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I have sleep APNEA and have been using CPAP (for the last 2 months) and have had good results when using it. I have a concern/question:
my symptoms are dramatically worse when I am reclining/seated. For example, if I fall asleep at a movie theater or on an airplane, I immediately wake up with a choking feeling - it is very difficult to breathe for a 2-3 seconds after I awaken. It is an extremely frightening experience and I'm scared to sleep unless I have my CPAP with me.
Does anyone else experience this? It is quite a scary feeling when I get up panicking due to the choking sensation. s there any way to minimize this issue?
A good note: this never happens to me when I am using the CPAP device.
When sitting or slightly reclined your head is most likely falling forward and substantially closing your airway.
You can test this simply by breathing normally and then lowering your head until your chin touches your chest at the top of your sternum (the bone that runs vertically over your heart that your ribs are connected to) to see how much restriction there is.. when relaxed and sleeping there will be even more than what you feel when awake.
A possible solution would be a neck collar to support your chin in case you fall asleep during a movie or flight - some people also need to use a collar when sleeping prone and using a CPAP because they sleep "chin down" even in bed.
The good thing in what is happening to you is that your subconscious body reflex is still working as it should by waking you up in those situations where you fall asleep sitting up and your airway becomes restricted.
- They are not spelling/grammar errors.. I live in Australia, we do it differently Down Under -
i've been using the airsense 10 for a few months. I have had trouble getting masks to not leak. The full face did a horrible job for me, so am currently trying the nasal pillow. Could you please help interpret my oscar results (attached)? I posted results from a couple of different days. is it leaking too much? I have not felt restful sleep this past week and my mouth is super dry. A day or two this week I woke up with a headache. Thanks in advance.
aght23 - Since your 2 threads deal with your apnea therapy, I have merged them together. To provide a more inclusive title, I renamed your thread aght23 - Therapy Thread. This will allow readers to view your history and advancements as you progress.
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