Hi there! Guess who got diagnosed. (Yugh.)
Currently using a mask that just involves noseplugs rather than a full-on one, which I'm grateful for. Only was recently diagnosed and started using this so we'll see what the future brings here...
― Ned Raggett, Monday, 29 October 2012 03:24 (thirteen years ago)
My dad was diagnosed with this when it was still a relatively new thing--early-mid '90s, maybe. My brother-in-law was diagnosed a year or so ago.
― clemenza, Monday, 29 October 2012 03:27 (thirteen years ago)
It was interesting to learn how relatively more common this is becoming. The results of the sleep study sure were eye-opening -- I knew I snored and could toss a bit but yikes.
― Ned Raggett, Monday, 29 October 2012 03:32 (thirteen years ago)
yeah, keep us posted how this goes for ya. i know lots of us here have our sleeping problems (AHEM) and would be interested.
i fully intend to go through with one of these sleep studies, y'know, one day, if maybe i can ever afford health insurance.
― 'til the end, my dear (arby's), Monday, 29 October 2012 03:36 (thirteen years ago)
I admit, having said insurance is a hell of a boost when it comes to this stuff. Hell, if I had to cancel the sleep study too close to the time, I would have had to pay $300 no matter what.
― Ned Raggett, Monday, 29 October 2012 03:37 (thirteen years ago)
yeah, i poked around for out of pocket costs and was seeing numbers from 2,000 to 5,000+, not including the CPAP machine if you're diagnosed. not in the cards just yet!
― 'til the end, my dear (arby's), Monday, 29 October 2012 03:45 (thirteen years ago)
so good thing that when romney wins in a historic landslide in nov he can push the magic button that undoes everything O ever said or did and no one will EVER SLEEP AGAIN
I am having trouble with the ladies.
― buzza, Monday, 29 October 2012 04:25 (thirteen years ago)
Thank god, mine doesn't look like THAT.
― Ned Raggett, Monday, 29 October 2012 04:30 (thirteen years ago)
I've been diagnosed with severe sleep apnea too. Was prescribed cpap a number of years ago, and just resisted and lagged on getting it. I tried a number of alternative "holistic" therapies that the doctors don't mention to you, such as; a saline nasal rinse, breathe right strips, adjusting your sleep position, a humidifier, reducing alcohol use, and practicing the dijidiroo (strengthens throat tissue). These have all reduced events of apnea in clinical trials, and offered a small bit of relief, but are not considered really effective treatment. The only AMA ($$) endorsed treatment is cpap, so eventually I got a machine a few months ago. I am very resistant to it, and do not find my sleep to be restful with it on, and then I end up pulling it off after a few hours. I am considering changing the mask (the nose pillows). Anyway, no long term solution for me yet. As an otherwise healthy person, it is really a trip to have this "life threatening illness".
― Leon Septamost, Monday, 29 October 2012 08:17 (thirteen years ago)
what were your symptoms ned?
i sometimes wonder about this. cuz i get sleep paralysis from time to time. and im a pretty light sleeper. but i don't get the next-day-drowsiness or anything - i usually feel like i've had a pretty good sleep.
― Author ~ Coach ~ Goddess (s1ocki), Monday, 29 October 2012 12:51 (thirteen years ago)
my dad had a big sleep apnea problem 10-15 years ago, got into several fender benders because he had a long commute and was nodding off at the wheel constantly, including a couple times while i was in the car, which was scary as hell. he lost some weight, though, and the problem basically went away, although i think it came back for a while when he regained some of the weight at one point. i believe it kinda permanently messed up his sleep patterns, though, which is only not a big issue in and of itself because he's retired now and can take midday naps etc.
good luck, ned! you're obv not in dire need of weight loss but you might want to try taking off some pounds to lessen the issue.
― some dude, Monday, 29 October 2012 13:20 (thirteen years ago)
oh my god, i wouldn't wish apnea on my worst enemy. i had a sleep test and they told me i was waking up hundreds of times a night. nothing like waking up day after day and feeling like you hadn't slept. i had it severely and could never use the mask--it was beyond frustrating. thank god i lost the weight (40 lbs) that was causing it. good luck, ned!
― Iago Galdston, Monday, 29 October 2012 13:26 (thirteen years ago)
I had to use one of these for several years but after losing about 30 lbs it seems to have gone away. I keep urging my wife to go and get tested again - she did, a few years back, and was told she doesn't have apnea, but she snores loudly enough that she can wake me up, in another room, when I have earplugs in.
― C-3PO Sharkey (Phil D.), Monday, 29 October 2012 13:28 (thirteen years ago)
Thanks all -- there's a couple of things I'll be doing besides the machine to help with it (including earplugs -- Phil D.'s story rings true a bit here). Weight loss is always handy but then again I don't have much to lose, really, so it'll be a matter of shaving off a few pounds more than anything else. Symptoms basically lay in me noticing I was feeling pretty awfully out of it many mornings over the past few months when I'd theoretically had enough sleep -- among other things I started going to bed regularly at an earlier hour, which has also helped a bit. I've only just started and I don't mind the noseplug mask too much, but sometimes I end up with a rather dry mouth so I'm working on perfecting the best balance for the humidifier.
― Ned Raggett, Monday, 29 October 2012 14:30 (thirteen years ago)
My mom has the apnea and CPAP improved her quality of life SO MUCH, she's kicking herself that she didn't do it sooner. It took some getting used to, but now both she and my father sleep much better--my dad finds the sound soothing, like a white-noise machine--and NO MORE SNORING.
Mom says she really just thought it was normal to be sleepy and nodding off during the daytime, craving naps--she figured she was just a sleepy person. Now she's fine.
― quincie, Monday, 29 October 2012 14:42 (thirteen years ago)
Sucks, Ned. Did they tell you if you have central or obstructive apnea? I guess the snoring points to the latter.
― emilys., Tuesday, 30 October 2012 02:37 (thirteen years ago)
does apnea cause really inescapable nightmares sometimes? a friend of mine who has it used to say he thought I did based solely on the description, and most nights these happen, I feel like my breathing is shallower than other nights, like I wake up groggy and head-fogged and unable to escape.
I woke like 5 times due to nightmares last night.
― waht, I am true black metal worrior (Neanderthal), Wednesday, 1 March 2017 00:01 (eight years ago)
I ended up not using the machine after a couple of months though I still have it around -- instead I have a retainer-type thing that I use every so often. I'm not feeling anything like I did when I was first diagnosed, and I suspect a lot of it had to do with my personal/financial situation at the time causing a shitload of stress. That said my girlfriend does say I can snore and then some...
― Ned Raggett, Wednesday, 1 March 2017 00:29 (eight years ago)
I don't know why anyone puts up with sleeping next to me. My sleep apnea is mild enough that I was told I didn't need a CPAP, but (on top of the snoring) I'll just stop breathing sometimes which is apparently alarming or whatever.If anyone has tips for making it easier for your partner to sleep soundly ...
― 0 / 0 (lukas), Wednesday, 1 March 2017 00:41 (eight years ago)
Diagnosed with sleep apnoea about a year ago. Had bone-crunchingly bad tiredness in the afternoons and also terrible trouble getting off to sleep as I'd stop breathing which would wake me up time after time until I was so awake I couldn't drift off anyway. Went to the sleep lab and I was almost scared I wouldn't get diagnosed because if I didn't have sleep apnoea what the hell would I do next. But they did tell me I had it, moderate-to-severe.
The CPAP machine sorted me out - I know lots of people have trouble adhering to it but I've found it not too bad and it totally got rid of my tiredness and sleep issues. Can't say I'm that keen on the thought that I'll be hooked up to a machine at night for the rest of my life but them's the breaks
― Zelda Zonk, Wednesday, 1 March 2017 01:25 (eight years ago)
"does apnea cause really inescapable nightmares sometimes?"
yes.
― scott seward, Wednesday, 1 March 2017 01:44 (eight years ago)
my dad and bro have it so I probably do too....
― waht, I am true black metal worrior (Neanderthal), Wednesday, 1 March 2017 01:46 (eight years ago)
changed my life. that machine. i was dying without it. i was choking so hard from lack of air that i was starting to vomit in my sleep. which is kinda dangerous.
i posted a really long post after i got my machine on ile but i can't find it. i don't know what other sleep thread it would be on.
anyway, i waited WAY too long to do the sleep study. i really feel like now that sleep studies are more normal things that less people will die in their sleep. a lot of people think that undiagnosed apnea leads to dementia later in life. which makes perfect sense if you think of the lack of oxygen to your brain over decades.
but i can also see why people with mild apnea wouldn't get used to the machine. i sleep like the dead with the machine.
― scott seward, Wednesday, 1 March 2017 01:52 (eight years ago)
back to the sleep clinic on Friday, was diagnosed with mild apnoea a few years back but lately something is making me brutally tired and my best guess is this - it's not like my neck has got slimmer in the last few years. and i totally get a lot of nightmares too for a 48 year-old with nothing going on.
i figure if i get advised to use the CPAP this time it'll be easier seeing as there's just me in the bed.
― Sacked Italian Greyhound (Noodle Vague), Wednesday, 1 March 2017 06:48 (eight years ago)
I love using my CPAP, have only missed days since getting one when I'm on long-haul flights (and then I don't sleep anyway). 10+ years now I think? my wife was used to the sound after like a day or so, it's just white noise, like a fan. I got a new one recently since I changed countries/insurances & the new one is quite a bit quieter than my original one. plus it reports how many hours I slept that night. I love it, it's as close to a button that makes me sleep as I've ever had.
― droit au butt (Euler), Wednesday, 1 March 2017 07:14 (eight years ago)
so what used to be mild apnoea is now a block-rocking 64 apnoeas per hour, which could explain quite a lot of how i've felt these last few months
got my machine this morning, am pretty psyched to take it for a spin tonight
― Raul Chamgerlain (Noodle Vague), Wednesday, 5 April 2017 17:14 (eight years ago)
so many Bane jokes
https://scontent-lhr3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/17796325_10154473849767671_1371188453076479760_n.jpg?oh=9337eb1c23b816fd2173cf019403499e&oe=595DD19C
― Raul Chamgerlain (Noodle Vague), Wednesday, 5 April 2017 18:07 (eight years ago)
dreamy
― droit au butt (Euler), Wednesday, 5 April 2017 19:03 (eight years ago)
i nearly nodded off in the hospital when i was trying it out
― Raul Chamgerlain (Noodle Vague), Wednesday, 5 April 2017 19:11 (eight years ago)
lately This happens - I lay down to sleep, suddenly wake up in a panick! feeling like I am dying - I am thinking this may be because I am having sleep apnea and my brain is saying "oxygen levels low! wake up! breathe! live!" how did others find out that they had sleep apnea? in this way?
― Dean of the University (Latham Green), Monday, 12 June 2017 17:38 (eight years ago)
Didn't find out from the panicked awakenings multiple times a night (or daily massive headaches every morning), but from what turned out to be partial temporal lobe seizures brought on by sleep and O2 deprivation: a recurring phantom taste/smell for days at a time, a creepy crawly feeling that moved up my back and ended on my scalp multiple times a day. Really disturbing. MRIs, EEGs, all normal; then finally a sleep study that showed 59 AHIs every hour and blood O2 around 65%. One month of using the mask and I realized: no more pounding heart panicking every night, no more morning headaches, no more 3 am insomnia.
― Jaq, Monday, 12 June 2017 17:53 (eight years ago)
I guessed because various girlfriends would complain that it sounded like I was dying and they'd hear me stop breathing and gasp, and I'd occasionally jerk awake. Only way to really know is to go do a sleep study. If you really want to hack it there's probably some internet of things oxygen level monitor you could hook up to your finger and look at the next day, but really just go do the sleep study.
― dan selzer, Monday, 12 June 2017 18:23 (eight years ago)
i was surprised that i searched just "internet of things" in ilx posts, so i could post this article, and one of the first few of hits was this thread.
so it turns out that there's probably some internet of things oxygen level monitor you could hook up to your finger and look at the next day is quite true, but you probly can't look at it unless you get a subpoena against your med device insurer.
https://arstechnica.com/science/2018/11/you-snooze-you-lose-insurers-make-the-old-adage-literally-true/
― legit lib llc (check our patreon!) (Hunt3r), Wednesday, 21 November 2018 16:02 (seven years ago)
My CPAP has literally saved my life I think, cheers NHS.
― Danton Lok (Noodle Vague), Wednesday, 21 November 2018 16:24 (seven years ago)
insurance is such a pain the ass I just pay for everything out of pocket. I even bought a new machine via a company who's "doctor" wrote me a prescription. Just started using Sleepyhead software and while I don't know what most of it means, it's more information than my dr would even look at. No oxygen readings of course. But when I look at the results of my sleep study including the oxygen levels, it's terrifying.
― dan selzer, Wednesday, 21 November 2018 16:33 (seven years ago)
Is insurance the reason bane machines are so much more popular than the little plastic retainers? Both equally effective in my experience.
― mick signals, Wednesday, 21 November 2018 16:48 (seven years ago)
Could be. As I muttered upthread, I went the retainer route after a while and found it useful. That said I'm making arrangements to get a new fitting.
― Ned Raggett, Wednesday, 21 November 2018 16:49 (seven years ago)
all my doctors said nothing short of a proper reverse vacuum cleaner darth vader machine would do the job.
― dan selzer, Wednesday, 21 November 2018 16:51 (seven years ago)
Hey Ned - what brand of retainer did you get? I strongly suspect I have a problem w/sleep apnea but don't want to pay for a study/cpap
― The Poppy Bush AutoZone (upper mississippi sh@kedown), Wednesday, 21 November 2018 16:52 (seven years ago)
I got a CPAP via insurance a couple of years ago that automatically uploads data every night via cell network, and I am required to be compliant -- I think it's at least five hours a night five nights a week. And I see the doctor who originally conducted my sleep study once a year, and he has access to that data. It's reduced my number of events per hour every night from 60+ to 3-4.
― Plinka Trinka Banga Tink (Eliza D.), Wednesday, 21 November 2018 16:54 (seven years ago)
if you suspect you have a problem, get a study.
My old machine didn't have cell, just the smartcard, which I'd bring in regularly. My new machine does have cell but it's not talking to anybody. And since I bought the machine myself I don't need to prove compliance to anybody except myself and my wife.
― dan selzer, Wednesday, 21 November 2018 16:55 (seven years ago)
I have to go for a check-up once a year and they read the data off the machine in terms of how many hours I've used it, the implication being they'd take it back if I wasn't making regular use. But it's improved my quality of life so much I use it almost every night unless it's impossible.
― Danton Lok (Noodle Vague), Wednesday, 21 November 2018 16:58 (seven years ago)
I honestly don't know! It's a two part model, oddly enough. Kinda want to see if I can just get a one piece.
― Ned Raggett, Wednesday, 21 November 2018 17:06 (seven years ago)
ned_onepiece_swimsuit.jpg
― mick signals, Wednesday, 21 November 2018 18:23 (seven years ago)
I think the two-piece design is intrinsic to the way they work, by positioning your two jaws relative to each other: http://www.dentalsleepsolutions.com/index.php/about-sleep-apnea/obstructive-sleep-apnea-treatment-three-types-of-dental-sleep-devices
― mick signals, Wednesday, 21 November 2018 18:25 (seven years ago)
And I dimly recollect that I got my insurance to pay for the retainer by first letting them buy me a machine, they insisted on that, and then telling them I travel so much for work that the machine was really not viable.
― mick signals, Wednesday, 21 November 2018 18:35 (seven years ago)
I travel constantly for work - the AirSense10 I've got fits in my computer bag easily so that's been okay. But there's a new mini one looks pretty amazing and doesn't need a distilled water supply for humidification, so I may end up trying that. It doesn't look like it works with the mask I use though.
― Jaq, Wednesday, 21 November 2018 18:41 (seven years ago)
can i just replace everything from the neck up? thx.
― legit lib llc (check our patreon!) (Hunt3r), Wednesday, 21 November 2018 19:44 (seven years ago)
*scans the dental devices screen for 10 seconds*i'd like to milliontuple down on my request.
― legit lib llc (check our patreon!) (Hunt3r), Wednesday, 21 November 2018 19:46 (seven years ago)
Thanks. I've also got restless leg syndrome AND the sleep study told me that I have periodic limb movement disorder.
The medication for RLS is working and I stopped drinking caffeine, so I'm already sleeping a little better. Feels good to be getting these things taken care of.
― Cow_Art, Wednesday, 11 August 2021 18:44 (four years ago)
mr veg has had a CPAP for 4 years or so (through insurance) & it’s made a big difference imohe started w nose & mouth mask but it seemed to leak a lot when it forced extra air or if he changed position in his sleep. he switched to nose-only within the last year & it works great, seems less fussy & much more comfortable
― terminators of endearment (VegemiteGrrl), Wednesday, 11 August 2021 19:10 (four years ago)
I've had a couple of CPAPs over the last ten years. I don't have to worry about cost because I get them through the NHS. I've always had ResMed machines (they've been very reliable) and I get the current nasal mask appropriate from my assessment.I find it works best if I sleep on my back but luckily I'm a pretty static sleeper.It has made a huge difference to my life.
― treefell, Wednesday, 11 August 2021 20:30 (four years ago)
Wonder how hard it’ll be to get a resmed machine now that respirinics is off the market.
― dan selzer, Wednesday, 11 August 2021 21:44 (four years ago)
Didn't say it before but after some new sleep studies in late 2019 -- good timing, that -- I got a fully new CPAP setup with the covers-the-nose option in February 2020 and have been using it steadily since. I don't think I get MORE sleep -- I average around six hours, maybe seven -- but per the readings it's definitely been a help, so I'm grateful. Last week for the first time due to a short vacation I spent a week without it and I could tell the difference on waking up, a touch groggier, drier throat and so forth.
― Ned Raggett, Wednesday, 11 August 2021 22:21 (four years ago)
Ten years ago I went to a sleep doctor because of excessive daytime sleepiness. I was having 1 or 2 spells each day where I would zone in-and-out for up to half an hour, with a drugged feeling like I fighting off Nyquil. I video'd myself at work a couple of times to see what was happening--I was repeatedly dropping off into microsleeps of between 1 and 20 seconds long, as many as 40 times in 30 minutes.
After a couple of sleep studies, they said I had moderate sleep apnea (maybe a dozen incidents per hour). Got my CPAP, used it for over a year, and it never had any affect on my daytime sleepiness! So I eventually stopped using it.
Nowadays my sleepiness is really bad (like, "the boss keeps telling me to wake up" bad), so I just did my first sleep study in many years. My apnea is now about 50 per hour, so I'm getting a new CPAP soon.
So does anybody else here have to put a big elastic band around your head to keep your mouth shut while you've got the mask on?
― Hideous Lump, Thursday, 12 August 2021 04:47 (four years ago)
I tried that once but it was too much. I stuck with the full face masks. As mentioned I’m now using a nasal mask and somehow am not opening my mouth, except one night where I suddenly did and started snoring and woke up my wife.
― dan selzer, Thursday, 12 August 2021 12:17 (four years ago)
from an update email that ended up in my spam filter:
Based on current estimates of impacted devices worldwide, we are working towards completing this effort within approximately 12 months.
― ✖, Monday, 30 August 2021 00:31 (four years ago)
I don’t know what to do. I know the odds of having an issue with your machine are slim esp if you’ve never used ozone cleaning, but in starting to have perhaps psychosomatic symptoms.
― dan selzer, Monday, 30 August 2021 02:08 (four years ago)
I'm seeing CPAP equipment in the drugstore recently, not just hoses and masks, but the actual machines. You need a prescription for the machine, but I'm happy you don't have to go to the supplier for new masks and such.
When I last had a CPAP about 8 years ago, they had to send a rep to my apartment to set it up or change the settings. Do they still do that, so that I'll have to actually clean the place so they don't know I live in filth?
― Hideous Lump, Monday, 30 August 2021 04:22 (four years ago)
thinking i need to finally do a sleep study when financial situation fixes itself after October.
had an obvious apnea event when I slept twice last night and am feeling disoriented and tired despite sleeping almost all night!
― rick beato meato manifesto (Neanderthal), Friday, 26 July 2024 18:40 (one year ago)
mr veg had really bad interrupted sleep was constantly tired & dozing throughout the day before he got CPAPit made a huge difference to his general sleep health and health in general. highly, highly recommend
― werewolves of laudanum (VegemiteGrrl), Friday, 26 July 2024 18:44 (one year ago)
i went off of sugar for a year and lost 50 pounds and my apnea got way less severe! i know this because in years past if i fell asleep without my machine my throat would be sore for weeks. after i lost the weight this no longer happened. it was crazy. i told my doctor this and she said yeah that can totally happen. and i laughed and said why didn't any doctor ever tell me to lose weight! it was weird. i have gained weight back though. still not as bad as it used to be though. i nap without my machine and i feel okay. tempted to test it out and not use my machine for a whole night but scared to as well. maybe my neck got smaller! haha!
― scott seward, Friday, 26 July 2024 18:53 (one year ago)
I was always told weight is one of the factors that lead to apnea but it's not exactly easy to tone up your neck
― you'll find this funny, children (Noodle Vague), Saturday, 27 July 2024 08:17 (one year ago)
trying to breathe through a meat whistle the past few nights as soon as i go horizontal, what misery
and i bloody lost weight recently and all, life is crul
― tuah dé danann (darraghmac), Wednesday, 4 September 2024 10:22 (one year ago)
i got diagnosed with this about two years ago and they wanted to do like gumshield type solutions which didn't work, so eventually, today, they gave me a cpap machine. feel a bit weird about using it but given i've had chronic illness for 20 years or so and this is one of the few concrete diagnoses, the potential for improvement is prob quite significant. albeit i have mild sleep apnea, they said.
how hard is the machine to use? i demoed it in the office and it didn't seem too bad tho the mask is a clunky big yoke.
― LocalGarda, Friday, 24 October 2025 16:25 (three months ago)
i got used to the mask within a few weeks. i was super-motivated to get used to it because by the time i got diagnosed i would fall asleep during the day all the time - kept nodding at work, couldn't watch a movie or play a game or read a book without dozing.
i get the odd night where the damn thing just won't sit right but it's so rare and the benefits to me have been so obvious i wouldn't be without it
― Maybe Stimming Will Help (Noodle Vague), Friday, 24 October 2025 16:35 (three months ago)
i only have like 9 incidents per hour he told me today. i don't fall asleep during the day but i wake up feeling hungover even if i haven't been drinking. have headaches or similar in the morning and have had weakness and stuff sometimes also, which i have sort of felt could be due to the apnea.
weirdly, today he told me if you can't breathe through your nose when sleeping the chances of having acid reflux are way higher, and i've had that for years. so it's a slight 'project breathe through your nose', though my sinuses etc have been fucked and my nose half-blocked for years.
i am p curious to see how it works tho.
― LocalGarda, Friday, 24 October 2025 16:41 (three months ago)
it can take a while to find the right machine/mask combo. My compliance has been great though. I just have to go to bed earlier too.
after dealing with health insurance for supplies and struggling I gave up on that and just pay out of pocket. There are good websites. I think I use thecpapshop. They have money back guarantees, I've bought masks and asked to return them and they've just refunded me.
When I started I had a deviated septum and was a total mouth breather, so I could only use full-face masks. The fact that I had a beard made it a hassle because it's hard to keep a good seal. Struggled with different masks for years.
Then I had my deviated septum fixed and started taking singulair and nasonex and suddenly can breath. My pressure dropped way down and I was able to switch to a nasal mask, which in turn makes me have way less leaks (nearly none).
I was so sure I wouldn't be about to not mouth breath and would need a chin strap or mouth tape, but it was never a problem.
I use a normal nasal mask that goes over the nose, the kinds that are "pillows" or plug into your nose or rest under it don't work for me.
The only hassle is when I have a cold and am stuffed up. Sometimes I reach for an old full-face mask, but mostly I just suffer.
Sorry if I'm repeating myself, probably told that whole story upthread somewhere.
― dan selzer, Friday, 24 October 2025 16:46 (three months ago)
yeah i was on an incident every minute when i buckled down and buckled up
but disrupted sleep has all kinds of unexpected health consequences so fingers crossed this helps you
― Maybe Stimming Will Help (Noodle Vague), Friday, 24 October 2025 16:47 (three months ago)
I had the FESS to correct my septum years ago and it stopped me getting awful sinus pain, which is an amazing result 20 years later, but at the time it felt disappointing as it didn't really help me to breathe through my nose. They told me today to try sprays again etc but I've done that shit a million times. I'll prob give it a go again and idk if it's bullshit but the doctor today said the machine might help to strengthen my ability to breathe through nose.
Similar to you Dan they gave me the full face mask today, they also highlighted the beard could be a problem, but by the end of my time experimenting it seemed not to be leaking much.
Being in the UK it's all free which is p amazing, albeit I think they tried all the other mouthguard methods as the country had no cpaps after COVID.
Typically I also have a cold right now so seems a bad time to start.
As you say, NV, I've always worried long term about blood pressure and other stuff but even his comment about reflux made me wonder if a lot of my chronic health stuff is coming from sleep apnea. It would make sense as it's a concrete diagnosis after years of not knowing.
― LocalGarda, Friday, 24 October 2025 17:05 (three months ago)
Good luck with it, LG! Like others, it took a little while to adapt and to figure out the right mask. I use a nasal pillow version now (small "prong" for each nostri) and the style where the hose attaches at the top of the headpiece. This works great for me as a side sleeper. If I catch a cold, I use a full face mask instead.
I realized the other day I've been using a CPAP for almost 10 years - so many fewer nightmares, almost zero partial temporal seizures, no headaches on waking up. It's definitely been worth it for me.
― Jaq, Friday, 24 October 2025 17:47 (three months ago)
Yeah defo have crazy nightmares that I only half remember, but know they affected my sleep. Snore like a woodchipper also, I wake myself up snoring.
I sleep on my front a lot so wondering is that gonna be weird but I shall have to just give it a go!
― LocalGarda, Friday, 24 October 2025 18:15 (three months ago)
I'm doing a sleep study next week. My sleep has been terrible for the last few years. I really find it hard to believe that I'll be able to fall asleep with a mask on but it's worth trying I suppose.
― reggae mike love (polyphonic), Friday, 24 October 2025 18:25 (three months ago)
Are you being given a kit to take home for the sleep study?
I enjoyed seeing the huge soundwaves from my snoring when I went back in to get it analysed, wanted to get the wav for a Vitalic remix.
― LocalGarda, Friday, 24 October 2025 18:26 (three months ago)
I used to always have these crazy disjointed dreams, like they'd switch from one scenario to the next, like a rollercoaster going through different rooms. The first time I slept through the night my dream was the longest and deepest and most intense dream I'd ever had. I decided it was because I wasn't having apnea events every few minutes.
― dan selzer, Friday, 24 October 2025 18:28 (three months ago)
I had a mental one about a plane crash during COVID that gave me a bit of a fear of flying which I think has thankfully eased now through just facing it a few times.
― LocalGarda, Friday, 24 October 2025 18:50 (three months ago)
Yeah, a kit. I'm not sure what it will involve... I'm supposed to watch an instructional video when I pick it up on Monday.
― reggae mike love (polyphonic), Friday, 24 October 2025 18:53 (three months ago)
It was pretty easy when I did it, had to tape it to my chest I think. Maybe had a few preconditions for use.
― LocalGarda, Friday, 24 October 2025 18:54 (three months ago)
i sleep on my side or my face, more or less, with a full face mask, and i've found the positions that are comfortable for me
― Maybe Stimming Will Help (Noodle Vague), Friday, 24 October 2025 19:31 (three months ago)
Nice, I'm the same, occasionally side but often on front with head turned to one side. No idea what reasons any of us have for how we sleep.
― LocalGarda, Friday, 24 October 2025 19:33 (three months ago)
Everyone I know who has had a CPAP machine has been pleased with the change in their sleep (and subsequent effects). Hope it works for you.
― djh, Friday, 24 October 2025 21:02 (three months ago)
quite hard sleeping with the mask i have to say, based on night #1, but i'm sure it gets easier? feel like as someone who sleeps on my front/on face it kinda shoves the mask into your face more. also felt at various points in the night it was leaking and i woke up and had to fix it.
i guess it just is a matter of adjusting bits and pieces. i have a follow-up with nhs in two/three weeks anyway and i think the point of that is to see if the mask is the right one etc etc.
― LocalGarda, Tuesday, 28 October 2025 07:43 (two months ago)
I had to train myself to sleep on my back rather than on my side when I started using my CPAP. I found it too irritating otherwise (I'm a nose mask person and it would slide around too much)It was worth it. Getting proper sleep has improved my life so much
― treefell, Tuesday, 28 October 2025 08:03 (two months ago)
i have the full face mask so it obviously doesn't lend itself to being on your front or even side so easily. makes sense it might need a bit of change in how i sleep. definitely felt some sense of calm from it helping me breathe at times, so it wasn't all negative. this morning hard to tell if i slept better not least cos of fucking around with it as it leaked, but obv just the beginning.
― LocalGarda, Tuesday, 28 October 2025 08:11 (two months ago)
I'm a side sleeper with a full mask and it hasn't been a problem. The first few nights took some adjustment but after that I was hooked. It took me a while to get the straps tightened the right way, and when I replace the mask sometimes it takes me a couple of days to get it right again. In the three years I've had it I've only slept maybe 5 nights without it. I think I took to it extra easy though. I don't mind stuff pressing against me, I kind of love being in an MRI machine. I usually nap.
― Cow_Art, Tuesday, 28 October 2025 10:38 (two months ago)
I think it's maybe just understanding how it fits really. When it was secure I didn't mind it so much and I could definitely feel it helping me breathe, even years before I knew I had sleep apnea I would be about to fall asleep then just stop breathing and gasp and wake up. I have pretty mild apnea but have had years of stomach, sinus and reflux problems and it sounds fixing the apnea could improve those, it seems to be more accepted that these are interlinked nowadays.
― LocalGarda, Tuesday, 28 October 2025 10:50 (two months ago)
Pretty frustrated with this so far. The mask just doesn't seem to fit me, like there's air leaking towards my eyes or from the bottom at my chin also. I told the doctors this and they said there are other masks and put an appointment in then the guy just gave me the same one with different straps, which is making me quite annoyed now as if I move my face a centimetre it leaks.
As a result I haven't really worn it so much and I am due to talk to the doctor Monday, who I assume will tell me off about this but I'm actually pretty annoyed about the mixed messages and then being ignored when I said the mark doesn't fit.
Feel like just not bothering but will probably try to see what they say at least.
― LocalGarda, Friday, 28 November 2025 23:25 (one month ago)
I couldn't manage the full mask - I've had the nasal pillows for the past few years and it works fine for me.
― Zelda Zonk, Friday, 28 November 2025 23:42 (one month ago)
i was diagnosed earlier this year with severe sleep apnea. the sleep test recorded something like 30 incidents per hour which tbh explains a lot. i've been using the nasal pillows and they work great. i'm a side/back sleeper though, haven't slept on my stomach since i was a teenager probably.
― c u (crüt), Saturday, 29 November 2025 00:04 (one month ago)
I remember struggling with the mask a lot at first; I think I was over tightening it in an effort to stop leaks but this was causing the cushion to buckle and leak worse. There are also different sized masks. The first few months were mildly irritating at times and now it’s all automatic, I don’t think about it.
― Cow_Art, Saturday, 29 November 2025 02:11 (one month ago)
I figure it's just a case of trial and error, just kinda annoys me I told them this mask doesn't fit and the solution was "let's try it again"
That's interesting about the other options tho, I'll see what they say.
Have you been feeling better, Curtis? I think I am only eight incidents per night so it is mild enough, but I've had chronic illness for years and not much proper diagnosis so I feel it is possible this is the cause or a key part of it.
― LocalGarda, Saturday, 29 November 2025 08:24 (one month ago)
A colleague at work has found using her CPAP machine life changing. She hasn't found her GP/consultant overly helpful though but has had advice around masks and so on from one of the online support groups - will find out which one for you.
― djh, Saturday, 29 November 2025 09:40 (one month ago)
Too tight is definitely an issue, air leaks are very vexing, I did find a set up that works for me eventually but even now I have the odd night where the thing just decides to be a dick
― Slouching Towards Benylin (Noodle Vague), Saturday, 29 November 2025 10:55 (one month ago)
it basically seems like either it's too loose or else i tighten it loads and that's also a diff problem.
thanks, djh! i feel like one person who called me was v much saying we can try diff masks then when i went in person it was just giving me the same one again.
― LocalGarda, Saturday, 29 November 2025 11:02 (one month ago)
Another recommend for pillows here. Just nice and simple, and soft.
― bert newtown, Saturday, 29 November 2025 13:44 (one month ago)
Have you been feeling better, Curtis?
100% - i have more energy during the day, i no longer wake up disoriented and dehydrated, and my chronic illness symptoms have improved
― c u (crüt), Saturday, 29 November 2025 13:51 (one month ago)
My reading was 29 and they said that was mild.I thought i do that 29 times an hour are you fucking kidding?
that's mild?
I get it down to like 0.6 a hour with the machine. I get worried if it gets over one an hour for more than a couple if days.
― bert newtown, Saturday, 29 November 2025 14:00 (one month ago)
Airfit N20 is the mask for me. Took years and multiple brands and styles to settle in one stick with it. I don’t. Other with insurance or medical equipment suppliers they’re the worst. Websites like cpapshop will accept mask returns so you can try a few.
― dan selzer, Saturday, 29 November 2025 17:05 (one month ago)
I messed up while packing and forgot the power cord. Two nights sleeping without and I was immediately back to headaches and heart-pounding nightmares.
LG, when I was trying out different masks on my own, I found a "fit pack" on Amazon that had all the different options of nasal pillows. Small was definitely correct for me, but Mr. Jaq ended up being medium wide.
― Jaq, Saturday, 29 November 2025 17:14 (one month ago)