British Snoring & Sleep Apnoea Association

I was only diagnosed this year but using my Cpap has become second nature, I don't even think about it now its just something I do each night like cleaning my teeth. I did have the feeling of being suffocated the first few times but I found that breathing through my mouth until I turned it on did the trick as did turning off the ramping as I didn't seem to be getting enough air.

My only worry now is the state of my hair in morning, it sticks up all over the place.

well done silverpixie, ironic with me nearly lossing all mine, still have bad hair days, but compliance has been the best thing to my life.

I was diagnosed with sleep apnea late last year, I have a cpap machine but am having difficulty using it. I constantly get a blocked nose thus proving difficult to breath using cpap machine so I spoke to sleep clinic nurse and now have a new attachment which is the humidifier section on the cpap machine. When I go to bed it is on the ramping setting as I go to sleep fast, but often I get panicky too when I use my machine, it has been suggested I try using the machine through the day which I do find has been helping. My problem is I cant breath properly or long through my nose when I sleep and I usually sleep with mouth open, hence I snore lol. I am on anti-depressants as I feel my doctors arrent supportive enough, they keep saying all my health problems will go away once I use the cpap machine but I'm not convinced as I have been in pain for years and get recurring chest infections. Symptoms are like ME or Fibromyalgia can anyone tell me if this is a known fact that these illnesses are linked? As my doctor doesnt think my problems stem from one cause.

Hi Twiggy

Have you had a look at the posts by and to Sonicsister and Apnoea in Spain, you may get some answers.

Angi

twiggy, I can speak from personal experience with antidepressants and OSA. I don't know what you are taking or how much, but do bear in mind that antidepressant medication can make you very sleepy during the daytime.

Once you start using the CPAP machine every night, all night, the quality of your sleep should improve considerably and you should wake without the feeling of a grey cloud hanging over your head and a cotton wool brain. That should help a bit. You then might like to tackle the question of how much the antidepressant medication is contributing to your sleepiness and discuss this with your doc and review your treatment. If you decide to stop the a/d PLEASE taper slowly to stop any rebound effects. If and when you get to this point, please feel free to contact me via this board for some support.

As regards the blocked nose bit and the ramping, it really is a matter of getting used to the equipment and trusting that it can help you. It does feel a bit funny at first ... and you can always reset the machine so you have longer ramp time before you fall asleep. You might consider placing a DROP of Olbas oil on a paper hanky and putting it near the air intake point so that you will be inhaling air that should clear your nasal passages as you breathe. This is only a short term idea (I use it when I have a cold) but it may make you relax a bit and not feel so blocked up and therefore less stressed.

If you are a mouth breather, you should check with your sleep technician that you have the most suitable mask ... either a chin strap with a nasal mask, or a full face mask. It's unlikely that you'll get the full benefit from a CPAP machine if your mouth is still open and you're snoring! If you don't already have a full face mask, please contact your tech very quickly so that you can get better sleep as quickly as possible!

Please try to trust your docs. Once you get your CPAP therapy sorted (and it seems like you may need a different mask or a longer ramping time) things may well improve. If they don't come back and chat here. But do keep us up to date and see if we can help. We were all new to xPAP therapy once and it does take a bit of getting used to. And remember, there's nothing YOU did or didn't do to cause OSA. So don't feel upset or guilty. Sometimes things happen for no obvious reason, but if they can be managed successfully, life goes on as it should for as long as it normally would and full of good things to come.

Hi there, just wanted to add my twopence worth to the very informative discussion. Not wanting to discourage you in ANY way from persevering with the CPAP (it is undoubtedly the best treatment if you can get used to it), I just wanted to let you know there IS another treatment, but it is only suitable for MILD OSA, not moderate or severe OSA.

It is called a Mandibular Advancement Device. I am in the process of having one made at the moment as I could not get used to CPAP despite several visits to the sleep clinic, and several alterations to the pressure, and trying different masks.

There is quite a lot of info on the web about MAD's, but basically they work by keeping your lower jaw in a forward position, thus keeping the airway from closing up and collapsing.

I wish you luck with the CPAP - if you read through the posts on this site, many people have struggled, but eventually adapted completely to it, but if you find it impossible and your apnoea is only mild, it may be worth talking to your sleep clinic about MAD's.

I will keep you informed and hope you will do the same.

Regards, Cathy

Cathy did you finally get satisfactory treatment from a MAD or are you still persevering with xPAP? Great to hear from you again - I've missed your posts. x

Hi Kevin

I just wanted to draw your attention to my post 'Alternative to CPAP'. Might be worth considering if your apnoea is MILD. Good luck in your journey with OSA, and you are definitely NOT alone.

Regards

Cathy

Hi Alsa

Thanks for asking - yes I have had huge success with my MAD!! From the moment it was fitted, I found it so comfortable that I'm not even aware of it as I fall asleep, and even got in the shower with it in one morning, having forgotten I was wearing it! Although that might be due more to my advancing years than anything else!

It took a long while to get it, but it was well worth waiting for. As I mentioned in another post, I had been sleeping in the spare room for about fifteen years because of my snoring, and I am now back in the marital bed. The only thing is, my husband and the dog both snore, so am thinking of getting them both fitted with a MAD!

My AHI was only 15, so not a massive problem, and I am awaiting a further sleep test to confirm the results officially, but I know that it will be much improved, as I am less sleepy, more alert and getting far fewer headaches than I used to.

How are you getting on? I know you didn't seem to have too many problems adapting to CPAP - hope that is still the case.

Regards,

Cathy

Generally fine but have had a bad attack of bronchitis out of the blue ... needed my humidifier and this produced high frequencies that drive me mad. A whole week of poor nights in terms of sleep length and AHIs so I can't wait for things to improve!

Whoops that last post was from me! I've just changed browsers and didn't think to re-log in! Sorry for any conclusion ... and I'm feeling better now and have just come back from the swimming pool ........... (perhaps I need to visit the psychiatrist now!)

Hahaha! Glad to hear you are ok.

Regards, Cathykins