I agree, just want to make sure that the test is a good test and not one designed to fail.

I've been on the hose for going on 12 years now, pretty sure I would be dead without it.


As for the "getting up to pee" issue, the way it was explained to me is that you are not waking up to pee, you are going pee because you woke up.

In my case, I would wake up several times a night feeling an urge to pee but would successfully ignore it, roll over and go back to sleep. Additionally, I *would* get up two or three times to pee, only to be a waste of time where I couldn't have filled a shot glass.

Think about it... our bodies are programmed to pee after we wake up. The sleep apnea is arousing you from sleep, then your body is saying since you are awake, go pee. Your body doesn't care if you meant to wake at that point of not, it is simply the natural process.


Don't ignore it, sleep apnea does in fact kill. Yes, more people who exhibit symptoms are overweight and some symptoms may go away with weight loss. No reason you can't be treated while you lose weight. I am a comfortably chunky SFF (short fat fucker...) beat even in my lean and mean USMC days I snored insufferably to the dismay of the 40 or so folks I shared a barracks squad bay with.


If you are not one to to ignore any other condition in which you were told "untreated, this will kill you" then there is no legitimate excuse to not get tested and, if necessary, treated for OSA. Masks have evolved immensely in just the time I have been treated, very lightweight, comfortable and unobtrusive. Current machines are much less bothersome to sleep partners than they used to be as well.

quote:

Something went on, I have my own theory and I don't think it is for the benefit of the patient either.

Agreed. It is important to have a physician you trust when dealing with a serious condition that is often overdiagnosed and not treated properly. See a specialist you trust.

So, I agree that anyone that even suspects some sort of sleep problem should get checked. No sleep = no rest = you will die SOON.

But the "sleep analysts" or whatever they are are in business to create more business.

I've got a buddy who I've known since college who is a pilot at a different airline. His twin sons were having trouble sleeping, so he took them in for a sleep study. He went in with them to help the boys feel comfortable.

What did they find? Nothing wrong with the boys, but "mild" sleep apnea with my buddy. Who is skinny as shit, never snores and does not feel tired during the day.

So just be careful - don't believe everything you hear, but also know yourself and your symptoms.

And for all the single guys out there - you don't think you snore, but you do. Really, you do.

My wife has it, but can't deal with the cpap. She said it's really uncomfortable for her. She's been using a spray to open up her sinuses at night with some success.

quote:

Originally posted by r0gue:
My wife has it, but can't deal with the cpap. She said it's really uncomfortable for her. She's been using a spray to open up her sinuses at night with some success.

True apnea comes from the tonsils, uvula, and/or soft palate falling down and blocking your airway for 10 seconds or more, and snoring comes from it fluttering. In other words, treating the sinuses for apnea is like changing a car's air filter when you have a stuck throttle body.

Has she tried an oral appliance (aka sleep apnea mouth guard) that keeps the lower jaw forward so the airway stays open?

This message has been edited. Last edited by: tatortodd,

quote:

Originally posted by OKCGene:
Since I have gone on my CPAP I now usually don't get up at all to go to the bathroom, maybe twice a week I'll need the bathroom. I sleep so much better.

I believe many who unexpectedly die in their sleep, and the autopsy shows no reason, are dying from apnea.

Go get tested. It greatly improved my quality of life.

This is exactly what I would post. I attributed pee breaks to age, not working up to not breathing.

My diagnosis was mild, but still a dramatic improvement to my rest!

quote:

Originally posted by tatortodd:

quote:

Originally posted by r0gue:
My wife has it, but can't deal with the cpap. She said it's really uncomfortable for her. She's been using a spray to open up her sinuses at night with some success.

True apnea coes from the tonsils, uvula, and soft palate falling down and blocking your airway for 10 seconds or more, and snoring comes from it fluttering. In other words, treating the sinuses for apnea is like changing a car's air filter when you have a stuck throttle body.

Has she tried an oral appliance (aka sleep apnea mouth guard) that keeps the lower jaw forward so the airway stays open?

I was diagnosed with mod/sev apnea about 5 years ago. The CPAP machine was a life changer but I really struggled with it. I got fitted for my oral appliance last month and it seems to work just as well. It took some time to get used to the appliance but I haven't snored or woke up in the middle of the night for weeks.

If you think you may have sleep apne do the sleep study. I can't begin to explain what a life changer it is to finally get a regular good nights sleep.

The oral appliance may not work for some.

I had the obstructive apnea, but about a third of my 98 hourly events were "central" apnea, where the brain doesn't signal your body to breathe. about another third were mixed obstructive/central events. The other thing was all of my central apnea events were 30 seconds or longer.

That worried me when I heard it, as did the O2 levels dropping into the 60 percent range when I was sleeping. An oral appliance would not make me take in air when I have no signal to breathe coming from the brain, so I have no choice but to use the CPAP.

Seconding what others have mentioned, you don't have to be overweight or older to have obstructive sleep apnea.

I've had it since my early twenties, when I was 5'10" and 160#.

They flunked me out of my first sleep study at that age due to "not enough events during the study period", although I hardly slept a wink due to the uncomfortable feeling of being watched all night. Thankfully, my family doc a few years later strongly urged me to have another, which I "passed" with flying colors. They woke me up halfway through the night and put me on the mask. I then got four hours of real sleep (which I hadn't had in years), and was AMAZED at the clarity and definition in my thought process and senses, after just four hours!

Been on the machine for over 10 years now and abhor the thought of sleeping a night without it!

Please, please, PLEASE if you or someone you know suspects you or they even MAY have sleep apnea, look into it NOW! Even if you've been living with it for years, I can't overstate the improvement in quality of life that you'll reap from being treated!

quote:

Originally posted by Outnumbered:
...I then got four hours of real sleep (which I hadn't had in years), and was AMAZED at the clarity and definition in my thought process and senses, after just four hours!

Been on the machine for over 10 years now and abhor the thought of sleeping a night without it!

Add me to the list of people who had the best night of sleep in ages during their sleep study. Video cameras, wires attached to most regions of my body, weird hose going to me face, and breathing pressurized air did not matter - I actually slept and slept deeply.

I was bugging my doc to prescribe me a CPAP and it was an looooooong week waiting for the sleep clinic to write their report so my doc could give me a script. I sleep every night with mine, and have purchased a battery so I can sleep on overnight flights and camp.

Please forgive the brief thread drift, but what battery do you recommend for someone on a budget who still also appreciates quality, and specifically longevity?

I'd probably only use it a couple times a year to be able to rustic camp with the kids, but would be bummed if it developed "battery memory" and was worthless inside of 5 years .

quote:

Originally posted by Outnumbered:
Please forgive the brief thread drift, but what battery do you recommend for someone on a budget who still also appreciates quality, and specifically longevity?

I'd probably only use it a couple times a year to be able to rustic camp with the kids, but would be bummed if it developed "battery memory" and was worthless inside of 5 years .

Unfortunately, it depends on the CPAP machine.

My first BiPAP was a Respironics M Series and it required 12 VDC so I used this battery.

My current BiPAP, Resmed S9, requires 24 VDC and I use this battery.

Unfortunately CPAP.com doesn't carry either battery any more as that both BiPAPs are now old discontintuned models. The CPAP.com battery was a much better bang for the buck.

As far as batteries, it is an absolute must to turn off the heater on your humidifier. I forgot to do that a couple months ago on a red eye to London and only got about 3.5 hours sleep before the battery died. Run time will depend on your pressure settings, and it's best to charge it during the day if you have to use a battery 2 nights in a row.

I've had good luck using the "Pure Sleep" mouth appliance

quote:

Originally posted by Lunasee:
I've had good luck using the "Pure Sleep" mouth appliance

That's the first advertised one (as opposed to bought through a sleep clinic) that I've seen that allows the lower jaw position to be adjusted. If I didn't have combination (both obstructive and central) sleep apnea then I might be forking out the $69.85 ($9.95 initially the $59 after 30 days).

quote:

Originally posted by downtownv:
...I can help you with questions, equipment and supplies. But it really is a case by case situation. I can't write a one size fits all story.
I will answer anyone that emails me, however.
DTV

I decided to take downtownv up on his offer to answer anyone that e-mails. My sleep study is 10 years old, and lately I have been thinking my BiPAP setting might need changing as I have been waking up with headaches and inexplicably tired.

I have an autobipap (some manufacturers call it an auto vpap) which means two things:

the bipap/vpap means the machine has a higher pressure for inhale and lower pressure for exhale

The auto means that the machine's algorithms determine the ideal inhale and exhale pressures. I'm both a side (90% of the night) and back sleeper and the machine finds the perfect pressure regardless of whether I'm sleeping on my side or back.

The problem is that it finds the perfect pressure between a max inhale pressure and a min exhale pressure, and if the perfect pressure is above or below those thresholds then the autobipap can't get to the perfect pressure.

I had always envisioned sleep techs had special tools (e.g. plc programmers), but he informed me that the manufacturer only provides half of the manual. Additionally, he informed me that on-line you can find the other half of the manual with the technician mode info, and there are YouTube videos as well.

I put the machine into technician mode, found the machine's upper and lower limits were programmed to the 10 year old sleep study, and adjusted the settings per the manufacturer's titration manual. Friday night was my first night with the new settings and I woke up Saturday morning full of energy and never had a headache all day long. It was the best I have felt in recent memory and I got a ton of chores done that have been stacking up. Same story Sunday, Monday (sore a hell from all of Saturday's chores), Tuesday, and today. The autobipap has been finding the perfect inhale and exhale pressure. I'm kind of surprised by all of this as since last fall I've been working out and eating better which has resulted in losing weight/inches (including 1" off my neck).

To quote JAllen, "nothing beats knowing what you're doing." I'm thankful that downtownv volunteered his professional knowledge and my life has been the better for it.

My reason for posting is to thank downtownv publicly (already did privately), and let other Sigforumites know that if they've gained/lost weight that their autobipap/autovpap might need tweaking for a perfect night's sleep.

---

Ego is the anesthesia that deadens the pain of stupidity

DISCLAIMER: These are the author's own personal views and do not represent the views of the author's employer.

Awww Schucks!

I seldom get up to pee, but when I do, it is usually because I have had more than a few cocktails.

Love my ResMed S9. I'm even thinking of getting a spare in case it's discontinued.

Any suggestions on a home sleep study? It seems the local place isn't well regarded.