger I lived with through most of my career was not the cause of my constant tiredness. Adrenalin was my bodies way of cutting through the tiredness caused by the apnea. I still haven't lost all of the mental habits of those years but life and my attitude toward it has improved considerably.

I can also exercise now, without the non-restorative sleep preventing my muscles from recovering and growing.

And, if you have allergies, the humidifier and filters are also worth their weight in gold.

[badacid]

13. My story

Best decision of my life.

My wife would wake up in the middle of the night and was unable to go back to sleep due to my snoring. We often had to have her go to sleep first before I could. Just so she would get a head start.

We tried the breathe right strips, Snore No More (Spray that goes into the back of the throat) etc. None would work of course - My sleep apnea was due to a smaller jaw that would set back and block my breathing. Nose strips, Herbs and Spray would not fix that.

Then I went to the sleep study. During my sleep study they found I would stop breath for 10 - 45 seconds. My oxygen level dropped down to 72% and I was waking up (Higher state of sleep because I would stop breathing) over 30 times per hour.

Since then I have been using a cpap machine. It acts as an Air Stint - Keeping my jaw from shifting back as I sleep. No snoring, 99% oxygen levels and so much more energy.

[SeattleVet]

16. I went on a CPAP just over a week ago.

I'm still getting used to it, but I was very surprised at the difference I feel already. No mid-afternoon 'slump' for the past few days. My wife has been sleeping a lot better, too, without my snoring and gasping.

I was very skeptical at first, but I can really see and feel a difference after only a week.

[goclark]

43. I just called my doctor's office to see when I would get my CPAP

They said that a company would be calling me to set up a visit to my home to discuss the equipment.

Will my Medicare pay for it and do I need to get extra equipment for travel etc.?

[salvorhardin]

44. I have Medicare and BiPAP

Medicare should pay for it, or at least most of it. They may want you to do a rent-to-own thing where they make payments for 13 months, then you own it outright. However, Medicare will then pay for routine maintenance. At least that's how it worked in my case being on social security disability.

Be sure to keep the mask and filters clean, and make sure you absolutely get your mask and tubing replaced at least once a year (although every six months is better). Masks can be expensive though if you're paying out-of-pocket for them, but things like the little gel forehead cushions or connectors can be replaced separately and only cost a couple of dollars each.

As far as travel, some of the newer machines are quite small. My machine is about five years old and is the size of a slightly over-sized shoebox. Recently it had to be repaired and the my provider gave me a loaner that was roughly a quarter of the size of my machine. Special travel power adapters are available for many of the newer machines that allow you to plug them into cigarette lighters. I've traveled on Amtrak with my machine and some of the trains have standard 120V power outlets. I'm not able to travel by plane so I can't comment on that aspect.

[physioex]

17. Yes I do...

I have discussed several option with my doctor including a CPAP and UPPP (a surgical intervention). You can read about it on medical websites.

[HughMoran]

18. I don't sleep well

It sucks, I have more anxiety and vertigo-like symptoms during the day and I'm sure it relates to the poor rest I get at night. My issue is that my arms go numb within an hour of me falling asleep (I sleep on my side.) If I do fall asleep on my back, I have horrible nightmares - for some reason I get "trapped" in a bad place on my back. Sucks.

[Dogmudgeon]

25. You need to see a neurologist. NOW.

You've got a series of symptoms that can't really wait.

The numbness may be an uncomplicated nerve entrapment, or something nastier like Thoracic Outlet Syndrome. And the nightmares while supine almost scream "respiratory obstruction!"

See your doctor about it as soon as you can. You can get relief, pretty reliably.

Good luck!

--d!

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

27. I would concur.

[HughMoran]

52. Thanks for the advice

I have a doc appt. this week, see if I can get some ideas from him.

[goclark]

59. Have you tried the CPAP?

I just got mine and I'm getting use to it.

I figure if a simply machine can make my health better = I'm for it!

[imdjh]

19. I really think it saved my life, and my sanity.

It just got worse over the years. I got to the point where I would rarely sleep for more than an hour, and according to the sleep study I wasn't really sleeping continuous more than a couple of minutes. I was pushing myself harder and harder as the sleep deprivation took its toll. I walked around tired, frustrated, emotional. I thought something was dreadfully wrong with me. It wasn't a straight line progression. At one point, I actually fell asleep standing up. And then for a while I had very little problems. But then a friend told me that while I was sleeping in the living room, he actually saw me stop breathing, turn purple, and then wake up gasping. He had read about CPAP and told me to go get a test.

It was the most amazing thing. They tested me for 2 hours. Then they put me on the CPAP machine, and I woke up six hours later feeling like a new man. I mean it. I felt like a kid. I have used it ever since. I take it with me when I travel. I had to do without it during the hurricane outage, for about 5 days. I seem to have improved a little, but it's definitely still there which means it is still dangerous.

The only thing I would tell you in preparation is that the first time on CPAP will surprise you. It's not like oxygen- the air is not cold and sweet like oxygen. It's room air and it doesn't feel like relief when you first put the mask on. But do it. Put the mask on and breathe deep. Breathe deliberately like you are meditating. And the next thing you know it will be morning.

Good luck.

[neverforget]

21. My wife has the CPAP machine. It helps her snoring ALOT. However, I call

it the Mood Killer.

[cherokeeprogressive]

31. SNARF! I think I need a keyboard condom! My keyboard can only stand so much wine sprayed on it.

Have her put it on AFTERWARD silly. Your post conjures up such funny situations I can't stop laughing, even though we're talking about something serious here. Now I feel guilty for laughing.

[neverforget]

51. !

[pennylane100]

23. I was diagnosed with severe apnea.

I use a cpap machine most nights but I do not think it helps as much as it should. I still experience daytime sleepiness and lack of energy. The sleep doctor prescribed provigil which is supposed to keep me awake during the daytime. However, it does not really help and I usually wake up as tired as I went to bed and can fall asleep even after the provigil. Any other suggestions would certainly be welcome.

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

26. CPAP may not be working as well as intended try a different mask.

[salvorhardin]

42. Do what Fire_Medic_Dave suggested

Depending on whom you get your equipment from you may have to really pester them to let you try out a variety of masks. It can take quite a bit of fiddling to find a good fit.

Also, you might want to have your pulmonologist order a home oximetry test. Either your pulmonologist, or the outfit you get your CPAP from, will give you a portable blood pulse oximeter to use at night and record your blood O2 saturation. If your O2 levels aren't staying above the 90th percentile or so, then you might also need supplemental oxygen, or they need to adjust the pressure on your machine as well.

And you haven't already talked about it with your pulmonologist, you might want to look into BiPAP (which is CPAP, but with a lower pressure setting when you exhale).

The truth is there's a lot of things that could be keeping your CPAP from doing its job and you really need to investigate this with your doctor. When you do get it all working properly though you'll be amazed at the results. It's literally like a light switch being thrown.

[cherokeeprogressive]

24. I don't know if it's apnea or not, but I have this problem with my sinuses

Years ago, I slept on my back, or on my stomach. I used to sleep on my back with my hands behind my head. No more of that.

Now, when I lay me down to sleep, I have to lay on one side or the other. If I lay on my back, both of my nostrils become plugged and I have to breathe through my mouth. The bad thing now is that if I lay on my right side, I can actually feel the fluid going from one side of my sinuses to the other, and my right nostril becomes plugged. So I roll over. Soon afterward, I can feel the fluid in my sinuses draining to my LEFT side, and my left nostril becomes plugged. With only one nostril to breathe through, I am forced to open my mouth to breathe.

Lots of mornings, I wake up with a mouth so dry that I can't even swallow. My tongue actually HURTS. There are nights when this doesn't bother me at all until I wake up, and there are other nights when I wake up practically gagging becaue I can't swallow due to dry mouth. I tried nasal spray before going to bed, and it helped so much I started doing it every night. I was told though, that nasal spray is very bad for you if you use it on a regular basis. So I've stopped doing that.

My doctor, when I mentioned this to him, said "You need to get used to living at 7,000 feet. It'll happen, don't worry". Well it's been two years and that hasn't happened yet. It's not a problem during any part of the day, only at night. And it started long before moving from sea level.

[Dogmudgeon]

28. Ask your doctor about the newer nasal sprays

I have/had virtually the same thing you do, down to the tongue swelling. It's mainly from allergies. Anti-allergen therapy can help, or even cure, the problem.

I got tremendous help from Nasonex, one of the new-generation nasal sprays. I had been "addicted" to over-the-counter spray from 1973 until 2007 -- 34 years. After 8 months of Nasonex, I was able to stop the OTC spray entirely. And the congestion syndrome is greatly reduced, too. (I still need some surgery for other stuff before I can start with anti-allergen therapy, though.)

Nasal lavage, flushing your sinuses with saline, also helps a lot. It sounds like waterboarding, but believe me, it's quite easy to do, and it feels good to get rid of all that garbage in your sinuses. There's also an attachment for dental "water-pick" appliances that works great.

Spicy foods also help. It seems that there's something about capsaicin that really does open the sinuses, AND relieves pain. There's even a capsicum-based nose spray available that works for many people.

I never thought I'd even get a little relief outside of pouring nasal spray into my sinuses, but I did.

Good luck!

--d!

[cherokeeprogressive]

30. "Delta waves like breakers on a quiet shoreline, REM discharge patterns like choreography."

Man oh man, that's like poetry. You should write.

I had to laugh at your paragraph about "nasal lavage". My grandma SWORE by her Waterpik! I was never unlucky enough to see it in use, but heard that it was UGLY, the stuff that came out of her sinuses! I have been considering doing that very thing for a long time. If I remember correctly, the attachment was a triangular stopper with a hole through it like the ones they use in beakers. She slipped it onto one of the Waterpik "squirters", for want of a better term, and swore by it.

I've never been allergic to anything, so far as I know, but I will definitely look into Nasonex. I'm breathing better already!

Thank you so much.

Have a wonderful night's sleep...

[Adsos Letter]

32. The cpap machine gave me back my life.

I was to the point where I was falling asleep every time I sat down. I did the sleep study; I can't remember how many times the machine recorded my breathing stops, but I essentially wasn't getting any REM sleep.

I began to feel the difference the day after I started using the cpap. I don't even notice the mask anymore, and I have been using it for about 4 years.

[pauldg0]

33. I have sleep apnea but have no insurance....

...I was told I should have something radical other than a c-pap.

I haven't checked to see if it is a disability. I have a fifteen hour a week job as a assistant teacher in Michigan.

Does anybody think Medicare would cover this under SSI....I am sixty two next month and starting social security.

I am beat every morning when I get up....even a nap does not refresh me.

One doctor said I need either a bipap machine or experimental surgery.

[Contrary1]

34. Not me, but my adult daughter was diagnosed this past week

with both sleep apnea and narcolepsy. If she is left on her own, with no disruptions; she can sleep for 12 to 14 hours straight.

And like you, she is miserable. Some days, she can barely function.

The report from the sleep clinic was that she stops breathing between 30 an 40 times an hour while sleeping. And this is considered only a moderate case.

The specialist gave her some pill samples, to be used no more than 3 or 4 times a week, and only when she is having a really bad day. She will be seeing a dentist soon to be fitted for a device to wear when she goes to bed. I sure hope it works.

I find it interesting that my son has the opposite problem. It was nothing for him to be on the go for 18 hours, and still be unable to calm down at the end of his day. He was like this from very early on. No more naps after he was about 8 months old.

He hates taking any kind of medication, but his doctor talked him into trying something or other (not sure what it was), and his life is more normal now.
Me...I'm the incurable night owl. If I go to be much earlier than 2:30 or 3 am; I toss and turn for an hour or more.

I hope you find some relief soon. :pals:

[goclark]

37. K and R this is extremey helpful!

[Greyhound]

36. My dad and Ms. Greyhound both suffer from it.

Dad had radical (to me) surgery where they basically cut out everything from his soft palette back and he still snores, although it is now possible to sleep through it.

Ms. Greyhound remains untreated due to a lack of health care.

[Dyedinthewoolliberal]

39. Once I started using the CPAP

I felt GREAT! Really, I had no idea how bad I was until I did that,,,,

[MiniMe]

40. Glad you are getting a sleep study

Here is a great support site for you to check out: http://www.cpaptalk.com

You can get a lot of support there. Good luck!

[goclark]

41. Why is it that sleep apnea is talked about so much now?

I never heard about it until about 8 years ago ~

People have been snoring all these years and people accepted it.

I'm grateful and know at least 3 people that have it and won't get the CPAP.

I can't wait to get it now.

The stories in this link have been extremely helpful to me.

Thanks.

[Old Coot]

45. I was on a C-Pap machine for years. Lost 60 pounds and no longer had sleep apnea. nt

[goclark]

46. I am so happy for you ~

:bounce:

[CoffeeCat]

47. Thank you!!! And some VERY interesting information....

Ok, I lied--I was thinking about doing the sleep study. I didn't make the appointment yet, because
frankly--I found it hard to believe that snoring could make me feel like I was on the verge of death.

I knew my sleeping problems were at least contributing to my total exhaustion--but I had no idea how
serious and extensive this problem really is.

OMG...thank you so much everyone. I just called a friend who is a nurse, and she backed up everything
that was said here. I made an appointment (for real this time!) with our local sleep disorder clinic.

My nurse friend also said something interesting. She used to work at a very prominent hospital, the largest teaching
hospital in the world, and she assisted in lap band surgeries. She said that 99 percent of these patients also
had sleep apnea. She said the common belief was that obesity caused sleep apnea.

She said that in the past few years, a lot of research has pointed toward apnea can cause obesity.
Doctors have changed their thinking, due to this research. My friend stressed (just like many of you here) that this
is NOT some minor snoring problem. Sleep apnea is a brain problem that affects your breathing, your heart rate and
robs you of REM sleep. It can cause massive weight gain--which in turn contributes to high-blood pressure, diabetes
and even death.

She also said that some sleep apnea is improperly diagnosed as depression and people are put on anti-depressants when
the real problem is that they are sleep deprived and thoroughly exhausted. She mentioned that many times, if the apnea
is treated, the depression symptoms dissipate.

I trust my friend. She graduated with a 4.3 gpa in nursing (All As and a few A+'s!!) and she did post-grad work
at Yale. She knows her stuff.

THANK YOU SO MUCH for all of the information, and for sharing your expertise and experience. I am literally so happy
to get this problem worked out. I can't wait to get my life back!

:)

[salvorhardin]

48. Good for you!

Now just carry through on making the appointment with the sleep lab. Once you are properly diagnosed, titrated and treated you will not believe the change it will make in your life.

And your nurse friend is 100% correct. Obesity can certainly aggravate sleep apnea, but sleep apnea absolutely leads to all kinds of health problems, including metabolic disorders which will lead to obesity.

[Dorian Gray]

49. A friend of mine did

They did the study then slept with a breathing contraption. It has helped them immensely. I'm interested to hear what the outcome for you is.

[Chemisse]

50. What a lifesaver

I love my "sleep machine", which I badly need for pretty severe sleep apnea. I've been using it for 6 years, and I recently bought a second, more compact one and a battery pack for backup. Now I can use it on airplanes and during power outages.

[Name removed]

54. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[McCamy Taylor]

55. CPAP does not work for everyone. I used it for a year before they would retest me

(this time on CPAP) because I said that my machine was making me more sleepy and irritable and forgetful than sleep apnea had done. Before they would do another sleep study, I had to go through neuropsych testing (the report said I was either depressed or chronically sleep deprived so my lung specialists decided it must be depression) and I wore a pulse oxymeter like 4 times. Since I was never going into deep sleep or even having much REM on CPAP, the pulse oxymeter rarely showed low oxygen which is all that it can measure.

Finally, my neurologist who was treating me from migraines insisted that my pulmonologist repeat the sleep study on CPAP. It turned out that I was bouncing between the lightest stages of sleep and being awake all night with no deep sleep at all. My problem? I also have bruxism and so once I start clicking my teeth, the face mask would start moving around which irritated by skin (I am sensitive to most synthetics) which would keep waking me up. Chin straps are no use for me at all--I brux right through them. Sleeping pills to help me relax so I could use the CPAP did not work either.

Eventually, I had to give up CPAP altogether. I have had palate surgery, have an oral appliance, use antihistamines and decongestants at bedtime, sleep on my side and have a HEPA filter. All these things seem to work, except that I can only use the oral appliance for a few days, before I dislocate my TMJ joint (the bruxism again) and have to stop using it.

Moral--if you are a light sleeper like me with OSA, you may find it hard to sleep with CPAP. especially if you have bruxism. My teeth grinding is really bad. I have broken at least five molars.

[salvorhardin]

56. Wow, I'm sorry to hear that

Both the severe bruxism, and the incredibly crappy pulmonologist and sleep techs you must have had. The bruxism should have been easily caught in the initial sleep study, as well as the problem with keeping a normal mask on your face. You should definitely have been retested with a split study and titrated, trying both BiPAP and VPAP, and a variety of different masks.

[mzmolly]

57. I don't suffer from it, but I know it's very a very serious issue. Those

I know who've sought treatment, feel much better after using the proper equipment to sleep.

Best of luck to you.

[cyborg1966]

58. My wife has it

After I got married almost 10 years ago, it got to the point that my wife's snoring made it impossible for me to sleep in the same room with her.

God bless her, she tried everything, from nasal sprays to those Breathe-Right nasal strips. Nothing worked.

She thinks what causes it is unnecessary sinus surgery she had about 15 years ago, done so the doctor could collect the insurance money (surprise surprise surprise). She calls her nose "my $12,000 nose."

Finally, a GP referred her to a sleep specialist, who did an overnight sleep test on her. He said that her breathing stopped many times during the night (I don't remember the exact figure) and diagnosed sleep apnea.

She's been on a C-PAP ever since (she calls it her "Darth Vader mask") and things have been a lot better.

However, it's not a done deal. She has many of the same problems as you, CoffeeCat: it's very hard for her to wake refreshed, and it's very easy for her to fall asleep. It's hard for us to watch a movie on tv or go to a movie without her nodding off.

Sleep apnea is no joke. It can kill you, because if your breathing stops long enough...If you show any of the warning signs (loud snoring, obesity, the "tiredness" CC talks about), see a doctor that is familiar with such things (if, of course, you're fortunate enough to have insurance).

[stevebreeze]

60. I have had Sleep apnea for half a dozen years.

It took me a long time maybe 6 months, to get used to the cpap machine.
Here a few things that helped.
heated humidity, especially in the winter.
I also use sock on my hose, it keeps the condensation down and I can keep the humidity up.
Get a machine that breaths out with you.
This especially helps if you have a rather high setting you may feel as if you are being asphyxiated. Concentrate on breathing out. The machine will breath in for you.
I also have and auto adjusting cpap that is very quite.
The mask pictured above (resmed gel mask)is what I use too.

My problems adjusting are not entirely normal.
I can only sleep on my back due to shoulder problems, this is part of the reason I had trouble adjusting.
Before cpap I would have to pull over and nap on my way home from work.
I would never have dreams, as I did not go into rem sleep.
Now I occasionally dream. I drive home without sleepiness most of the time.
I still do not wake up refreshed very often.
I have a very love hate thing going with my cpap, it still sucks but is far better then not having it.

[BonnieJW]

61. My husband has had it for over 25 years.

He uses a CPAP machine and is never without it. When he has to go out of town, the first thing he packs is the CPAP.