Sleep Apnea Blog

Alternatives for treating sleep apnea?

2010-05-16T08:42:11Z

I was diagnosed with sleep apnea 2 years ago. I was given sleep-pack mask but it’s even harder to sleep with that on! Does anyone know of an alternative to the mask that works?!

depends on the causes of your sleep apnea. One of the main causes is being overweight, and you don’t even have to be a lot overweight. That’s not always the cause (my dad has it, and has always been on the leaner side). My older sister has it, and hers is DEFINITELY weight related.

Not knowing you i can’t say if weight is a factor or not, but you would know. If it is, try eating healthy, (which everybody should do anyhow), and you will lose weight as a side effect of eating healthy.

Sometimes sleeping on the side helps, but not always.

There are alternatives, i.e. surgery, but as for how well that works, not sure (according to a doc i saw recently, he says it’s 50/50, but anther doc said he gets good results). Surgery should ALWAYS be a last result however, but sleep apnea needs to be taken care of. It’s very hard on the heart.

Can Sleep Apnea be causing my Palpitations?

2010-05-16T08:42:11Z

I seem to sometimes wake up with a pounding heart, but I have been to the doctor twice and had normal ECGs and blood oxygen levels.

Hello!

I will try to answer to your question as simple as possible.

If you have sleep apnea disorder, your heart may be affected by serious health problems, such as:
-heart arrhythmia, or abnormal heart rhythm. It means that heart may have long pauses between beats, even 2 or 3 seconds long, or extra beats.
-congestive heart failure, in which the heart fails to adequately maintain the circulation of blood. So your heart will deliver low blood oxygen level to the body tissues.

You need to remember that all this heart problems appear most of the time during sleep, when you have apnea episodes.

With CPAP treatment, all this problem will disappear.

I hope this information will help you.

How do you cure sleep apnea without a breathing machine?

2010-05-16T08:42:11Z

My boyfriend has no insurance. He cannot afford a machine. He wakes tired from this condition and he is a carpenter. Hard work with power tools. I worry about him.

you can’t cure sleep apnea even with a cpap machine. what you can do is get a uppp operation by a ent specialist or lose weight and do not drink alcohol before sleep. do not sleep flat on your back either. those things will help but you are right to be concerned.

Are these apneas bad?

2010-05-16T08:42:10Z

Is a few episodes of central apnea and hypoapnea bad? I had a few episodes during a sleep study and only was able to sleep supine for 6 minutes, but during, had 1 episode of that, and 4 of the hypoapnea. I had NO obstructive apneas, yet was diagnosed with Mild Obstructive sleep apnea.

Apneas are never good, but a mild case is the least concerning case for you to have.
As long as you’re maintaining your oxygen levels to some degree and are getting moderate amounts of restful sleep every night, you may want to explore secondary options such as diet and exercise, Breathe right nasal strips or ambulatory surgery in order to fix your apneic case.
Talk to your doctor for more personalized information.

Is an oxygen concentrator normal treatment for sleep apnea, and can oxygen cause headaches?

2010-05-16T08:42:10Z

I’ve had several test where overnight I wore the thing on my finger to test my oxygen saturation levels, and apparently the levels went down because now the Dr. has ordered an oxygen concentrator to wear at night. We’re doing another oxygen level test in a few weeks, to see if the concentrator helps. I’m just wondering if this is a normal first step, because I see a lot of people on here use other things. I’ve also noticed that I’m waking up with horrible headeaches after sleeping with the oxygen, is that normal?
It’s just a normal concentrator with a humidifier bottle and nasal canula. I don’t think the headaches are from it being too tight, because it only goes over my ears and is just tight enough that it doesn’t fall off.

Usually when you get headaches it’s from lack of oxygen, I used to get those heaps but once i went on oxygen they cleared up straight away. If you think the prongs are too tight just hook them up underneath your nose and tighten at the back of your head, I do that because it feels like my ears are being pushed out the other way lol. As for the headaches, talk to your doctor and see what can be done, you may not be getting enough oxygen at night and might have to put it up higher.

what exactly is sleep apnea and what are the most common symptoms?

2010-05-16T08:42:10Z

Havinng his condiion myself I can tell you it is an airway blockage.

Morning issues such as dry throat, headaches, being very tired uppon waking, excessive daytime drowsiness which may also be narcolepsy.

Surgery cures most snoring but rarely apnea which is further back in the throat. There are treatments out there but the only one thhat works for me is a CPAP.

It is a continuous positive airway pressure system designed to keep the airway open.

Does anyone have problems with the mask with CPAP for sleep apnea?

2010-05-16T08:42:09Z

My grandfather is finding it hard to breathe while wearing the mask that is on his CPAP machine. He has a mask and just the tube for the nose but both make him feel like he’s having a hard time breathing, and he’s worried about wearing it at night.

That usually happens for the first few weeks after getting the machine. After awhile he will get used to it. If not, then he should see a doctor because maybe the mask is not sized properly.

What are some great websites about Sleep Eating Disorders?

2010-05-16T08:42:09Z

This is for my Psychology 101 paper.

I suggest you go to the webmd medical site and read some articles and check the other references there. The second link is a page with many articles on this subject.

Has anyone lost weight once beginging sleep apnea treatment?

2010-05-10T00:25:07Z

In the coming weeks I will start using the CPAP mask to treat my sleep apnea. My neurologist suggested I could lose roughly thirty pounds just by beginning the treatment. I am wondering if anyone has ever lost any weight once they started using a CPAP machine and if so, how much and over how long of a time? Everyone things my doctor is blowing smoke up my butt.

It sounds a bit hard to believe! I have never heard of it, but the doctor would be committing a serious error if he was lying or "joking" without making it clear that he was joking. I have done some research and nothing shows that weight loss is a side effect of the treatment.
Take a look at the info below

Can sleep apnea cause seizures?

2010-05-10T00:25:06Z

I have a 6 yr. old daughter who recently started having seizures in her sleep. (or recently that I know of) The first time I called 911, the second time I drove her to the hospital myself. They were 8 days apart and both were in the middle of the night. We went in and had a cat scan, mri and eeg. No signifacant results, which is good news, but I can’t live the rest of my life waking up every time she scratches an itch. She has always snored slightly and had to have her adnoids out at age 4 because of this. Does any one here have a sleep apnea and if so, have you ever had a seizure because of it?

well yes kinda my son 2 also has sleep apnea and as you know it is because they stop breathing(apnea) so if they stop for a longer amount of time then oxygen to the brain has stopped so they could sizer now remember I’m not a Dr this is just we were told by my sons Dr we also keep him on a pulse oxcemider at night so i know if he stops breathing you might ask for one good luck if you have any more ?s i will be happy to help