Has C-PAP worked for your sleep apnea? Is your life better or worse? I’m getting one and I was wondering.
I’m getting a C-PAP for sleep apnea. I took a sleep test and they told they have never seen it so bad in someone so "young". I’m 34 yrs old. I’ve heard stories going both ways. Some say it helps, some say it doesn’t. Fortunatly there are way more stories about C-PAP being a positive thing. I was just wondering what people’s personal experiences have been.
Tagged with: c pap • personal experiences • sleep • sleep apnea • sleep test
Filed under: Sleep Apnea Symptoms
I have sleep apnea and I don’t know whether my result would be the same as yours, since I’m 17 (sleep apnea runs in our family). Apparently, I stop breathing or have shallow breathing for about 20 seconds on average, 20 times on average in a hour, which isn’t too bad.
For me, I started to use the CPAP since September, and I think my life got a little bit better. However, it is worse in a way because I get a dry mouth and a sore nostril (depends on what type of mask you use). I still have to learn to keep it on at night, because I have the tendency to unintentionally take it off.
I know some of my teachers and doctors who use the CPAP machine, and according to them (whose ages range from 30 to 70), they think that it had negative affect on their lives.
They have frequent stomachaches, because the air blows in too much and makes them bloated, bloody nose, insomnia (from the noise), frequent belches, and/or dry eyes. I heard story from one of the doctor, that their friend got a lung infection from using the CPAP machine.
I know it must be weird to hear this from a teenager, but make sure that you wash the parts of the CPAP machine very well, (which a person who is distributing the machine should tell you anyways). Also, in the winter, it gets colder, so the hose would be more condensed, and the water droplets might be disturbing the sleep. I recommend covering the tube with a fleece material, which you could get at places distributing the machines, because it really helps.
By the way, sleep apnea is not necessarily for old, obese men. People of all ages have it, depending on their jaw, nose, and throat structure, etc. (and obesity is a factor, too). My doctor says that it is sometimes the brains forgetting to send commands for the body to breath. Sleep apnea, is one of the reasons why the babies die of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). Moreover, someone who can be really skinny can still have sleep apnea because their tongue is too big for their jaw, and the tongue falls back while sleeping.
I hope this answered your question a bit (although I must say I might have gotten off track). Good luck using the CPAP machine!