CPAP machines (1 Viewer)

[dkp993]

So I recently joined the world of CPAP users. I do feel like it helps on some nights and I get a deeper sleep, I feel less sleepy at work most days. But on some nights I don't sleep as long and still don't feel completely rested. The discomfort of the mask or my mind concentrating on breathing. Overall its been an improvement I think but can it be better?

I also see a lot of commercials for other options. Wondering if I should look into some that don't need a mask.

"Inspire" I think is one but seems to be an implant? Anyone know about it or have it?
I also see neck aligners and mouth guard type items. Anyone use or know about these?

I have a mouth thing that was molded from a certified sleep dentist person. It is my understanding though that is only for people with mild - to low medium apnea cases.

I have the same but one I order online and shape myself (via hot/boiling water). Works great as I have obstructive sleep apnea (my tongue falls back and block my throat when I sleep). I sleep much much better now and am not anywhere near as tired throughout the day as I use to be.

 

[Corporation]

Seriously love the nose pillows. A little silicone thing under my nose, just did my annual stats review with my doctor and he was amazed I had zero air leak in the last 90 days, I've got it dialed in nice and snug but I don't even feel it when I'm in bed.

I have and old ResMed CPAP that does NOT sync with the cloud, apparently this model used to but didn't upgrade to 5G so it doesn't have a connection anymore. So I have to bring in my data on an SD card. Anyway, for those curious, there are some windows apps that you can download and review your own data for free. I've used SleepyHead, it was useful when I first started CPAP so I could get a handle on my stats. But now I'm fully on auto-pilot. I just do my thing and it works great. Girlfriend can't stand to be in the house with me if I fall asleep on the couch and snore up a storm, but, has no problem being in bed next to me for 8 hours at night when I have the mask on. Went from 60 events an hour to 1-2. Sleeping 8 hours straight through without the slightest issue. CPAPs are great.

So my initial mask was the nose pillows. They work great, however, after a week of using it, I invariably get congested. I just got a full face mask to see the difference. It is not nearly as comfortable as the pillows. The ResMed I have has an app called MyAir that tracks how many events I have per hour. With the nasal pillows, I have on average between 2 and 3 an hour. With the facemask, the lowest has been 20 events per hour with a peak of 50 events per hour. I find it much more difficult to sleep with the full mask and will probably return it.

Not sure how to fix the congestion problem with the nasal pillows. I wash it with warm soap and water as per recommendations so not sure what else to do.

 

[B Maverick]

Seriously love the nose pillows. A little silicone thing under my nose, just did my annual stats review with my doctor and he was amazed I had zero air leak in the last 90 days, I've got it dialed in nice and snug but I don't even feel it when I'm in bed.

I have and old ResMed CPAP that does NOT sync with the cloud, apparently this model used to but didn't upgrade to 5G so it doesn't have a connection anymore. So I have to bring in my data on an SD card. Anyway, for those curious, there are some windows apps that you can download and review your own data for free. I've used SleepyHead, it was useful when I first started CPAP so I could get a handle on my stats. But now I'm fully on auto-pilot. I just do my thing and it works great. Girlfriend can't stand to be in the house with me if I fall asleep on the couch and snore up a storm, but, has no problem being in bed next to me for 8 hours at night when I have the mask on. Went from 60 events an hour to 1-2. Sleeping 8 hours straight through without the slightest issue. CPAPs are great.

So my initial mask was the nose pillows. They work great, however, after a week of using it, I invariably get congested. I just got a full face mask to see the difference. It is not nearly as comfortable as the pillows. The ResMed I have has an app called MyAir that tracks how many events I have per hour. With the nasal pillows, I have on average between 2 and 3 an hour. With the facemask, the lowest has been 20 events per hour with a peak of 50 events per hour. I find it much more difficult to sleep with the full mask and will probably return it.

Not sure how to fix the congestion problem with the nasal pillows. I wash it with warm soap and water as per recommendations so not sure what else to do.

I have the MyAir app as well. Seems I am around .3-1.1 events per hour with the nose pillow.

My issue is the humidifier seems to make my nose feel like its runny which makes it harder to fall asleep. Need to find a good temp to change it too.

 

[zamboni]

Not sure how to fix the congestion problem with the nasal pillows. I wash it with warm soap and water as per recommendations so not sure what else to do.

I've found that with with the nasal pillows, they wear out after a few weeks or so and don't fit as tightly. This may cause a bit of air leakage and congestion.

 

[DA RAIDERS]

do any of the non mask options work? I need to do another sleep study, but they think I have mild sleep apnea. The first study was inconclusive. I can’t conceive of wearing a mask.

tia. Will answer yours

 

[zamboni]

do any of the non mask options work? I need to do another sleep study, but they think I have mild sleep apnea. The first study was inconclusive. I can’t conceive of wearing a mask.

tia. Will answer yours

The nasal pillows are somewhat different than the full mask and are much less invasive once you get used to them.

 

[B Maverick]

Not sure how to fix the congestion problem with the nasal pillows. I wash it with warm soap and water as per recommendations so not sure what else to do.

I've found that with with the nasal pillows, they wear out after a few weeks or so and don't fit as tightly. This may cause a bit of air leakage and congestion.

Supposed to be replaced every two weeks along with the filter (at least on mine). Costs keep coming. Another reason i am wondering about other options.

 

[soothsayer]

Not sure how to fix the congestion problem with the nasal pillows. I wash it with warm soap and water as per recommendations so not sure what else to do.

I've found that with with the nasal pillows, they wear out after a few weeks or so and don't fit as tightly. This may cause a bit of air leakage and congestion.

My nasal pillows for the Resmed Airsense 11 dont' wear out that fast, but I do find that the velcro straps on the head gear loosens over a couple of weeks. If I see my events/hr going up, it's a sign that my nasal mask isn't being worn tightly enough. YMMV

 

[shuke]

Not sure how to fix the congestion problem with the nasal pillows. I wash it with warm soap and water as per recommendations so not sure what else to do.

I've found that with with the nasal pillows, they wear out after a few weeks or so and don't fit as tightly. This may cause a bit of air leakage and congestion.

Supposed to be replaced every two weeks along with the filter (at least on mine). Costs keep coming. Another reason i am wondering about other options.

My nasal pillows last forever. I was on an automated refill plan for a while and I have a stash that will last me quite some time.

 

[GenX fan]

Those guys that use just a mouthguard for sleep apnea, do you recommend the brand you are using?

Just saw an ad for a mouthguard called Dream Hero that looked worth trying.

 

[belljr]

Those guys that use just a mouthguard for sleep apnea, do you recommend the brand you are using?

Just saw an ad for a mouthguard called Dream Hero that looked worth trying.

My dentist custom built mine - im note sure on the "company" she sends it out too

 

[STEADYMOBBIN 22]

I did the sleep study. Severe sleep apnea. Woke up like 75x an hour.

Some of that was me sleeping in a strange bed, essentially in a weird hotel room, and about 3 hours earlier than normal.


I just can’t see rocking a Vader mask to bed. I lost some weight and started breathing exercises. If I have a stuffed up nose I take Nyquill before bed.

I’ll revisit this in a few years.

 

[mr. furley]

I did the sleep study. Severe sleep apnea. Woke up like 75x an hour.

Some of that was me sleeping in a strange bed, essentially in a weird hotel room, and about 3 hours earlier than normal.


I just can’t see rocking a Vader mask to bed. I lost some weight and started breathing exercises. If I have a stuffed up nose I take Nyquill before bed.

I’ll revisit this in a few years.

if you're alive

that's pretty bad. you might have a grabber in the night and not wake up, bud.

 

[Runkle]

I did the sleep study. Severe sleep apnea. Woke up like 75x an hour.

Some of that was me sleeping in a strange bed, essentially in a weird hotel room, and about 3 hours earlier than normal.


I just can’t see rocking a Vader mask to bed. I lost some weight and started breathing exercises. If I have a stuffed up nose I take Nyquill before bed.

I’ll revisit this in a few years.

You get used to the mask faster than you think. And for me, the issue was I was snoring so bad that I was shifting to mouth-breathing during the night, so my doc had me use the big mask until I got out of that habit. At my 6-month follow up I was able to switch to the 'nasal pillow' type and haven't looked back.

 

[Don Quixote]

I did the sleep study. Severe sleep apnea. Woke up like 75x an hour.

Some of that was me sleeping in a strange bed, essentially in a weird hotel room, and about 3 hours earlier than normal.


I just can’t see rocking a Vader mask to bed. I lost some weight and started breathing exercises. If I have a stuffed up nose I take Nyquill before bed.

I’ll revisit this in a few years.

if you're alive

that's pretty bad. you might have a grabber in the night and not wake up, bud.

Agree with furley. That is a pretty high number. CPAP is seriously the best thing that I’ve ever done for my health.

Weight alone is probably not producing that number, and losing weight not going to fix if just have sleep apnea naturally. I weigh around 150 pounds and use a CPAP.

 

[Beef Ravioli Part 2]

Curious about the other cpap peeps in here - do you wear your cpap the entire night?

I have been using cpap regularly for the last two years. The longest I have ever warn it through the night was seven hours and that was only once. I average about 4 hours a night. I wake up and take it off for various reasons:
1. My back is hurting from laying on my back to long. I can’t just turn to my side because I can’t keep a seal on my mask laying on my side.
2. I’m sweating around the mask.

I still feel more rested than when I don’t wear it and I don’t have to get up through the night to pee. According to my doctor, that means my kidneys are resting which means I’m getting good sleep.

 

[B Maverick]

Curious about the other cpap peeps in here - do you wear your cpap the entire night?

I have been using cpap regularly for the last two years. The longest I have ever warn it through the night was seven hours and that was only once. I average about 4 hours a night. I wake up and take it off for various reasons:
1. My back is hurting from laying on my back to long. I can’t just turn to my side because I can’t keep a seal on my mask laying on my side.
2. I’m sweating around the mask.

I still feel more rested than when I don’t wear it and I don’t have to get up through the night to pee. According to my doctor, that means my kidneys are resting which means I’m getting good sleep.

What mask do you have?

Most nights I get the full night with mine. Side sleeper and the nasal pillow mask seems to handle it ok. Some nights I take it off if I wake up after a few hours and can't get back to sleep. Last couple weeks I have been getting 7-8 hrs with it.

 

[kupcho1]

do you wear your cpap the entire night?

I wear it every night, all night when I'm at home. I don't take it with me when I travel. Of course I've had it ~20 years, but even so, it didn't take me more than a week to get used to it. I'm a very sound sleeper.

 

[Don Quixote]

Curious about the other cpap peeps in here - do you wear your cpap the entire night?

I have been using cpap regularly for the last two years. The longest I have ever warn it through the night was seven hours and that was only once. I average about 4 hours a night. I wake up and take it off for various reasons:
1. My back is hurting from laying on my back to long. I can’t just turn to my side because I can’t keep a seal on my mask laying on my side.
2. I’m sweating around the mask.

I still feel more rested than when I don’t wear it and I don’t have to get up through the night to pee. According to my doctor, that means my kidneys are resting which means I’m getting good sleep.

I wear mine entire night. I have been okay with seal while lying on side — are you using right size mask? There are also CPAP pillows that you could look into that have an opening on the side for the mask/tube. You could see if that helps.

 

[Rattle and Hum]

Curious about the other cpap peeps in here - do you wear your cpap the entire night?

I have been using cpap regularly for the last two years. The longest I have ever warn it through the night was seven hours and that was only once. I average about 4 hours a night. I wake up and take it off for various reasons:
1. My back is hurting from laying on my back to long. I can’t just turn to my side because I can’t keep a seal on my mask laying on my side.
2. I’m sweating around the mask.

I still feel more rested than when I don’t wear it and I don’t have to get up through the night to pee. According to my doctor, that means my kidneys are resting which means I’m getting good sleep.

If you haven't already, try nasal pillows and report back. P10s are the only ones that keep a seal for me (stomach sleeper) and I wear all night. I cannot tolerate a full mask.

 

[glvsav37]

just started my journey toward getting an inspire system. Have my 1st call tomorrow with them to discuss things.

I'm so fckn done with masks

 

[B Maverick]

just started my journey toward getting an inspire system. Have my 1st call tomorrow with them to discuss things.

I'm so fckn done with masks

Very interested in hearing more about this. Need to schedule a follow up with the Dr to see if this would work for me as well. Mask has been ok, just curious about other options.

 

[Beef Ravioli Part 2]

Curious about the other cpap peeps in here - do you wear your cpap the entire night?

I have been using cpap regularly for the last two years. The longest I have ever warn it through the night was seven hours and that was only once. I average about 4 hours a night. I wake up and take it off for various reasons:
1. My back is hurting from laying on my back to long. I can’t just turn to my side because I can’t keep a seal on my mask laying on my side.
2. I’m sweating around the mask.

I still feel more rested than when I don’t wear it and I don’t have to get up through the night to pee. According to my doctor, that means my kidneys are resting which means I’m getting good sleep.

If you haven't already, try nasal pillows and report back. P10s are the only ones that keep a seal for me (stomach sleeper) and I wear all night. I cannot tolerate a full mask.

I started with a full mask and I hated that and gave up quickly. I have been using a “nasal mask” for the last year or so. It’s like a harness around my head and if I lay on my side it tweaks the mask enough that I lose the seal.

I’m surprised how you all get full nights on the regular.

I’ll check into the other options of masks.

 

[shuke]

All night long with my nose pillows.

 

[soothsayer]

Curious about the other cpap peeps in here - do you wear your cpap the entire night?

The timing of your question is interesting as I woke up this morning without my CPAP on - I can't remember that happening in the past 6+ months. Thankfully the CPAP is now acting as a sleep trigger for me. When I put it on (nasal pillows) at sleepy time, it pretty quickly tips me over into sleep. In the morning, after I first wake up, if I keep the CPAP on I can continue to sleep/snooze. But once those pillows come off, I'm awake.

With the nasal pillows I'm able to sleep on my side and maintain airflow. Am a back and side sleeper and both are fine. Had the CPAP for a little over a year now and am so grateful.

 

[Galileo]

I use the Amara View full face mask and keep it on all night without issue. Although it is a full mask, it sits under the nose rather than over it. I am a side sleeper with facial hair and it manages to stay sealed well. I used to use a full mask that sat over the nose...was much happier switching to this style.

 

[Runkle]

Curious about the other cpap peeps in here - do you wear your cpap the entire night?

I have been using cpap regularly for the last two years. The longest I have ever warn it through the night was seven hours and that was only once. I average about 4 hours a night. I wake up and take it off for various reasons:
1. My back is hurting from laying on my back to long. I can’t just turn to my side because I can’t keep a seal on my mask laying on my side.
2. I’m sweating around the mask.

I still feel more rested than when I don’t wear it and I don’t have to get up through the night to pee. According to my doctor, that means my kidneys are resting which means I’m getting good sleep.

I wear my mask the entire night because with my mask I usually have no problem sleeping 7-8 hours straight through without any interruption

 

[B Maverick]

just started my journey toward getting an inspire system. Have my 1st call tomorrow with them to discuss things.

I'm so fckn done with masks

Curious how this call went? Did you get the pros and cons of this system?

 

[glvsav37]

just started my journey toward getting an inspire system. Have my 1st call tomorrow with them to discuss things.

I'm so fckn done with masks

Curious how this call went? Did you get the pros and cons of this system?

had the call this morning, (1st one had to be rescheduled).

spoke to a pa/nurse type person who reviewed my files, old sleep study and such. Said I was a good candidate, enough to move forward to the next phase with the surgeon.

We spoke about my sleeping habits and why I hated the mask/c-pap.

pros and cons is that where a c-pap is at about 90% reduction in nightly episodes, these are about 70%. Still better then what I have now being I don't use the mask anymore.

the time is a bit long, you need to have it implanted, then a few weeks to heal, then they have a "dial in" period where they have to adjust the settings.

the way it works is that it stimulates your tongue muscle to keep you mouth open. If you think of a c-pap, the air pushes into your mouth to keep the airway open. This does it buy reading your tongue and pushing it up and forward when needed. So some people experience soreness and numbness in the tongue, until it is dialed in.

There is a device you need to hold to your chest to activate and deactivate the device. also if you get up to pee...you need to pause it. It also acts like a c-pap where there is minimal activity once you activate it until you fall asleep, say 30-40 mins.

The battery lasts about 10 years. After that they go in, make a small incision and replace it easier then my fire alarm batteries.

My biggest issue is that device gets implanted below the skin near your chest muscle. I heard that other implant devices (for other issues) get placed behind the muscle. my concern it a few things, that I was advised to talk to the dr about:
1. Can you see/feel it: lets go out on a limb and say my wife just had sexy time with me and is basking in post-orgamic bliss while laying on my chest, will she feel it poking her in the ear?
2. Say I go on a Mr Olympic shredding type workout and get Arnie sized pecs...will this thing look like a toy in plastic packaging bursting through my chest.
3. While 1 and 2 are unlikely, I do want to get back to playing ice hockey, and as a goalie, do I need to worry about front impact issues with pucks and stuff. I'm well padded up but still get stingers and thuds.


that was it for now. I will have an in-home sleep study in a few weeks that is pretty much a watch and some cords and the results will get sent straight to the dr.

 

[kupcho1]

just started my journey toward getting an inspire system. Have my 1st call tomorrow with them to discuss things.

I'm so fckn done with masks

Curious how this call went? Did you get the pros and cons of this system?

had the call this morning, (1st one had to be rescheduled).

spoke to a pa/nurse type person who reviewed my files, old sleep study and such. Said I was a good candidate, enough to move forward to the next phase with the surgeon.

We spoke about my sleeping habits and why I hated the mask/c-pap.

pros and cons is that where a c-pap is at about 90% reduction in nightly episodes, these are about 70%. Still better then what I have now being I don't use the mask anymore.

the time is a bit long, you need to have it implanted, then a few weeks to heal, then they have a "dial in" period where they have to adjust the settings.

the way it works is that it stimulates your tongue muscle to keep you mouth open. If you think of a c-pap, the air pushes into your mouth to keep the airway open. This does it buy reading your tongue and pushing it up and forward when needed. So some people experience soreness and numbness in the tongue, until it is dialed in.

There is a device you need to hold to your chest to activate and deactivate the device. also if you get up to pee...you need to pause it. It also acts like a c-pap where there is minimal activity once you activate it until you fall asleep, say 30-40 mins.

The battery lasts about 10 years. After that they go in, make a small incision and replace it easier then my fire alarm batteries.

My biggest issue is that device gets implanted below the skin near your chest muscle. I heard that other implant devices (for other issues) get placed behind the muscle. my concern it a few things, that I was advised to talk to the dr about:
1. Can you see/feel it: lets go out on a limb and say my wife just had sexy time with me and is basking in post-orgamic bliss while laying on my chest, will she feel it poking her in the ear?
2. Say I go on a Mr Olympic shredding type workout and get Arnie sized pecs...will this thing look like a toy in plastic packaging bursting through my chest.
3. While 1 and 2 are unlikely, I do want to get back to playing ice hockey, and as a goalie, do I need to worry about front impact issues with pucks and stuff. I'm well padded up but still get stingers and thuds.


that was it for now. I will have an in-home sleep study in a few weeks that is pretty much a watch and some cords and the results will get sent straight to the dr.

That all sounds awful.
If I couldn't deal with the mask (I can), I think I'd take my chances before I'd undergo that.

 

[B Maverick]

Thanks @glvsav37 that actually answers a lot of the questions I have. As much as I don't like the masks, I am not sure that sounds any better. As someone still trying to play soccer, I would have the same concern about impact from a ball or player or the ground.


And I wish your wife a lot of "post-orgamic bliss"

 

[glvsav37]

@kupcho1 @B Maverick

I get both of you. My thing is I hate my mask. I have some claustrophobia issues and Ive woken up at times gasping for air as I fighting the flow of the c-pap. But my big thing is "going to sleep" with it. I cant just put it on and lay there until i'm out. I know its there, I feel it, i'm fighting it, so what I do most nights is work or stay up to the point of exhaustion so that when I am in bed I can hopefully be out before I realize i'm wearing it. And thats defeating the purpose too bc that might not be until 1 or 2 am.

I'll wait and chat with the surgeon. If I cant get it b/c of hockey, then its a no go. I dont want to fully retire b/c its my only real exercise and 'my time' enjoyment. But we will see

 

[B Maverick]

@kupcho1 @B Maverick

I get both of you. My thing is I hate my mask. I have some claustrophobia issues and Ive woken up at times gasping for air as I fighting the flow of the c-pap. But my big thing is "going to sleep" with it. I cant just put it on and lay there until i'm out. I know its there, I feel it, i'm fighting it, so what I do most nights is work or stay up to the point of exhaustion so that when I am in bed I can hopefully be out before I realize i'm wearing it. And thats defeating the purpose too bc that might not be until 1 or 2 am.

I'll wait and chat with the surgeon. If I cant get it b/c of hockey, then its a no go. I dont want to fully retire b/c its my only real exercise and 'my time' enjoyment. But we will see

I get it. I do not seem to hate it as much as you do but I understand why you would prefer to move away from the mask. For me I feel like the mask is a band aide and not necessarily a long term fix. Not sure if the implant is either.

I have some issues with waking up at 2 or 3 am and can not get back to sleep mostly because of the mask. I start concentrating on the breathing and the air flow and my mind starts running. Also I feel like my nose is running (might need to alter the humidity) at times. That's part of why I am open to alternates. And being single, I am a little self conscience about inviting someone in for sexy time followed by let me put this mask on for sleep. Not that I have anyone for that right now, but I have to maintain hope .

 

[kupcho1]

@kupcho1 @B Maverick

I get both of you. My thing is I hate my mask. I have some claustrophobia issues and Ive woken up at times gasping for air as I fighting the flow of the c-pap. But my big thing is "going to sleep" with it. I cant just put it on and lay there until i'm out. I know its there, I feel it, i'm fighting it, so what I do most nights is work or stay up to the point of exhaustion so that when I am in bed I can hopefully be out before I realize i'm wearing it. And thats defeating the purpose too bc that might not be until 1 or 2 am.

I'll wait and chat with the surgeon. If I cant get it b/c of hockey, then its a no go. I dont want to fully retire b/c its my only real exercise and 'my time' enjoyment. But we will see

Have you tried combining it with some sort of sleep aid (e.g., Ambien)?