Sleep Apnea Treatment

Question by stiffkittens: Has C-PAP worked for your sleep apnea? Is your life better or worse? I’m getting one and I was wondering.
I’m getting a C-PAP for sleep apnea. I took a sleep test and they told they have never seen it so bad in someone so “young”. I’m 34 yrs old. I’ve heard stories going both ways. Some say it helps, some say it doesn’t. Fortunatly there are way more stories about C-PAP being a positive thing. I was just wondering what people’s personal experiences have been.

Best answer:

Answer by honey(*_*)
I have sleep apnea and I don’t know whether my result would be the same as yours, since I’m 17 (sleep apnea runs in our family). Apparently, I stop breathing or have shallow breathing for about 20 seconds on average, 20 times on average in a hour, which isn’t too bad.

For me, I started to use the CPAP since September, and I think my life got a little bit better. However, it is worse in a way because I get a dry mouth and a sore nostril (depends on what type of mask you use). I still have to learn to keep it on at night, because I have the tendency to unintentionally take it off.

I know some of my teachers and doctors who use the CPAP machine, and according to them (whose ages range from 30 to 70), they think that it had negative affect on their lives.
They have frequent stomachaches, because the air blows in too much and makes them bloated, bloody nose, insomnia (from the noise), frequent belches, and/or dry eyes. I heard story from one of the doctor, that their friend got a lung infection from using the CPAP machine.

I know it must be weird to hear this from a teenager, but make sure that you wash the parts of the CPAP machine very well, (which a person who is distributing the machine should tell you anyways). Also, in the winter, it gets colder, so the hose would be more condensed, and the water droplets might be disturbing the sleep. I recommend covering the tube with a fleece material, which you could get at places distributing the machines, because it really helps.

By the way, sleep apnea is not necessarily for old, obese men. People of all ages have it, depending on their jaw, nose, and throat structure, etc. (and obesity is a factor, too). My doctor says that it is sometimes the brains forgetting to send commands for the body to breath. Sleep apnea, is one of the reasons why the babies die of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). Moreover, someone who can be really skinny can still have sleep apnea because their tongue is too big for their jaw, and the tongue falls back while sleeping.

I hope this answered your question a bit (although I must say I might have gotten off track). Good luck using the CPAP machine!

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Question by ρrοud Laτiηο/russian =): How can i help my daughter sleep better?
My daughter is 10-Years-Old going on 11-Years-Old in like two months and she has asthma and also obstructive sleep apnea. She is not overweight or anything so its not a thing she has to lose weight. But the doctor has her on a albuterol inhaler and she started off doing well with that and then all of a sudden it stopped helping so he then set her up on a nebulizer and that do a better job. She also uses a cpap machine each time she sleep because she stops breathing and she usually takes it off because it was uncomfortable and needed a full face mask so the doctor got her one and she sleeps better with it. Now she sits up and sleep saying she just not getting any air but her oxygen levels are fine and we usually give her pillows to keep herself elevated and it helps but not good enough so i was wondering what other ways can we get her to sleep more comfortable? Me and my wife plan on making a doctor appointment for her on Monday. She is sleep now though and sleeping well and she usually wakes up after 2:00am.

Best answer:

Answer by down_dirrty_south99
my grandma has the same issues, we eventually had to get her a sedative cus she just was not able to sleep so was so paranoid she was going to die from lack of oxygen. BTW SHE WAS ONLY 48 so wasnt like a old person mind thing .

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Question by Ripper460: How to relieve pressure on my lower back? And what is the best way to get better sleep?
My question is how do I relieve pressure on my lower back? Also what is the best sleeping position? I noticed when I go to sleep I sleep better on my stomach, but the problem is the lower back starts to sink and it causes me to have back pain in the morning. Then when I try sleeping on my side I can’t even fall asleep and if I sleep on my back I get sleep apnea episodes. I am trying to find a way so I can sleep better without any interruptions so that does incluses mattress and pillows. Anyone know what I can do?

Best answer:

Answer by Kevin W
Well if your having episodes of apnea, you need to tell your doctor so you can have a sleep study done. They may prescribe a C-pap device for you to sleep with at night. this would help greatly at night in relieving the apnea. This would allow you to sleep on your back, then you could try raising your legs on pillows or a cushion of some type. This will allow your lower back to drop into better alignment and be more straight during the night. This is probably why you sleep better on your stomach. Your apnea is reduced. Good luck…

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Question by hCiR: Can the sleep apnea get better overtime with the mask machine(cpap)?
Can the mask eventually open up the airway overtime without using it anymore? I feel a little bit better and sometimes I feel like i dont have to use it.

Best answer:

Answer by Dave
In general, no. It merely supports the airway and does not change it in any way. But then I don’t know anything about you or your type of sleep apnea so I can only surmise that most patients improve on CPAP therapy but will always need it.
If you were extremely obese and lost a lot of weight the sleep apnea could improve but otherwise not likely. It would be best to ask your pulmonologist about it. He/she would know your particular case and what the chances might be.
God bless.

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Does insurance usually pay for it, if you cannot get used to a nosepiece and want to try a mask?