Now for some information. I recently underwent a sleep study for sleep apnea and after being sleep deprived for most of my adult life (I am 46) I am now using a CPAP machine. Since beginning this therapy I can’t sleep more than 6 hours per night and usually only 5. I awake refreshed and need no more sleep throughout the day. Is this common for people who begin using CPAP machines and will I require more sleep as time goes on. I have been using this for 6 months.
If you are using CPAP therapy I would appreciate your answers.

My father has Obstructive Sleep Apnea and will be going in for a sleep study soon so I am looking at CPAP Machines and doing research.

My father came across an add for this "Oral Appliance Therapy" thing and I am wondering if you have any info on if it works or if it is a scam.

Oral Appliance Therapy

http://www.tiredofcpap.com/

I’m looking at the CPAP Machines and if you could share your stories with me, I would greatly appreciate it!
Obstructive Sleep Apnea Info:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Obstructive_Sleep_Apnea

I want to know what the different types of Snoreguards are. My dentist tells me there are more than one type. Snoreguards are an alternative to the use of CPAP machines in the care of Sleep Apnea.

Hello,
I was just diagnosed with sleep apnea after 2 sleep studies. The 2nd night I used a nasal cpap thing. So I go tomorrow to buy a machine and mask and start with the treatment.

My insurance usually pays 70% for most things, and I’m not sure if they are with this (they’re paying something, just not sure how much). When I talked to the place I’ll be buying from, they said my portion after insurance will be 3. So if they are paying 70% (again I don’t know, maybe it’s different with this) that would mean I’m getting almost ,500 worth of equipment.

But from looking online at cpap machines, they tend to run even on the high end for about -900 at the most that I saw. And the masks were only at most 0 (that I saw). So is there something I’m missing? This seems ridiculously expensive.

Either way, does anyone have a good recommendation for the best machine and nasal "pillow" type mask? If money wasn’t an obstacle, what would be the "best"? I’m new to this, so thank you!

How many of you use, or know someone who uses a CPAP machine at night to help them breathe and not to snore?

I am very curious about this, since CPAPs save lives all over the world. I think we all need more education on CPAP machines, and we need to spread the word that if people snore or stop breathing at night, they should have a sleep study done.

Sleep Apnea causes high blood pressure, can cause strokes and heart attacks. It sometimes makes people have heartburn at night, and makes them sleepy during the day. People can become forgetful or irritated. This is just a short list of all the damage that having untreated sleep apnea can cause.

I know I have sleep apnea. I snore so loud and I have excessive fatigue to the point that I have to sleep more than 12 hours a day. It also runs in my family. I just got a CPAP machine from someone. How dangerous would it be for me to use it? Educated responses only.
Monica- I asked for educated responses only. I am also in the health profession and that doesn’t mean I know everything about everything. CPAP machines are not by prescription only, otherwise you could not buy them anywhere. And If you aren’t even aware that they are for sleep apnea, I am not quite sure how you managed to become a nurse.
Davisk- pneumothorax is not a "hole in the lungs". I have studied cardiorespiratory care. I am also well aware that too much O2 can be dangerous. Also, there are no H2O levels on this machine. Are you meaning O2 levels? And finally, it is not gross. Obviously I am not stupid enough to use another person’s mask! lol.

I’m wondering if anyone here has used one of these, and if it worked for you?
Or if you’re a dentist, and you know how these work?

(I’m not interested in any answers about anything other than the dental appliance. I know all about CPAP machines.)

OK, well if you know about the surgeries, I’d be interested in that.

I need some serious help dealing with my mom and her sleep apnea. I’ve searched for information online but so far I can’t find what I’m looking for. My mom is a hard-headed patient. She falls asleep all the time without her CPAP on. Sometimes I have to wake her up 5-10 times a nite to get her to put it on. She has congestive heart failure. I’m afraid I’m going to go in her room and find her dead. I was wondering if anyone knows if there are CPAP machines available with alarms? Also, I was wondering if it is okay for people with sleep apnea to take naps in chairs? I don’t think she should do it but she does all the time. I think if I had proof, she would stop doing it.
Does anyone know where I can get better information on Sleep Apnea and CPAP’s? I’m desperate to help my mom.

CPAP machines are used to treat Sleep Apnea. They are ugly machines, but Dressup by Brenda make them look pretty cool with many patterns to chose from. Someone could have Sleep Apnea and not know it. It should be diagnosed as it can lead to many life-threatening, long-term illnesses. This is not an advertisment, but a plea for all those who are tired all the time, fall asleep at their desk or just drag through the day and don’t know why. Sleep Apnea gets worse if untreated. I started falling asleep while driving before I realized something was very wrong. Don’t take chances if you think you may have Sleep Apnea. Talk to your doctor. It just could save your life.
More Sleep Apnea Info.
Sleep apnea is a serious medical condition characterized by snoring and daytime sleepiness. People who have sleep apnea complain of being sleepy and tired, they normally snore, they tend to have snorting and stop breathing in their sleep. Frequently, the spouse wakes up because of the snoring and also the stopping of breathing that happens in sleep apnea.

Complaints by Spouses
• Stops breathing at night
• Always tired
• Takes naps daily
• Snoring wakes me up
• I have to get up to shake him/her because he/she stops breathing
• Never wants to do anything because he/she is always tired
• Falls asleep watching TV
• Grinds his/her teeth

Symptoms Related with Sleep Apnea
People with sleep apnea tend to have a lower level of functioning.
Associated findings are:

Increased Weight Gain
Inability to lose weight no matter what they do. This is because your mind is sleepy, so the body never really gets to take active awake state.
Obesity There is direct correlation proven beyond doubt between obesity and sleep apnea. There is a formula related to collar size and sleep apnea. People with sleep apnea and snoring tend to progressively gain weight and cannot lose the weight even with diet and exercise. This is like a vicious cycle because the more weight you gain, the worse is the sleep apnea
Sex & Sleep Apnea People with sleep apnea tend to have fewer relations not only because of excessive sleepiness and being tired by the time intimate time begins, but also because of spouses anxiety of having to fall asleep again next to this person who snores and snorts and drools all night long. Also the spouse sleeps lightly in case the partner stops breathing.

Snoring Snoring is not a benign condition and is normally a sign of underlying sleep apnea. This diagnosis is normally made by doing a sleep study which is described elsewhere and is performed overnight at a sleep lab.

Risk Factors Related to Snoring

• Heart attack
• High blood pressure
• Stroke
• Heart failure
• Increased tiredness
• Sleep apnea

All the cardiovascular risk associated with sleep apnea is present with snoring.
www.dressupsbybrenda.net has more Sleep Apnea info.

Just a couple weeks ago I was diagnosed with severe sleep apnea. I got the cpap machine and have adjusted pretty well to it. My question for those who have apnea and have the cpap machines, how long does it take before you really start feeling differently from the use of cpap? I mean I have felt better since using it. Before the cpap machine on a scale of 1-10 , 1 being completely exhausted 10 being energized I always felt like a 1, but now i feel maybe a 6-7. Does it just take time for you to get use to it and to feel more and more energized throughout the day?
I have been wearing it just a week so far.

I had surgery on my sinuses to correct sleep apnea. I felt much better at first but soon i started feeling tired all over again. My doctor says that can sometimes happen – that the surgery is sucessfull at first but then it becomes obvious that it didnt solve the problem. Now i will have to wear one of thosse CPAP machines, and also my doctor thinks that i also have a circadian rythm disorder – so i have 2 sleep disorders. Ack!

Did you know that Sleep Apnea is a serious and deadly disease which affects many Americans who aren't even aware of it? The symptoms include snoring, daytime drowsiness/sleepiness, cessation of breathing during sleep, night sweats, morning headaches, loss of concentration and many others. I have lost two friends in the past two years to Sleep Apnea. Both were diagnosed and refused to use their CPAP machines. I was diagnosed in 2000 and use a CPAP every time I sleep.