Sleep Apnea...
 

Doing an at home sleep apnea test later this week.

I am sure there are others here that have done this.

How annoying is the test and how long did it take you to get used to a CPAP if one was prescribed?

I also like to travel and dispersed camp. Any suggestions for battery packs or other accessories once?

I had an in hospital test on saturday. It can't be worse than being hooked up to 20 wires, being filmed and monitored while sleeping in a hospital.

I suspect you'll be alright.

For what it's worth finding the right mask is the key. I think I've tried 5 different and the one that the hospital gave me was the legitimate best. You get to try your mask out for a certain period of time and exchange the headgear etc. Take advantage of that. If it feels uncomfortable after a few days, try a new one before you can't exchange it (paying outright without insurance is costly). It's been my experience, if after a few days you don't like it, you won't use it all the time (guilty).

Really isn't too bad. If it's the same one I did you strap the device around your chest then it has air tubes you put into your nostrils. Then you just mail the whole thing back.

There is a sleep apnea thread that has a lot of feedback and advice in the thread.

So you think you have sleep apnea?

I did two at home sleep tests that indicated I have severe sleep apnea. The tests were fine, you wear variations of a blood oxygen meter on your hand. I tried a couple of masks and ended up with the full mask. I don’t mind it during winter, but hated it when things warmed up. I felt claustrophobic. I’m considering doing the medical device insert instead.

Test really isn’t too bad. Getting the sticky stuff out of your hair the next day is no fun. Also for the CPAP, it depends on the mask and how you sleep. I struggled for a while because my mask kept leaking around the seal as I adjusted laying down. Overall though it wasn’t too bad.

Holy **** you’re in bad shape.

Test isn't bad, but having that shit on my finger bothers me. It doesn't need to be on all that long if I recall. They can typically figure out if you have it. Which honestly, most males over 40 do.

I was on a machine for a while, it never really worked great for me. I stopped using it. Machine sat around, Covid hit, wasn't going to use a dirty machine. Or what I thought could be dirty.

Anyway, noticed my blood pressure was getting higher than it should, sleep really sucked, went through a whole ordeal this summer. Stress at work. Everything snowballed. Had a medicine issue too that didn't help. Anyway did a new sleep study, got a new machine, and boy now I don't want to sleep without it. Crazy how I fought with the first machine and with the second I alway average over 6 hours a night on it. I need to just go to bed a little earlier during the week.

Now my issue is the nose mask is making the bottom of my nose a little raw. Anyone have experience with that? I'm going to attempt a different nose piece tonight.

Sleep apnea is easy to correct without all that equipment. All you have to do is sleep with a golf ball in your mouth.

ROFL

I love my cpap. Hope you can find something that works.

As long as you can find electricity one will work, even on a plane. It has an airplane mode to not transfer data over cellular

edit -pic of me hooked up for the test

good times

The trick to not having sleep apnea is not being obese. Biggest factor usually

Excess weight creates fat deposits in a person's neck called pharyngeal fat. Pharyngeal fat can block a person's upper airway during sleep when the airway is already relaxed.

So there is a cure all fix but most want a magical pill or band aid?

Sounds like the American way.

OP is a fatass.

He also thinks soccer is a sport.

Dare you to find one IFBB Pro or Strongman that doesn't have a CPAP.

Btw... 405lb Axle DL for reps today.

No electricity where I camp. Many places no cell service.

I'll have bto get a battery and solar panel.

You are as just as clueless about this as you are every subject you reply to here.

Do we need to have a pose off?

Im not saying you are but that is the biggest correlation for those who have sleep apnea.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3021364/

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) adversely affects multiple organs and systems, with particular relevance to cardiovascular disease. Several conditions associated with OSA, such as high BP, insulin resistance, systemic inflammation, visceral fat deposition, and dyslipidemia, are also present in other conditions closely related to OSA, such as obesity and reduced sleep duration. Weight loss has been accompanied by improvement in characteristics related not only to obesity but to OSA as well, suggesting that weight loss might be a cornerstone of the treatment of both conditions.

I suspect that instead of

Patrick Swayze / Chris Farley

it will be more like

Chris Farley / Chris Farley

While the other two fight--this is what you would be looking for as power

Here is a list of machines. Hopefully it gives you what you need, if not, I will look at mine and see the power needs

https://www.thecpapshop.com/our-cpap-machines

You’re a bloated roider? I wouldn’t compare myself to them.

I thought you played soccer and such?

I think I had it so some degree. I'd wake up with terrible cottonmouth (and the dreams where you're guzzling water but it doesn't wet your mouth at all - ugh). Then I lost weight and it stopped.

So, size is a factor, but not an indicator for sleep apnea.

I have had sleep apnea for a very long time.

I had sleep apnea when I weighed 138 pounds in high school, and I had sleep apnea when I was older and weighed 250 pounds.

For me, and literally thousands upon thousands of people like me, my bottom jaw is slightly back, making the opening of my airway very narrow. There is nothing that can be done for it.

Some people with this issue can make it with a mouthpiece that pulls the jaw slightly forward, but that doesn't work for me.

So, there is no trick to not having sleep apnea.

One of my uncles was really fat and consequently had sleep apnea. He had great luck initially of sleeping on his stomach which eliminated his need for a cpap and didnt have sleep apnea as bad. But he eventually got so ****ing fat that he simply couldn't sleep on his stomach anymore. The fatter you are the harder it is to sleep on your stomach.

Lol

No roids just trt.No bloat.

My soccer days have been over for quite a while.

We get it. Obesity is in your DNA.

Can we get back to scheduled programming?

Freaking expensive. Hope the insurance picks up more than I expect them to.

The resmed10 is probably the best CPAP on the market in turns of durability. It is even better than the resmed 11 from what I understand.

That said, it is *not* a camper friendly CPAP machine. You will want a separate travel CPAP if you do a lot of travel, and to be honest, nothing really works well for camping, especially if you spend more than one night out camping. You have gone this long without it, just skip it when camping....it probably isn't worth the extra weight in your backpack.

Get a CPAP machine that best suits your most likely needs....if you sleep at home a lot, get a full sized CPAP machine with a humidifier.

I had to use mine at least 80% of the time for the first month for insurance to cover it.

Did my sleep test 4 years ago at home. I have no issues using my CPAP machine and I get great sleep and can monitor my results on my phone daily. My visits once a year to my local sleep foundation have given back raving reviews on said results. No biggie - just use distilled water and clean your equipment often.

Not necessarily. There are two types of sleep apnea, the common type which typically accompanies obesity, but my brother in law has it and has never been over 160 lbs. The other type is central apnea (what I have) which is a bizarre synapse malfunction where the brain stops sending signals to lungs to breathe when you are sleeping....nothing to do with weight. Those sleep tests do a pretty good job of delineating how much of you r apnea is due to weight issues vs central apnea.

that sounds about right.

I paid part monthly, they paid part.

and don't forget to factor in all the disposable parts they charge you out the ass for...they will mail them to you, but it's basically a subsciption and they send them to you whether you ask or not...I think my cost was about $70/mo. Insurance will try to get you in a CPAP, knowing well that less than 50% of patients have success. YOu may have to pay a little more for APAP which senses inhale vs exhale, but well worth it if it works. I could not comfortably exhale and could never make it more than 2 hrs a night

that is what HSA's are for

That Resmed 10 is awesome, if you end up with that one. Starts pretty low and ramps up once you're asleep.

LMAO No shit. Luckily mine are all covered 100% but it seems at the very least every other month I'm getting a package chock full of replacement parts.

I did have one go kaput. Sounded like a tractor in a pull every time I took a breath. Worst 3 days of my life. Took that long to get in. The company I bought it from exchanged it and I was never charged.

lol...I'm w/ Blue Cross and they sent me the wrong size nose pieces, but I was in an evaluation period, and they sent me home with three different sizes, WHen the bag came, I opened it up and noticed they were the wrong size. I didn;t even open the individual packages, just the big one: "tough shit pal, that's 'used' equipment now, we charged $70 on your card"

I have no issues either. It took me two nights of actually sleeping to adjust to the mask. I use a nasal mask, so my mouth isn't covered.

I know a lot of people complain about the sound, or how uncomfortable the mask is, etc. but for me sleeping made the adjustment so much easier. Maybe if I had struggled to sleep initially, I would have blamed the mask, and maybe give up too quickly on using a CPAP machine.

I stopped sleeping 44 times over the course of my sleep study, but I only woke up 40 times. The other 4 I somehow started breathing again before I could wake up. My CPAP machine changed my life.

I still suffer from insomnia, but when I can sleep, I actually stay asleep thanks to my CPAP machine.

That's awesome, good sleep is a life-changer. I couldn't do the res med 11, but I have been sleeping MUCH better just using a nasal dilator and ashwagandah or melatonin. I don't know what my sleep stats are now or how it affects my central apnea, but I have completely stopped waking up in a sweaty "panic". I usually only wake up once or twice a nice now, which was unfathomable a few months ago.

Dually noted.

Stereotype about OP has been updated.

Took an at-home test last month. The test wasn't a big deal, just one night of less than ideal sleep conditions. But it showed a green light the next morning which says it captured what it needed. The lab received it and let me know I've been diagnosed with moderate sleep apnea. Appointment to review and discuss later this month.

A CPAP sounds miserable. I took the test because I snore, but I generally sleep heavy and don't get tired or sleepy during the day. So it's hard to envision wearing a mask at night. Other option is an Inspire implant solution. We'll see.

Thanks for posting this. I learn something new on CP all the time.


FYI your stereotype has been updated.

^ This

I swear by my CPAP. Did the home test. Tested bad. Finding the right mask is key.

I like this: the Halo. You can sleep on your side or back

https://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/s...Tg_EA&usqp=CAc

Yeah sometimes its hard to be enough of a man. TRT can help those men.

It is fairly annoying. I have had 4 done. 2 at home and 2 in a controlled environment. The hospital ones were hard to get through as it’s simply not your usual environment.

I think it really depends on if they give you something to help you sleep or not. Also not to scare you but even if a test is negative that doesn’t necessarily mean you don’t have it. Home tests are more inaccurate.


I will circle back to myself. Had 4 done and no Apnea….BUT…. My oxygen drops at night a bit. They have no good idea why besides medication or me needing to get in better shape. So I was prescribed oxygen I use some nights and I feel much better.

My point is ask lots of questions and be your own best advocate. You know if you feel shit or not. If you do have it your improved quality of life will make the equipment seem small.

My pulmonologist and general practioner doctors keep pushing me to take one. I may do so this month since I can that from home now.

And then there are those like you who no matter what they do will always be a bitch.

I already know I need a CPAP. I wake up constantly, snore loud enough to wake the entire block and my wife says I stop breathing and then start gasping for air.

again, I hope everything works out for you and you find something that works.

You dont deserve to live like that , and truthfuly, wont live like that for too long.

Thx. I am looking forward to it. Too many years of interrupted sleep.

When I use it: I get better sleep and wake up more clear-headed and less tired

When I dont use it: the exact opposite

You cant undervalue the importance of quality sleep.

That's what I am looking forward to.

Right now I can wake up and feel like I got a good sleep and then 15 minutes later feel like I haven't slept in days.

Most nights is waking up every couple of hours gasping for air and then struggling to get back to sleep.

ditto

Did a sleep study and they said I had moderate apnea but it didn't show up until the later part of the test so it was a study with no CPAP on. I used a CPAP machine for months and really couldn't sleep so after 4 hours with it on, it would usually come off so I could actually sleep. When they reviewed my data it showed me with zero or 1 episode per hour while using it which they said was impossible. I said it wasn't impossible because I wasn't actually sleeping most of the time. They sent me in for another study with the CPAP from the start. It showed zero apnea the whole night and I barely slept. They of course said I slept well according to their data. It was only pushing air at a 5, maybe up to 10 at max.

What really became apparent to me was the CPAP forced me to keep my mouth shut. If my mouth stayed shut I wouldn't snore or have apnea. The problem was it also forces air into your lungs so it made it harder to sleep without it because it was basically training my body to not breathe in and that it would do the breathing for me. Not a good thing in my opinion.

I slept with it for a few more weeks after the second study before finally returning it. It took a few weeks for my body to get used to not having it since it had been trained to just let the machine breathe for me but after that I was fine. I keep my mouth shut while sleeping and my watch monitors my oxygen levels while sleeping and also has a snoring monitor. If I end up having it return, I'll probably do a chin strap or mouth piece to keep my mouth shut instead. I feel like training your body to not breathe on it's own is dangerous. My doctor told me before my sleep study that he had a person who went on vacation and didn't bring his with him and he never woke up because of oxygen deprivation. I blame that on the CPAP training his body not to breathe on it's own. What if your power goes out one day? I know they work well for some people but my experience was not a good one and I won't go back unless I have no other choice.

This is an interesting perspective. Hadn't thought of the "training" aspect of this, but now you've freaked me out and I'll probably be even more resistant when the doc tells me I should try a CPAP.

This is false.

I went to the hospital for my test. The hardest part was trying to sleep in a different place, and on my back (I was a side sleeper). No experience with home tests or how they work.

While at the test, they tried the full mask and the nose mask. Nose mask was definitely a no-go. I use the full mask (covers nose and mouth). I'd say it took maybe a week to get used to.

Going camping, whenever I go, we just try to find a campsite with electric outlet. If you travel, your CPAP can go on the plane with you and does not count as a carry-on.

The biggest negative about the CPAP, IMO, using the full mask, is that my mouth gets dry. It doesn't do wonders for the teeth.

Lulz. That is so not true. It does not train you to not breathe on your own ROFL. That poor bastard was just cooked regardless.

Okay but it is helping you to breath with less effort. Now the body has a "crutch" in performing that function while you sleep. And it seems logical that one would grow to be more and more dependent on that crutch. That doesn't mean it's a bad idea if somebody is already experiencing health problems, but it does seem worth considering.

It seems like 50% of the people here have sleeping problems.

I think that mainly has to do with Skyy Moore and Kadarius Toney

You still breath like normal. Otherwise, it wouldn't work. It's not doing the breathing for you. Just pushing more in whenever you do.

Plus, there are different pressures it can be set at. I've been able to go down on the pressure. That wouldn't happen if it was breathing for me or training me not to breathe.

I get it's not a ventilator. But "pushing more in" is aid/assistance that does seem like your body would become more reliant on over time, because your body no longer has to compensate for the original problem.

You are so wrong on all of this. Just stop posting about it.

It 100% felt that way to me. My lungs more would open to allow air in then breathe on my own. That said, coming up with a zero on the CPAP score was something they had said they never saw so maybe that's how my body decided to adapt to it.

I know the doctor said most people like them once they are on them and didn't realize how bad their sleep was until they get on CPAP, that was not my experience though.

Yeah, I've always went with the cheaper models. That model kicks ass.

Picked this up yesterday. Surprised at how quiet it is.

About how long to start feeling better from not almost dying in my sleep every night?

Stop.

You don’t understand what you’re talking about.

Obstructive sleep apnea is not caused by issues with lungs. It is an issue with the soft tissue in your throat/esophagus and specifically with the muscles relaxing more than they should while resting and reclined.

There is no “training your body to do better.” There is no getting your body to compensate.

Unless you want to count a CPAP as training. CPAPs push air not to help you get oxygen in your lungs but to instead prevent the obstructive relaxation from occurring.

Not treating sleep apnea is a great way to end up in an early grave like my dad, whose heart was horribly damaged from living wirh sleep apnea his whole life and never treating it.

the APAP is one of the greatest inventions. i went from getting really shitty sleep and feeling like ass at work after 8 hours of sleep to feeling refreshed after 6 hours of sleep.


youll probably get an A-pap. (automatically adjusts to the pressure you need, without doing too much pressure) , it takes some experimenting to find what setting you like and also takes some fiddling with masks. if you dont like your mask, try another style or another brand of masks. theyre all compatible with the hoses and machines.



dont give up on it, you will feel so much better and get such better sleep... once you dial in the settings and mask, youre golden.

Bottom line: "It keeps your throat open with forced air whether you choose a full mask, or a nose attachment(one is not better than the other, it's just a matter of comfort). The machine is set at a particular setting for that individual's severity of apnea, so that your oxygen intake is close to 100% during your sleep cycle, therefore, you are not exhausted in the morning when you wake up assuming you get the amount of hours of sleep that you need. A CPAP machine is nothing more than a respirator.

It was kind of weird, for me anyway. It took me about a week to get used to it, and things felt normal. I used it for about 9 months before skipping a night (I forgot to take it on an overnight trip my husband and I went on). I thought it wouldn't be a big deal, since it was just one night. The following day, I was like, "Wow. Did I feel this bad before? Was everyday like this?" Thinking back, I guess it was. So, for me, it wasn't so much an instant feeling better as much as it was that my new normal had changed and I hadn't really realized just how bad my old normal was.

Yep, it is the APAP version. Have the full face F20 mask. Can't wait to start waking up not feeling more tired than when i went to bed.

I talked about this with my dad when I went to visit over my lunch hour. He said the biggest difference for him was that he is able to do more on less sleep. He averages about 7 hours per night. So, for him, it was just having more energy throughout the day.

Immediately.

Edit: well, as far as that brain fog feeling goes.

It will take your body some time to catch up from the sleep deficit you've been operating under. I got mine in early 2015. Took about 3 months, as I recall. Once I got there, and really started sleeping, I lost about 10 pounds over the course of a few months just from simply sleeping properly for the first time in my life.

It's going to be amazing for you.

Did an at home sleep study two weeks ago. Waiting for the doctor to interpret the results.