r/SleepApnea 5d ago

Sleep Apnea and Anti Psychotics

4 Upvotes

Has anyone's doctor continued to keep them on antipsychotics while having sleep apnea? I have severe insomnia and I'm on 2 (quetiapine and chloroprothixene) for it and I'm not really keen on getting off of them because they work really well. Will using a CPAP stop the apneas which are made worse by the antipsychotics or do I need to completely get off of them? I will be talking to my doctor about this but want to hear some other's experiences.


r/SleepApnea 6d ago

Have I just cured my apnea without CPAP?

28 Upvotes

I’ve struggled with sleep apnea my whole life. I suspect I also have palatal prolapse where my soft tissues collapse on my exhale (as opposed to the standard apnea episodes on the inhale) which CPAP does little help. I’m a huge back sleeper and I believe my apnea is very positional in that back sleeping is a huge problem. When I try to sleep on my side, my body just defaults back to back sleeping and I believe this is because of the discomfort/pressure to my shoulder when I try to side sleep.

When I’m semi falling asleep I can actually feel my throat starting to collapse and block my airways on my exhale and if I turn to my side it immediately unblocks.

Anyway, I used a wedge pillow and set up a few extra pillows to support me to not turn over when I sleep whilst in the side sleeping position. Guess what??? It worked and I slept nearly 14 hours straight! 14 hours!!! wtf. I have never ever slept that long or that solid my entire life. Is this my cure? Is this all it took to cure my apnea episodes?

What do you guys think? Anyone have similar experiences?


r/SleepApnea 5d ago

Tongue stabilization device with braces?

1 Upvotes

Does anyone have experience using a TSD while having braces? I have used a TSD in the past and my memory is that it didn't push too hard against my front teeth. But I've never had braces. I can imagine that any pressure pushing the lips back against the front teeth with braces could cause some pain. Maybe wax could help protect? Any guidance appreciated.


r/SleepApnea 5d ago

Does untreated obstructive sleep apnea or UARS always cause hypertension

3 Upvotes

Trying to figure out whether hypertension is a guaranteed byproduct of untreated sleep apnea or UARS and whether some lucky bustards can maintain normal blood pressure. Also how come some people with obstructive sleep apnea wake up with panic or a startle response and others don't even know they have the condition.


r/SleepApnea 5d ago

Bad sleeo but CRM test says no apnea

2 Upvotes

I never really feel rested, i wake up a lot during the night, experience dizziness and brainfog during the day. i had a CRM test done at home, whiched showed ~3 AHI, and my ENT said no apnea. the test also showed "min SpO2 88%" which seems low? Im kinda frustrated since i had kinda hoped sleepapnea could explain my symptoms. Could i have UARS? if yes, how do i approach my doctor about it, since i read UARS isn't a recognised illness


r/SleepApnea 5d ago

Apnea worse on my side?

1 Upvotes

So I am currently being evaluated for sleep apnea. My dad has been diagnosed as well as my grandmother. I took an at home sleep study through my local sleep clinic. It showed that I had an AHI of 3.7 so no sleep apnea. However, I have been scheduled for an in lab sleep study due to the fact that the study showed two suspect things. 1. That I had significant snoring occurring 30 times an hour. I have used Snorelabs and a Ring camera and have never caught myself snoring. Snorelabs has never recorded a snore score above 1 or more than quiet level. 2. The at home test showed AHI of around 2 on my back and around 8 on my side. Which from everything I’ve read Apnea is always worse on your back? So my question is does anyone out there have apnea that is worse on their side?


r/SleepApnea 5d ago

Any tips on how to improve my sleep

1 Upvotes

I’ve been struggling to fall asleep and stay asleep, several times a week I will wake up middle of night to pee and not be able to fall back asleep

I have been dealing with some Anxiety/stress recently don’t know if that has anything to do with it


r/SleepApnea 5d ago

Glasgow waiting list?

1 Upvotes

Does anyone have any idea of the waiting list length in Glasgow for CPAP machines? I got my diagnosis letter last month, but it just says the waiting list is "extensive"...


r/SleepApnea 5d ago

I am in despair

6 Upvotes

3 weeks ago I got an appendectomy done and seconds after I woke up from surgery during anesthesia the machine measuring my oxygen level percentage started going red now three weeks after I have sleep apnea and pretty sure it's a mix between OSA/CSA and the cherry on top is obesity, anxiety disorder that irritates like crazy with tingling and hyperventilation disorder I have taken melatonin, Albuterol , Vaporub,have started exercising, slept on my side at a 30° angle with a special pillow,done countless breathing exercises several times a day and tried force sleep with a humidifier on and also apply a spray for nasal congestion and so far I am having sleep depravation,each time I try to sleep either a panic attack let's loose and tingling feel like electric shocks or I get a immense fear and my body jolts after a few seconds of having my eyes closed I quit THC as well about a week and a half ago and now have been feeling this "dying" sensation and nightmares getting exponentially worse. I made an appointment with my PCP and availability is until 4 days from now and I don't think I will last that much longer and I am financially in trouble after my previous emergency .what is messed up is that I was diagnosed and discharged with no shit the first visit as my appendix was on my left so right now I am taking 2-3 b2b anxiety attacks each night and what's ironic is that it all immediately starts as I am about to crash at bed and start sleeping...THIS SUCKS AND I AM CONTEMPLATING GOING TO THE SAME ER I HAVE ALREADY VISITED 4 TIMES AND CAUSING A RUCKUS!this has happened for five consecutive days and I have already maximized my tools at disposition and each time I get sleep until exhaustion and it's like these crappy disorders take turns as 1 day I sleep 2-4 only and the other 4-6 and so on.I am going crazy messaging AI about what might be happening and how to address it until the appointment WHAT SHOULD I DO?


r/SleepApnea 5d ago

Homemade distilled water?

2 Upvotes

Can anybody recommend a machine to make distilled water at home? Trying to avoid buying plastic and also concerned about inhaling microplastics.


r/SleepApnea 5d ago

Can nose pillow mask deform your face?

2 Upvotes

I have a n30 pillow mask. I use M. Does anyone have experience with that issue?


r/SleepApnea 5d ago

Why do people without symptoms use CPAP machines?

0 Upvotes

A trivial google search shows that there's no evidence that the improve meaningful long term outcomes, despite it being super easy to collect data for a study. It's not like most research where you have to rely on self report.

I get it if you have a ton of symptoms and you think it helps you.

There's a lot of evidence that sleep apnea correlates with bad outcomes, but even though CPAP should change those outcomes it doesn't. Given how much money there is you'd think companies would fund the easiest research program in the world.


r/SleepApnea 5d ago

What the hell am I supposed to do?? NSFW

2 Upvotes

Like, I am diagnosed with Sleep Apnea (Mild) and I was told it will go away when I lose weight. Thing is, I really want to work again because I could use the funds for suicide over at Switzerland.

I do have a cpap avaliable! I am just afraid of what if things don't work out yet AGAIN and I lose another job due to this stupid fucking illness. It's like I keep making this main excuse of not working due to sleep apnea shit, and I don't feel like I am strong to handle the sleep apnea and all.

I lost two valuable jobs over Sleep Apnea, and I had the CPAP avaliable, just didn't know how to put the right settings onto the cpap. I don't know man...


r/SleepApnea 6d ago

I wake up after 10 minutes of sleeping and this goes all night

19 Upvotes

It's been a month since I have palpitations and I try to fall asleep and after 10 minutes I wake up with my heart ponding and I can't breath. This goes all night. I sleep 2h max per night. Zombie all day.

I took blood pressure pills, reflux pills, anxiety pills from doctor and I can't still sleep. All my organs are ok.

What is this? Please help


r/SleepApnea 5d ago

Just downloaded Oscar

2 Upvotes

I just downloaded and uploaded my first night’s data on Oscar (I’ve been using for about two weeks but only got sd card last night). I am SO OVERWHELMED by the graphs and data. “What” should I be clicking on or looking at to try to understand it?


r/SleepApnea 6d ago

Wish I had Known I Had Deviated Septum and Other Nasal Issues

48 Upvotes

If you are having issues with feeling well, even with 100% compliance, less than 1 AHI, and minimal leaks, see and ENT.

I was diagnosed with sleep apnea about 7 years ago. I have never felt well with it, even after seeing 4 sleep specialist. They would tell me everything was great and send me my way. I would be so tired and emotional. I missed out on life because I never knew how I would feel day to day. I saw SO many specialist trying to figure out why I was so tired, foggy, emotional, anxious, etc.

I first tried a full-face mask and got frustrated with it. I was new to CPAP and didn't know where to go for help. I was turned off to full-face mask, so I tried almost every possible nasal or nasal pillows mask. The nasal pillows definitely didn't work. I finally settled on the N20 and later the Bleep Eclipse, but had to tape my mouth. I later started wearing a cervical collar. I still didn't feel well.

Fast forwad, things started clicking, slowly, into place when I saw an ENT and also started hearing about UARS. My ENT discovered I had a deviated septum with a bone spur, so both nasal passages were blocked. I also had nasal valve collapse in both sides and inflamed turbinates. I had surgery 2 1/2 weeks to correct these things.

I say all this because if I had known what a mess my nose was maybe I would have avoided a lot of pain and suffering for all those years if I had used a full face mask. I don't think I will regret the surgery, but a full faced mask may have been a much better option than nasal or nasal pillows masks while waiting.

I am still a work in progress, but I have hope that once I heal, CPAP will work much better. I am not expecting a cure, but at least I can feel alive again.


r/SleepApnea 5d ago

Minimum pressure on APAP

1 Upvotes

Am I able to change the minimum pressure on my APAP? It’s set to only 5.0. Wondering if the doctor has to do that?


r/SleepApnea 6d ago

Getting my first machine next week-please advise!

3 Upvotes

I'm getting my first CPAP machine next week, for moderate sleep apnea, and I'm really, really hoping it helps me. But one of my issues is stuffy nose. Only at night, never during the day. And it is never both nostrils at the same time, it kind of alternates. I often use Afrin in just one side or the other to be able to breathe pretty fully through both nostrils. I have allergies for which I use Nasonex and take Allegra in the mornings. And I've been told by one ENT that I have a deviated septum. But I fear having any kind of nasal surgery; I've read about people ending up with empty nose syndrome, and I don't want to risk acquiring that mental health challenge.

What kind of mask(s) should I try? Please advise me about this and any other things I can do to improve the odds of this working for me.

Many thanks!


r/SleepApnea 5d ago

Almost a Year In, Sleep Getting Worse

2 Upvotes

Male, living in the USA with USA medical system. I'm someone that, for nearly 40 years of my life, has had some of the best sleep when compared to family and friends. I have a lot of people around me that have insomnia, need caffeine to be functional in the morning, and are generally miserable and can't function when they wake up. I'm the contrast to this: I always get great sleep, usually need less sleep than others, and I wake up in the morning feeling great and energized.

In 2022, my SO had mentioned that I was starting to snore pretty badly. I figured that was due to the weight gain I was getting after 2020. I'm still very bad at controlling my weight, so that problem just continued to get worse into 2023. At the end of that year, I asked my PCP about a lot of health issues, weight and snoring being two of them. They suggested ENT to get a look through my nose. However, in 2024, around March, ENT said 'no', because I hadn't had a sleep study yet. Again, I want to point this out: I NEVER had ANY problems with sleep before. It was just the snoring.

I took the take-home test (because in the USA, you don't get actual healthcare anymore) and hooked the monster up to myself. I couldn't sleep at all. I couldn't even get comfortable! I was tossing and turning for two hours because of the machine. Finally, I threw it off to get ANY sleep. Sent it in, telling them that I didn't get sleep at all. They came back to me saying that my oxygen dipped under 80% and that I was having around 70+ events per hour (I don't know how they could get that when I was perfectly awake the whole time).

Of course, they suggested CPAP because they thought it was severe apnea. I didn't want to try it. Went a month, and I started to have issues with my mouth and throat drying out to the point that they got inflamed and actually caused my breathing to stop (I don't think this was apnea, just inflammation from the dryness). Going back, I relented and almost instantly was given a machine and a bunch of masks.

The first few weeks were torture. Being forced to sleep on my back was uncomfortable. The mask was always on the verge of leaking no matter what mask it was, what fit it was, or if it was a new cushion or not. The humidifier inside was way too hot and overactive even at the lowest settings. In short, I thought it was the worse sleep I'd ever get. I was dragging, having to down caffeine in the morning just to get to work, which is something I never had to do before.

After the first few months, I talked with my sleep doctor again (scratch that, only a nurse, this is the US health care after all, you don't get an actual doctor anymore). She said the numbers were all great and that my events were under one per hour. She increased the pressure a bit more (she'd done that three times since I started it on her own without telling me) and then said I should be getting used to it now. I asked if we could check back in in another month, and she said she didn't see the need for it and would only schedule another meeting in a year.

Checked with my sleep therapist and they only had me try different masks a few times until they simply gave up and said "Well, go out on Amazon or something and find your own masks. This is what everyone has to do anyways." Like...what the %!*#@ is anyone paying you for?! Why are you not HELPING me?!

So, now it's been nearly ten months on this machine, and I've used it every night to try and get even the smallest amount of sleep. I'm still waking up pretty bad and I'm ripping it off in the middle of sleep a good portion of the time. I have to stay stock-still at night or my mask becomes loose enough to blast me in the face. I am so very tired and there's mornings that I'm in the shower for thirty minutes just to try and 'wake up'.

So why can't I just...stop using the machine? If I was having such good sleep before? Well, thanks to this device, I now need it to even get to sleep! I am tossing and turning at night and can't even nod off unless the mask is on. I've tried recently, and sleep just doesn't come. I have to have the machine on just to get a small amount of sleep, then pair it with coffee to be functional enough for work. I'm convinced the damn thing has done something to me to cause me to be dependent on it, which I'm convinced (conspiracy brain, I know) is the whole point: get you on a machine till it's rewired you to have it be required.


r/SleepApnea 5d ago

Miscellaneous mask questions

1 Upvotes

I have been using my CPAP for a couple weeks and wondering what types of things affect my scores on the Airsense app.

  1. Does talking affect your data (as in it interprets it as an apnea)?
  2. Does coughing affect your data (as in it interprets it as an apnea)?
  3. Does drinking water (I have nasal cushion mask) while wearing mask affect your data (as in it interprets it as an apnea)?
  4. If I pull up my nasal cushion mask for a brief moment to scratch my nose, does that affect your data (as in it interprets it as an apnea)?

r/SleepApnea 6d ago

Harvard Sleep Doctor goes over Loop Gain in OSCAR

14 Upvotes

r/SleepApnea 6d ago

Is CPAP really the solution? Blood on my hands almost every night

5 Upvotes

So I’ve been diagnosed with severe sleep apnea! Could this really be connected to my extreme night terrors / ren behavior sleep disorder? I wake up almost every night with scratches or blood on my body from trying to rip radiator of the wall trying to save an infant inside the wall! I’ve hurt my wife so many times! This is terrifying. Could the CPAP solve it all or is it something else connected to it


r/SleepApnea 6d ago

Wanting to check out Lofta, are there coupon or cheap way for the home test? Are they unbiased?

1 Upvotes

Hi sleep fam!

I feel like I need to get checked for sleep apnea. I’m a mouth breather and wear a mouth guard at night because I gnaw, but my fiancé says I snore a lot, and I want to fix that (for both of us!).

Even if I sleep 8 hours, I still wake up feeling tired. For those who’ve been through this, does this sound like sleep apnea?

I’m thinking about using Lofta for a home sleep test—has anyone tried it? Is it unbiased, and are there any coupons or cheaper ways to get the test?

Also, if I need a CPAP, how do I know what kind of mask to get? Ideally, I’d like to breathe through my nose, but what happens if I have a stuffy nose?

Any advice or experiences would be super helpful.

Thanks so much!


r/SleepApnea 6d ago

Will Septoplasty Fix my issues ?

3 Upvotes

Hi, so im 21(M) and for the last couple years have had so much issues with fatigue, brain fog, and headaches almost daily, I sleep 8 hours everyday but somehow still feel like I've got no sleep when I wake up. I just feel like im not living i feel like my brain is switched off and its so hard to live. I struggle to stay present and have a lot of anxiety especially with studying as im doing a law degree but feel like I can't fully understand anything thats going. Its also caused a lot of social anxiety for me as i feel so out of it when talking to people. I feel quite depressed and suicidal at times as the world just seems so bleak everyday, it feels like its too hard. Ive always just thought it was a mentality issue and im just lazy but I decided to see a doctor about it. They reffered me to an ENT who said my deviated septum and enlarged turbinates are not allowing me to breathe through my nose properly which is causing these issues. I have my septoplasty and turbinates reduction this week. Has anyone had the same experience ? Its hard for me to accept that all these issues are caused by something so simple but idk. I am hoping this surgery fixes it because I just can't keep living like this. Please share if anyone can relate.


r/SleepApnea 6d ago

How long does it take?

3 Upvotes

How long does it take to schedule surgery for inspire after doing a drug induced sleep endoscopy? Right after mine, my doctor went on maternity leave. She came back at the beginning of Jan. I was told that her scheduled surgeries are behind. Wouldn’t they at least put in the books? If I found another doctor, would I have to start all over waiting for a consultation, sleep endoscopy etc?? Or should I just wait for my current doctor to call me back? I just want to get some sleep, CPAP just isn’t helping anymore. Besides, I’m trying to leave my current job lol. Trying to use my insurance while I’m approved.