does not weraing your mask make your apnea worsen over time?

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Permalink Reply by Mike on February 7, 2010 at 8:46pm

This is a great question, and just realized that no one had yet responded. Although I don't have the definitive answer, I would think the answer is no, wearing your mask has no effect on the progression of Sleep Apnea as a disease itself. Obviously, leaving Sleep Apnea untreated will take an enormous toll on your health and well being. BUT, I think the disorder has "a mind of its own" and will get worse over time no matter what you do. The only thing you can do is control the impact this will have on your body by getting proper treatment. Does that make sense?

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Permalink Reply by 99 on February 8, 2010 at 12:09am

in addition it will slow down its aunts and uncles

that is others in the sleep apnea family

like ME/CFS

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Permalink Reply by Mary Z on February 8, 2010 at 4:50am

Joseph, my sleep apnea worsened somewhat while on treatment, as Mike says it "has a mind of its own". Hopefully you can take the steps to CPAP more comfortable for you. If you can describe the problems specifically people will be better to help you.
Good luck,
Mary Z.

Mike said:

....Obviously, leaving Sleep Apnea untreated will take an enormous toll on your health and well being. BUT, I think the disorder has "a mind of its own" and will get worse over time no matter what you do. The only thing you can do is control the impact this will have on your body by getting proper treatment. Does that make sense?

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Permalink Reply by Linda Birnbaum on February 8, 2010 at 8:36am

not wearing your mask wont make your sleep apnea worse but you definitely wont feel better without it. You need to call your DME provider and ask the respiratory therapist for tips on how to get you comfortable with the machine and the mask. I tell my patients to sit in front of the tv for a few hours each night with the mask on and the CPAP going. It can help desensitize you to the pressures and the mask. But it doesnt always work. Your discomfort could be the mask or the pressure. Keep trying and we are here to help.

Linda

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Permalink Reply by Francisco G. Leyva on February 8, 2010 at 12:41pm

I think before you go asking this question you should first be asking yourself why didn't the CPAP therapy work for you. Not wearing the mask won't worsen your condition, but it also won't help your condition. Maybe the mask was the wrong choice for you or your initial pressure setting might be too high or too low. This type of therapy should be viewed more like an art than a science. It takes the care and patience of an educated and experienced team to help you through this journey. Not everyone is going to be 100% successful the first time around, for some it takes months or longer to fully be happy with their treatment. The key is to NOT GIVE UP!! Finding a team of health care professionals that will actually listen to YOUR concerns, and help address these issues, is key in this part of the journey. Again GOOD LUCK to you and don't give up, it may seem hopeless but there is a community of people here that care for your well being.

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Permalink Reply by Rock Hinkle on February 8, 2010 at 2:27pm

Untreated apnea will not by itslef worsen your apnea. However over time if left untreated your body will begin to deteriorate. This will in turn cause your apnea to get worse. it is a vicious circle.

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Permalink Reply by Carol Hansen-Dix on February 8, 2010 at 5:58pm

In what ways does your body get worse? Are you talking about the effects of less sleep?

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Permalink Reply by Judy on February 8, 2010 at 6:51pm

I would agree w/Francisco that an educated health care team is important to successful CPAP therapy. BUT you have to keep in mind that YOU are the very core of that health care team and YOU have to do YOUR part to educate yourself and take an active role in your therapy.

In what way does your body get worse??? Untreated sleep apnea contributes to high blood pressure, kidney damage, diabetis, stroke, heart attack .... think about what sleep apnea is. Apnea is a cessation of breathing, hypopneas are reduced oxygen intake due to partially obstructed breathing. Each event is robbing your body's systems and organs of the oxygen they need to stay healthy and work properly. Organs have to work harder to perform their function, they wear out sooner.

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Permalink Reply by j n k on February 8, 2010 at 7:03pm

Not wearing the mask can, indeed, make the problem get worse. Obstructive sleep apnea can progress in the sense that it can ruin a person's ability to sleep properly. The body can get caught in a vicious circle where it learns to ignore the condition of the airway in order to sleep, which allows an increase in the number and the severity of the apneas. Some doctors theorize that many patients progress from simple snoring to UARS and then on into obstructive sleep apnea. That hasn't been proved conclusively, but it hasn't been disproved either. Some may only snore. Some have UARS and never develop classic sleep apnea but find the awakenings from an overly-sensitive airway to be just as damaging to sleep as a deadened sensitivity of their airway. PAP pressure can help all those conditions and keep them from getting worse.

I agree with the other posters, though, that the progression of the condition isn't generally the most important point. The point is: Why would someone choose on purpose not to breathe and not to sleep? That would be as silly as choosing not to eat food and not to drink water. If you have a way to sleep and breathe, please do so for the sake of elementary logic.

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Permalink Reply by Joseph Gardiner on February 9, 2010 at 11:17pm

I have had a situtation where I had to go to prison for 11 months and while there they would not give me my cpap machine nor would they treat my condition due to them saying that my time was to short to have a sleep study done and they would not allow my machine to be sent from home so this is why I asked this question I wear my cpap machine now but I feel that my sleep disorder got worse by them not letting me use my cpap. I am now in the progress of getting a new study done to compare the difference from the first one, I am on medicare so they have high standards to pay for the machine I am not sure of what they are I was told that you have to have so many apneas before they pay for it on my first sleep test they did pay for my machine. I see now there is smaller nasal masks now I may try because T have an older nasal mask and its very large. I am so glad I found this site you are so helpfull here thankyou so much

Linda Birnbaum said:

not wearing your mask wont make your sleep apnea worse but you definitely wont feel better without it. You need to call your DME provider and ask the respiratory therapist for tips on how to get you comfortable with the machine and the mask. I tell my patients to sit in front of the tv for a few hours each night with the mask on and the CPAP going. It can help desensitize you to the pressures and the mask. But it doesnt always work. Your discomfort could be the mask or the pressure. Keep trying and we are here to help.

Linda

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