CPAP...........

Goose

Well-known Member
Do any of ya'll use a CPAP unit when you sleep? If you do, do you ever get used to it?

At the insistence of my wife, who said I stopped breathing occasionally while I slept, I had a sleep study done a couple of months ago. I thought the results were kind of shaky and inconclusive. A person can stop breathing up to 7 times per hour and still be considered normal. I think I did 9 times during the study. In fact, they even had to wait a couple of weeks for a "revised" report.

Anyway, at my wife's and our family doctor's insistence, I'm the proud owner of a state of the art CPAP machine, complete with a heated humidifier. I have both the mask that simply fits under your nostrils and a full face mask, and I can't get a decent night's sleep with either. I thought they were supposed to make you sleep better, not worse. I tried the full face mask last night and woke up this morning as groggy as if I'd never gone to bed.

Has anyone had any experiences they can share? Now my wife freaks out if I refuse to use the thing. Which I will tonight. I have a full day tomorrow and tomorrow evening and I can't take the chance of not getting a decent night's sleep.
 
You will get so used to it you can't be without it. Just make yourself use it for a few days and you will be glad you have it. Good luck - Bob
 

A friend has a fat neck so he had to get tested for his DOT medical card. The result was he had to get the CPAP, and even though he can't sleep with it on, he can't remove it or it reports in to a monitoring service. If he takes it off too much he gets a warning, if he gets too many warnings he loses his medical card. After a few months he just let his card go.
 
I don't know how anybody can do it. My youngest son,son in law and brother in law all use them.
I used to stop breathing if I laid on my back,but since I got the elliptical and lost 40 pounds or more,I'm good.
 
agree with bob1958. got mine in 2001 and can't sleep without it. love mine. recently got put on a bi-pap. i switched over the the nostril mask about 2 yrs ago, before that i had the nose mask. avoid the full face mask. 100% of my friends who have full faced masks have problems. i also find that people who ramp up the lbs have more problems then those that bring the full pressure right away.
 
I"ve had a c-pap for a number of years. First machine had a nose mask, and I woke up congested each morning. Full face mask was better, but still had some leaking issues. I now have a F&P brand "Simplus" mask...it fits well and has minimal leakage. Current machine is a Respironics. Has a slight operating sound, but the oxygen concentrator I"ve had to add is noisier, although neither keep me/my wife from getting good sleep.

Your sleep study results seem borderline. Have you ever awakened choking, trying to breathe? That is scary! My sleep study was on a home use machine from VA, and showed literally hundreds of times I stopped breathing in a typical night, although my REM sleep, what there was of it, was very deep REM.

I do notice a difference in water usage by the humidifier. I think it related to the humidity level in the room. In colder months I often run it dry overnight. Now I may have about 20% left in the morning.
 
1i have had mine for over 6 years and I can't sleep worth a darn without it. Of course my hearing is so bad that I can't hear the C-PAP running when I take my hearing aids out
 
I have used one for 4 years or so. It takes a while to get used to it, just use a little perseverance and all will be better.
By the way..........I got mine through VA.
 
I tried it but could not get use to it I know it works for some I simply raised the head of my bed about 8 to 10 inches sleep like a baby I'm 6.2 350
 
I've had several friends who have had the "sleep test". Surprise, surprise, every one of them flunked it and now have the sleep
Contraption. Coincidence? I think not. Bet my 15 year old grandson would "fail"
Cmore
 
I have used mine for going on 5 years. It took me about 2 weeks to get used to it. I had very similar issues you had with the stopping breathing. I really like having the machine now and would not go without it. I guess I would try it a little longer.
Kow Farmer Kurt
 
Hey Goose , I got one last October, I use it , but I still fight with the darn thing some nights. If yours is like mine and it probably is , it records how many nights you wear it and for how long each night , and how much it leaks air too. If you put it on , and go to sleep with it for some thing just over 4 hours a night , your sleep clinic will be happy . So if mine is driving me nuts , and I know I have had it on for 3-5 hours , I just pull it off , shut off the air pump, and doze off for a while longer. Some nights I sleep right through. Wife says I don't snore with it on , and she sleeps better, at least one of us is happy.
Doctor told me that if you have a large neck , you are at risk of having sleep apnea. Don't matter if it is a fat neck , or a large muscled neck , it has the same effect , of closing off your wind pipe. I am not really very fat , 200lb, but I need a shirt with a 18" neck if I have to do the collar up. Doctor told me he could tell just looking at me that I was going to fail the sleep test,I quit breathing 60 times in four and a half hours.
 
Can't nap in the recliner anymore. You might wantget another style mask, I tried a different one several years ago. Had to go back to the original style. I have used mine for 10+ years.
 
Goose hand it to your wife and tell her to sleep with the darn thing!!!! LOL My wife has one it kind of helps her but nothing dramatic different. I hate the darn thing. I had to move out of the bedroom just to sleep with the noise the thing makes. She has had several different ones. They all are noisy. Heck I could sleep with her snoring easier than these darn things.

I had to take one because of my neck size and CDL requirements. I told the tester I did not have any insurance that would pay for the machine. Plus I had zero intent of using any type of CPAP or BIPAP machine even if it paid for the darn things. Surprise!!! I passed the test. I think a large percentage of the people told they need them do NOT need them. Sleep apnea is just a cash cow for the medical system. Just like how many kids have ADD. Meds for life. Surprised about that???

So it is your LIFE not your wife or your doctor!!!!! Tell them to stuff it!!!
 
I have been on a BiPap for fifteen yrs now.
I would wake up during the night gasping for
air and my heart would be pounding at an alarming
rate. I would fall asleep if I sat for more than a
couple minutes.
And if I was sleeping, I was snoring, loudly.
I was in the exam room waiting for the Dr. and dozed off.
I woke up gasping and the Dr. was standing there. He said
"Your going for a sleep test".
I slept better the first night I had it!
It did take a while to get used to it, But it is worth it.
Now if my wife would use hers I'd get a better nights sleep.

Steve A W
 
Thanks for the responses. I did get mine from the VA.

I'll try the nostril mask again, probably tomorrow night. I have a meeting Friday afternoon, but I'm free in the morning so I can take a nap if I don't sleep too well.

What complicates things is one of my wife's girlfriends uses one and swears by it.
 
Well I am a new user with only 17 days in. I have spinal cord damage and take a lot of drugs that make me sleepy.
But my dear wife told my doctor that I snore and she thought I stop breathing when I sleep.
So my doctor ordered a sleep study which I done at the University of Michigan. The study said I had on average 52 occurances a hour!
Well because of my poor showing they have this thing cranked up to 17. The machine only goes up to 20. The machine is really a blowing.
New fangled machine has a celluar hook up and sends a report everyday to squeel on me if I did not use it or not enough.
Full mask user but my mouth is really dry when I wake up even though the machine adds humitity.
My medical card is up this month and I do not think I will try to renew. Do not need all the hassle. Just drive all farm miles now anyway.
 
I've been on one for about 20 years now.

It did take some getting used to. I resisted it at first, but realized I had to have it. I would snore so bad I would get up with my throat irritated and swollen.

I tried the nasal mask, it didn't work for me. My mouth would come open, air just blow in my nose, out my mouth. Had to go with the full face. It works, but it will wake me a few times a night leaking. You will learn to sleep laying still, or it will get knocked sideways and leak.

My biggest complaint is waking with a dry mouth, even with the heated humidifier. But, still better than the alternative.

When I first got mine, I picked it up at a clinic where they measured and fit the mask, adjusted the pressure, etc. I went back several times trying different masks until I found the right one. If this is offered to you, take advantage of it. It needs to fit and work right to be effective.

Once you get everything set, be sure to keep all the info and copies of your prescription. You will need the prescription to buy supplies, which can be bought online much cheaper.
 
I tried and tried to use mine and failed . I know there are some better masks out there but but apria was unwilling to help me (worst company I ever dealt with). instead I started running to lose weight, lost 50 lbs maybe not fixed but much better.I hope, pray and run so I never have to put that mask on again
 
FWIW I had a 5 way cabage in 2009. Actually had a sleep study done about a month before I had my MI and before I had it done I knew I had real bad apnea. After I had my MI my doctor highly reccomended I get to using a CPAP. I tried it for a while with a full face mask. Fought it constantly. Sleep was a struggle to say the least. Said to heck with it. About a year later I was always tired. And about that time the DOT made it a law that if you have a CDL and have had any heart issues you needed to redo the CDL yearly. Well were I had an order from a doctor saying I had to have the CPAP or he won't sign off on the CDL liscencing. I bit the bullet and tried the CPAP again using a mask that just covered my nose, not a full face. The first couple of nites it was a struggle because I slept with my mouth open. About then I started using a night guard to reduce grinding my teeth as I slept. I purchased a head gear that held my jaw shut. after about a week of using the head gear to hold my mouth shut I slept the best I had for many years. I used the head gear for maybe 2 weeks and now I keep my mouth shut and in part is because of the night guard. But I sleep all nite with out any problems. I think knowing I have the nite guard in really helps with keeping my mouth shut. Anyway, I have since tried to sleep with out the CPAP a couple of times and I don't sleep at all because all I do is hold my breathe until I about wake up gasping for air. I use a Intelapap CPAP and really do well with it. At first I thought I needed the moisture and the heat but I just turn it on and go to sleep. Evantually you will find you will do and feel much better when you use the CPAP. Good Luck
 
Also as mentioned before losing some weight helped things a lot too. I weighted 290 and lost down to 250. Made a huge difference in my breathing at nite.
 
I'm on one about 15 years, wish I'd had it 20 years sooner. I have some nights where it bothers me but it's more from having trouble sleeping that it's annoying. Used two different nasal types up till this year but the shape of my head lets them slide forward. Now have on that covers my nose only with straps around the back. Much better. They do take some getting used to.
 
(quoted from post at 19:58:15 08/16/17) Goose hand it to your wife and tell her to sleep with the darn thing!!!! LOL My wife has one it kind of helps her but nothing dramatic different. I hate the darn thing. I had to move out of the bedroom just to sleep with the noise the thing makes. She has had several different ones. They all are noisy. Heck I could sleep with her snoring easier than these darn things.

I had to take one because of my neck size and CDL requirements. I told the tester I did not have any insurance that would pay for the machine. Plus I had zero intent of using any type of CPAP or BIPAP machine even if it paid for the darn things. Surprise!!! I passed the test. I think a large percentage of the people told they need them do NOT need them. Sleep apnea is just a cash cow for the medical system. Just like how many kids have ADD. Meds for life. Surprised about that???

So it is your LIFE not your wife or your doctor!!!!! Tell them to stuff it!!!

I agree....it's the new "in" thing.
 
I been using one for about 3 years now and
probably couldn't sleep without it. I changed
from a nose mask to a full mask this year and I
wish I had started with the full mask.
 
You need to know the terminology. CPAP is continuous positive air pressure and bi pap relaxes the pressure when you exhale. I have a bipap and cannot imagine using a cpap.
 
I have had mine for over 14 years and won't go to sleep without it.I use a mask that covers my nose ,but leaves my mouth open.Mask is a Mesired activa. and use a bipap/cpap machine with a humidifier. I also Have an oxygen concentrator. It took a few nites to tolerate it , But I have to have it or will stop breathing (permanently). Made a HUGE difference in my life. Was told by more than one doctor I would not live to be 50 years old and am 57 now and don't have any plans on leaving soon.(Knock on wood)If you need the Mask WEAR it ! A sleep study will be accurate, Its not a joke. I've had a CDL for 39 years and still have it although I don't drive Trucks anymore do to other Disability's.
 
Goose, I've had CPAP & a BIPAP for 17 years, and would have been dead long ago without them.
In 2006, had the UP3 (Uvulopalatopharyngoplasty) surgery - it was painful as all HE!!, causes me to often inadvertently swallow food into my windpipe, and my sleep apnea went from 32 to 61 apneas per hour - - no doctor predicted that!!

I like BiPAPs - and understand the later, smart ones actually vary pressure and duration as the sleep mode changes - look forward to trying them.

There are 1million & 1 masks out there!! A mask that does not "fit" will drive you and your bed partner NUTZZZ - a good one and you will wonder how you ever slept previously. In fact, on a few occasions, usually travelling, my CPAP & mask have failed, and sleep has been miserable. PLEASE TRY ANOTHER MASK!!

When you are not breathing, the Brain doesn't get oxygen - -thus tells the heart to send more blood.
The heart is no longer resting, now its pumping full bore & blood pressure is high.
I've had an uncle, grandfather, and my father have had strokes & heart attacks at approximately 3:00AM - -all HEAVY snoreres and gasped for air, COINCIDENCE???

The brain senses the high blood pressure, and decides there must be too much water in the body, so tells the kidneys to make urine rather than concentrating it. Thus you are running to the bathroom because you are NOT SLEEPING, rather than NOT SLEEPING because you are running to the bathroom.
The kidneys are stressed, the body is dehydrated, and constipation often results because all the water is pulled from the bowel first.

But, worst of all, your brain is not going to a 4th level below REM sleep necessary to make the enzyme needed to guard against depression - - and that black hole is a terrible place to be.

AS minor as your Apnea was tested, I'm surprised they didn't prescribe a Dental / Mandibular device to hold your jaw forward to improve breathing.
In any case, please try treatment again - - ask for different masks or dental device.
And, its my understanding sleep apnea doesn't get better with age.

Best Wishes!
John
Untitled URL Link
 
I got one about 8 months ago. I still have trouble with it sometimes, but I think it helps. My wife said I don't snore with it. But I still don't get a full night sleep without waking up 2 or 3 times. If Ihave a good night I wake up pretty rested but otherwise can't tell much difference.
 
Keep at it. I have to keep after my wife to wear hers but it does have benefits like not having a heart attack and not falling asleep at the wheel. She quit hers for a while until she woke up on the wrong shoulder of the road 2 weeks ago. I had a sleep study with the CPAP after my uvula removal surgery and I know I felt awful the next morning. The conclusion from the sleep study was that there was not enough benefit in my case. I wonder if your mask isn't fitted right or perhaps because you said your apnea is mild maybe the pressure isn't right. Good luck with it.
 
(quoted from post at 07:20:13 08/17/17) .......
I've had an uncle, grandfather, and my father have had strokes & heart attacks at approximately 3:00AM - -all HEAVY snoreres and gasped for air, COINCIDENCE???....

A good friend who stood up in my wedding died from sleep apnea in 1991. Went to bed, was snoring, wife went to sleep on the couch, got up at 6:00 AM and he was gone. He was kind of big, had a big neck, don't know if he had been diagnosed or not. As others said, it seems like everyone has apnea now, like ADDHD in kids. Probably due to the general obesity of Americans. Any skinny guys on here who have apnea?
 
about 5 years now cannot sleep WITHOUT it now . I even use it for an afternoon nap/ I now totally relax with it. I use part mask only under nose.
 
I have had a bipap for over 15 years--my sleep study showed i was stopping breathing up to 80 times per hour--takes a while to get used to it but you will
 
I've been in this discussion 100's of times. most of the people who can't get the hang of a cpap told everyone who would listen that they would never get use to it before they ever got it. The new machines keep a record on how much it's used. If you have a wreck and were suppose to be wearing the machine and haven't been, it won't look good in court! When i listen to the excuses that some people use, i almost can't control the laughing! If a medical supply company or person won't work with you, move on. I'm on my third company in 16yrs and can't imagine being anyplace else. The second company was great for years but it grew to big and forgot about it's customers.
 

Have something similar . On occasion the water vapour will condense in the hose and gurgle . Just raise the hose and let the condensate run back into the cpap.
Keep the thing clean and sterile from one end to the other. I had a phantom patch of mold growing in one hidden spot and it was making me ill.
Getting by with the under the nose thingamajig. Occasionally have air leakage from mouth so I sometimes wear a sweat band from under the chin and over the head.
Can not get a decent nights sleep without it.
As previously stated some people with sleep apnia go to bed and wake up dead.
Sleep apnia contributes to or makes high blood pressure worse.
 
"So it is your LIFE not your wife or your doctor!!!!! Tell them to stuff it!!!"


Great advise Dr Seller!

Hope I don't meet you on the wrong side of the highway when you decide it's nap time!
 
That is the stupidest thing I have heard recently. I've been on a cpap for a year and I'll come right out and say it saved my life.
 
I've had my CPAP for about 3 yrs. now, wish I'd gotten it sooner. I was waking up with severe dry mouth from mouth-breathing and bad headaches, blood pressure was high, and of course the snoring too. After doing the sleep test it said I was stopping breathing something in excess of 60 times an hour.

After getting my machine it was like a God sent miracle. Mine has the humidified air and heated hose. I've worked with the sleep clinic to get the pressure and the ramp up time set (starts low and builds to the set pressure). I usually turn it down in the summer when the air is more naturally humid and up in the winter when the heating has the house air dry. Good thing is the supplier has someone in the clinic office and if I need something they will order it and get is shipped right away. Just go once a year now and they run the SD memory card and check what I'm doing and how the machine is performing.

No more snoring, no morning headaches, lower BP, no dry mouth. I tried going on some trips with out it and that was a mistake, was miserable the entire time, so I pack it up and put it in the truck along with the other luggage.

A hard head I work with has other health problems and sleep apnea but he wouldn't wear it at night. I kept telling him about the benefits I was seeing and how the machines and masks have changed from when he got his machine, he finally went back the doctor and got back on the machine. It's helped him too.

To me it was more than worth it and my health ins. covered most of the cost, even if it didn't it would be worth it. I guess if you need it and don't use it I feel for your widow and other loved ones. It's your choice to live and die with the condition or get help. I hope they put this on your gravestone, to paraphrase a noted contributor on this thread: It's my life, not my wife's or my doctor's. Stuff it!
 
got one will sell cheap---never worked went and got a double mouth pie---does a better job at half the ce=ost and you can take it everywhere---don't why they have cpaps except big bucks ---ck with any good dentist they can fix you up
 
I've had used used CPAP/BIPAP with humidifier for over 10 years and on my 3rd machine. First machine would blow up my chest so much I had to use muscles to exhale. Can't sleep or even take naps without it. Used the GEL filled nose mask for the first 10 years. I would replace them every 6 mos. The new mask holder comes with 6 different sizes. When I don't feel rested when I wake up, I change the mask and feel rested the next morning. I use some sanitizing wipes to clean the nose mask and water tank.

One thing I've noticed about sleep apnea, I can't take a full dose of Nyquill or tylenol PM without waking up with a headache and not feeling rested.
 
Took my wife a few nights to get used to it. The first night she used it was just about the first night in her adult life she didn't wake up with a migraine headache. She uses her every night and wouldn't be without it. It did take some experimentation to get the right mask for her. She sleeps much better with it than without it.
 
3 years ago I had a sleep study that showed I was waking up enough to tighten the muscles in my throat to breath every 70 seconds. My O2 level was 68. I was literally blue. so I got no sleep in the good range. I have not missed 1 day since. Masks are all different, find the correct one for you. A good friend passed away. His wife woke up to him gasping for breath but it was too late. Just like me, thick neck, hard headed. Earl
 
I started with a CPAP machine. I had 97 occurences an hour. They figured I slept about two hours and 10 minutes a night. The CPAP worked a while but I was having problems. I had another sleep study and they put me in the BIPAP machine. It has worked great for 3 years. I am having trouble sleeping again. They maxed the pressure out in the machine and I am at 25 psi. You can dry your hair with the pressure of this machine. I am still struggling taking off the mask and not sleeping well. I am going to have another sleep test next week. They have come out with a new machine and they said they would probably put me in that one.

My experience try different masks. The pillow type under the nose are great if your pressure isn't very high.
Keeping trying to use it. You will finally get used to it. It could save your life.
 
I also had to use a Bipap. Originally I was givin a full face mask. I had to use it for 30 days for the insurance co to pay for it. It has a sleepmapper so they could check to make sure I was using it. After 30 days I didn't use it for at least a year. My wife was beating me up so bad about it. I found on line a device by Phillips called Dreamware. Its and air delivery system that forces the air through your nose. It is not a mask but rests under the nose. The air tube attatches to the device at the top of your head and air feeds down both sides of your face to the nose piece. The tube rotates as you roll over in your sleep. You never get tangled. I am a mouth breather also however with very little practice you realize that all you do is place your tongue lightly against your top front teeth and wallah SLEEP. I can't sleep with out it. No dry mouth, no fart noises from the mask. Its really comfortable. I would recommend this to anyone who needs a CPAP.
 
(quoted from post at 16:00:13 08/17/17) They maxed the pressure out in the machine and I am at 25 psi. You can dry your hair with the pressure of this machine. I am still struggling taking off the mask and not sleeping well.

Closer to 25 inches of water Column.
My machine senses inhalation and exhalation. Applies pressure when breathing in but drops pressure to eliminate resistance while exhaling.
 
Goose, interesting subject. Just saw this. I went 2 weeks ago and took machine home to use; felt like I was going to Mars when I got it all situated. Turned it on- slept all night - woke up- took back to doc and the next day they called and said I didn't do it right; 4 hr drive. I took it back and told them Id be back some day. I think they tell everybody they have this stuff- insurance. Good luck !
 
Steve I do not have any trouble staying awake driving. That is the trouble with this. Everyone thinks because you a larger fellow you have sleep troubles.

The noise these machines generate are more than I can sleep around. It caused my wife and I to get separate bedrooms. I tried to sleep with her machine making noise for a month. Then I was sleepy because of lack of sleep.
 
Eric I am glad it has made you feel better. I think for the people that truly have the sleep issues it can be a great thing. The original poster does not sound like he really has much of a sleeping trouble. The people that are waking up many times each hour do need the machines.
 

As to the mask... I have allergies.. and my nose is mostly plugged, so..... a full mask is a must...

If your nose is clear, then the smaller nasal mask works fine. But you must breath through your nose and keep your mouth shut. My nose is not clear and I have to breath through my mouth most nights. How ever the filter in the cpap cleans the air and I actually am able to breath through my nose by morning... so its bass ackwards...

and yes.. when I dream, I hold my breathe, so I can see it clearer... Yes, it sounds weird, but in the REM portion, I actually concentrate on the dream, and would then wake up gasping for air... some folks apparently dont do this, and others do...

And yes, I snore, and thankfully the cpap fixes the snoring so my wife can sleep, and also she no longer worries about me gasping for breath every 20 minutes or so...

And yes, its takes a bit to get used to, but.. I sleep better, and feel more rested. I will probably live longer...

As to the water, I dont use the water or moisture part, but do wake up with a very dry mouth every morning.
 
I can't live without mine. Those of you who say it is a scam never wake up drained every day and then suddenly with it you can get a night's rest and feel good all day. I won't take a nap without mine.

If you are having issues it is the adjustments. Turn up or down the humidity, you can adjust the pressure, play with the heat setting. I like the nose pillows and they come in different sizes. Try the different sizes and try playing with how tight the mask is. I like to run mine pretty loose. They also have chin straps if your mouth keeps coming open.

The way I sleep is to take the short section of floppy hose and tuck it under my arm right at the swivel. That way I have enough hose to sleep and not feel it pull but not so much it gets in my way. If I am sleeping where I can't put it under my arm I tuck it under my body slightly so it stays put. It will wake me up if I feel it pulling on my face.

I was waking up 37 times an hour when I had my study done and the CPAP changed my life. I wouldn't give it up for anything. It is a life changing device for me.
 
Goose I use one and love it. I even use it for naps. I have the kind with the nostril pillows. Works great!

I traveled for deer hunting once and forgot a part. I was miserable because I couldn't sleep well and of course was tired during the day. All I could do was to try and sit upright and sleep.

Keep at it, you will get used to it. So will your wife. Oh, I use distilled water and clean it about once per week.

Paul
 

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