Saw primary care doc and asked for a referral since i snore.
Was easy. picked up equipment and did a short class.
Before you go to bed, place the recording device on wrist and place monitor on finger and a second monitor on chest.
Results in a couple of days. Yes i have sleep apnea and need a CPAP machine. The process was pretty easy.
SnoreLab is a great app. Free but costs to upgrade which you’ll probably want to do at some point if you find it helpful.
It records snoring at night and you can track conditions and changes you make to habits to see what works.
Since it keeps a record you can take that result to your doctor if needed.
The CPAP mask takes a bit of getting used to. But once you are, it dramatically helps with your sleep.
{I’m not the patient; I’m the bed mate of the patient. Trust me.]
Be sure to get decent equipment. Ask about an auto pap rather than a cpap. That way you will get the pressures you need (some folk for example need higher pressures when on their backs than when on their sides). Also get one that records data so that you can see what is going on.
Wow–I have had two sleep studies that were just awful. They were conducted in a creepy hotel and I had to sleep there overnight. I was to go to sleep at 11 which was ridiculous as I am a night owl. They could not get results the first time because I did not sleep long enough. The second showed I have Rera (not apnea) which is that I do not stay in REM long enough (have a 90 minute cycle).
What is this call that you did @dadoftwingirls? It sounds so simple and user friendly. They want me to have another sleep study and they have moved to a nice wing of the hospital but I am not thrilled to do this again.
Different places have different procedures. Most have a home study first now though and only do the full overnight test on borderline cases.
Once Mr R had the machine he had to do an overnight test to make sure it was calibrated correctly or something.
We both did the home test and he, the skinny one with no health problems, had it but I didn’t. Go figure.
He said he doesn’t notice much of a difference in energy but I know I sleep infinitely better since I don’t have his snoring waking me up.
Snorelab is free so try it out. It’s great.
I did so last night. Glad I was able to sleep through my noise…
I did say free, didn’t I? (Full premium app is 10 bucks if you want it—not breaking anyone’s bank but not necessary to see how things are going).
It’s a great app especially for people who can’t believe how much noise they make and trying to analyze solutions.
Record yourself with your new CPAP to see if it works!
@oregon101 A home sleep study does not capture all of the information that a study completed in a sleep lab provides. Home studies primarily diagnose sleep apnea while overnight studies diagnose the full range of sleep disorders . The use of home studies is more recent as is use of a hotels for overnight studies.
I didn’t sleep very well in my sleep study because I was uncomfortable with all the monitors being connected to me, uncomfortable strange vinyl covered bed, cold temp, at a med center, in a city 4000 miles from home, at elevation of 5200 feet.
I was asked if I have insomnia often and honestly replied only under the above circumstances. I don’t have sleep apnea, restless legs, or any of the multitude of other things I was tested for.
My relative got a nice quiet Phillips Respironics Dream Machine. You can monitor your sleep via a free app. There are quite a few different masks—you have to find the one that works best for you, which you will actually wear regularly. Have to wear it at least 4 hours per night for most nights of the 1st 30 or 90 days to keep it. Using the humidifier helps.
Using cpap or whatever device you are prescribed has been shown to prolong life and improve health. It can be a real life changer!
My H did the sleep study at a lab. He not only has positional apnea, but central apnea. He forgets to breathe. Which is sort of terrifying. But at least we know it now. So it was not just the snoring because of nasal issues, it was just…not breathing. He has a machine which is, I believe, a bipap machine. the airflow is not continuous; it actually blows discrete breaths at him.
It’s a wonder he didn’t die before he got it. Truly lifechanging. His day-time lethargy is gone, his severe psoriasis has almost entirely cleared up (because it is stress related), and honestly he’s an easier person to live with-- a lot of daily irritation is gone.
He is addicted to the machine; won’t go a night without it. I do think it may have saved his life.
Res Med is another good brand, especially with nasal pillows. I jumped through hoops to get Medicare to pay for most of my new machine- rent for 13 months (how they decided on that?) with a sleep study- old one too many years ago. The tales I could tell. One still needs those 7-8 hours of sleep to feel refreshed, darn.
Somehow I forgot to mention that the main reason my H got his was for dangerous arrhythmias, which are almost nonexistent now. I do think his is Res Med brand, and he also uses nasal pillows–much, much easier than the full mask.
I wanted to let people know how the sleep studies work today and they don’t require an overnight in a sleep study lab so it they wanted to try again.
Got Res Med APAP machine as that is what my health insurance uses. It is quiet and records all the information. no need for an app. The sleep tech can download the information.
Trying to get use to the nose pillow mask but not having luck. Calling today to change out mask.
i know i snore, and had bought a snore/mouth guard before. It worked as my wife said i dont snore when i use it. The store brand guards were always causing soreness in my jaw so wanted to get a custom fit one. However they recommend the APAP machine.
@oregon101, they called it a sleep study. they measure how many times you stop breathing over an hour. If they needed more detailed results, then i would have been referred to a sleep study lab.
just check with your health plan/doctor on the way they conduct the study.
Inspired by this thread, I prodded H to request a sleep study. He goes in tomorrow night!
Yay @Midwest67! Hopefully he will get some answers and treatment suggestions that improve his quality of sleep and health and longevity!
My husband had his sleep study weeks ago and finally got the equipment last week. It’s miles better for me, but they started off by just giving him the nose thing. He discovered he’s enough of a mouth breather that his mouth was drying out from all the air being pushed out of it when it was open. He then tried ordering a chin strap, No luck. So now he’s ordered something that will cover the mouth as well. I don’t think he’s really getting more sleep yet, but I think once he’s got the right mix of equipment and has gotten used to it, it will be better.
I was sort of suprised they didn’t give him a mouth thing to start with, as I could have told them that when ever he’s on his back his mouth is open. They are doing some sort of monitoring so he was able to see that they can now tell he’s breathing through his mouth.
It takes a while. My H went through several different types before he got what worked for him. I am not sure he would have stuck out the adjustment period without coaching and support from his brother. It definitely takes getting used to, and there may have been some throwing across the room of masks the first week or two.
For those of you who use the CPAP, is there an alternative for air travel? My sister who snores terribly has used the CPAP for several months now and its great but…we are taking a red eye to Europe in May and not sure what she might use instead while flying?
I agree about the adjustment period of getting used to the mask. It took DH a miserable three weeks until he could sleep well.