New to sleep apnea, need some feedback please

[Jay.E]

Hello Apnea Infant,

Thank you so much for your feedback, it means a lot. My family doctor just mentioned the tennis ball technique as a way of resolving the issue, he didn't propose using a CPAP machine, and didn't really get into a lot of details. Frankly, I left the appointment wondering what comes next, he didn't exactly propose a plan of action other then the aforementioned tennis ball. Hence, why I decided to come on this forum and get the opinion of actual sleep apnea sufferers. I'm not sure what to do next.  Should I try methods like body pillows/cervical collar/tennis ball or is it better to just go straight to the CPAP machine?

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Hello Walla Walla, 

Thank you for your input, I really appreciate it. The body pillow sounds a lot more comfortable then the tennis ball, I agree. I'll look into it. Thanks for the suggestion.

[Apnea Infant]

Hello Jay.E

You are very welcome. We were all here before and are here for each other.

Re-reading your original post, your sleep apnea is mild to moderate-not dissimilar to my diagnosis. Along with exhaustion, I also used to wake up with headaches and now I know it is due to my brain being deprived of oxygen due to apnea. I also put on a vast amount of weight with the reduced metabolic rate due to disturbed sleep and exhaustion.

My initial diagnosis was with a home overnight oximetry and the advice was there was no requirement for CPAP treatment as my apnea was mild. I persisted to get a sleep study and the rest is history. Like most of us supine sleeping produces most apneas. I have just had my annual review with the Sleep Clinic and have lost 7kg and my tummy circumference has also reduced. I am still determined to lose more weight and have promised the Sleep technician another 5kg come next year.

My view is that your apnea is high enough to warrant CPAP therapy and I am perplexed as to why it is not recommended for you as a matter of course. I use a soft neck collar to reduce my AHI with CPAP treatment. With the nasal pillow mask, the collar and trying to sleep on my side at the beginning of the night, most of my AHI is well below 1. But the biggest result is how I feel. I certainly have more energy and feel brighter mentally.

Without a doubt, it aint sexy to be sleeping with this hose powering air into my nose but what the heck-it gives me my wakeful hours back. Thats most important to me along with all the other known medical advantages over untreated sleep apnea.