I saw a few really old threads on this but nothing recent.

Has anyone used any treatments to mild sleep hypopnea/apnea without a CPAP? Any success on any of them?

I got a sleep study a while back and I think the important bits (I asked twice and got very bad bedside manner answers) were: 14% REM sleep, 4 apneas, 69 hypopneas, lowest oxygen saturation 89%.

From what I gathered some treatments were CPAP, surgery, some kind of braces, sleeping on my side, and something that looked like nostril bandages. My sleep doctor did a very mediocre job explaining them (except that he wouldn't recommend surgery for mild sleep hypopnea - thanks). I was looking for experiences on the low-end before I go on the crazy end.

12/21/2012 6:46:33 PM

yep... lost weight.

12/21/2012 7:47:11 PM

I lost my college weight and it helped my problem, also usually sleep on my side now

12/21/2012 9:20:38 PM

I can lose a little bit of weight but not much. I've a hard time sleeping on my side - I'll keep trying that. I have a really hard time sleeping in any other position unless I'm trying to sleep through an alarm

12/22/2012 3:27:03 AM

ask your dentist about mouth guards for obstructive sleep apnea. It will help pull your lower jaw forward some.

However, if your sleep apnea is Central apnea it will not help.

12/22/2012 8:24:10 AM

[Edited on December 22, 2012 at 9:22 AM. Reason : Damn, it's a lounge thread]

12/22/2012 9:21:19 AM

I agree with the others, try environmental changes first:

Lose weight if you are over weight.
Check for environmental allergies and sensitivities - carpet glue, pet dander, mold, dust mites.
Try changing your diet for a week to just fruits, veggies (no peppers or mushrooms) and meats.

if those things don't help, the breath-rite nasal strips are next
then the jaw alignment mouth guard.

Both of my parents were on cpap machines for apnea. It was the final shock to them to lose weight. They have both dropped serious pounds and no longer have any issues.

For me, turned out that I have problems with carpet glue and mold, which make me congested as hell during the night and make me snore badly. Hardwood floors fixed that.

12/22/2012 11:06:28 AM

I had this issue at 6' 185 (not fat). I had my tonsils and uvula removed to GREAT success. Lost weight because for the first time in years I was actually SLEEPING. I had no idea I had it, until a gf noticed. I'm single and a cpap would scare off the hoes so I went the surgery route with no complaints. Also got rid of all the strep throat I suffered from.

12/22/2012 11:21:08 AM

smoothcrim i too had surgery and was successful... I was 23 when i had the operation and had barely any weight i could lose.

12/22/2012 12:06:49 PM

^^I have the mouth guard I got from my dentist. My wife says it works reasonably well but I've always considered getting my enormous tonsils out.

I hear, as an adult, that surgery is incredible painful and somewhat risky. Interested to hear how that surgery recovery was.

12/22/2012 3:21:13 PM

I ate jello for 4 days then graduated to mac and cheese (no crust) then a day later was fine. The worst 2 parts is when your sutures come out if they do it all at once your mouth is flooded with blood. The other bad part is that even know I have to be careful to chew all my food otherwise it gets stuck in my throat at a place where it hurts. I also have my uvula removed though.

12/23/2012 9:39:02 AM

A few years ago I had a complete uvulopalatopharyngoplasty (UPP) to alleviate most of the constriction which I was having in my upper throat while asleep. The entire back of my mouth was restructured to the point that I had to relearn how to eat, drink, and, to a certain extent, speak again. Recovery time was almost a month, and it took me about a good week and a half before I was ready to try to eat solid food again. I was never overweight (and still am not), was in decent physical shape, and never had any prior history of sleep disorders. My condition was a very extreme case, but there's no question that surgery saved my life. I'd honestly rather have had the surgery than have to sleep with a CPAP machine every night...

12/23/2012 9:50:50 PM

I suspect I have it, though I've never been formally diagnosed. Breathe Right strips help, and they're non-obstructive and cheap to try. I'd recommend the "Extra" over the standard or "Advanced" version.

12/24/2012 1:02:25 AM

I had a sleep study done and they were going to hook me up to the cpap machine but it was broken. So it was a wasted sleep study.

12/24/2012 7:19:15 AM

oh i would have been PISSED. that's like going in for an MRI but the MRI machine was broken.

12/24/2012 8:19:37 AM

^ fucking a.

I haven't had my follow up, but I'll be damned if the doctor thinks he's going to charge for another sleep study.

The machine worked for the airflow but its telemetry was screwed up or something.

12/24/2012 9:14:40 AM

My boyfriend has this and has tried a combination approach to managing it. He's:

-lost weight ~20 lb
-has a mouth guard
-plays the didgeridoo. The different tones are produced with the throat muscles, and with diaphragmatic support, supporting a stronger
airway. (I also told him there was another way to strengthen throat muscles ( ) but that just got me an angry scowl.

12/25/2012 11:23:39 AM

Thanks for the posts . At least one upside to this is in the past few months my dreams are incredibly vivid and I'm trending to remember 2-3 dreams a night. They are all weird.

I had a hard enough time doing a sleep study sleeping with the wires.. I think I woke up 3 times during my study. Can't imagine a CPAP.

I'm going to start with a few and if these don't work try and move up. Not sure how to gauge restfulness - I've been waking up a little more easily but my afternoon is still a dead zone.

- Breathe Right strips (most immediate)

- Finishing allergy shots (I'm allergic to a few indoor things and ~all outdoors. I've been slacking on these and my nose is a little stuffy)

- Losing weight - I've got a belly but can only lose like 10-15 fat pounds :/



[Edited on December 27, 2012 at 6:34 PM. Reason : ^ have a nightguard for grinding. Cannot fall asleep with it.]

12/27/2012 6:33:42 PM