Do you have to treat Sleep Apnea? What happens if you don't?

Question

I was just diagnosed with Severe Sleep Apnea. My insurance only covers 80% of the cost of a CPAP machine after a $300 deductible. There is no way I can afford that right now. I see my Dr. next week to get the full study results & I will talk to him then but I want to know now, what happens if you leave sleep apnea untreated? How many people REALLY die from it? All the sleep tech told me was that my oxygen level dropped to 65% & I had no REM sleep, I slept 90% of 4 1/2 hrs...

Answer 1

Wow, those are really bad numbers from your sleep study, I definitely think you need CPAP. I know the machine is expensive, but it is an investment in your health. The problems associated with sleep apnea are many and varied, but the most serious would be cardiac. When you are apneic and your oxygen level drops to dangerous levels, your heart goes into panic mode because it is not being fed. The vessels constrict, your heart rate increases, stress hormones are released into the bloodstream, your brain is being deprived of oxygen as well, and in an effort to fix the situation it causes your sleeping body to "arouse". These arousals, or waking periods, fix the oxygen problem, but this vicious cycle continues all night. By having such a severe apnea problem and a high number of arousals during your sleep study, it prevents you from entering REM sleep, the period of sleep that is most important. As a result, you probably feel tired frequently, or fall asleep easily if not occupied (ie: while watching TV or sitting quietly).

By not treating your sleep apnea, you are putting unnecessary stress on your heart. You have sleep-deprivation, which can lead to personality changes and depression, among other things.

Answer 2

Well your pulse ox is way to low, it is dangerous. Anything under 95% is a bad idea.

NO REM sleep is not a good thing, that is supposed to be the best sleep. If you don't getit, you are probably not waking up rested.

I know the cost of CPAP...it is expensive, and I understand your hesitation.
As forhow many people really die from sleep apnea..I have never heard that number, but if you talk to your doctor, I am sure he will be glad to tell you how your body is being affected by your level of sleep apnea.

You will probably suffer other problems that are aggravated by sleep apnea, my other 1/2 has it, and it doctor suggest getting some kind of bite plate from the dentist. You may want to ask your doc about this. Since we were not able to afford the CPAP and see side the noise caused by it would keep me awake.

A friend of ours has it and he said he can't use it through the summer, he sweats and get a rash from the mask.

Sleep studies and solutions seem to have a long way to go.

Answer 3

YES YOU SHOULD TREAT SLEEP APNEA NO IF"S AND"S OR BUT"S ! Ok try this call the united way ask them if they can help you find an organisation to help you with the $300.00. Call the makers or the people who supply the machine they may wave the co-pay. You would be surprised how much things are marked up to cheat insurance companiesI have a friend from my church who has it and neglects it. He has lost numerous jobs for falling a sleep on the job which could be challenged but he won't. He drives imagine falling a sleep at the wheel of a moving car. He took a trip to New York and fell a sleep on the subway missed his stop by a long shot and ruined his sight seeing for that day. or just imagine not waking up at all! Try the charities ask the people who supply the machine tell them your problem, ask a church, don't be proud you are talking about a matter of life and death and these agencies know that. Also your local welfare office may help..... get a loan. In plain english don't give up but try! DFon't worry about statistics many people may survive without being treated but you just may be the one who doesn't.

Answer 4

I don't know for sure how many people die from it, but I know how bad your quality of life can get if you have it. You do not know what you have been missing until you get a full night of sleep with a CPAP machine.

Can you get by without a machine? Sure. But that is all you will do is get by. If your apnea is as severe as reported, you must be spending most of your life trying to get the sleep you need so you are missing out on a lot. Pep pills can help for a bit and sometimes sleeping on your side rather than your back or stomach will help. But neither of these will really do the trick.

Before you let the price of the machine completely scare you off, call around to several medical supply places and see if they either rent machines or sell reconditioned ones. My insurance covers my machines completely, so I donated mine to be given to people who could not afford one. I am sure others have done the same.

You could also check and see if any of the online auction sites have any. You would still have to take it to an equipment place to have it cleaned and calibrated, but I am sure you could still save money.

At the end of the day, no matter what the cost, is it really worth it to take a risk you could prevent? Don't consider it as the cost of a machine, consider it the price to save your life and your sanity.

Answer 5

I have sleep apnea as well.
I slept about 20% of 9 hours. Umm, can't remember what my oxygen level was, and I had limb spasms about 5 times an hour, and stopped breathing on average about every 15 minutes.
This was like a year ago when they did the test & i've only used my CPAP twice. I'm fine though.
With over weight people its a little more dangerous but otherwise it just affects your energy, Atleast in my case it does.
Sooo, It's more than likely that it WONT kill you, but yeah, If you care for your energy levels (if it affects it that bad.) then I'd get it as soon as you can.

Answer 6

Don't ever take the sleeping pills route!!

1. They will damage your liver big time and you can get into serious health problems.

2. You will get hooked up on them and you won't be able to have a normal life any more if you don't take your pills everyday.

The sleeping pills industry is damaging our health by capitalizing on our ignorance, and by distracting people from effective and natural ways to deal with this problem. I had been taking prescription sleep medications [Ambien] for over 5 years. It stopped working and I simply took more. Still did not work. Nights were very difficult - medication put me to sleep but I would wake up after 2–3 hours with a strong sympathetic response (fast pulse, pounding heartbeat, wide awake alert). It was a very difficult cycle to break. I was really in bad shape due to lack of sleep.

After years of struggling I was able to cure my insomnia naturally and pretty fast. I followed the Sleep Tracks sleep optimization program, here is their official web -site if you want to take a look: http://www.insomniacure.net

Ohhh..and Good Luck!

Answer 7

Stop Snoring Sleep Apnea Forever : http://Snoring.neatprim.com

Answer 8

I know my kids obese stepdad had to use oxygen tubes or somesuch at night so he could breathe better. I don't know if he still does that, and I don't know about the stats on percentage of oxygen level. All I know is that he is still overweight to obese, and most likely has the same problem, whether he uses the oxygen tube stuff at night now or not. I know he used to smoke cigarettes, but I don't think he does now. But, that's all I can tell you now. Oh, and he's in his low to mid 60's. God Bless you.

Answer 9

If you sats are dropping to 65% that is dangerously low. We put oxygen on most of our nursing home residents if their sats go below 90%. Most places will set up a payment plan for medical equipment or you can take out a short term loan to cover the cost. You need the cpap machine so look at ways you can work this out. Call the medical company that your insurance uses for it's medical products and ask them what payment options there are for your portion of the cost of a machine.

Answer 10

Yes, it is very serious and can definitely be fatal. Even if you don't die in your sleep, it can cause other diseases that can shorten your lifespan significantly (ie: heart disease, Type II diabetes, dementia, etc). Severe sleep apnea also causes loss of brain cells, which manifests as loss of memory and an inability to concentrate.