[Treatment] Adjustable Bed

[Wanttosleep80]

I have sleep apnea all my life. I always remember being tired. I have struggled in life and feel I lost a lot of productivity. I was diagnosed with apnea in late 2013 before turning 34. 2 years later I have used a MAS molded by dentist. I feel this isn't the best way to sleep. I also tried cpap and despised it.

I am curious if anyone has used an adjustable bed.

I think my body would rather be elevated.

Also if I can avoid wearing something it would be nice.

My diagnosis was moderate.

Hopefully I will find someone else like me who can help.

Thanks

[surferdude2]

The single best thing you can do to reduce the effects of sleep apnea is to sleep exclusively on your sides, avoid back sleeping at all costs.

I've tried elevating my bed and also tried sleeping in a recliner. Neither worked as well as side sleeping.

Dude

[Wanttosleep80]

How do you make yourself comfortable sleeping on your side?

I have tried it and my shoulder, neck, and back hurt.

I forgot to mention I am not overweight and actually exercise and eat healthy.

My biggest struggle is sleep.

[surferdude2]

I had trouble side sleeping and the answer was a 4" foam mattress topper. It has 2" of standard foam and 2" of memory foam. I got mine at Walmart for about $100, the best investment in sleep comfort I ever made! I also use a pillow that is labeled for side sleepers, no big special item, just a bit firmer and thicker than a normal one.

Dude

[SideSleeper]

I had never been a back sleeper--I have a really screwed up back. In December 2014 I had a left rotator cuff tear (a bad one) repaired. No problem, I thought--I sleep on my right side anyway, but maybe I should occasionally try my back. We had a Temperpedic mattress and I found it much more comfortable than our old mattress for sleeping on my back--and my right shoulder started to hurt. In June 2015, exactly 6 months after the first surgery, I tore the right cuff and had surgery. My left shoulder wasn't quite up to the job of having me sleep on it full time and I learned to sleep on my back. I think a lot of not sleeping well is the mattress and pillow. With both shoulders healed I now sleep on either side--luckily I can do that as I have a right knee replacement next week and can't sleep on my right side for awhile and want to stay off my back as I have problems with mouth leaks (chipmunk cheeks) when I sleep on my back. My husband also uses a CPAP and he sleeps on his stomach--I can't do that--my neck won't turn far enough!

[surferdude2]

I will add that I was a life-long back sleeper so there was a training period wherein I used a pillow on on side of my back to tilt my body so that I could keep my face sideways on the pillow while having my legs in the position nearly like when back sleeping. I did that for about three months and finally found I could get by without it since it was keeping me from easily changing sides, which is sort of necessary.

Dude

[OpalRose]

How do you make yourself comfortable sleeping on your side?

I have tried it and my shoulder, neck, and back hurt.

I forgot to mention I am not overweight and actually exercise and eat healthy.

My biggest struggle is sleep.

As others have said, the key is the quality of mattress. Yes, you can buy an adjustable bed, but if the mattress isn't good quality, your sleep won't be comfortable.

I have an adjustable bed with tempurpedic mattress. I bought before using Cpap, because I never liked sleeping flat. With that said, using an adjustable bed is not a cure all for sleep apnea, nor is it an alternative to using CPAP.

The important thing here is you have sleep apnea...doesn't matter if moderate, you are being strangled several times an hour every night, and I would bet that the diaganosis you got in 2013 is probably severe sleep apnea (since you've gone untreated) now in 2016.

You are still a young man. Don't wait until you acquire heart disease, high blood pressure, etc. from unthreaded SA.

For your own health and future, revisit the use of Cpap, because untreated SA will kill you eventually.

[Wanttosleep80]

I have used MAS since 2014 because cpap did nothing for me. It was very uncomfortable. I am going to look for side sleeping solutions.

[surferdude2]

That's your decision but I advise you to at least get/use a recording oximeter to see if you are oxygen starving your system at times. If you have a bed partner, they may also be able to tell you if you are having pauses in breathing. As an alternate, a digital audio recorder could be used. I used one initially to see if I had a problem long before getting diagnosed.

A sleep lab or home sleep test are better option. You need to see where you are starting from, whether it's slight, mild, severe or whatever. A professional test and opinion at this point could add years to your life.

Dude

[trish6hundred]

Hi Wanttosleep80,
WELCOME! to the forum.!