LightChucker
Enlightened
I have been using a CPAP machine for almost 5 years now. It has been working well to control my sleep apnea, but it sure is a nuisance to use. I have tried many different masks and nasal pillow combinations. I have made my own modifications by making homemade chin straps, cheek pads, tube insulators, etc.
For those that don't know anything about sleep apnea or CPAP; "sleep apnea" is where the patient stops breathing during normal sleep because of an airway constriction. In my case, I stopped breathing 20 times an hour for 30 seconds at a time. (I don't remember the exact numbers, but this is close.) "CPAP" stands for "Continuous Positive Airway Pressure". Usually, you don't even know you have apnea, because you don't wake up enough to have memory of the events. In fact, you can die and never know why. (Ryms don't it?) /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif I was lucky in that I actually woke up gasping for breath during an apnea attack. So, I went to a doctor, who sent me to a sleep specialist, who prescribed a sleep study, who finally prescribed CPAP. It saved my life!
Most people are not as lucky as I was, in that they are never aware of the apnea. The affects on your body can lead to death from other things such as high blood pressure, heart attacks, falling asleep at the wheel of your car, and more.
Anyway, are there any others out there who have been diagnosed with sleep apnea? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif
Chuck
For those that don't know anything about sleep apnea or CPAP; "sleep apnea" is where the patient stops breathing during normal sleep because of an airway constriction. In my case, I stopped breathing 20 times an hour for 30 seconds at a time. (I don't remember the exact numbers, but this is close.) "CPAP" stands for "Continuous Positive Airway Pressure". Usually, you don't even know you have apnea, because you don't wake up enough to have memory of the events. In fact, you can die and never know why. (Ryms don't it?) /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif I was lucky in that I actually woke up gasping for breath during an apnea attack. So, I went to a doctor, who sent me to a sleep specialist, who prescribed a sleep study, who finally prescribed CPAP. It saved my life!
Most people are not as lucky as I was, in that they are never aware of the apnea. The affects on your body can lead to death from other things such as high blood pressure, heart attacks, falling asleep at the wheel of your car, and more.
Anyway, are there any others out there who have been diagnosed with sleep apnea? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif
Chuck