Comment

Comment by terri on May 15, 2009 at 11:56am

What about the mouth inserts? Do they work? I HATE wearing a CPAP! I'll make myself wear it for a while but always end up giving up. I take it off in the middle of the night and don't even remember doing it.

Comment by Cathy s on April 20, 2009 at 9:28pm

Banyon
Yes, I use a full face mask. I have known all my life that I cant breathe through my nose and I made sure that my dr knew that also. Another thing I want to mention that I have not seen addressed on here is that apnea tends to run in families. My brother died in January and sleep apnea is listed as one of the causes of death on his death certificate. So if someone in your family has it beware... If you are having problems wearing the mask just keep trying do not give up. I use to wake up to find mine on the floor. It took me 7 months before I would leave it on all night. Now I can not sleep without it. If I do take it off during the night I am awakened immediately.

Comment by Judy on April 20, 2009 at 3:34pm

Brenda S Omstead, have you gone back to your local DME supplier's RT or to your sleep doctor about this problem of not being able to wear your mask and use your bi-level more than 2-3 hours?? If not, why not? They can't help you if they don't know you are having a problem!

Meanwhile, during the day, in the early evening, BEFORE bedtime. Put your mask on, turn your bi-level on and read a book, newspaper or magazine; work a crossword or jigsaw puzzle; crochet or knit, watch TV, whatever; just so you are occupying your mind w/something other than I've GOT to get to SLEEP! Just get used to having them on other than when you are sleeping and you will become acclimated sooner to sleeping w/them on.

Comment by Judy on April 20, 2009 at 3:27pm

THERE IS NO CURE FOR SLEEP APNEA! ONLY TREATMENT And the only time you get treatment is when you are using your xPAP.

Comment by B Robles MD on April 20, 2009 at 2:16am

Sleep Apnea has many contributors, most of which tend to be physical with a smaller percentage of the apneic episode being considered central in origin, meaning coming from the brain's signals or lack of signals to breathe. Just based on the anatomy, I just do not see how the sling would work for patients. As an anesthesiologist who has to manage my patient's airways, when my patient's airways relax so much that the airway collapses, I have to lift their jaw forward which the sling simply cannot do. If anyone spends 8 hours in bed "sleeping" and wakes up tired, their sleep apnea is likely not being adequately treated. A "side effect" of effective sleep apnea treatment is a patient that wakes up feeling well rested.

Comment by brenda s olmstead on April 9, 2009 at 5:24am

I have both obstructive and central sleep apnea...I HATE MY BI-PAP! I can only sleep for about 2-3 hours with it and then I wake up and rip it off my face. Any suggestions? I have tried the full face mask and the pillow thingy for your nose. I can't handle the pillows right now so I try the full face mask most nights...

Comment by Sharon Steidle on March 17, 2009 at 2:03pm

I have the jaw sling. It only prevents your jaw from dropping open while you sleep. It is used in conjunction with the CPAP so you have to breathe through your nose instead of your mouth.

Comment by Banyon on February 26, 2009 at 7:34am

Cathy,

Are you using a nasal mask or a full face mask?

If you are using a nasal mask and breathing through your mouth, you are likely to be losing the therapeutic level of pressure and experiencing apneas.

A full face mask was designed to maintain the proper pressure to keep the airway open in patients who breathe or leak through their mouths.

Comment by cathy on February 25, 2009 at 6:19pm

I use a cpap with a mask that covers my mouth and nose. The sleep specialist said that before using the cpap I was averaging 45 minutes of sleep a night! Im now up to 51/2 hours so its a big improvement. But I will tell you right now that if I wore a jaw sling to keep my mouth shut I would die before morning because I can not get enough air through my nose to sustain me. I have chronic sinus infections and a deviated septum. There is alot more to sleep apnea than just snoring. Snoring is only a symptom. Getting rid of a symptom is NOT curing the real problem and you are doing yourself a disservice.

Comment by Sugarshirl on January 27, 2009 at 5:02am

I have severe sleep apnea, diabetes, congestive heart failure, respiratory failure and obesity all at the age of 55. Three long years I worked 10 hour days and only slept about 2-3 hours a night and it almost killed me. I finally went out on full disability two years ago and since I have used my CPAP, my life has changed completely! So many people have a hard time adjusting to their CPAP and do not use it, and that is really hurting them in the long run. Yes, it does kill you so please do whatever you can to adjust or even just tolerate your mask as it does add years of much better quality of life. I know that I quickly and fully appreciated my mask as I was finally able to sleep a full 8 hours, what a difference! I feel more comfortable now with it on and I have much more confidence that I will wake up in the morning. Now I am not afraid of sleeping, nor dreading a long night of sitting on the side of the bed.

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