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[Mayonnaise]

As I mention on another thread... I recently had a sleep study done to see if I have sleep apnea. Some close family members had the test and sure enough, they have it. I'm sure the results will come back as the same for me.
One family member can't afford the co-pay on their insurance. The other has an old one and can't get a new on because of insurance rates/policy changes.
One got one and had it for a couple of month's now and recently go a bill for a co-pay which they did not know they had since they was not told about it when they got their maching.

Personally, I don't know if I do have it or having a mask on at night will help me sleep any better. (sure helped me scuba diving though. lol). 

I also think that this is another money making insurance scam of somesort.

Anyone have experiance with this? Does the Cpap machine help/not help?

[Tiny]

I've been using one for 17 years and couldn't sleep without it. I used to fall asleep all the time from not getting enough sleep. I would fall asleep while driving home from work, a 20 minute drive.

The best way to tell if you need one is ask anyone who is near you when you sleep. A person with sleep apnea will stop breathing for a while, then suddenly gasp for air and breathe again for a while. This will repeat all night long. Some people will snore very loud but that doesn't always mean sleep apnea. Some people only do it when they sleep on their backs, and then sleep fine on their side.

The machine makes a big difference in my life. If I didn't use it I would be very miserable. When I took the test there was a monthly support group you could go to and see what everyone else was doing. A lot of the people opted for surgery only to find out they still had to use the machine. So I decided to just use the machine and live with it. If they come along with something better maybe I will try it.

The machine takes a while to get used to but after about a week it doesn't bother you at all.

If you need a machine the cheapest place to buy one is online. The hospital's company will charge you double the price you can get them online.

[The Fuzz]

I know two people very well that swear by them as to the improvements they made in how much better rested they feel now.

One is my wife.....she has been using one of the machines religiously for around 5 years or so now.

The damned thing sounds like a supercharged "toy" though, and I have had no luck at all in trying to train the cats to use the associated tank that goes with it as a litter box!

[Mayonnaise]

I know two people very well that swear by them as to the improvements they made in how much better rested they feel now.

One is my wife.....she has been using one of the machines religiously for around 5 years or so now.

The damned thing sounds like a supercharged "toy" though, and I have had no luck at all in trying to train the cats to use the associated tank that goes with it as a litter box!

Try sprinkling some catnip in it.

[Frenchfry]

The doc heard my wife mention her concern of me stopping breathing while sleeping and the next thing I know I'm doing the sleep study thing.

Ended up with an RX for a full face mask that covered my mouth and nose...not real comfortable to sleep with and my wife loved it because it eliminated my snoring...but I only do that occasionally when I sleep on my back anyway.

Funny thing...I lost a little weight and now I rarely snore.

I had issues from the start...had a burning sensation and redness from the silicone seal and the bridge of my nose developed an ulcer.

Obtained another script for the nasal pillow style...still had the burning issue...which is strange considering I've never had an allergic reaction to anything before and silicone is supposed to be inert.

Someone reasoned it may be the chemicals used in forming the product but no amount of washing seemed to alleviate the issue...so I just hoped to build up a tolerance.
 
The nasal pillows were relatively comfortable considering the alternatives but I soon discovered the increased air pressure started escaping through my mouth.

Seems I have narrow nasal passages so at some point during the night my mouth gapes open...I'm labeled a mouth breather...and the provided chin strap didn't prevent my deep sleep lip pursing....essentially negating the effect of positive air pressure...and waking me up several times throughout the night.

I revisited the full face mask/ulcerated bridge issue on Google....discovered it was common with the ResMed Quattro mask and people found relief with the updated FX version.

Good thing I copied the RX before having it filled because I discovered they didn't supply the correct mask...the scrip said FX but that's not what they filled it with.
The place claimed to swap it out at no cost but months later I discovered they actually billed for it anyway.

Anyway, the burning sensation never went away...intolerant to mask...and while my insurance covered the monthly rental in full...$250 a month reduced to $93....my minor issue just isn't worth the expense so I returned the equipment.

Personally I believe the stopping breathing thing is self taught...I hold my breath all the time.

[T-M-T]

Several years ago, within a two week span, I had two people sitting next to me on airplanes comment that when I slept (I always sleep on airplanes), I stopped breathing and loudly gasped for breath.  Both of them kindly suggested that I get checked for sleep apnea.  Since my wife had also suggested it, I figured it was time to get it checked out.  I had the sleep study done and was diagnosed with severe sleep apnea. The only practical solution was the CPAP machine.  Although it was annoying at first and I had to try several masks to find one that was comfortable, I eventually got used to it.  I noticed immediately that I started having dreams again.  I hadn't had them for years, because I evidently never slept deeply enough because of the apnea episodes.  I was also less tired during the day because I got better sleep at night.

After a couple years with the machine, I finally decided to get serious about my weight.  I wasn't obese and people wouldn't have called me "fat", but I was probably 25 pounds heavier than I needed to be.  From the research I had done, overweight people are far more likely to have sleep apnea, but even though there were no guarantees, I figured I'd give it my best shot.  I buckled down, watched my eating, got on a serious workout program and lost the weight.  I went back to the sleep clinic for another sleep study.  The doctor happily showed my the results of the two studies side-by-side.  I was basically cured, as the apnea episodes were totally gone.  I look better, feel better and got rid of the annoying machine.  I still have the machine and it serves as a reminder of just one of the many reasons to stay in shape.

After the first sleep study, I did a lot of research on sleep apnea.  You basically stop breathing until your brain and body wake up just enough to get you to breathe again.  Even though your brain doesn't wake you completely, it wakes enough to disrupt the deep sleep you need.  Untreated, it can cause more serious health problems and place stress on the heart.  As the original post said, it seems like everyone has sleep apnea when it was unheard of 20 or 30 years ago, but obesity rates have been skyrocketing during that time too.  If you are diagnosed with it, you most likely have a problem, but the cheap fix for many (including Frenchfry, it seems from his story) is to lose weight.

[Monique]

Both of my husbands stop breathing during sleep, especially if they've had anything to drink. My Ex was tested for apnea, which I was sure he had, but they sent him home and told him not to sleep on his back. But that's the only way he can sleep, so the whole thing was pretty pointless.

During my bouts of insomnia, listening to H snoring and not breathing drives me nuts. I usually only have to say "roll over, you're not breathing," and he turns and is fine.

Neither of them are overweight, but I've noticed as I've gotten older and... uh... fluffier, if I fall asleep on my back, I wake myself up snoring! Mortifying!!  Guess there's another good reason to lose some weight! Good thing I sleep on my belly most of the time.

[sammy]

Fluffier is a term seldom(never) seen, and will be saved for future reference. I'm pretty sure I would qualify for the term, if it is gender-neutral. Yes, I snore bigtime, as have many in my geneology  stack. None have been diagnosed with "sleep apnea", and none have died from stopping breathing in the pursuit of a night's sleep. I smell money here!

[Monique]

Lol, Sammy! Feel free to use it at will. Definitely gender neutral! ;0)

[Tiny]

Fluffier is a term seldom(never) seen, and will be saved for future reference. I'm pretty sure I would qualify for the term, if it is gender-neutral. Yes, I snore bigtime, as have many in my geneology  stack. None have been diagnosed with "sleep apnea", and none have died from stopping breathing in the pursuit of a night's sleep. I smell money here!

Not all snoring means sleep apnea, some people just snore. It's the stopping breathing that is a strain on the heart.

If I fall asleep (even for just a nap) without my CPAP machine I have dreams where I'm trying to climb a set of stairs but just don't have the strength to do it. I feel very weak like I'm going to pass out or have a heart attack. Eventually my brain wakes me enough to take a breath and then it starts all over again until I wake and fully and realize what has been happening. Then you feel like you just ran a marathon but you were actually sleeping.

I think I would be dead if I didn't have my machine. My grandmother died at 55 years old and my mother said she would stop breathing at night, but back in the 50's no one knew about sleep apnea. My machine is worth every penny.

You don't die from stopping breathing, you die from heart trouble or falling asleep while driving, because you didn't get any sleep.

[Tiny]

Both of my husbands stop breathing during sleep, especially if they've had anything to drink. My Ex was tested for apnea, which I was sure he had, but they sent him home and told him not to sleep on his back. But that's the only way he can sleep, so the whole thing was pretty pointless.

During my bouts of insomnia, listening to H snoring and not breathing drives me nuts. I usually only have to say "roll over, you're not breathing," and he turns and is fine.

Neither of them are overweight, but I've noticed as I've gotten older and... uh... fluffier, if I fall asleep on my back, I wake myself up snoring! Mortifying!!  Guess there's another good reason to lose some weight! Good thing I sleep on my belly most of the time.

The doctor says to buy a tee shirt and sew two tennis balls in the back and wear it to bed, keeps you from sleeping on your back.

If you place them right maybe you can fool H.

[T-M-T]

The doctor says to buy a tee shirt and sew two tennis balls in the back and wear it to bed, keeps you from sleeping on your back.

If you place them right maybe you can fool H.

Could you sew two bowling balls into a t-shirt?

[The Fuzz]

LOL.....or mellons?

[Monique]

Sorry, TMT, not bowling balls. But Fuzz is on track! The personal watermelon size is about right!! 

[The Fuzz]

Be careful......H could wake up and in the confusion not be aware of your orientation and.....well, never mind.