Welcome to the Sleepguide community.

We are a group of patients and professionals that are interested in sleep apnea. Sleep apnea can contribute to a number of health issues, that if not treated can lead to serious consequences for those that have sleep apnea.

We work together to help those that are struggling with their therapy to find solutions to their issues that they may have. Various treatment options are available, with cpap/apap therapy probably being among the least invasive for those with severe sleep apnea.

Please feel free to join in the discussions and participate in the forum.

Even mild sleep apnea plays havoc with your body. When you have an apnea your body is not getting the much needed oxygen to restore your body. After a period of time, the effects of sleep apnea builds and leads to high blood pressure, depression, heart problems, diabetes, weight gain, and other more significant problems. The reason one typically gains weight is that many times, people with sleep apnea do not sleep well as their sleep is fragmented due to having apnea events. They become too tired to exercise and may gain weight. Other times the other health conditions associated with sleep apnea can aggravate the weight gain, making it even tougher to lose the weight.

If you want to bypass the health issues associated with sleep apnea, yes you should use a cpap, dental device, or do something to prevent any apneas from happening. You might try positional sleeping -- sleeping only on your side. It has some limited success, but typically one will need to make sure they don't end up on their backs so they sew tennis balls in pockets on the back of their pjs or use a backpack or special pillow to make sure they do not roll over on to their backs.

If you have been issued a cpap, by all means use it. As that is the most efficient way to make sure you are apnea free.

Dental devices can work, but can be expensive.

If you have problems or questions, let us know and someone will try to help yoiu.