My doctor mentioned that as well, Billdo - well, at least the tennis ball. But while I do toss and turn during sleep, I don’t wake up in a different position from the one I went to sleep in. So I sleep wholly on my side now.
cowgirl, it’s my understanding that one doesn’t need to be obese to have apnea, although a weight problem will aggravate apnea, make it much more difficult to live with. But what do I know …
Self-titration requires somebody else to complain that you’re snoring again. It’s not something I do often. As I gained another 20 lbs last year, the setting became inadequate. My wife complained and I creeped the pressure up two-tenths at a time per night until my wife said I wasn’t snoring anymore. I could probably creep it down now (I’ve lost 45 lbs so far) if it seemed necessary.
The original problem I had was accessing the control menu. My first CPAP was setup by Apria for me and they took the manual. It’s one of those “hold a button down while turning it on” things to get the menu up. Once I found it, adjustment was easy. My new CPAP, gotten after the first got flakey, had the manual in the box.
Other CPAP issues - adjusting the head gear for a good - but not painful - fit. If the mask isn’t correctly on your head, it leaks air. Noisey and less effective. My wife pokes me until I wake enough to straighten it out.
Rolling over, if you’re an active sleeper, can be a problem. Sometimes the hose gets snagged under an arm or something.
Skipping a night or so if necessary probably won’t affect your long-term health too badly. The apnea damage is a cummulative thing so I wouldn’t make a habit of it. Also, though, after a while, it’s almost hard to sleep without it. My “face hugger” is a trigger for sleep for me. Put it on and I’m ready to sleep. Without it, I toss and turn a lot more trying to fall asleep.
Good Luck - they work!
Your doctor doesn’t know squat.
When I had my sleep study, my neirologist told me that i didn’t have typical sleep apnea but really really virulent snoring. My snoring caused me to wake myself up 134 times the night I had my sleep study.
I know a number of people who are not at all overweight who have sleep apnea…and weight is not always a predictor. You may well have a treatable problem here.
Go to another doctor or insist on a referral for a sleep study.
Good luck
I’d definitely get a second opinion. I was an ooh-rah Navy diver with six percent body fat and snored like a chainsaw. Guys two doors over in the barracks (3 man rooms) could hear me. Obesity is a factor but it is by no means the sole cause of apnea symptoms.
Apnea is caused by soft tissue in the nose and mouth collapsing over the air passages, stopping or impeding breathing. This does two things, 1) you stop breathing (this is not a good thing), 2)the noise you make prevents you from getting the deep sleep you need to feel restful upon waking. You can take a 15 minute cat nap and feel like you’ve slept all night, or you can sleep for eight hours and feel like you never went to bed. Other health problems related to apnea are high blood pressure and heart arrythmia.
I’m not obese and I have it.
So another vote for full of it.
My father has apnea and the machine, and I suspect I have it as well. The thing thats stopping me from going and finding out is that there is no way in hell I can wear a mask over my face before I go to sleep. It would keep me awake just as much as the apnea does (assuming thats my problem).
I’ve been using a CPAP for about 4 years now, and it has really made a big difference. I used to get so dead tired in mid-afternoon, have no energy at other times of day, be very cranky, etc. My colour was pale.
My suggestion is to see if you can do what I did: try renting a different CPAP unit for a month or so; try each out and see which you prefer–maybe you don’t need one with the humidifier (heated or otherwise).
We’re not allowed to self-titrate here; only a technician can do this (and only then on the orders of the specialist MD).
I decided to not cheap out and get a really good machine–and I’ve never regretted that decision. I got a Respironics Virtuoso, which is a “Smart” CPAP, that self-titrates through the night as required (within a range limit pre-set by the technician).
http://www.respiratorycareinc.ca/SL_03.htm
It also keeps a record of hours used, and pressure adjustments: last time I took the unit in for titration, the guy downloaded the memory for the last three years, and printed out a chart, with every night clickable! (Not that I’m that obsessive, but pretty impressive!) I’ve dropped the thing 5 or 6 times, and it hasn’t stopped, and the casing hasn’t cracked or scratched. Took it to Britain and France: it has a built-in voltage converter! It cost me about $1600 Canadian (including mask, extra filters, etc.), which was mostly covered by my health insurance. I think the new model runs about US $700.
http://www.advanscpap.net/catalog/item/250192/176960.htm
You could also look at buying a used CPAP (with a new mask, of course!), to keep costs down.
But the big thing is to try the CPAP for a good month–the first few nights (or even couple of weeks) might be a little weird, and you might be tempted to give up–you’ll probably wake up in the morning a several times to find that you’ve torn the thing off in your sleep–but keep trying; it really will make a big difference to your life once your body has adjusted to the new feeling.
Just wanted to update everyone who had commented in here. I underwent my second study - the titration phase, actually - and should receive my machine in a month or so. The titration phase was much less fun than the first phase, because you gotta wear all those electrodes AND the darn mask thingy.
I was diagnosed with SOSA about 3 years ago and have been using a CPAP ever since. I’m currrently in the marked for one that’s quieter and that I can use on battery power when I go camping.
The most dramatic impact it’s had on my health (aside from being able to stay awake all day): my blood pressure, which was moderately high before, has dropped 30-50 points since I started using the CPAP. My last blood pressure test before the CPAP was 160/91, the one I had last month was 120/80. That’s without any medication or even a significant change in diet.
I would say it took me a good six months to get used to wearing the mask… but it’s totally worth it (and my wife doesn’t have to go sleep in the guest room anymore due to my snoring).
Another vote here for full of it. My dad was definitely not obese. A bit overweight, maybe, but a lot of 41-year-old men are.
I’ve got to chime in and advise on not self titrating CPAP levels. Continuous Positive Airway Pressure machines maintain a positive pressure throughout exhalation that in theory splint both larger upper airways and smaller lower airways open that would without it, collapse at ambient room atmospheric pressure. Depending on your physiological needs, there is an optimal pressure setting that depends on many factors, such as frequency and length of apnic periods, how they affect REM sleep, how they affect oxygen levels, how long low oxygen levels are maintained and how chronic low oxygen levels have damaged the heart and other organs including the brain. It is known that too much pressure can impede capillary blood flow in the lungs and actually worsen heart disease. While on the surface you may be snoring less and sleeping more, its really worth consulting a professional. Most people that are having problems with CPAP are using the wrong size or type of mask, as was mentioned earlier, need a heater/humidifier as was mentioned, need titration based on a sleep study, or finally, need surgery or other medical intervention.
Right on the money, dantheman .
Another Apnea sufferer checking in. I use a Bi-Pap. The big difference is it has 2 pressure levels, high for inhale, low for exhale. I couldn’t handle the constant pressure and the Bi-Pap works great.
Yep, another vote for full of it. A professional wrestler I used to watch was diagnosed last year. This guy probably has a negative body fat percentage. Being huge does aggravate it (raises hand), but being skinny doesn’t preculde getting it.
Cheers,
Vega
Since I started reading about Apnea, I’ve started wondering if I may have it. The biggest thing that did it for me wat the feeling that I didn’t get a good night’s sleep, even though I may have sleept for 8, 9, or even 10 hours. In addition, I taoss and turn in my sleep and even snore a little bit, according to former girlfriends. I’d like to get a sleep study done, but I don’t have money and a) don’t know if it is covered by insurance, and b) I don’t think I could ever convince my parents (who’s insurance I am currently covered by) that I actually need a sleep study done. I had a hard time convincing them that even after the health center diagnosed it, and I had a chest x-ray done, that I did actually have pneumonia.
Yet another CPAP user here, closing in on five years. I’m very much open about it to the point that I sit in the sleep lab booth at our small town’s annual health fair, wearing the gear to attract attention and then answering questions.
I do use a humidifier, a hollow molded plastic base that fits under my machine. Output hose from the machine hooks to one side of the humidifier, air blows across the distilled water, picks up humidity, and the hose to my nose fits on the output side of the humidifier.
Since I have a moustache and goatee, the technician suggested the nasal pillow type rather than a mask that might not seal well. YMMV, of course, but it works very well for me.
Don’t be afraid to make modifications for comfort sake. Since it often gets chilly in
these parts, one acquaintance has insulated his hose with padding and duct tape.
Another acquaintance says she uses an inverter with a motorcycle battery when she camps in the woods. She says its good for about three nights.
I have made one small modification to the nosepiece — I redrilled the exit hole so that the escaping air goes at an UPWARD rather than a downward angle, so the cold air doesn’t bounce of the covers and blow back on my face when I sleep on my side. It makes a big difference.
By the way, I’ve trained myself to sleep only on my back or my right side, so I don’t blow a cold stream of CPAP exhaust at my sweet wife.
I was diagnosed with severe sleep apnea, but I found the CPAP very intrusive during my sleep study. After many, many phone calls, I finally got my insurance to pay for a dental device which you wear completely in your mouth with a small adjustment screw sticking out the front. When you turn the screw, it draws your lower jaw forward and opens your airway. It really works, but I also found it pretty uncomfortable…it’s tight on your teeth. I saw an ad for this thing the ‘Sleep Angel’ which is basically a strap worn under your jaw and up over the back of your head. It keeps your mouth closed so you can breath through your nose. It costs 65 bucks though, so I went out and bought an Ace bandage, cut it in half and wore it under my jaw, tied around the upper back of my head (yeah it looks ridiculous…make sure you’ve already had sex a few times before your break it out in front of your bedmate). And whaddaya know…it works!
Been using a CPAP machine for a little over a year now. Man, does it make a difference. It takes a while to get used to it, but once you do, the quality of your sleep is amazing.
You don’t have to stay with the mask they give you when you get the machine. If you put CPAP into a Google search you can spend days looking at all the different kinds of masks out there. Whoever supplies your machine should have at least a few options if you don’t like the mask that fits over your nose.
I had cosmetic surgery (eye bag removal) last November and didn’t want my mask pressing down on the area that had been worked on, so I got a new doo-jobbie with “nasal pillows.” This is a tube that comes over the top of your head and has two little accordion shaped things that fit up in your nostrils. I ended up liking it better than the mask, so I’m still using it.
Anyone have success using a CPAP machine on an airplane? I’m taking an all-night flight in a few months, and I’ve never (in the last few years) gone without my CPAP. Can airlines supply a power source if you request it in advance?
The most recent flights I was on (on American Airlines) had power sources for at least some of the seats - I noticed little signs that said there were outlets beneath the seats.