Sleep Apnea Treatment

Question by Boo: Guys who’ve had the pillar snoring treatment?
Does it work in the long run? Am planning on getting this for my husband who snores very badly and has sleep apnea…makes him always tired and doesn’t sleep very well…it will also help with our cuddling Just wanted to find out if it works.

Best answer:

Answer by Jessica
Haven’t heard anything about it personally. Sorry.

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Question by jo_n_1970: Is CPAP a real treatment for snoring?
I’ve recently been diagnosed with sleep apnea by a sleep clinic, and they’ve recommended that I start CPAP treatment. I’m extremely uncomfortable with this diagnosis because I didn’t GO to the sleep clinic for apnea–I was having trouble with snoring. In fact, in all our years of marriage, my wife says she has NEVER heard me stop breathing. I understand that it is just about impossible to snore while using a CPAP, but it also seems like a fairly serious solution for a relatively minor problem. In other words, I recognize that this treatment will WORK for me, but it seems like the cure is worse than the disease.

I’m getting the impression that these sleep pulmonologists might not be exactly the brightest kids right out of medical school. Does anyone know if this is a real treatment for snoring?

Best answer:

Answer by Jason
For starters, this is a more complicated question than you probably realized, so I’ll do my best…

The reason you are snoring is because when you are asleep, the muscles of your upper airway are relaxing to the point that it requires a significant amount of effort to get air past them and they are “flopping” around each time you breathe. You don’t have to completely stop breathing to have obstructive sleep apnea — you merely have to have airflow decreased enough to cause a dip in your blood oxygen levels sufficient to wake your brain up. The snoring is a symptom of a much more serious problem, not the problem in and of itself. Your doctor recognized this and that’s why he/she sent you for a sleep study.

If you’ve had a polysomnogram (a “sleep study”) then several areas have been monitored all at the same time to come to the diagnosis. A polysomnogram monitors brain activity (to tell what stage of sleep you are in), air flow at the upper airway (to see whether and how much airflow has decreased) inspiratory effort (to compare the number of efforts made to the airflow acheived), oxygen saturation (to compare oxygen level to the state of wakefulness, airflow, and inspiratory effort), and heart rate and rhythm (to measure stress levels on the heart and by extension the rest of the body). All of these measurements combine to paint a picture of how hard you are working to breathe, whether your breathing is sufficient while you’re asleep, and whether your breathing is interrupting your brain’s ability to get to deep sleep and stay there.

If you’ve had a sleep study and been prescribed a CPAP machine you are having apneic episodes. This means that at several times during the night (in some people hundreds and even thousands of times) you made inspiratory efforts, the airflow across your upper airway dropped below where it had been while you were awake, your oxygen level dropped, and your brain came out of deep sleep. Your airway then opened up, you took a few normal breaths, your oxygen level increased, and your brain continued back down into deep sleep. Then the process started all over again. Again, you don’t have to “stop breathing” for you to have obstructive apnea. Your breathing merely needs to be insufficient to meet your oxygen needs and result in your brain coming out of deep sleep.

CPAP works by stenting open the upper airway with air pressure. This prevents the muscles from collapsing the upper airway when your brain gets to deep sleep. That will indeed treat your snoring but again, snoring is a symptom of a much more serious underlying condition. Sleep apnea kills people. If you have untreated apnea you are 15 times more likely to die in an automobile accident, you are at significantly increased risk for both stroke and heart attack (especially if you have other risk factors), and a whole host of other complications and comorbidities.

As an aside, a sleep pulmonologist has to have a real dedication to the job. Aside from four years of medical school, four years of residency, and another three years of fellowship to specialize in pulmonary medicine followed by one of the most difficult board exams in all of medicine; he/she has also had to undergo a fellowship in sleep medicine and take a second board exam in sleep disorders. The dumb kids don’t get to be sleep medicine specialists.

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Question by eatme: How much weight did you lose after starting to use CPAP treatment?
FOr people who were over weight or obese, how much, if any, weight were you able to lose after starting CPAP treatment for Sleep Apnea?

Best answer:

Answer by James
CPAP works by regulating air pressure into the lungs. You should not expect to lose much, if any weight, by using a CPAP. Buuuuut, you should be able to sleep through the night better! Maybe you’ll have more energy during the day and be better able to exercise to help lose weight.

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Question by Gr. Gigi: Can people using a c-pap machine for sleep apnea develop intolerance to the treatment. I.E. chronic sinuitis.

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Question by LaRae L: sleep apnea – what can change with proper treatment?
my grandmother has sleep apnea. my mom, who works at a sleep lab and also has sleep apnea, always knew this and believes she has had it for 10 or so years and has told her to get a test done. well i was finally able to convince my grandma to get it done and its terrible. her average sleep time was 76 seconds. she only remembers waking up twice for the bathroom.

since she has had the test and will soon find out a way to treat it, more likely the cpap,what are some things that can change for her positively? will she be less tired in the day, not so much out of breath, maybe even more energetic? she weighs around 220 pounds so could this help her lose the weight more so since she’ll be getting better sleep? she eats very healthy foods and small portions throughout the day.

Best answer:

Answer by ANDCATZ
I have had sleep apnea since I was 17 and now I am 24. It may take her time to get used to the mask. She will have a better quality sleep and be less moody. You will have to see in time of what happens.

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