This. I’ve long been pressured by my kids to get a sleep study as my snoring and pauses in breathing concerned them. However, I blew it off as I didn’t have the daytime sleepiness symptom. I recently had a tooth guard made to address teeth grinding and now I apparently no longer snore.
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I’ve been a horrible snore monster for most of my life, and ever since the 2012 vandalism incident at the last house, I tend to wake up at 2 am for no good reason.
After much peer pressure, I finally went through with getting a sleep study done earlier this year.
It showed that I needed a cpap machine, although just barely. I got it back in July, and even though I suspect I need an adjustment to the operating pressure of it, the data shows that it’s working pretty well, at least according to the tech for the company that provided the machine. Still waking up at 2 am, but that’s probably due to the cats deciding that it’s Happy Wacky Fun Kitty Time, the furry brats.
I like this!
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I’d be wary of doohickeys. I tried an oral one, and it triggerd TMJ. I couldn’t eat food properly. It took 2 years of orthodontia to correct the mess. To be fair the doohickey was the straw that broke the camel’s back. But I’d make sure to talk to your MD and Dentist about any treatment.
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TL;DR - if you struggle with CPAP keep trying different masks, etc. If you haven’t gotten your CPAP machine recently, try a newer machine.
I’ve struggled with sleep apnea for 20 years. 20 years ago I got a CPAP and couldn’t tolerate it. I had constant, unvarying air pressure in my nose, and a nose-only mask. My mouth would hang open and I’d just feel the wind blowing through my nose and out my mouth. I tried using a chin strap and all sorts of things to keep my mouth shut. I could only bear it with ambien, and then I just wouldn’t mind or wake up when it fell off.
I also tried ALL SORTS of other things. I eventually got a custom dental appliance to hold my jaw right (instead of CPAP), which worked somewhat for quite awhile but eventually broke down.
Then I got another CPAP about 5 or so years ago. The technology has improved dramatically, so if you haven’t tried one lately, try again. It’s VASTLY quieter, and it responds to back-pressure (BI-PAP?) so it doesn’t feel like a constant wind-tunnel in my mouth. I use a Phillips/Resmed DreamStation. Then I experimented with masks and found that a size large resmed airtouch mask works very well for me.
It’s still not the most comfortable thing in the world. Sometimes the fit goes a bit awry and I get air blowing in my eyes. Sometimes it wakes me up, sometimes I need eyedrops in the morning.
One thing that is definitely worse than using my CPAP is NOT using my CPAP.
Keep trying different masks etc!
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BTW, I used to say of my ex-wife, “She has a snoring problem. I snore, her problem.” She did not find it funny. Perhaps there is a reason she is my ex.
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Hmmm… getting medical advice from the internets. No thanks.
I’ve used a CPAP fro 20 years and it saved my life. While I have mild obstructive apnea i also have central sleep apnea which is when the brain doesn’t let you sleep/breathe properly.
Instead of trying a “hack” (how’d that work for the people who took Hydroxychloroquine for COVID?) get a proper sleep study. I’d even go so far as to get one in a sleep lab rather than one of the take-home halter type of devices currently the rage.
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I got an oral doohickey from an actual dentist who specializes in sleep apnea and TMJ. There’s a whole procedure in place to get the jaw slowly (over weeks) moved into the optimal position to open the airway, with daily PT and regular pain and function evaluations. My doohickey works, but it’s part of a system, the point of which is to allow the doohickey to open your airways through jaw displacement, without damaging your joints or causing your pain.
Ask your doctor or dentist if doohickey is right for you.
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I’m loving the -random specialists fix apnea- angle as much as anything. [Sits up straight.] I’m in denial! [Finger guns.]
MerelyGifted> These things on eBay.
What’s the nose one? It looks more pluggy than breathey. Nose and breathe in the search terms?
OA mouth tape for slitting 1/3 way down, minus the Amazon link:
GrifGrip’s Sport Tape, $30.50 per 5 meters x 4 rolls, available in 10 colors plus purple camo splotches.
jerwin> YMMV
TL:DR; Sleeping on one’s sides, watching apnea events count few.
Not as edgy as joining the Santa Fe Institute and changing so many things you can’t pin it down, but there it is, moisten it.
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took me 18 months to truly get used to cpap machine, i got an O2 condenser that adds about 3% extra o2 to the mix, but it doesn’t seem to help the O2 in m y blood though.
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This appeared on the daily beast a while back. I don’t have apnea, and I detect a somewhat patronizing tone, so YMMV
That’s me. I have a mouthpiece and had it confirmed and dialed-in with at-home sleep studies.
It’s also important to note that the at-home studies are way less obtrusive and less expensive than the monitored sleep studies.
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Nope.
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I have watched Essential Craftsman videos for a while. He has a lot of useful things to say about building things and the materials and processes involved in building things.
I am not sure why he is sharing this “medical” advice with his audience, and he does give a disclaimer, but I still feel it’s dangerous to spread makeshift remedies to serious medical conditions.
It does seem to follow the pattern of an old-school attitude towards jobsite safety that he has displayed in some videos. Be careful and nothing will go wrong, don’t need that handrail, don’t need that safety harness, don’t need to tie off that ladder, etc.
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Huh, can’t believe it doesn’t show up in O2 saturation ('less it’s 99% anyhoo,) how’d you test that it’s 3%? [Sleeps to a procession of exploding air-oxygen-hydrogen soap bubbles out some machine. Mmm restful.]
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My most useful hack for dealing with my sleep apnea is to wear a blood oxygen recorder while sleeping and look at the data as part of my morning routine. I use the oxyring. Gives approximately 100 times the data points versus my apple watch.
Wearing one while testing hacks like kidnap tape is the only way I would ever consider not wearing the CPAP. My data shows the CPAP is definitely helping my blood oxygen levels versus nights I didn’t wear it.
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This is true, but you also don’t get as high quality data. Monitored sleep studies suck, I know, I’ve done many. There’s something to be said for having professionals monitoring your sleep. I’ve also done at home studies which ended up providing inconclusive data and being a waste of time. There’s pros and cons for both at home and monitored sleep studies. It also depends on what you’re hoping to accomplish.
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theres a little ball that float when it’s in use:
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More seems to outline the problems with the health insurance industry, sleep tests should be considered preventative care. Proper treatment of apnea helps improve health in the long run.
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If you investigate suspected apnea, be aware of any reporting requirements in your jurisdiction.
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I had an at home sleep test during the pandemic, showed mild apnea. People had told me stories about how cpap changed their lives and they were getting the best sleep evar, so I was soooo looking forward to it. Didn’t do bupkis, very disheartening, and fiddly and uncomfortable besides. Just glad I was able to get my money back because that thing was expensive and not covered by my insurance.
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