r/SleepApnea

Hi all. I cannot breathe through my nose at all but I have all the symptoms of sleep apnea (daytime fatigue, snoring, waking up in the night, cognitive fog, etc). I probably won't get a corrective surgery for my problems with my nose for at least another few months, maybe longer. I live in the UK and have been told by some private consultants to stick with the NHS because my nasal problems are too complex for them - I could be waiting on the NHS for years. I may find a private surgeon willing to operate sooner but their theatre availability and suggested timeframe for treatment is in question.

Anyway, to cut to the issue here, my nose is completely blocked and nasal stents can't help. I have a deviated septum going far back. I have a collapsed nose near the front anyway. I have rigid nasal valve collapse and one of my nostrils is rock solid and can't be prised open with a cue tip. The other can be prised open but falls back again once it is not held open. I might have nasal synechiae or nasal stenosis. This means that typical CPAP machines aren't very effective. Is there anything you can use if you can only mouth-breathe at the moment. Should I just wear a nasal stent in one nostril?

It’s been probably 5 years of friends and family telling me how bad my snoring is. It’s typically a playful remark quickly followed by “but seriously.. you should get that checked out”.

In the past 2-3 years, I think it’s really dawned on me how serious it is.

I struggle to wake up every morning. For a long time I thought it was bc of depression from getting dumped and losing my job. But I’ve been to therapy. I have a new job. And I’m dating again. I don’t feel perfectly happy everyday but I definitely don’t think I’m depressed anymore.

If I don’t take my adhd medication, I STRUGGLE to stay awake during the day. If I don’t have work, I will literally sleep all day. If I work, I get home and immediately nap. Wake up. Eat dinner. Then go back to bed. Again for a long time I couldn’t tell if this was side affects from not taking my adhd medication or if this was sleep apnea.

Today I’ve decided enough is enough. I’d like to get a sleep study done and feel what it’s like to be actually well rested.

The kicker is I do not have health insurance. My work is at a small company that doesn’t offer that benefit yet. I’ve seen services online that offer sleep studies.. I’ve tried to sign up for gov healthcare but TBH I’m behind on my taxes and I don’t think I can sign up without tax transcripts.

I KNOW IM AN IDIOT

Pls advise

Has anyone with excessive daytime fatigue (without insomnia) been diagnosed with sleep apnea, narcolepsy, or idiopathic hypersolemnence and then later discovered that MHT (progesterone and/or estrogen) fixed their issue?

I have a PSG with next-day MSLT scheduled at the sleep center. But my PCP prescribed me oral progesterone. I was going to wait until AFTER my sleep study to start the progesterone, but I discovered in just a few days of a trial that progesterone ACTIVATES me. Like, so much that I had to take it in the morning...which made me NOT HAVE TO NAP.

I almost cried when I realized it was the progesterone keeping me awake all day. Because this excessive daytime fatigue has been DEBILITATING.

I'm stopping the progesterone until after the sleep study because I'm afraid it will mess with the tests.

I  feel like nobody really warned me about this part. The machine itself isn’t even THAT loud, but when the room is completely quiet I become ridiculously aware of everything. The airflow. My own breathing. The tiny change in sound when I inhale vs exhale. Sometimes a little noise from the mask depending on how I’m lying. And once I notice one of those things my brain apparently decides it needs to monitor it for the next hour lol. It’s weird because I know the whole point of CPAP is to help you sleep better, but at first actually falling asleep WITH something attached to your face feels like a separate skill you need to learn. I tried silence for a while because I thought eventually I would just get used to the machine. Didn’t really work for me. Then I tried podcasts but I’d end up listening to what they were saying, and music was even worse because I’d wait for the next song. What I’ve been doing lately is putting a really soft background sound on that sits underneath the CPAP noise. I use Nocturne: Sleep Sounds & Noise (yes an app, sorry dear angry Redditor for mentioning an app) and made a mix with mostly brown noise and some rain. Nothing loud enough to drown everything out, just enough that my breathing isn’t the most interesting sound in the room anymore. That distinction actually made a pretty big difference for me. If I try to completely cover the CPAP, I end up paying attention to whether I can still hear it. But if I leave it slightly audible and just add another layer of boring background sound, after a while my brain seems to stop caring about it. It almost feels like the problem isn’t the volume of the CPAP. It’s the fact that in a completely silent room the sound is so predictable and tied to every breath that it’s REALLY easy to focus on. inhale. exhale. inhale. exhale.

Then once I’m listening to my own breathing I start breathing manually which is probably one of the most annoying sensations on earth 😭 I’ve also noticed that natural/random sounds work better for me than one perfectly constant tone. Rain is good because there are tiny changes all the time, so my brain doesn’t seem to lock onto the CPAP rhythm as much. I’m not saying any of this does anything for the actual sleep apnea obviously. I still use the CPAP exactly as intended. This is purely about making it easier for me to forget that I’m wearing the thing long enough to actually fall asleep. And I know a lot of people eventually reach the point where they barely notice their CPAP at all, so I’m hoping this is one of those things that gets easier with time. Did anyone else go through this in the beginning?

I got diagnosed with sleep apnea last year. I had about 60 events per hour. I used it for a month then stopped because i kept having issues with a stuffy nose and ended up getting dry mouth. Now I lost about 15 lbs since then I went up to 95 events per hour. I am trying to get back in the machine but I having same issues as before.

I (40F) just got my diagnosis and a CPAP is on deck for me. I am newly married and my husband's (29M) sex drive is far higher than mine (obviously) and this can become a point of contention sometimes. Long story short, I'm curious to hear from those who use CPAP and how it has (or hasn't?) impacted intimacy within relationships. I'm terrified it's going to kill our sex life. (Yeah I know this is life saving and necessary for me as my diagnosis is pretty severe) I just need to hear that it's not the end of my sex life and our intimacy.

So I did my sleep study in late June, ended up getting diagnosed on 17 July with Moderate-Severe OSA, they didn't give me any of the data/stats so I have no idea what my AHI is which is frustrating.

It says average wait time is 46 weeks so about 10 months roughly.

Is it worth just buying my own CPAP? I have the funds to do it and don't feel like waiting until next year to potentially get treatment. I have a dentist appointment next week so going to mention mandibular device and if that would be beneficial too but I don't mind getting CPAP treatment first, then going down that route later if needed.

Any help would be appreciated.

I was diagnosed with Sleep Apnea 2 years ago. Despite the masks and machine not working for me so far, I put the mask on every night. Now the MVA is threatening to take my license away. I was stupid enough to be honest on an address form when I moved in May, so now the MVA (DMV for most other people) knows I have sleep apnea. I can’t hit the current compliance goals on my machine. My sleep doctor, almost gleefully, told me “Yeah they are going to take your license away, it’s happened to my other patients. They want 6 month of data and all they care about is the numbers.” The time frame they are requesting data from is way before I even moved and knew my license would be in jeopardy.

I have sleep apnea because of my weight, the medicine I take for bi-polar disorder correlates with weight gain. I was 170-180 lbs before starting on that class of meds and now I’m 300 lbs. In between then i have had periods of losing 50-60 lbs gaining 30 - 40 lbs but I never gave up. Cardio helped me a lot but I have arthritis in my feet now so it’s harder to run consistently even though I’m not old. My insurance won’t cover Zepbound which is approved for Sleep Apnea/Weight loss. Now my license is being taken away because I subconsciously take off the mask at night.

I do what my doctor’s say for my mental health & sleep health, but taking care of my mental health has lead to my physical health declining. I’m being penalized for attempting to improve my sleep health, when I did that sleep study and had to buy this expensive ass CPAP machine. Does anyone have a similar experience with sleep health, the DMV trying to take their license away, or any suggestions? I usually don’t rant on here but thanks for reading.

I have gotten down to below 20 AHI consistently with BiPAP Luna G3 machine. Thinking of trying dental appliance. It seems so ridiculous to me that the best solution is to strap this contraption to your face every night. I found a dentist that does a year long trial with a temporary device ($350). They adjust it, you sleep on it for 2-3 months, assess, adjust; rinse,repeat until it's tuned up. Then it's $3500 for the actual device so a heavy hit. Anyone using these successfully?

Just had another sleep study. And after rounds of tests, it's been determined that:

• I have severe Central Sleep Apnea

• AHI during sleep studies averages 97 AHI, worsening to 118 when on my back

• Scans show no brain damage, lesions, or tumors

• Healthy heart

• No known neurological disorders

• Currently taking no medication

• No history of opioid use

• Not treatment-emergent

• Worsening over the last two years

• I'm certainly not living at a higher altitude

It's been determined I'll need to use a BiPAP with ASV, but further testing is required.

I've also been informed there's no guarantee it will help; air can be forced into my face at high pressure all day, but my brain has to decide it wants to take a breath, and it seems thoroughly disinclined to participate.

Understandably enough, I'm desperate and scared. I'm looking at supplements like resveratrol and CoQ10.

I suspect my brain simply isn't appropriately sensitive or responsive to CO2 levels, or there's some faulty chemo-receptor somewhere in need of the world's smallest engineer.

(Maybe my lifelong struggle with anxiety and panic attacks have altered my brain's relationship with CO2 levels? Brain, I need you to deal with your avoidant relationship style with these molecules.)

The strangest thing is how much variability there is in my day-to-day energy levels. Some days I'll be the walking dead and will call out of work because I don't trust myself behind the wheel. Other days I feel refreshed and amazing and like a Real Boy again.

Oddly, after discontinuing Fluoxetine several months ago, I slept amazingly well for 4 weeks, but then the same variable energy level pattern returned. I want that neurochemical Black Swan cocktail back.

I don't really know what the point of this post is. Partially venting and giving voice to my frustration and anxiety, partly an open journal entry. A small irrational part of me hopes a neurology prodigy will stumble across this and say, "I know exactly what's happening, and here's the treatment!"

Some people fantasize about expensive cars and ruling the world. I fantasize about breathing in my sleep. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

I'm not sure what to think about this. Sinuses were acting up something awful so I just thought WTH and didn't use my machine. But I did wear my pulse oxy ring with the alarm set in case I got too low. Most of the seven hour range was 95% or above and I only had 11 seconds at 88%. I feel fairly well rested this morning, despite my usual 3am cortisol spike.

Note that I have lost almost 40lbs and do Snoregym exercises to strengthen tongue, throat and jaw. Also, my original sleep study had me at mild to moderate.

It's only one night, but I'm wondering if I should do another sleep test?

Hey all!

Last night was my 8th night since getting my CPAP machine. On night 5 I couldn't fall asleep and had a panic attack feeling very claustrophobic. I got some advice and adjusted some settings. I slept fine night 7, but last night I apparently ripped the mask off my face, removed the tube, and stayed asleep/was barely awake because I dont remember a thing.

I only had the mask on for about an hour according to my app. The tube was out of the mask so I am assuming I pulled the tube till it came off and ripped the mask off my face.

Has anyone else done this before?

Also random but has anyone been successful in losing weight to get rid of the mask? This feels so embarrassing. My snoring has made me so embarrassed for my whole life but was too tired and depressed to do anything about it. I am ready to do something and would love to hear others experiences in fighting that battle. My dad and grandfather are bother overweight and have sleep apnea. (I am 24 F, 5'4 and 240lbs)

Edit: I specifically changed the setting to turn off the ramping up of the pressure which did help my claustrophobia. This was the advice of my doctor.

I wore mine for eight hours last night. I am in the first couple weeks of usage. I feel like crap this morning. Is this normal in the beginning?

Sorry for the vague title, but I am looking for some guidance.

I went to a sleep doctor today referred by my primary care physician and he ordered an in-lab sleep test. I called to schedule and they estimated it'd be around $1,300 out of pocket.

I may call his office back and see if there's an in-home option that's cheaper.

That being said, is this the best route? I know there are some online in home options to get prescribed for a machine.

I am just looking for a solid, affordable option here. Thanks for all the help. I am just beginning this journey and am questioning if I can afford this kind of care or not.

Before learning more about sleep apnea, I always assumed feeling tired during the day was just something everyone experienced from time to time.

Looking back, I'm curious how many people noticed other things too, like difficulty concentrating, feeling exhausted after waking up, struggling through the afternoon, or simply never feeling fully rested.

For those who have dealt with sleep apnea, what was the biggest sign that made you realize your sleep was affecting more of your day than you thought?

I'm 23 years old with suspected sleep apnea, awaiting for sleep study and tests.

been on CPAP for about a month and use it every night for the full time I’m asleep. One night I managed about7 hours and 20 minutes, but most nights it’s closer to 5 to 5.25 hours. Overall, I do feel somewhat better during the day. I have more energy, and days feel longer, which is encouraging. But falling asleep is still hard. Sometimes I just don’t feel tired, even after only 4 or 5 hours the night before. I’ve been using weed to help me fall asleep with the CPAP, but I don’t want to feel dependent on that. I also tried some over-the-counter sleep aids. The first night seemed helpful, but not much after that. I even tested cutting caffeine completely some days, and I still didn’t feel sleepy at bedtime. I’m not looking to quit CPAP; I want to make it work. I’m just not sure if this is normal adjustment after a month or if I should talk to my doctor about short-term insomnia help while I adapt. Has anyone else dealt with this? Did it improve with time, CPAP setting changes, CBTI, medication, or something else? Any advice or experiences would be appreciated. Actions available