Sleep Apnea

[nw_hunter]

I was diagnosed with sleep apnea some time ago, and tried the breathing machine, and could never get use to it.I see chin straps advertised to stop snoring, and wondered if anyone on the forum has ever tried them, and if they worked to stop snoring?

 

[Minnesota1]

I lost a lot of weight and got rid of my sleep apnea but before I got the c-pap machine I looked at the breath right strips and I even bought something you stuff up your nose-some type of u shaped thing.  Anyway, I think the way to go would be one of those mouthguards that hold your mouth closed and force you to breath through your nose.  I would look at that.  Google mouthguards for snoring and I'm sure several will pop up.

[DON IN VA]

Stopping  your snoring won't necessarily remedy sleep apnea.  Snoring is just a side of effect of sleep apnea. 
Ask yourself how well you're actually sleeping, how often do you wake up, how rested are you when you get up.
Try some different types of headgear and different setting on the machine. 
My wife has had one of the things for 5 - 6 yrs. and I swore I'd never use one.......but the DOT required it with new regulations recently enacted for big boys like myself and now that I have one I wish I'd gotten it a few years ago.
Experiment with different nosepieces etc.  Try to decide what about using the machine is most annoying then get the folks you got it from to help you correct it.  When get it right you'll never regret it.

[Graybeard]

There is basically one cure for sleep apnea and for over 90% of folks it doesn't fix the problem. That is surgery. Losing a LOT of weight will improve your situation but will likely not cure the situation.

Sleep apnea is a more serious problem than most assume it to be and is or can be a life threatening disease. It robs your body and mind of the rest needed to recuperate from the day's activities.

Yes I have it. Yes it took me almost forever to find a mask I could live with. I must have tried ten or more different designs before I found one I could live with. I now have two designs that work OK for me but some times one becomes uncomfortable so I switch to the other. I never know on a give day/night which will work best for me.

Do not ignore it and just assume you can't wear the mask. It is not fun and never will be but not doing so can lead to heart failure, strokes and lots of other problems that are very serious. I ignored it way too long and try to convince folks to not do as I did. Find a mask you can life with and stick to it. Yeah it might take you a couple weeks or more of fighting it to learn to live with it but look at it this way. Without it you will die at an younger age than if you learn to use it.

Some nights it gives me fits and I feel like jerking it off and throwing it away. I actually did just that during the sleep study when they were trying to determine the proper pressure for me. I felt like I was suffocating and just couldn't get enough air with it on and refused to let them try again. I did get a machine and a mask and they gave me a generic pressure that I think is lower than it should be but without another sleep study no doctor will increase it and it's not a do at home job.

[nw_hunter]

I lost a lot of weight and got rid of my sleep apnea but before I got the c-pap machine I looked at the breath right strips and I even bought something you stuff up your nose-some type of u shaped thing.  Anyway, I think the way to go would be one of those mouthguards that hold your mouth closed and force you to breath through your nose.  I would look at that.  Google mouthguards for snoring and I'm sure several will pop up.

Actually that is what the chin straps are suppose to do..........Keep you mouth closed. Just wondered if anyone had tried them. Thanks for the input guy's!

[84Jim]

I've been through a few sleep studies and currently wear a mouthpiece.  Mine is designed to pull my lower jaw out thereby keep my airway open.  Its adjustable and you turn the screw 1/2 turn every other night until you stop snoring.  I've adjusted mine as far as I can go and still be able to put it on.  I had a sleep study using it and its improved, but not eliminated my sleep apnea.  My wife tells me its helped but not stopped my snoring.  But I do think that I sleep better now.

I tried the CPAP but had issues.  My nose was broken in the past and one nostril is pretty plugged up.  When they brought out the 1/2 face mask I got dressed and left, because I knew I'd never wear it.  Like Bill said surgery is probably the final answer.  I could stand to lose a couple of pounds too, but thats another story.

The two things I don't like about the mouthpiece are that it changes your bite, and you have to bite on a second mouthpiece when you get up to bring it back.  Also, you have to brush all of that stuff in the morning to keep them clean.

Jim

[srussell]

like bill it took me a year are so and 8/10 diff. masks to find one i could live with. it just goes in the nose does'nt cover it.very light. but snoring is the least of the problems with sleep apnea. i even have a hook up to run my c-pap off   my car cig. lighter are just a battary.

[huntswithdogs]

My wife went thru a bunch of masks before finding one that works for her. She settled on one that covers her mouth and nose. It wasn't long before I started seeing the difference in her. She no longer wanted to go to sleep everytime she sat down. Depresssion issues started to slacken along with better blood pressures. She had tried the strips and a mouthpiece. Neither helped/worked.

The "SNORING" is actually a GASP for air after you've quit breathing. You're not resting and recharging.
Are you married? Does your spouse wake up cranky? Does your spouse or you get up to sleep on the couch. I spent a lot of time on the couch when I should have been in the bed with my wife. For your sake, give it another try. Get your doctor to get ya different style masks and give it another try. Don't go into thinking "this'll never work". Your body will thank you. So may your spouse...

HWD

[milespb]

Graybeard, Like you I was sure the pressure on mine was too low. So they gave me a machine to bring home with me ( w/some kind of recording device) then they read it the next day and adjusted my machine to where it needed to be.

[chris112]

I was diagnosed last month. They want to put me on an automatic machine for the first month in order to get the pressure right. Trouble is money is too tight right now to afford the thing.

[bigbird09]

My step-dad had sleep apnea.  It was bad enough that he would doze off on the drive to and from work, then would come home and sleep in the chair half the evening, then usually get up and go to bed.  He was put on a CPAP and it help alot.  He was later also put on a O2 concentrator but it really didn't help anything.  Since he has lost weight he has since gotten off of the machine and doesn't have the problems he use to.

[srussell]

if you guys  use the v.a. they got my cpap machine for me  and maintain it

[Redcap]

It also took me about a year to get used to the CPAP mask but now I cannot sleep without it.   Try a full face mask that covers the nose and also the mouth.  That works best for me.    Please, keep trying.  My brother died at the age of 63 because he didn't use the CPAP.

[Dinny]

All this talk of dying young has me concerned. I'm 35 y/o and was diagnosed with SA about 18 months ago. I have had a terrible time finding a mask that fits and that I can keep on all night. For that reason, and the fact that I travel alot, I haven't used my CPAP in a few months. I have one of the half-masks that covers the nose and mouth and also one of the nasal pillows masks. I keep getting all the supplies for both masks on a regular schedule and they just keep accumulating. I'm gonna have to go back to the doctor and ask about another mask type, this just isn't working for me.

Thanks, Dinny

[charles p]

I've had a CPAP machine for about five years.  Actually I have two - a small Medtronic model for travel and another for my bedside.  I like the Medtronic best.  I have two types of mask.  I have a mask that covers my nose but not my mouth.  I like it best.  I also have a nasal pillow.  Don't like it at all.  Recently I got a full face mask when I purchased a new mask, but did not like it either so they took it back.  My first CPAP has a moisture attachment but I have disconnected it.  Don't need more humidity in NC.

If you have not tried several styles of masks, you should.  I love mine.  When I put it on, I think my brain is conditioned to relax.  Without it, I toss and turn for hours.  I also take Ambien at night.

There are places on the Internet that sell reconditioned CPAP machines for a fraction of the cost of a new one (my last was just$165), and they will give you the codes to set the pressure to match your prescription.  Both of my machines have altitude adjustments.  I live at sea level.  On a recent trip to Breckenridge CO, I spent a few nights at about 12K feet.  I couldn't seem to inhale enough air when I relaxed.  I remembered the adjustment and corrected the machine to the highest altitude setting.  Worked like a charm.