# I have Sleep Apnea at 24 yrs.! Calling all medical minds... **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 22, 2005, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-sleep-apnea-at-24-yrs-calling-all-medical-minds/309402 "2005-06-22T17:58:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![kayT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayt/32/3633_2.png) [@kayT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayT)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2005, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-sleep-apnea-at-24-yrs-calling-all-medical-minds/309402/21 "2005-06-23T16:17:34Z")
Do more people “have” sleep apnea since they invented a machine to treat it?? ---
**Author:** ![tremorviolet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e47774/32.png) [@tremorviolet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tremorviolet)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2005, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-sleep-apnea-at-24-yrs-calling-all-medical-minds/309402/22 "2005-06-23T17:52:47Z")
Well, here’s a comprehensive [article](http://www.morehead.org/wellconnected/000065.htm) about sleep apnea. I found this quote intriguing: > [@](#): > > Mouth Breathing. Some evidence suggests that a tendency to breathe through the mouth (rather than the nose) during childhood can actually produce structural changes in the face (longer face, narrow jaw, receding chin). Such facial characteristics may eventually put people at risk for sleep apnea. There’s also this: > [@](#): > > Having a Larger Neck. Having a large neck is a risk factor for sleep apnea. In fact, the larger necks in men may be the primary reason for their higher risk for sleep apnea compared to women. A neck measurement of 17 inches or greater in men or at least 16 inches in women is one indicator that may suggest the condition. Postmenopausal women are more likely than younger women to have sleep apnea, in part because they tend to be heavier and have larger necks. > > Specific Facial and Skull Characteristics. Structural abnormalities in the face and skull may be responsible for many cases of sleep apnea. These are likely to be the cause in many non-obese people with early-onset sleep apnea, particularly if they also have a family history of the problem. > > Specific physical characteristics that may increase the risk for sleep apnea in both adults and children include the following: > > A long lower part of the face. > Brachycephaly (a birth defect in which the head tends to be shorter and wider than average). > A narrow upper jaw. > A receding chin. > An overbite. > A larger tongue. > Characteristics in the Soft Palate Throat. Some people have specific abnormalities in the soft palate (the soft area at the back of the mouth) and throat that may prove to cause sleep apnea: > > The soft palate is stiffer, larger than normal, or both. An enlarged soft palate, in fact, may be a significant risk factor for sleep apnea. > The soft palate and the walls of the throat around it collapse easily. And this sounds like what **Fule** is looking for: > [@](#): > > Several different dental appliances or treatments are available and are proving to be very valuable treatments for mild to moderate obstructive sleep apnea. Dentists and orthodontists are slowly becoming more aware of obstructive sleep apnea and may become more involved with its diagnosis and treatment. Among the devices available are the following examples: > > The mandibular advancement device (MAD) is the most widely used dental device for sleep apnea. It is similar in appearance to a sports mouth guard. MAD forces the lower jaw forward and down slightly, which keeps the airway open. > Splints (e.g., Sleep Splint) are sometimes used that hold the tongue in a specific position to keep the airway as open as possible. > The functional magnetic system uses two magnets positioned on opposite sides of the jaw to keep the airway open. > Patients fitted with one of these devices should have a check-up early on to see if it is working; short-term success usually predicts long-term benefits. It may need to be adjusted or replaced periodically. ---
**Author:** ![Go\_You\_Big\_Red\_Fire\_Engine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/eada6e/32.png) [@Go\_You\_Big\_Red\_Fire\_Engine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Go_You_Big_Red_Fire_Engine)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2005, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-sleep-apnea-at-24-yrs-calling-all-medical-minds/309402/23 "2005-06-23T22:13:14Z")
> [@Fuel](#): > > Firstly, **Fire Engine** , during orotracheal intubation, one must be careful not to stimulate the vagus nerve with the laryngoscope blade or else have to administer atropine to deal with the resulting bradycardic effect. In addition, the Valsalva maneuver (look it up!), pressure on the carotid sinus, and distension of the urinary bladder can all stimulate the vagus nerve to do its action. So, explain to me how the whole EMS system down here in Florida is wrong about vagus nerve stimulation? Also, I asked questions while _providing_ examples, I was not asking questions strictly _about_ those examples. You underestimate me. All I was getting at was that it doesn’t get directly “stimulated”. It gets secondarily stimulated. I apologise for remembering CNX in the wrong autonomic division, it is sympathetic. You over-estimate yourself. DO NOT ATTEMPT TO LODGE SOMETHING IN YOUR THROAT. You have a choke reflex for a reason. ---
**Author:** ![Fuel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/df705f/32.png) [@Fuel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fuel)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2005, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-sleep-apnea-at-24-yrs-calling-all-medical-minds/309402/24 "2005-06-23T22:52:04Z")
> [@Go You Big Red Fire Engine](#): > > All I was getting at was that it doesn’t get directly “stimulated”. It gets secondarily stimulated. > I apologise for remembering CNX in the wrong autonomic division, it is sympathetic. > You over-estimate yourself. DO NOT ATTEMPT TO LODGE SOMETHING IN YOUR THROAT. You have a choke reflex for a reason. Did I ever say I was planning on doing this? OR DID I ASK IF I COULD DO IT? There is a difference, and you have no idea exactly why I asked the question… maybe it was to stimulate ideas in you’alls minds??? Also, to weed through the people who are not on the same track as I am here, such as you?? I overestimate myself? This coming from someone who doesn’t know a single things about me? Yes, I will go, I will drive that big long fire engine as fast as it will go and on the way back from a call I will stop on your lawn and do donuts!!! ---
**Author:** ![Fuel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/df705f/32.png) [@Fuel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fuel)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2005, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-sleep-apnea-at-24-yrs-calling-all-medical-minds/309402/25 "2005-06-23T23:07:18Z")
**tremorviolet** : Thanks for that list. I knew there were some other options that I could at least look into. About the magnets, at first thought, I wouldn’t feel right attracting metals to certain parts of my body, especially near my head. That’s just kind of weird, but the application of magnets for this purpose is a fascinating thought. About the jaw projector contraption MAD: I wonder how long term anterior force applied on the jaw in that fashion would effect the bones and connective tissue in my jaw??? I wonder what would happen if I rolled over on the side of my head and applied additional force in a perpendicular plane to the MAD’s traction (or force)??? I’m not so sure if the jaw was meant for one type of force, let alone two forces like that… The sleep splint sounds really nice, I wonder how it works? I will promptly look into these solutions. Again, thanks. ---
**Author:** ![Fuel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/df705f/32.png) [@Fuel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fuel)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2005, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-sleep-apnea-at-24-yrs-calling-all-medical-minds/309402/26 "2005-06-23T23:12:52Z")
In case some of you haven’t realized, amongst other goals, I am trying to stumble upon a solution that is not cumbersome to transport and does not use power. The CPAP is a godsend, but it does have its shortcomings. I know a car battery can power that thing for at least several nights, but what if I end up at a buddies’ house and suddenly want to crash on the couch… if I could pull something out of my pocket or backpack, administer it, and get on with life outside of my house, that would be choice. ---
**Author:** ![Fuel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/df705f/32.png) [@Fuel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fuel)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2005, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-sleep-apnea-at-24-yrs-calling-all-medical-minds/309402/27 "2005-06-23T23:14:21Z")
I meant to say deep cycle marine battery… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-sleep-apnea-at-24-yrs-calling-all-medical-minds/309402.md?page=1)