sleep apnoea?

Question

i have sleep apnoea , and its crap , i have a machine at night just to keep my airways open , which is like sticking my head out of a fast car (catches my breath) anybody out there who has the disease and is cured by the machine (cpap) i dont smoke or drink much and just a little overweight,i have a very active job and only35, and i keep taking the mask off during the night so i am no better off , yawn!

Answer 1

FIRST OF ALL YOU HAVE TO GET USE TO THE MACHINE AND YOU CANNOT IF YOU DO NOT KEEP IT ON! YOU WILL GET USE TO IT I PROMISE YOU!

LOOK KIDDO I AM 61 YEARS OLD AND 2 YEARS AGO I HAD TO GET ONE INFLICTED ON ME AND I DID NOT APPRECIATE IT AT FIRST! NOW I ABSOLUTELY LOVE THE THING! GET OVER IT!!

IT IS A WONDERFUL DEVICE THERE ARE MANY THINGS I HATED THE MASK I NOW USE A THING THAT GOES IN MY NOSE! FOR GOD SAKES USE IT ! IF I HAD THE THING WHEN I WAS 35 HOLY SNOGGRASS WHAT I COULD OF ACCOMPLISHED!!!!!

JUST SUCK IT UP! DO NOT BE A WOOSE .... THAT IS THE BEST FRIEND YOU HAVE IN THE WORLD LEARN TO LOVE IT!

STOP WHINING LIKE A BABY MY GOD!

PLEASE USE IT I SWEAR YOU WILL LOVE THE THING!!!!!

IF YOU HAVE PRESSURE EXTRA HIGH THERE ARE MACHINES THAT ARE EASIER ON YOU CALLED BIPAP WHICH LOWER THE PRESSURE WHEN YOU EXHALE IF THAT IS THE PROBLEM.

IT TAKES AT LEAST 6 TO 8 WEEKS TO GET USED TO ONE OF THE THINGS I TOOK MINE OFF DURING THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT AT FIRST IN MY SLEEP ALSO BUT I KEPT WITH IT!


APS

Let me add this:
Two years ago I had a simple operation and was under anesthesia and simply stopped breathing for a minute or so ,,, you know some doctors call it DEATH . After they revived me and I escaped the hospital within the month I went to a SLEEP CLINIC for an evaluation! My wife had been telling me for years that I had breathed funny but I ignored her ... just could not ignore DEATH! Anyway anyhow in one night they checked me as to how I did sleep. What bothered my sleep. The next session a few weeks later I was tested for the setting of the CPAP machine the ideal pressure for it for me to have the ideal sleep.

We sleep in six levels of sleep one thru five our body is asleep but our brain only sleeps on level six or REM for rapid eye movement. See it was like this for me. I would get into REM my body was on automatic but my auto breath would fail somehow .... oxygen would get low the brain would drop out of REM and make the lungs gasp for air ... then would gradually go back to REM During the night at the lab this happened 20 times! And I got to meet another disturber of mr REM it was my leg twitch which I have RLS restless leg syndrome it disturbs the REM pattern of sleep also!

I used to have a high pressure job in Shipbuilding and I would grit my teeth during my sleep from work problems.. that disturbs REM I found out!

It is the quality of sleep not the quantity of sleep! If you are not getting your REM your brain is not getting any sleep at all! I do feel so much better than I have ever felt in my whole life! I always thought that sleep was sleep not so.



I am 61 and I can outwork a 20 year old but the CPAP has taken at least 30 years off my age! I love the Darn thing!

But it was not LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT LET ME ASSURE YOU!

PLEASE USE YOURS AND GET USE TO IT

APS

Answer 2

i have sleep apnea too. found out when i went to sleep study (which was cool by the way). they had me come back to sleep over w/the cpap machine and i decided it wasnt for me. i do know a couple other people who do use the cpap tho and i guess they just are used to it. to me it was noisey, obstructive and not very comfortable. sometimes i think i would like to try the machine to see if i felt more alert and on top of things if i used it regularly, but i dont have health insurance any more so that is out of the question. i dont smoke and have an active job too, but i usually take a nap during the day before i go to work. i guess there are a couple surgical proceedures for possibly correcting the problem. maybe you are a candidate for it but from what i was told it may not even work. if you are having problems sleeping....because of the sleep apnea or not...the sleep study doctor recommended a good book called "No more sleepless nights" by dr. hauri . maybe they had you read it too. has alot of silly sounding but useful tips on how to get a better nights sleep. i was surprised these tips worked. good luck to you!

Answer 3

Are you on CPAP or BiPap? BiPap lowers the exhalation pressure when you breathe out. CPAP does not cure OSA (obstructive sleep apnea) it is just a way of overcoming the effects. There are surgical procedures that sometimes can help, but to me, they are a bit radical. I have been on CPAP & BiPap since 1988. You may need a different type of mask. Some are more comfortable than others. You may be going through a problem in which your doctor or supplier is limiting your choice. I use the Activa mask and love it.
If you live in a cold climate, you may want to consider a warm air humidifier. However, you need to clean the tank daily and only use distilled water. If you want any more information, please feel free to Email me.

Answer 4

The c-pap doesn't cure sleep apnea, it just keeps you breathing. Breathe right nasal strips don't do anything for true sufferers of sleep apnea because it's actually the soft tissues in the back of the throat collapsing. Also, the surgeries where they shave off a bit of your uvula don't help much and it'll grow back shortly. Losing some weight may help, but probably won't get rid of it entirely. They do make a mouthpiece that works for many sleep apnea sufferers, it has to be custom-made by your dental professional (let's hope your health insurance covers it!) which brings/keeps your lower jaw forward to help keep your airway open - something about the angles in your throat, I think. If I recall correctly, it has about an 80% success rate.

Answer 5

Keep using the machine. Even if you remove it in your sleep, at least it might be working for a short while. Elevate your head so you can breathe easier. Try putting blocks under the head of your bed. Try to quit smoking and drinking, they both exacerbate the problem. Losing a few pounds might also help. Have you tried the Breathe Right strips? They help my husband. Good luck.

Answer 6

my husband has the c-pap machine you are talking about. He feels so much better all over! They are even gradually backing off his high blood pressure meds! His blood pressure is going down! WOOHOO! There are times he takes it off at night, but he doesn't even realize he's done it till he wakes up. He doesn't drink, he uses dip (powdered sh*t) and he is overweight. He is 46 and works as an electrician so his activity level varies. I guess what I'm trying to say is to stick with it. you will adjust and find you feel much better in the long run. If your Dr didn't tell you already, Sleep apnea is very hard on your body in whole but particularly on your heart and lungs.

Answer 7

I've heard about this..I swear my boyfriend has it and i keep trying to get him to go to the docs about it...He can be asleep and his breathing appears to stop, just for a few seconds then he starts up by coughing, choking almost and wakes himself up. It's scary when i lay beside him and hear him stop, i lie there just waiting for him to start breathing again!...he had a routine health check some years ago and was told he had a HARMLESS irregular heart beat (his heart has an additional beat in between), i'm wondering if u too have that and it's a symptom or cause of your problem...

Answer 8

i don't suffer with sleep apnoea, however i do find myself unable to sleep a lot. I tend to read until the words are a blur or stay up answering questions, it's become quite a habit.

Answer 9

Presumably you have already seen your doctor. This disease does seriously affect your health and your relationships. I am sure you can be cured. There are sleep clinics and they can help you. It is so unkind of life to afflict you with this at your young age. Do so hope you find a cure.

Answer 10

don't know the name of it all but look into the surgery that you can have done to clear the nose and back of throat so the machine is not needed.

my dad is on the machine but can't do the surgery due to his other complications.

I have it myself but not at the machine level yet....but 4:30 sharp every day I go down like a brick.