[Health] Positional sleep apnea, please help me

[Fantasieimpromptu]

So one year ago i developed what i think is positional sleep apnea, it started when i switched my pillow from a large one to a flat one because it felt uncomftrable, since then i started sleeping on my back and wake up very tired every day and when i achieved sleeping on my side i wouldnt feel tired, i did an at home test which showed everything is fine (tough its clearly not the case) so i tried two sleep apnea backpacks from amazon which both where scammish and didnt work, right now.my sleep quality is terrible and i really dont know what to.do and feel terrible, also when i try to sleep on my side i find it extremely uncomftrable even tuogh i tried a couple of diffrent pillows so i wanted to ask:
1. How can i stay on my side during sleep 
2. How can i sleep on my side comftrably

[OpalRose]

Why do you think it's positional apnea? What are your symptoms? Do you have any data to show as positional?

Are you currently using a Cpap? Your profile is blank and doesn't give us much to go on.

What did your home sleep test show? Do you have a copy to post here?

The point of getting a good night sleep is being comfortable. Side sleeping is preferable, but if you're unable and need to be on your back, take some steps to avoid any chin tucking. Use one flatter type pillow vs. two fluffy tall pillows. Try to avoid wedges when on your back, as that could push your head forward.

[staceyburke]

It does not matter the position you sleep in but stopping your neck from tucking. Collars are one way to keep your neck in aline. At the bottom of my post there is a link about collars, please read the material there. Then go to wiki and find information on collars. Most of the people that use them swear by them.

[eok361]

i'm a back sleeper. it took me a lot of trial and error to figure out a pillow/mask/soft collar combo that best works for me.

i just couldn't stay sleeping on my side. it also required a higher pillow, which when i rolled to my back made back sleeping worse.

if you're going to stay on your back, use the thinnest and firm pillow you can. you will probably benefit from a soft collar as well. i did. there are many to choose from. i ended up with the caldera models. i have both the releaf and their original model, the ALT. i actually like that one better.

but there are tons of options.

and it does read like you're just guessing, not actually using a PAP machine. is that correct?

[mawaw1992]

Last year, after several years of sub 1.0 apneas per hour, my AHI started going up to where now I am averaging 5.61. I have worn a soft cervical collar for many years along with a chinstrap which use to work great. So I decided to record a video of me sleeping one night just to see what was happening. Looking at the timeline of the video matched up to the timeline of OSCAR, all my OA's where while sleeping on my back. As soon as I turned onto my side the apneas stopped. While having the apneas I could tell that my chin was still on top of the cervical collar, so I know that I am not chin tucking. So apparently something has changed in my airway causing the increase in apneas. So now I am trying to find something to prevent me from sleeping on my back. I have tried the Woody backpack which is very cumbersome to sleep with and also a magnetic ball where one half goes inside your shirt and the other half on the outside. The best one I found is the iSleepFit Sleep Posture Belt. The problem I found with all of these is that some nights my AHI would be low but every time when I would go to turn over to my other side, it would wake me every time up leaving me just as tired as having a lot of apneas. I am thinking about making an appointment with an ENT sleep specialist and have some testing done to see what is happening in my airway.

[Deborah K.]

I too am a back sleeper.  I used a soft neck collar for a while then decided to buy a child-size pillow (because they are flatter) which has an elevated front that holds my head tipped slightly back.  This solved the positional apnea completely.  The pillow I use is no longer made, but there are some on Amazon that I think would accomplish the same thing.  Here are links to two of them:

https://www.amazon.com/MLILY-Adjustable-...r=8-1&th=1

https://www.amazon.com/Hcore-Adjustable-...r=8-5&th=1

Both of these are made in three removable layers, so you can make them even flatter if you want to.  Best of luck with whatever you try!  

[HalfAsleep]

If you sleep on your side, a skinny pillow could cause your neck to bend unduly, thus inhibiting your airway. You might need a taller pillow to keep your head from tilting sideways. You’d use a flatter pillow if sleeping on your back, to keep your head from tilting forward.