Is apple watch effective for that? I'll consider something like that. There's a sleep clinic near me, I got a referral from my GP and I plan on asking them for tracking tips before I commit to an in-clinic night.
Absolutely. I use a third party app called Autosleep ($3) and wear it to sleep. You can put your phone in 'sleep' mode and your watch won't light up at night (or just put your watch in theater mode). Very educational. Tracks everything, movement, waking up, heart rate, temperature, etc. Gives you a rating of how well you slept, sleeping over time...it's awesome. My charger is on my desk, I just put it on there for about 30 minutes in the morning to charge while I work.
You won't be able to eat solids for a good 3 weeks, but I had a co-worker that loved the results. 2 other ENTs weren't so gung-ho about it and said the weight loss you get from those 3 weeks would increase airflow from less neck fat, but your weight will change over time so that's why I'm still debating it. The dentist took a dental impression to create the hard mouthpiece. I couldn't wear it because it was so rigid at first, he also gave me a softer mouthguard to wear. It was custom made because typically mouthguards for teethgrinding don't force your jawline forward, but this one did for increased airflow. Because of that stress the softer mouthguard only lasted a few months and I gradually adjusted to the harder mouthpiece. If your sleep study says you have obstructive sleep apnea, then this might apply for you.
So for this palate removal surgery, I see that it greatly widens the throat entrance. Does it also eliminate the gag reflex? Asking for a friend. For science.
There's a reason they stopped removing the tonsils from every kid with a sore throat: [Hindustan Times] Getting tonsils removed puts you at risk of flu, asthma and pneumonia I would try just about anything else you can think of to treat it before considering removing your tonsils.
Anybody considering this make sure you Google the complications. When I first discussed the option with a doctor ~20 years ago, his warnings ended any notion in my mind. (I'm sure the risks are lower now).
I had CPAP for a year and I couldn't do it. I wanted surgery and be free from the mask and hose. I had been looking into Inspire during that year and wondered if I would be a candidate. At a doctor's appointment to inquire about surgical options he told me I had large tonsils. The Inspire implant is only if your tongue recesses in your month during sleep which he wouldn't know until I had a drug induced sleep endoscopy. I agreed ahead of time that if it was just the tonsils, go ahead and remove them while I'm under. Woke up for the endoscopy and still had tonsils. Doctor said it was 50/50 tonsils and tongue and said he didn't want to put me through two surgeries (wish he had). There are multiple doctors that had to review the results and agree I was an Inspire candidate. So I had my tonsils removed and the Inspire surgery last May. Brutal recovery from the tonsils and not a big deal on Inspire. They don't activate Inspire until about 6 weeks after the surgery. Leading up to that appointment I'm starting to sleep well as I'm recovering from the tonsil removal. My Inspire activation appointment didn't go well and they blamed it on my tonsil surgery and said let's give it another month for my throat to heal. As time goes on I become more and more sure my apnea is already cured by just having my tonsils removed. Absolutely no snoring (audio recoded myself for an entire night multiple times in a bedroom alone). I had another sleep study and they claimed I still had mild apnea (without Inspire activated) but the apnea events per hour would have been under the number required to be an Inspire candidate had those been my numbers before the surgery. I'm giving it more time, but I may be coming after that surgeon and the Inspire organization soon if it turns out they performed an unnecessary surgery on me. I'm glad I had the tonsils removed. It's great not having that damn mask and hose and just sleep.
Hmm. Thats interesting and concerning. I had mine out and I haven’t died but I have had a good share of upper respiratory sicknesses in my life. Edit- I do have nasty seasonal allergies though. My oldest and youngest both had 75% blockages and had real issues breathing at night. It was scary to listen to them. My oldest had his out when he was 8 and at the time he was super skinny. It turned out the lack of sleep was causing issues and he put on a ton of weight in the six months after the surgery. There’s always a chance the tonsils will grow back though. It happened to my aunt.
I did the overnight sleep lab thing about 20 years ago. They said I had sleep apnea. So I used the mask for a couple of months. I thought it was just torture. Never could get a good comfortable fit. Uncomfortable and leaks. They have a lot of different types of masks now, so maybe I could find one that works, but I really don’t feel like I am getting poor sleep, so I’m not really too concerned about it(famous last words). It seems like almost everyone that does a sleep study gets diagnosed with sleep apnea. It almost feels like a scam, but I do know people that say they can’t live without the mask and that it really has helped. So, I’m sure it does help some people.
I had my tonsil removed several years ago. Nearly died when the stitches opened Drove myself to the ER This maybe why my Apnea is only mild now I guess Rocket River
Oof. I know I should complete one of these sleep studies. I've woken myself up at night gasping for air. Also woken up feeling like I can't breath and my airway is small....like my epiglotis is blocking my trachea or something. And the morning headaches have me sitting on the side of the bed for a few minutes when I wake up. Thinking it's time I finally commit to getting checked.
1) My wife noticed I would stop breathing for a period of time then take a deep breath then breath normal for a bit and repeat the cycle. 2) Yes I went in and had the nodes put all over me, slept in the clinic (it was like being in a hotel room) no equipment just them monitoring my sleep. Was diagnosed and went back and did another night with the cpap equipment so they could determine the amount of force to use to push the air flow to me. 3) I use a CPAP with a mask that covers my nose and mouth. I initially started with just a nose piece but when I opened my mouth and the air flowed out like a wind tunnel it was annoying to my wife and me. It was actually funny when I was awake not so much when I was asleep and she got a blast of cold air out of my mouth, blowing in her face. 4) I use it every night and sleep much better. I still have some nights where I don't sleep well but those are rare. It did take a little bit to get used to especially since I am very claustrophobic. I still have some issues if my nose is really stopped up. And if the power goes out in the middle of the night, it usually leads to a rude awakening. edit: read the rest of the thread and want to address the sleeping position stuff. I can sleep on either side, on my back and on my stomach with my head turned to the side. My air hose is about 6 feet long and you can sleep in almost any position. If I turn or move around I do have to occasionally adjust the hose. but have never had a problem finding a comfortable position.
I did a search on my own posts with sleep apnea. I have sleep apnea diagnosed from a sleep specialist, so one of the mitigating factors is to see an ent. The first guy didn't see a deviated septum but noticed polyps that he could remove 'on the spot' to improve breathing. I was in the middle of switching jobs, so I deferred months later until my coverage came back. (quick recovery) Later, I went to a second specialist who wanted to slice open my palate to increase breathing space after one brief physical examination without any expensive scopes or tubing. I took it into consideration, but subsequent research confirmed his caveat that doing the procedure doesn't guarantee more breathing during sleeping. (medium though tedious recovery) I took a second opinion, and initially told the third ENT nothing about the second diagnosis, and he recommended a regimen to reduce allergy symptoms with varying degrees of anti-histamines and steroids over time. (not invasive) Those were three different diagnoses that could presumably solve the problem, yet they'd all be the first to guarantee nothing (as they should) despite sounding very confident that it's the 'best option' before exhausting others. None of the ENTs agreed with each other's diagnoses after coming to their initial conclusion. Very similar experiences with my reoccurring corneal erosion over the span of 8 years, though in that case, the remedies were fewer so they were more "experimental"...with me as a guinea pig. The guy who wanted to carve me up like a turkey didn't mention complications, but he did mention it's not guaranteed I'd be cured from it... It wouldn't hurt to take a 24 hr Claritin a few hrs before you sleep if you have any sort of allergies or live in Austin. I also undersold my sleep troubles I have nightmares of dying and sleeper holds because I'm not breathing enough air and my brain is ringing alarm bells. When it does that, there's a signal to shoot adrenaline to your heart to wake you up. If you wake up 3-4 times a night because of obstruction, that adds up over time. So definitely be proactive and seek out second opinions if you're not satisfied over diagnosis. If you do stall or are delayed in professional help, try losing weight and start learning didgeridoo while you wait, I'm serious about the last one
Interesting. I had a tonsillectomy as an adult when I was 31. I also put on weight after the procedure but it was welcome for me as I’d been a “hard gainer” my whole life. I finally put on the extra muscle I’d been trying to gain for years but i suppose this could have coincided with reaching the age that my metabolism slowed. I read there is a correlation with gaining weight after having the tonsils removed but they don’t really know why it happens and most of the data is from kids and not adults.
https://www.inspiresleep.com/en-us/how-inspire-therapy-works/ The Inspire implant delivers gentle pulses that move your tongue out of the way each time you take a breath, keeping your airway open while you sleep soundly. No mask or hose required. Interesting Rocket River
