s/o sleep apnea

[thescrappyhomeschooler]

How difficult is it to sleep with a CPAP machine on? I think this is the major thing holding dh back from going for a sleep study. His brother has one and says he sleeps fine with it on, but he sleeps on his back. Dh sleeps on his side most of the time and doesn't think he'd be able to do it with a mask on his face.

 

He has all the symptoms of sleep apnea- snoring, heavy sweating, stopping breathing, then restarting with a noise that I can only describe as "death-rattle-ish". When he is in the phase of the snoring that is so loud I can hear it through earplugs in another room, I can't wake him. When he is snoring lightly or not breathing at all, a simple movement in the bed will wake him. He is always tired and sluggish.

 

He has been working out and has lost some weight, which we both hoped would help, but it hasn't. I've printed off several articles on the dangers of sleep apnea and made him watch a show about it on PBS or Discovery Health. He agrees he should go for a sleep study, but when I start to nag him to make an appointment, he brings up the not being able to sleep with a mask on thing.

[Ottakee]

They have a lot of different mask styles for c-pap machines so likely he could find one that fit him well. My dh side sleeps all the time with his mask. He had NO adjustment to the c-pap machine as it made SO much difference for him that he slept better from the get go.

[astrid]

Hi Lynne,

 

TELL YOUR DH TO GO FOR THE SLEEP STUDY!! Seriously-- My dh went in late December and has been on the CPAP since that time. His study found that his apnea was so severe that his dr. called in the prescription for the machine and told him to go get it ASAP. It has made a world of difference to him. He's a new man-- no lie. Funny thing is that Ray didn't have any of the physical symptoms that lead to apnea. He's not overweight and doesn't have a large neck size. The dr. thinks his soft palate is malformed which makes it close off more easily with sleep.

 

Dh was always a side sleeper as well, and adjusted instantly to the CPAP. He still does sleep on his side, but usually falls asleep on his back now. He feels so much better that he says he'd sleep standing on his head if he had to. There are several different mask styles, too. The respiratory therapist who fit dh with the machine said they can usually find one that works for just about anybody's sleeping style. Ray wears one that just covers his nose, and the hose is long so he has a lot of range when he sleeps-- back and either side easily.

 

You'll be surprised how much better YOU sleep too. I didn't realize that I was getting a lousy night's sleep as well-- always half-listening for dh to start breathing again, kicking him to "jump-start" him, etc. It's made a world of difference for us both. Really-- I cannot overstate how much better he feels. His sleep study found that he was waking up about 100 times PER HOUR all night long, which meant that he was only getting about 5 seconds of uninterrupted sleep at a time. FIVE SECONDS! Poor guy!

 

Have a heart-to-heart with your dh and tell him you love him and want him to be around for a long time. He'll adjust to the mask and he won't believe how good he feels. Ray didn't even fully realize how lousy he felt until he started actually sleeping at night.

 

Best of luck to you both!

 

astrid

[Dad 4 Boys]

There are many different styles of masks to choose from based upon how one sleeps and many other factors. During the sleep study, they will help choose which one would potentially work best for him.

 

I use a Fischer & Paykel Opus II nasal pillows "mask" that allows me to sleep on my side if I want to do that. I usually start out on my back, but sometimes on my side. I think I go back and forth during the night.

 

The CPAP helped my sleep, but also helped my wife's (Chelle in MO) sleep immensely.

 

I really had no trouble adjusting to sleeping while wearing the CPAP mask. However, I did probably benefit from some past job experiences where I wore masks and respirators. I was a flyer in the USAF and also worked in a contaminated environment as an engineer where I had to wear a respirator at different times.

 

Additionally, I'm not a very claustrophobic person to begin with.

 

There's a pretty good forum at www.apneasupport.org

 

Please feel free to contact me with any other questions. I've been using my CPAP for 2-1/2 years now. I've used it every night since Jan 08.

Edited July 26, 2010 by Dad 4 Boys

[katemary63]

Sleep Apnea is no joke. It is a serious health risk. Your DH should seek help immediately. He could be damaging his heart as well as other things.

[CathyT]

My husband has sleep apnea and he doesn't uses a Cpap machine. He has had three or even more studies over the years. At one time he did use a machine but the study center determined that he did worse with the machine than without. He uses a mouth device that a special dentist made for him. Yes, sleep studies are intrusive and my dh hates them. Do you think your husband doesn't want someone watching him sleep? That was unsettling at first for my husband. It was helpful for my husband to hear how much sleep he wasn't getting and how the doctors there could help him. He has some meds in case he is too tired to think during the day and he had his dentist alter the mouth guard a bit after the last study. All this helps, most of the time.

[Pamela H in Texas]

My ds sleeps on his side with his (full) mask on. It's not a problem at all.

Also, the air is set to low at first and slowly works it's way up so it's not a pressure of wind blowing in his face.

 

You might also try cpaptalk.com

 

BTW, my son's breathing (AHI) is NORMAL with the cpap. He was in the severe range without it. It's a matter of a person's life, not just quality. His behavior is usually better now. His schoolwork has gotten MUCH better. He can get out of the subdivision without falling asleep in the car (btw, can also make it just about anywhere we travel). I wish we had done it years before!

Edited July 26, 2010 by 2J5M9K

[ilovemy6kids]

My Dh said his Cpap changed his life. He can think clearly and function at work much better. He sleeps on his side and on his back. He is fine either way. Untreated sleep apnea causes several serious health problems like high blood pressure, memory loss and depression, and it reduces your life expectancy. It is nothing to mess with. It is strange how sleep apnea is not taken as seriously as other medical conditions by some people, we have several friends who have cpaps and do not wear them because they do not want too. My dh is in the medical field and sees people every day who complain of the symptoms of apnea but do not want to get tested.

Sheri

 

p.s. sleep apnea can cause erectile dysfunction, my dh says when he mentions this to paitents, they they are much more likely to get a a sleep study :)

[Mejane]

Mine has one, too. He feels much better when he wears it, but doesn't use it consistently. I got used to the sound it makes; as others have said, it's waaaay better than the snoring!

[sbgrace]

My mother adjusted to CPAP as a side sleeper. The cpaptalk site listed above would be a big help.

 

The health (and life) impacts make this a must really.

 

If he comes out moderate or mild he might be able to do a dental device (from a sleep medicine dentist) if that would make him more likely to do the sleep study. They can also attach cpap to the devices for those with more severe apnea. I corrected my apnea with a device but wasn't in the severe category.

[ChemMommy]

The nasal pillows where the hose come down over the mouth do not interfere with side sleeping. It's called OptiLife.

 

Adjustment for me was putting head on pillow and sleeping. That's it!

 

I hate the sleep studies, but the mask is a piece of cake to adjust to--insist on one for a side sleeper and don't hesitate to get help adjusting it to fit well.

 

Good luck to you dh!!

[Ellie]

My sleep apnea is mild, but even so, the CPAP made a HUGE difference for me. And I sleep on my side.

 

Your dh should get the sleep study done. Then he can decide what to do after that.

[Negin]

Sleep apnea exists in 2 forms:

Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) – the most common type

Central Sleep Apnea – a more rare version caused by nervous-system problems

 

OSA

Upper airway becomes obstructed – usually because the throat muscles that keep the airway stiff relax too much, collapse, and block breathing. An apnea or cessation of breath, typically lasts about 20 seconds, and occurs 20 to 30 times an hour.

Because you wake up so briefly, you typically don’t remember it. For that reason, many people go undiagnosed.

 

Symptoms include:

• Excessive Daytime Sleepiness

• Morning Headaches

• Irritability

• Difficulty Concentrating

• Memory Problems

• Frequent Nocturnal Urination

• Lowered Libido

• Loud and Chronic Snoring

• Pauses in breathing (typically lasting 10-20 seconds) while sleeping

• Gasps, snorts, or choking sounds while sleeping (usually following the pauses)

 

Causes:

• Extra Pounds

• Nasal Obstruction – allergies, congestion, deviated septum, small sinuses

• Tongue-Nerve Problems – only medical tests can measure nerve function

• Excess Mouth and Throat Tissue – doctor’s opinion needed

• Small Jaw – doctor can determine this

 

Undiagnosed sleep apnea increases the risk of heart disease, diabetes, obesity, depression, and more.

 

What to Do:

Lose Weight

Avoid Alcohol

Quit Smoking

Clear Sinuses – saline spray or neti pot

Identify allergens – dairy, wheat, mucus-producing foods like bananas

Try an elimination diet – google it

Quell Inflammation – Diets high in fat, sugar, or processed foods, and a sedentary lifestyle can cause chronic inflammation. This has been linked to sleep apnea. Shun saturated fats, trans fats, refined grains, excess sugar, char-grilled foods, cigarette smoke, and chronic stress.

Strengthen Throat Muscles – Keep your tongue on the floor of your mouth, with your lips closed for about 10 minutes, twice a day. Most patients’ sleep apnea disappears within 1 month of doing this exercise. http://www.silentnighttreatment.com

Acupuncture – helps greatly

Sleep on your side – Elevating your head with extra pillows may also help

Exercise More

Say a vowel rapidly for 3 minutes daily – this soft-palate exercise can reduce sleep apnea severity by 39 percent.

 

BOOK

Sleep Interrupted by Dr. Steven Park

[TheTwinsMom1]

I use a CPAP and sleep on my side. It is really not that hard to get used to especially after you wake up feeling great.

[thescrappyhomeschooler]

Sleep apnea exists in 2 forms:

Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) – the most common type

Central Sleep Apnea – a more rare version caused by nervous-system problems

 

OSA

Upper airway becomes obstructed – usually because the throat muscles that keep the airway stiff relax too much, collapse, and block breathing. An apnea or cessation of breath, typically lasts about 20 seconds, and occurs 20 to 30 times an hour.

Because you wake up so briefly, you typically don’t remember it. For that reason, many people go undiagnosed.

 

Symptoms include:

• Excessive Daytime Sleepiness

• Morning Headaches

• Irritability

• Difficulty Concentrating

• Memory Problems

• Frequent Nocturnal Urination

• Lowered Libido

• Loud and Chronic Snoring

• Pauses in breathing (typically lasting 10-20 seconds) while sleeping

• Gasps, snorts, or choking sounds while sleeping (usually following the pauses)

 

Causes:

• Extra Pounds

• Nasal Obstruction – allergies, congestion, deviated septum, small sinuses

• Tongue-Nerve Problems – only medical tests can measure nerve function

• Excess Mouth and Throat Tissue – doctor’s opinion needed

• Small Jaw – doctor can determine this

 

Undiagnosed sleep apnea increases the risk of heart disease, diabetes, obesity, depression, and more.

 

What to Do:

Lose Weight

Avoid Alcohol

Quit Smoking

Clear Sinuses – saline spray or neti pot

Identify allergens – dairy, wheat, mucus-producing foods like bananas

Try an elimination diet – google it

Quell Inflammation – Diets high in fat, sugar, or processed foods, and a sedentary lifestyle can cause chronic inflammation. This has been linked to sleep apnea. Shun saturated fats, trans fats, refined grains, excess sugar, char-grilled foods, cigarette smoke, and chronic stress.

Strengthen Throat Muscles – Keep your tongue on the floor of your mouth, with your lips closed for about 10 minutes, twice a day. Most patients’ sleep apnea disappears within 1 month of doing this exercise. http://www.silentnighttreatment.com

Acupuncture – helps greatly

Sleep on your side – Elevating your head with extra pillows may also help

Exercise More

Say a vowel rapidly for 3 minutes daily – this soft-palate exercise can reduce sleep apnea severity by 39 percent.

 

BOOK

Sleep Interrupted by Dr. Steven Park

 

Wow! Great info. Thanks!

[holdoll]

I was struggling breathing doing minor things and thought man! I've got to lose weight! Primary sent me to pulmonologist. Turns out I have pulmonary hypertension from sleep apnea. This is a serious condition. The right side of your heart can enlarge and harden which of course can eventually wear your heart out. After the sleep study they told me I have severe apnea. So I didn't care how difficult it was to get used to the CPAP mask, I was going to use it. Thankfully the pulmonary hypertension is at a point that it can be reversed with use of the CPAP machine. Make sure he understands the seriousness. It seems to have become some sort of "fad" in the medical community and so people like my husband tend to say, "yeah, right!". There are clinics that do nothing but sleep studies and are not the most honest people. But there are really good ones out there, you just have to do a bit of research.

 

I did purchase a U-shaped neck pillow that allows me to sleep on my side and still wear the mask. Tell your husband that he will sleep so soundly and feel so much better during the day that it is worth the mask! Also my step mom wears one that goes in her nostrils, so it's not a "mask". I couldn't wear that one because I sleep with my mouth open. But the point is there are different types of masks to choose from.

 

Now I know how hard it is to get my husband to the doc, so I hope you have better luck with yours. There is a reason married men live longer - single men won't go to the doc because they have no one "reminding" them to go. In our house I would have to say "nagging". :tongue_smilie:

[Evergreen State Sue]

Just in case you haven't heard it enough . . . my dh sleeps on his side too with his mask. It was a bit of a struggle finding the right mask because of his beard, but he is doing much better now.

 

FYI, my family used to laugh at my dad when I was a kid because of the way he snored. We didn't know anything about sleep apnea back in the 60's & 70's. My dad died in his sleep at age 74. Now I think it was because he had sleep apnea. Wish he had used a cpap machine. He never got the opportunity to meet his grandchildren because he died too soon. Sleep apnea is a serious condition.