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Sleep apnea and potential treatments
Sleep Health | Last Active: May 11, 2021 | Replies (27)Comment receiving replies
in my original message, I said"I tried CPAP"...twice!!! Also, my wife is a very light sleeper...the does make a humming noise in a quiet bedroom. Trust me me if it worked 12yrs ago..and again 6 yrs ago, I would have usedit!!!
Replies to "in my original message, I said"I tried CPAP"...twice!!! Also, my wife is a very light sleeper...the..."
@wgatap21 I was diagnosed with sleep apnea 15+ years ago. I'm claustrophobic, so I didn't expect to be able to use the mask. Surprise! I was so sleep deprived, I slept 12 hour nights plus naps the first month. I used the full face mask for more than 10 years, and yes, it did make some noise. The machine didn't make much noise but I fought for years with the leaking mask. I think that part of the reason was my beard. A couple of years ago I had a sleep study and the doctor thought that a Bipap machine with nasal cushions would work better for me.
The new machine makes no noise at all. The cushions are so much better than the mask. Sometimes my moving around in my sleep, the cushions get pushed out of where they need to be, and will make a little noise, but when I put them on and adjust them, they are totally silent. Sometimes I take it off because I can't tell if the Bipap is on.
My wife was unhappy with the leaking noise for years and threatened to make me sleep in the guest room. The new machine is a ResMed air wave 10. I use it with a humidifier, and it has a heated hose. Medicare pays for two cushions and filters each month, and I learned with the full face mask the importance of replacing the mask/cushions twice a month.
I know that a lot of people can't get used to a mask, but there are several options that are pretty recent that have improved the functionality of the machine.
The other, compelling reason, that I started using a CPAP was my snoring. No more snoring. If you snore and/or stop breathing when you're on your back, the doctor told me that I could try the low tech solution, sewing a tennis ball in the back of a t-shirt. I never tried it, but it would possibly work for me. But I'm so used to my mask I don't want to quit using it.
I hope you can find a way to treat your apnea. The health risk list for untreated sleep apnea is a long one.
Jim
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My husband recently got a CPAP. I used to use a white noise machine at night (due to dear husband's snoring), but now the CPAP is like the white noise I was used to. I'm sleeping a lot better with his CPAP.
I totally acknowledge a CPAP is quite a contraption to wear to bed. Have you talked to your sleep specialist about how to handle the CPAP issues or about any other alternatives, @wgatap21?