Good news with side sleeping

[renoir]

I had been having high bursts of AHIs that seemed impossible to control. For the last few nights, I have been sleeping on my side, having sewed a tennis ball on the
back of a T-shirt. The results have been very good. I still wake up every few hours, so that is the next thing to address.

[AtlasAus]

Hi,

My first post... Still learning all about this. I downloaded the software you used and I got an AHI of 15.63 whatever that means ?

I am a side sleeper and nose breather. .

Coming up to 3 weeks on the machines, I feel wonderful

[renoir]

Sounds great. Keep at it. There's a lot of excellent advice on this forum.

[sleepyp]

Forcing side sleeping can seem tempting to do, given the good results in the numbers.
I've done that myself using fanny bags loaded with tennis balls, and a slumberbump. Both worked, got my AHI number down and with much lower pressure too (9 vs 13). Great, right? I didn't feel any better, possibly a bit worse.

A couple of things to consider when forcing side sleeping:
- It can be quite sore to sleep in one position for lengthy periods. When you try to shift position (and you will) the tennis ball forces awakening  to relieve the pain. This awakening kinda defeats to purpose of CPAP. I couldn't find a method that would allow you to swap sides without a full awakening. This is great for your bed partner (if you snore), but not great for you.
- Many people (me included) experience elevated AHI counts in REM/SWS sleep. Seeing "good numbers" may mean you simply had reduced time in REM/SWS sleep, again defeating the purpose of CPAP. Your sleep study will tell you your NREM vs REM AHI numbers. Your sleep study will also tell you your AHI in supine vs non supine.

[Dormeo]

Hi,

My first post... Still learning all about this. I downloaded the software you used and I got an AHI of 15.63 whatever that means ?

I am a side sleeper and nose breather. .

Coming up to 3 weeks on the machines, I feel wonderful

Welcome, AtlasAus!  I’m so glad you’re feeling good, but I bet the experts here can help you feel even better. Your AHI is higher than we’d like to see, and if you’ll start a new thread and post a Daily chart, they can take a look.

[Sleeprider]

You solved obstructive clusters, but have 7 breaks in therapy. If the solution disrupts your sleep as much as the problem, it will result in continued fatigue. We often suggest a soft cervical collar so people can sleep where they are comfortable and still protect the airway. If you can train yourself to stay off your back where OA clusters occur, then that is very worthwhile, but if it fragments your sleep, it is not a long-term solution. Good luck.

[SleepyTexasGirl]

Side sleeping doesn’t always help apnea enough. My dad always slept on his side and mom said he had snoring/apnea issues still. She just didn’t realize that him stopping breathing in the middle of the night was an issue.

Back sleeping can cause pain issues too if you have low back issues.