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BardTheBoatman t1_je0bjyw wrote

Relatively well known that sleep apnea can cause permanent damage to grey matter in the brain and shortening of telomeres. Add this to the list of detrimental effects. Luckily my treatment worked, but my heart goes out to the poor souls that suffer with the disease especially those that aren’t overweight.

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IdesOfMarchCometh t1_je0djjo wrote

When i got mty CPAP, there were 100 people in the room receiving theirs as well. Most were obese but I've always been skinny. A doctor announced that everyone needs to lose weight. I can't really do that. It has dramatically improved my life since and my career and personal life soared in my mid 30s. It changed my life but i had a bunch of questions. Why didn't I address this sooner. And why did i have it if I'm not overweight? I dug in and it turns out for most people who aren't overwhelmed with sleep apnea, sleep apnea is genetic. I had my brother tested and he has sleep apnea. Father refuses to get tested. I'm the only one in the family treated for it.

Looking back I remember friends talking about me, saying i had brain damage, they also hit me with pillows when i snored.... Little did everyone know.

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BardTheBoatman t1_je0ep8o wrote

Possibly a dumb question here but have you been to a doctor to have your nose/sinuses/throat examined? In underweight to normal weight folks, the soft tissues responsible for constricting the airway can sometimes be removed with surgery.

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IdesOfMarchCometh t1_je0txwb wrote

I have Kaiser. They don't do that, they give you a CPAP and forget about you. Their official stance is the surgery doesn't help, though they are all about saving costs.. I do have a pretty bad deviated septum. Maybe I'll switch providers and find someone who will address that or other issues i might have.

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KingKongAintGotShitt t1_je27pbx wrote

That’s exactly what the sleep physicians said to me after I came back after my jaw surgery didn’t work. “I could have told you that wouldn’t work. Why don’t you try a different sleep apnea device for central sleep apnea?” Ya that didn’t work for me just like the other CPAP because my esophageal sphincter kept opening due to the pressure from the air causing severe abdominal pain. Now I play a didgeridoo every night and it does seem to help a bit but its not a perfect solution. I might go to an ear nose and throat doctor to see if nasal inflammation is the culprit.

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IdesOfMarchCometh t1_je2dbwj wrote

One of my brothers managed to convince Kaiser to fix his deviated septum and now he sleeps better but yeah, a lot more people come to doctors with sleep apnea even after surgery and most kind of look down on it as a treatment for sleep apnea.

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InThisBoatTogether t1_je0giyd wrote

My dad never got tested either, but we're all positive he had sleep apnea pretty much forever. He was just convinced he didn't want the hassle of a CPAP. His heart stopped and he died... He was only 54. We have no way to know if it was related but I strongly suspect it was a factor. Last time my brother and I saw him my brother tried to convince him of the danger and he just shot it down. I hope your father will listen to you soon!

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chiisana t1_je0fva0 wrote

I’m underweight and have a pretty severe case with over 30 events per hour. Using the machine brings it down to sub 10 (often sub 5), but it’s been more than a year and I still unconsciously remove the mask each night. Sounds like your treatment is very successful, any tips on keeping it on?

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agnostic_universe t1_je0k0v0 wrote

30 per hour is on the lower end of the moderate scale, believe it or not. I was at about 120 before getting a CPAP

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TragicNut t1_je0skxr wrote

Try different masks? If you're physically uncomfortable, you're more likely to remove it. Also, is your pillow pushing your mask against your face?

I've found that I'm most comfortable with a nasal cradle that also covers my mouth (resmed f30i.) I don't really want something pushing into my nose (nasal pillows) or resting on the bridge so that narrowed it down a lot for me. I'd prefer a simple nasal cradle (like the n30i) but my lips don't stay sealed when I sleep so I need the mouth coverage or I end up dumping a ton of air out of my mouth.

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chiisana t1_je1l7ye wrote

Thanks for this. I’m using F&P Eson2 right now. The other one they gave me originally felt like having air lances going up my nose and was totally unbearable. I’ll try a full face with mouth one next time I get new mask!

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TragicNut t1_je1q5n9 wrote

Sadly, this is one of those things that varies hugely from person to person. I lucked out and found one I like on the second try, one of my friends took 4 tries to find one for her.

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brihone t1_je11peg wrote

I was struggling with the same issue over the last year. Some nights I'd wake up with it on, but most nights I'd pull it off after maybe 3 or 4 hours. Sometimes less. Tried several different masks. None are significantly more comfortable.

Not sure if this applies to you at all, but I quit drinking almost entirely and started hitting the gym regularly and it doesn't seem to be a problem anymore.

The mask is still uncomfortable. I don't think it'll ever be truly comfortable. But I guess I sleep deeply enough now that I don't get into that half awake place and take it off.

I had been drinking pretty regularly. Not always a lot, but pretty much one or two every night with occasional big nights.

I'm feeling more rested, but that could be a result of the exercise, less drinking or more CPAP consistency. Probably a combo of all 3.

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chiisana t1_je1krf6 wrote

Thank you for this. I don’t drink but maybe working out more will help!

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IdesOfMarchCometh t1_je0uf90 wrote

Like someone else wrote, try another mask. I tried a bunch but settled on the dream ware nasal pillow. Seems to work very well. Also i would avoid CPAPs from Philips assuming they haven't improved from the system one.

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chiisana t1_je1l0no wrote

I tried a couple. The one they originally gave me was terrible — they’re like air lances going up my nose haha. I’m using F&P Eson2 now and am able to keep 3-5hrs depending how deep I sleep (melatonin + L-Theanine helps a little).

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Sankofa416 t1_je0c6su wrote

Yep. Of course all of us should be alert, but check out any kids you know who 'snore' in a way that changes their breathing. Much, much better to intervene while their still growing.

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LameJazzHands t1_je0dq72 wrote

You don’t have to snore to have sleep apnea. I have it and don’t snore. I have the “low arousal threshold” subtype. I don’t actually have many periods where I stop breathing — I have micro-awakenings whenever there is some resistance. Basically, I wake up before my breathing has a chance to stop.

So, sleep disordered breathing without snoring.

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Sankofa416 t1_je0gpw2 wrote

Thanks! I had no idea this existed, but it makes sense. I'll look into it.

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Dystopiq t1_je0g1t8 wrote

I’ve read that sleep apnea may be under diagnosed because it tends to get attributed to obesity. Due to that bias people just assume someone at a healthy size and weight won’t have it

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SOwED t1_je0n731 wrote

No doubt it is under diagnosed. It has long been viewed as a thing obese people and elderly people have, so single people who don't have someone in bed with them telling them "hey you snore but you also like stopped breathing for a bit" are likely to attribute their fatigue and brain fog to anything but sleep apnea.

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vinlo t1_je1zmrn wrote

I've had OSA since probably 13. I'm 33. I just had a surgery to correct my deviated septum, and that plus a dental sleep appliance ensures that I can breathe at night, but I still feel I have a much lower "energy limit" than I otherwise should have (i.e. even good sleep only recharges my batteries to 80% at best.)

I wonder if that's the result of permanent brain damage from 20 years of sleep apnea

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tnew12 t1_je16ue4 wrote

Ugh, tell me about it. I was diagnosed at 25 with a BMI of 22. My apnea went from mild to severe after getting teeth removed for braces at 29. I guess I add that to my list of how my body betrayed me.

My 2yo daughter snores loud like me, so its just a matter of time

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