Sleep Apnea Issues

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lxsw20

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#304001 27-Mar-2023 16:49

Hey - do we have any one that has this issue? I am a heavy snorer and stop breathing in my sleep. Got a doctors appt next week but wondering what the realistic options are.

I had a go with a Snoring app last night and was snoring 78% of the night, the app says "normal" is up to 30%.

Anyone delt with this, ended up with a CPAP etc?

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#3055444 27-Mar-2023 17:20

Two easiest options are lose weight and stop drinking. If neither of these apply to you stomach sleeping can help.

If this still doesn't work then cap/mouth guards etc

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#3055445 27-Mar-2023 17:24

Would be curious to know how your appointment with the doctor goes. I am neither overweight nor a drinker but I still snore. I was also thinking to check with a doctor.

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gzt

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#3055449 27-Mar-2023 17:36

I had a sleep issue some years ago. I have never tried an app. I had an assessment at the sleep centre in Auckland. Statistically, they found mild/borderline aponea. I tried a few cpap machines at the time with not much improvement in sleep quality. Since then I've heard of new innovations like prescription mouth guards to achieve better position.

Edit: non-drinker, weight varies.

Jase2985

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#3055450 27-Mar-2023 17:57

snoring usually happens when the you have an overbite with the upper jaw, front teeth sitting in front of your lower teeth, which lets your tongue/back of the mouth block your throat when all the muscles relax when you sleep. usually happens when on your back as gravity helps

Mouth guards work by moving your lower jaw forward which means things have the move back further to block the throat. they can be uncomfortable to wear at first but after a couple of days you hardly notice they are there.

Loosing weight and stopping drinking also help, along with how you sleep ie not sleeping on your back.

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#3055455 27-Mar-2023 18:14

Yup I have OSA. Initial results were 68 incidents per hour and oxygen levels dropping to 78%. Been on CPAP now for 7 years and score under 1 incident per hour and not dropping Oxygen. Used to wake up everyday with a severe headache and needed naps in the afternoons.

Lots of people say its hard to sleep with it but I never had an issue. Weight and drinking are not always the cause but it doesn't help.

OSA is the more advanced(Dangerous) version of Apnea. If your mild then a nose clip might be all you need.

wally22

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#3055456 27-Mar-2023 18:15

lxsw20:

Hey - do we have any one that has this issue? I am a heavy snorer and stop breathing in my sleep. Got a doctors appt next week but wondering what the realistic options are.

I had a go with a Snoring app last night and was snoring 78% of the night, the app says "normal" is up to 30%.

Anyone dealt with this, ended up with a CPAP etc?

The stopping breathing in your sleep is a danger signal. The snoring is a definite symptom.

The Dr should assess you, asking questions which require absolutely honest answers. This will give them a score to indicate how serious your Apnoea is.

Next step is an evaluation at a sleep clinic and if indicated, then a sleep study at the clinic overnight is arranged. Waiting times vary for those 2 stages. Once a study is performed solutions are put in place, ie a CPAP or lifestyle advice. Under the public health the machine is free, but at some of the (extinct) DHB's the consumables are charged for.

In my case I was suffering for years and was well known for nodding off at my desk. It was only a near miss in the car (went to sleep and nearly crashed) that prompted me to actually see a doctor. I was lucky and got in quickly for evaluation and had a study that same night due to a late cancellation. They said they had not seen anyone so sleep deprived before (oxygen levels dropping to 45%) and started me on a CPAP. That was over 20 years ago and if I have a power cut overnight have an adequate but very unsatisfying sleep. Luckily the machine restarts after a power cut so short ones hardly wake me up.

I had investigated advertised possible solutions for my snoring before this but they all involved a mask or some such which I was not prepared to contemplate until my life was actually in danger.

I buy consumables overseas cheaper than in NZ, even F & P items.

Best of luck.

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lxsw20

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#3055458 27-Mar-2023 18:25

Thanks for the advise, I'm def over weight - 115KG 182CM tall. I don't drink basically at all. The overbite thing is interesting @jase2985 - I do have that!

The idea of a mouth guard or facemask sound horrible, but im sure its nicer to get a proper sleep for a change.

Geektastic

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#3055462 27-Mar-2023 18:44

I’ve used CPAP for well over a decade.

I’m so used to it now that sleeping without it (for example on long flights) is strange.

I reached the point where I was actually falling asleep in meetings. I would agree the meetings were like most meetings extremely boring but…!

Now I commonly sleep 8+ hours uninterrupted per day.

Jase2985

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#3055466 27-Mar-2023 19:05

lxsw20:

Thanks for the advise, I'm def over weight - 115KG 182CM tall. I don't drink basically at all. The overbite thing is interesting @jase2985 - I do have that!

The idea of a mouth guard or facemask sound horrible, but im sure its nicer to get a proper sleep for a change.

for me i snore, but it only affects my significant other, i still sleep reasonably well.

i suspect if its affecting your own sleep there is more to it

johno1234

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#3055476 27-Mar-2023 19:42

My brother who drinks good wine and is very overweight has a CPAP machine. It has genuinely changed his life.

If only he would do something about his weight.

My wife is healthy but I think she has obstructive sleep apnea. She snores lightly, gasps and wheezes in her breaths. It drives me nuts as I am sensitive to noise when trying to get to sleep. I wish she would get this checked out but am getting nowhere but attracting some flak.

surfisup1000

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#3055479 27-Mar-2023 19:51

lxsw20:

Thanks for the advise, I'm def over weight - 115KG 182CM tall. I don't drink basically at all.

I recommend getting your BMI to under 25, life changing in so many ways.

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lxsw20

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#3055485 27-Mar-2023 20:09

You’re not wrong obviously

ANglEAUT

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#3055566 27-Mar-2023 21:21

Take your pick from the above. They are all valid & contribute in varying degrees to abetter nights sleep.

For some out there, like my friend, the snoring was due to a deviated septum
Heard an interesting idea today. Dish up like you normally would, not over full (see wine glass below) & then only stick to one plate of food per meal.

You get lots of different masks for the CPAP machine & you can often enough choose which one works for you. There are the full face mask, those that cover just the nose to varying degrees or you can try the mouth guards & nasal clips if it's not too bad. TBH, I heard of a mouth guard costing $700+, moulded to fit your mouth. Search resu;ts indicate the Airing micro-CPAP to be a scam.

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Geektastic

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#3055578 27-Mar-2023 22:18

johno1234:

My brother who drinks good wine and is very overweight has a CPAP machine. It has genuinely changed his life.

If only he would do something about his weight.

My wife is healthy but I think she has obstructive sleep apnea. She snores lightly, gasps and wheezes in her breaths. It drives me nuts as I am sensitive to noise when trying to get to sleep. I wish she would get this checked out but am getting nowhere but attracting some flak.

That is why the lord invented ear plugs! I can't sleep without them. Although of course my wife makes no more noise than a unicorn dancing on a cloud when she is asleep...!

johno1234

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#3055649 28-Mar-2023 07:15

Yes. Have had to resort to my disposable foam workshop plugs on occasion. I leave them on the bedside table later as a form of silent protest.

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