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Permalink Reply by Banyon on March 13, 2010 at 10:13am

Judy,

The video ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lL0GndbTrSE ) talks about "how to prevent burping when you wake up in the morning". It demonstrates lying on your back with a pillow doubled back under your head so that your neck is bent at a 45 degree angle to the rest of the spine. Lefty is quite confident that this is a very easy and sure way to seal off the esophagus so as to prevent air from entering the stomach.

I have not found this to be the case for me and I also wonder about the effect on the neck and spine of sleeping in this position night after night.

I have been told that the aerophagia I experienced was more correctly termed gastric insufflation due to its severity. I have been able to prevent it by learning to sleep on my tummy in the half-swastika position. The half-swastika position is also recommended by many doctors as the best position for good spine health and I agree with this recommendation.

Ciao.

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Permalink Reply by Judy on March 13, 2010 at 12:42pm

Thanks, Banyon. I'm inclined to agree w/you about the half-swastika or "Falcon" position. Personally, I just always called it "tummy sleeping" and that is the position, both left and right, that I slept in all my life - until a whiplash in 1994. (I never could bury my face in a pillow like some people, I've always needed my nose out in the fresh air). Which is also when my sleeping problems started. Like a fool I didn't let them take me to ER and didn't see a doctor about the whiplash until some 3 weeks after it occurred and I was still having neck and headache problems. Duh!!! I can't sleep w/my head turned like that anymore and still can't sleep unless my snozz is getting air - of course now its air pressure rather than fresh air.

I had my seat belt on and didn't hit my head - but - the force of the whiplash did cause me to "black out" for what seemed like an eternity. I could hear - but I couldn't see and I couldn't move or speak. It was a horrible feeling! And then the PAIN started. Across the forehead and in the neck and shoulders. I was looking right when hit and had left chest pain on and off for some 4-5 years after and have not been able to use my arms a lot - like for grooming a Collie - or keep my arms above my chest/shoulders for any length of time since then either.

Moral of the story: don't be stupid. If you suffer a whiplash, regardless how mild, go to ER!!!

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Permalink Reply by Ricardo Lopez on March 21, 2010 at 12:46pm

I'm having a lot of problems with this as I need a very high pressure (19). On the video he says that you need to tilt your head forward to minimize air swallowing. He recommends using a thicker pillow or tucking in your chin if you sleep on the side. However, on this article, point number one recommends just the opposite!

"Tilt head back while you sleep to keep the trachea (airway) open. Try sleeping with a wedge pillow or reducing the number of pillows you use. Air goes into your stomach through the esophagus when your head tilts forward."

So... what is it??

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Permalink Reply by RockRpsgt on March 21, 2010 at 2:26pm

Most likely your pressure is too high, or you need Bpap.

Ricardo Lopez said:

I'm having a lot of problems with this as I need a very high pressure (19). On the video he says that you need to tilt your head forward to minimize air swallowing. He recommends using a thicker pillow or tucking in your chin if you sleep on the side. However, on this article, point number one recommends just the opposite!

"Tilt head back while you sleep to keep the trachea (airway) open. Try sleeping with a wedge pillow or reducing the number of pillows you use. Air goes into your stomach through the esophagus when your head tilts forward."

So... what is it??

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Permalink Reply by Ricardo Lopez on March 21, 2010 at 3:11pm

Thanks Rock, I do think the pressure is too high. I just started using the machine and do have biPap; but I have to tighten the full face mask so tight to avoid leaking that I wake up with a lot of pain on the bridge of my nose and face. I am also waking up in the middle of the night with excruciating gas pain and bloated stomach and have to walk around to burp and pass gas. My doctor said that I have to get used to the pressure but I can see why many just give up on using the machine. I need the full face mask because I breathe through my mouth but that makes it all the more difficult to avoid leakage at high pressure. I stopped using the ramp because I need to know that the mask is tight enough and not leaking before I fall asleep; or I wake up to a high pitch trumpet sound from the air leaking! All that said, and despite waking up often to deal with the pain, the leaking, the gas/bloating, and the noise; I am still more rested in the morning!

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Permalink Reply by RockRpsgt on March 21, 2010 at 4:20pm

I fill your pain Ricardo. The first time I tried PAP I tossed the entire unit across my room. I thought how the hell do people do this? Despite not having my own unit yet, I still use it as much as possible. I do not believe that there is ever a 100% comfort zone with pap therapy. However it should not be completely uncomfortable, and never, I repeat never painful. I would bring these issues up with your physician. Do not take "that's just the way it is" as an answer. If your pressures are too high for comfortable sleep, then consistantly healthy sleep will never be achieved. As your body adjust to PAP quite often your pressure needs will come down.

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Permalink Reply by Mary on April 15, 2010 at 2:35pm

For some people this would not be possible and would in fact make the problem worse. If I cock my head to the 45 degree angle he is talkig about, I cannot breathe and in fact get dizzy. My sleep doc says the base of my tongue sits too high. Some nights I have the aerophagia. Other nights I dont. My Bipap is only at 14/10 and I ramp for 15 minutes. I dont get the belching but the air finds the other route of leaving which I think is worse. Until it leaves, I am in severe pain.
I have found that using a cervical pillow helps as long as I dont lose it during the night as I still am a restless sleeper. This actually will tild the head back. When you do CPR on someone you tilt the head back to make sure air does not enter the stomach, not forward, so I dont see how his method would work but as everyone's apnea is caused my their own unique anatomy,, it may work for some people.

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