Hey Sleep Apnea folks!

[thatjonguy]

Anyone ever get Nightlase? Sounds cool, lasers and stuff. They basically heat up your uvula and part of the soft pallete with non contact laser light to stimulate collagen formation. This lifts and tightens the tissue that blocks the airway. No cutting or any kind of recovery. They are recommending 3 x 20 minute sessions.

But wondering if anyone had it done. My first session hasn't been paid for yet so if is a bunch of smoke and mirrors I would like to know.

Not a whole lot of info on the interwebz as it is relatively new to the US.

 

[podz]

The real remedy for apnea is to get the weight under control. Apnea is common among overweight people, that is people with a BMI over 25. Over 30 BMI and it's incredibly common. Reduce the BMI to less than 25 and apnea almost always disappears.

 

[thatjonguy]

Yeah. I could lose a few pounds but I'm not really over BMI 25. Would probably help if I felt rested. Lol.
I have always had a small airway, surgery to help when I was young to remove my tonsils to open it up a little.

 

[Jacob_Marley]

The real remedy for apnea is to get the weight under control. Apnea is common among overweight people, that is people with a BMI over 25. Over 30 BMI and it's incredibly common. Reduce the BMI to less than 25 and apnea almost always disappears.

yep. I'm now at the weight I was when I was 22 ... and I have no apnea anymore, and no acid reflux either. Both of which were a problem previously.

 

[betarhoalphadelta]

yep. I'm now at the weight I was when I was 22 ... and I have no apnea anymore, and no acid reflux either. Both of which were a problem previously.

I'm trying to drop weight right now... I've gotten back up to my lifetime-high BMI (32.6), and I've noticed I feel like ****, getting acid reflux, and my family tells me I snore like a chainsaw...

Time to cut out breakfast, lunch, and "school night" beers. Desperate times, ya know?

 

[HoppyDaze]

Just had a sleep study. I have severe sleep apnea. Losing weight/no drinking before bed/ will only help if you have a mild condition. Moderate to severe conditions only have one option most cases CPAP. There's surgery and oral appliance option but they are only effective in 40% of cases where the condition is moderate and much lower for severe. I'm just going to have to learn to live with the CPAP. Can't wait to get good sleep!

 

[HoppyDaze]

The real remedy for apnea is to get the weight under control. Apnea is common among overweight people, that is people with a BMI over 25. Over 30 BMI and it's incredibly common. Reduce the BMI to less than 25 and apnea almost always disappears.

Mild sleep apnea, and even then this contradicts a lot of what I have read and the professionals have told me.

 

[Riggs1]

I have a CPAP and still snore like a train.

 

[HoppyDaze]

I have a CPAP and still snore like a train.

Sounds like you need to increase the pressure, no? I think the doctor has to do it.

 

[Brickman]

I will be honest and tell you that I am a lard butt and have sleep apnea. I fought the diagnosis at first but was so exhausted that I was about at wit's end. I took me months to get used to my CPAP machine but I am a new man because of it. I have lost 65 lbs and still have a ways to go. If you think you have it get tested. I was fighting depression and was all in all pretty miserable. Life is much better know that I am treated.

And it is true that being fat makes it worse. But I have a friend who is in great shape and runs daily but was diagnosed with it. He is trim and fit by all definitions. A lot of it is also genetics. He refuses to use his machine and looks like hell most the time when I see him. He drinks himself to sleep now which is making it worse.

 

[thatjonguy]

I will be honest and tell you that I am a lard butt and have sleep apnea. I fought the diagnosis at first but was so exhausted that I was about at wit's end. I took me months to get used to my CPAP machine but I am a new man because of it. I have lost 65 lbs and still have a ways to go. If you think you have it get tested. I was fighting depression and was all in all pretty miserable. Life is much better know that I am treated.

And it is true that being fat makes it worse. But I have a friend who is in great shape and runs daily but was diagnosed with it. He is trim and fit by all definitions. A lot of it is also genetics. He refuses to use his machine and looks like hell most the time when I see him. He drinks himself to sleep now which is making it worse.

Oh I have it. Forgot to mention that. Just a mild case but enough to effect my sleep. I think it started when I worked night and got cheap sleep and started putting on weight. I am 40 pounds lighter now and way more muscular, but still a little fluffy.

Can't handle the APAP, I can fall asleep just fine but usually rip it off about 2 hours into the night and don't know it.

I know I can easily lose another 25 if I get some sleep but by 2pm I am ready to call it quits for the day.

 

[brewguyver]

The real remedy for apnea is to get the weight under control. Apnea is common among overweight people, that is people with a BMI over 25. Over 30 BMI and it's incredibly common. Reduce the BMI to less than 25 and apnea almost always disappears.

Yea ... you know what happens when you assume, right?

I identified my sleep apnea when I got overweight post college, but I'd had a number of BS diagnoses before that (chronic fatigue syndrome is most likely real, but in this case it was a doctor's lazy cop-out). Severe sleep apnea even when I hit BMI of 22 or less. In my case it's the way the parts are assembled, not how much luggage I bring along with me. I never would have known if I didn't get a spam mail for a chin strap to help a number of symptoms I didn't realize i had (thankfully, i had a better doctor, who scheduled a sleep study).

I really haven't looked into surgery - seems risky as long as the CPAP i'm on works. I'm concerned about the long-term effects of positive pressure, but not as much as I am about the procedures.




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[brewguyver]

Just had a sleep study. I have severe sleep apnea. Losing weight/no drinking before bed/ will only help if you have a mild condition. Moderate to severe conditions only have one option most cases CPAP. There's surgery and oral appliance option but they are only effective in 40% of cases where the condition is moderate and much lower for severe. I'm just going to have to learn to live with the CPAP. Can't wait to get good sleep!

Hoppy - if you're bad enough and can't tolerate the CPAP (pressures over 14 are pretty uncomfortable) - an Oral appliance might be worth looking into. It may not cure the problem, but getting that pressure down a few CM really helps.

In my case, i had a very experimental doctor when i was in New England, diagnosed me with central and obstructive and put me on "dead space therapy" (recessed valve to rebreath CO2) and oxygen to safeguard against the CO2. I could barely get past 4 hours a night on the damn thing. It also had a wicked leak (high pitched whine like a finger whistle), and they kept trying to put me on crazy sleeping drugs to tolerate it.

Got a new job, new doctor, threw everything out (worst 2 weeks of my life) and then got put on an auto bipap that adjusts pressure automatically - got me down to 10-14 and i use it 6-8 hours a night (and the occasional 16 from a really, really bad hangover). Turns out my old doctor was doing a lot of research on different therapies and medications and I was a guinea pig.

On the bright side, I now feel much better. I also own a C-concentrator as a result of the torture . C-concentrators are awesome - insert electricity, get O2. Great for beer and hangover.

One other thing to think about as you go through the process. Don't be afraid to try different masks and things, and always bring your machine to mask fittings. They can change the calibrations there. Home care companies aren't always good, and they might not always come to calibrate new stuff like they do when they set you up the first time. It takes some getting used to, but if things seem intolerable, there are other styles of equipment that could work better.



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[HoppyDaze]

Cool man, thanks for the info. Not sure if I can calibrate it myself. It's set to the doctors recommendation based on the test results,15. I can switch out masks as long as I want for 90 days. I guess there's are like 70 different ones now. I sleep pretty hard all things considered so hopefully the pressure won't bug me too much. I am worried about the noise at that pressure level. Worried it might keep the wife up. But can it be worse than my snoring? Doubtful

 

[Brickman]

Got a new job, new doctor, threw everything out (worst 2 weeks of my life) and then got put on an auto bipap that adjusts pressure automatically - got me down to 10-14 and i use it 6-8 hours a night (and the occasional 16 from a really, really bad hangover). Turns out my old doctor was doing a lot of research on different therapies and medications and I was a guinea pig.

These are great words of advise. Make sure you get the auto bipap. I have CPAP that is set at a high/low and at first they had me set at 17 and I felt like a balloon ready to pop. Thanks to the internet I was able to figure out how to adjust my settings. I lowered them until I could tolerate it and then after a couple of months would raise it one point on both the high and low. I am back to my prescription and tolerate it. I also had to change to a full face mask and use a Padacheek liner and strap.

 

[Beernik]

Sure, I could stand to loose 20 - 30lbs. But a BMI of 25 would put me at 6'-1" and 190lbs. The only way I'm dropping below 200lbs is if I'm wasting muscle mass.

My problem is my tonsils work as flapper valves and restrict air flow when I lie down. My doc all but said if they had taken my tonsils when I was 10 that I wouldn't have this problem now.

My apnea is really bad when sleeping on my back and almost non-existent when I'm lying on my side. Which explained why I always had awesome sleep when i accidently fell asleept on the sofa.

I've had my CPAP for 15 months now. I ****ing love it. Between the apnea and back pain, I was sleeping 2 - 3 hours a night without it. Now I'm averaging 6.5 - 7.5 hours with it. Saturday nights I might actually get +8 hours of sleep with it. That was three days worth of sleep for me 18 months ago.

Back to the OP's question, I haven't even heard of the procedure. I'll talk to my doc about it when I see her next month.

 

[HoppyDaze]

I got eight hours sleep last night, my first night with the CPAP. I did go lights out at 10pm and no drinking. Woke up quite a lot and a few times with a wicked dry mouth. Also there were times when the air went into my mouth and woke me up. All in all I think it's going to make a huge difference. I really didn't wake up more than I normally would so that's a good sign. I feel great today. We'll see how I feel at around 2pm

 

[Beernik]

I got eight hours sleep last night, my first night with the CPAP. I did go lights out at 10pm and no drinking. Woke up quite a lot and a few times with a wicked dry mouth. Also there were times when the air went into my mouth and woke me up. All in all I think it's going to make a huge difference. I really didn't wake up more than I normally would so that's a good sign. I feel great today. We'll see how I feel at around 2pm

That's awesome. I struggled to maintain a 5 - 6 hour average for the first couple months. But a lot of that was my back problem. When I got that treated, getting 6 hours of sleep on the machine became a lot easier.

The dry mouth means you were sleeping with your mouth open. It might go away as you get used to the machine. If it keeps happening, they might recommend a chin strap.

It still happens to me, maybe once a week.

Now that I think about it, I'm probably not a good candidate for this proceedure. The CPAP also keeps my parasomnia somewhat under control. When I do start shouting and swearing at my wife in my sleep, the CPAP makes it incomprehensible and she doesn't get offended.

 

[HexKrak]

I have moderate sleep apnea, but mine is mostly caused by my brain being stupid. It's like my O2 sensor is off and there's not much known about how to adjust it.

 

[normonster]

I had the surgery (septoplasty) and it is a little better. The recovery was abysmal.

I went through a great period of being very fit two-three yrs ago and did notice an improvement.

Like a previous poster, mine is very bad when on my back so I am a side sleeper. Being too drunk at bedtime makes it much worse too.


I use these little things called Nozovent (nasal dialaer) and also flush with a netti pot at night and they really help a lot.

 

[normonster]

I'm afraid to get a CPAP.

 

[reinstone]

The real remedy for apnea is to get the weight under control. Apnea is common among overweight people, that is people with a BMI over 25. Over 30 BMI and it's incredibly common. Reduce the BMI to less than 25 and apnea almost always disappears.

Absolutely true. I slowed down on the beer lost 25 and have been sleeping great Problem is that in the six weeks it took the machine to arrive, I lost my need for it. I guess it's not a problem. I also think a mint nose spray helps. Weight is the key. I was 6'4 and 255 the problem got progressively worse. Hit the gym and didn't drink like a fish and problem is solved. Ps I still wear the mask but I pull it off in my sleep. It's not that bad. I have also lost weight with the mask. My energy is up.

 

[dtgrdn]

I have moderate borderline severe Apnea. Was diagnosed 12 years ago. Tried the CPAP machine with different masks but none worked, I would take them off in my sleep and not realize it. My first CPAP machine was set to 8, I got a new one 6 years ago that was a progressive CPAP that gradually increased as I fell asleep, that was set to 10. Still couldn't use it, even with all of the masks I tried.

I got a mouth appliance 3 years ago and it worked wonders. My wife only hears me snore after I've been drinking. It isn't 100% but it's better then not using anything at all.

 

[reinstone]

Sure, I could stand to loose 20 - 30lbs. But a BMI of 25 would put me at 6'-1" and 190lbs. The only way I'm dropping below 200lbs is if I'm wasting muscle mass.

My problem is my tonsils work as flapper valves and restrict air flow when I lie down. My doc all but said if they had taken my tonsils when I was 10 that I wouldn't have this problem now.

My apnea is really bad when sleeping on my back and almost non-existent when I'm lying on my side. Which explained why I always had awesome sleep when i accidently fell asleept on the sofa.

I've had my CPAP for 15 months now. I ****ing love it. Between the apnea and back pain, I was sleeping 2 - 3 hours a night without it. Now I'm averaging 6.5 - 7.5 hours with it. Saturday nights I might actually get +8 hours of sleep with it. That was three days worth of sleep for me 18 months ago.

Back to the OP's question, I haven't even heard of the procedure. I'll talk to my doc about it when I see her next month.

Sew tennis balls into the back of a t shirt and sleep in it. You won't go on your back then.

 

[reinstone]

I will be honest and tell you that I am a lard butt and have sleep apnea. I fought the diagnosis at first but was so exhausted that I was about at wit's end. I took me months to get used to my CPAP machine but I am a new man because of it. I have lost 65 lbs and still have a ways to go. If you think you have it get tested. I was fighting depression and was all in all pretty miserable. Life is much better know that I am treated.

And it is true that being fat makes it worse. But I have a friend who is in great shape and runs daily but was diagnosed with it. He is trim and fit by all definitions. A lot of it is also genetics. He refuses to use his machine and looks like hell most the time when I see him. He drinks himself to sleep now which is making it worse.

That's what I did. Now it's strange but I rarely drink. From a freaking lush to about 8 beers a week. I got on some good benzodiazepines to control my nerves. Just a little....now I'm weenin off them. I'm a new man. I can sleep without being drunk...I feel like a kid.

 

[Beernik]

Sew tennis balls into the back of a t shirt and sleep in it. You won't go on your back then.

It's funny, sleeping with a shirt on would be tougher for me than sleeping with a jet engine blowing air up my nose.

With my luck, I'd keep sleeping on my back on top of the tennis ball and it would go back into a state of constant spasm again.

I just sleep 2 or 3 nights a week on the sofa with my mask on.

 

[podz]

Absolutely true. I slowed down on the beer lost 25 and have been sleeping great. Problem is that in the six weeks it took the machine to arrive, I lost my need for it. I guess it's not a problem.

No, the problem arises when you live in a country with a capitalistic medical system that would rather push sales than health.

 

[bbycrts]

Had my tonsils out years ago - extremely large and obstructive - but that didn't end up lasting for long. Recently had a sleep study and prescribed an APAP machine (Auto-titrating) - It analyzes my breathing and sets its pressure where it needs to be. It also backs way off when I breathe out so I don't feel like I'm fighting the machine.

I'm much healthier - blood pressure is down, outlook on life is up, weight is slowly going down...I adapted to it very quickly and it has been nothing but great ever since.

 

[HoppyDaze]

No, the problem arises when you live in a country with a capitalistic medical system that would rather push sales than health.

You go guy

 

[podz]

You go guy

When 43 years old, I had a BMI of 36.2. I was diagnosed with severe sleep apnea and borderline type 2 diabetes. I snored very heavily and I woke up at least once per night in a condition where my body had been sufficiently oxygen deprived that I could actually physically feel the toxicity beginning in my lungs and running through my blood, out through my entire body. A condition where it would take me an hour or more to return to sleep, a condition where I needed to keep the bedroom window open all night long even when it was -20 celcius outside just so I could have an oxygen rich environment. I almost had a heart attack when I was carrying a rack of Franziskaner (20 x 0.5 litre bottles) through Duesseldorf airport one time. I also couldn't manage to get busy without the help of Cialis. A pitiful state of affairs.

I went on a mission to lose weight. And you need to understand that when I go on a mission, I don't try - I do. Over the course of 8 months, I lost 85 pounds and my BMI went down to 23. 5 years later (48 years old now), I am still holding steady. My snoring disappeared entirely, my apnea disappeared entirely, my blood sugar is completely stable, I can ride my mountain bike UP a ski slope in the summer, haven't touched a Cialis in 4 years and my drive is higher than ever before in my life.

But don't listen to me. There's doctors on drug company commissions, machines and medicines waiting to be bought.

Having doctors subjected to a legal system that includes TORT, combined with the idea of insanely high monetary awards, is never in the best health interest of people.

You know what my doctor told me? He said that you're ****ing fat and if you don't lose weight then first you're going to start shooting insulin and you're going to die of a heart attack before you're 50. There were no drugs or machines prescribed. He gave me a mental ass whopping and that was enough.