Sleep Apnea
 

Has anybody had this disorder?




I am wondering because I might be going to the doctors for this. Has anyone here been treated for this?

I have a friend that found out he has sleep apnea. He said something about his air passage getting obstructed as he sleeps so he frequently woke up. One of the signs of sleep apnea is always feeling tired and/or having to take naps during the day.
He was fitted with a CPAC machine which helps you breathe properly while sleeping. Once you get used to it, everything is good but it looks really uncomfortable.

My best friend has it. There are points in the night that he stops breathing altogether. Other than that he snores REALLY loud, but as far as I know, he's never been treated for it. Just diagnosed.

Its called a CPAP manchine. They're very pricey but often worth the money. They're pretty loud too so hopefully you get used to it.

My bad- CPAP it is but they aren't loud at all in fact you cant even tell when its on but the mask looks very uncomfortable. Also extended health plans cover them.

The mask is okay after a week or so. I have it and used the machine for a while, but stopped because it got irritating when I have phlegm and it keeps blowing it into my throat thus making me choke. Been lazy to start using it again.

Expect the machines to be over a grand. I think mine was 1400. And, yes, you will feel more refreshed after your body gets used to using the machine, as you will have less interrupted sleep.

ps. I hate getting the diagnosis, having to stay over the hospital with all the wires attached to you. Next thing you know, bright and early in the morning, the nurse rips off all the taped wires on your body. Talk about a wake up call.

i need to go to the sleep apnea clinic to see if they can stop my snoring

Hmm, when I was diagnosed, I didn't have to stay in the hospital... they just sent me home with an oximeter - a unit that measure the oxygen in your blood. Pretty simple device, little sensor that tapes over the end of your finger when you go to bed and monitors while you sleep. Take it back to the doctor/hospital the next day, and they extract the data and produce a chart showing your oxygen levels.

When you have sleep apnea, the oxygen in your blood drops off whenever you stop breathing, and shows on the chart. Most oximeters also record your pulse, and there's usually a spike in your pulse rate when this happens.

CPAP (Continuous Positive Air Pressure) is a pretty simple machine - just a mask that fits over your nose and mouth, attached by a flexible tube to a machine that forces air in under pressure, to keep the airways open. It's not like a respirator or something that shoves a tube down your throat and forces air in and out.

In my case, my apnea is largely related to my being overweight, and it's gotten better since I lost some weight. Part of the problem, of course, is that if you're sleepy all the time, you don't have the energy to be more active and burn the weight off. There are other causes as well, some of which can be corrected by surgery... definitely get fully checked for the cause of your apnea.

When I got mine, the therapist noted to my wife that the machine is a bit noisy and hoped it wouldn't bother her... she pointed out that it couldn't be any louder than my snoring :) In reality, it's not bad at all - the thing is basically a fan in a box (with some electronics that control the air pressure), so it's not like there's a constant rattle-clank or anything... just the sound of rushing air. The good ones include a "humidifying" system that will moisten the air as well, so you don't wake up with a dry mouth and throat.

^ That's pretty good, I wished I could've had a take home oximeter instead of sleeping over at the sleeping clinic. I actually had to do it twice. First time was the simple diagnosis of sleep apnea. The second was to make adjustments, to find the optimal level of operation for my CPAP.

For the first couple of posts I read CRAP machines :lol

When I got diagnosed, I first used a super-spendy, super-fancy CPAP machine that could actually sense my breathing level and the air pressure required and adjust accordingly... and log all that info. After a week, the therapist got me my permanent machine, and used that log data to program the required pressure into it. Extended medical paid for it all, but they wouldn't have paid for the super-duper machine.

I wonder if that's what's causing me to snore so much. Does the family doctor diagnose this?