I'm trying to determine if I have sleep apnea. For those of you that have been diagnosed (or have been around someone with it), here are a few questions: 1. what led you to get checked for it? 2. did you have to do a sleep study in a clinic? 3. what tricks worked for you, CPAP, mouthpiece or other? 4. how did you feel before and after?
Just diagnosed last week. Just start to get equipment etc. I am told I have "mild" Sleep Apnea Rocket River
1. Headaches after waking up and being told I was snoring louder than ever 2. Yes, over 15 years ago. I think you do these at home now. 3. My ResMed CPAP machine is a lifesaver!!! 4. All of the negative symptoms prior to getting the CPAP machine stopped. A CPAP machine is a pain in the neck for sure but is more than worth it. I use a full-face mask. I also use a mouth guard at night because of teeth grinding.
1. Being tired and falling asleep while sitting up at work. 2. Yes. 3. BiPAP machine 4. Before I was tired throughout the day, now I am not.
Thanks. How long did it take you to get acclimated? Hoping I can get a home test. In-clinic sleep study is creepy.
I think that is what I was prescribed. I don't know about sleeping on my back I sleep on my stomach as well Rocket River
For me, the one-night in-clinic study was very good. Without any distractions (and despite the probes everywhere), I fell asleep 3 hours earlier than normal. They woke me up once in the middle of the night to put on the mask. After I went back to sleep, they gradually increased the setting until the apnea stopped, which determined the setting. I ended up leaving ~6am fully rested. Didn't take me long to adapt. When you learn to not tighten the mask any more than absolutely necessary, it isn't bad. Some people have told me they couldn't adapt to a CPAP and gave up. I feel very bad for them.
Bad sleep, waking up in the middle of the night Yes Didn't like CPAP. Mouthpiece prescribed by dentist helped but not totally effective and dependent upon weight control. A different ENT recommended palette removal surgery. Might still consider it but the rehab is brutal. The cheap mouth guards you can buy over the counter are a waste of money. You need a durable mouthguard to maintain a jawline lock I was not able to sleep with my cpap. Too loud and bulky
Have you seen that new implant you can get, at least they say that on the commercial and you use what looked like a remote control to turn it on?
None for me but my oldest and youngest kids had it due to massive tonsils, which surgery solved. I will say that if you need this device because you're very overweight, you should really lose some weight. All of the band-aid fixes for obesity eventually don't plug the biggest holes in the dam like heart disease, diabetes, etc.
1. I had bad snoring at night and easily falls asleep in the evening while watching TV. My wife tells me that I seem to have trouble breathing when I am sleeping. I told my primary doctor during an annual physical. He went through a tally of risk factors (obesity, sleepiness, snoring, age, alcohol use, family history) and I scored enough points to refer me to a sleep doctor. 2. Yes in person. It was brutal trying to sleep with a bunch of wires, but it apparently got the job done. I was diagnosed with moderate obstructive sleep apnea. It was pretty expensive though. I had it done at Houston Methodist and I think my copay (10% of total) was $700. 3. Originally given the nasal pillows, but I hated them. I had to struggle to even get 3-4 hours of usage per night even after using it for about 4 weeks. I eventually decided to just buy a few different masks out of pocket to see if changing mask would help. I switched to a memory foam mask that covers the whole nose. It was an immediate game changer. I was easily getting 6+ hours a night. Medical supplier and insurance companies are really doing people a disservice by not allowing people to try out different masks on insurance when they start. I was going to have to wait 3 months if I wanted insurance to pay for it. 4. It was an immediate change. I am much less sleepy throughout the day. My wife is much much happier since my snoring isn't keeping her up at night anymore. She was constantly waking up from me seemingly struggle to breath. If you suspect that you might have sleep apnea, definitely have it checked out. It can both increase the quality and add years to your life.
Take your health serious!!! If you think you might have sleep apnea I strongly suggest that you go take the test! Having said that.... has anyone ever taken the test and passed it? I know a lot of people who have taken the test and every single one of them ended up having to need a CPAP machine! I know the vast majority if not all the people who go take the test are going because they are having bad sleep, and bad sleep has a plethora of side affects, but 100% are having bad sleep because of sleep apnea?? I will add that almost all of the people that I know that have sleep apnea say that getting the CPAP has helped them to some degree, so there is that! I just have a problem with that 100% failure rate... ....... ....... .......
I am aware, looked into it and the surgical implant scares the living daylights out of me. If I actually knew someone with the implant and they gave it a glowing review, I might consider it. On the other hands, I've met a boatload of people who use CPAPs.
My doctor is convinced I dont have it, because I'm a 36 year old 190 lb 6'0 male. No alcohol use, no family history (that is known), no narcoleptic symptoms. However like you mentioned, weight isn't the only factor. I live alone so no one has complained about my snoring (?). My issue is 2-3 awakenings a night with heart pounding, but we haven't ruled out some medication side effects or just general stress/anxiety.
I agree with this 100%. It's like when you take kids to get "tested" for ADHD. They're going to "find it" every time and prescribe the same meds.
