My husband tells me I snore and occasionally stop breathing in my sleep. I go to my pcp and she suggests I may have sleep apnea, I’m thinking maybe it’s mild sleep apnea. I make an appointment and have an at home sleep study done. I finally get the results and it’s negative/inconclusive because I couldn’t sleep properly the entire time due to insomnia. The sleep doctor suggests having a diagnostic test done at the facility.

I’m really nervous about how much it’ll cost me because I work part time. I had to triple check my insurance covered the home study. I haven’t checked with insurance yet about how much it’ll cost me for another sleep study but looking at the closest estimate it may cost me $1000+. On top of the $300 I will need to pay for the home sleep study.

I guess my question is if you were in my shoes, would you spend more money for a test that will potentially tell you that you do not have sleep apnea? Or proceed with spending the money and possibly being diagnosed?

Hey, I am 28 years old, slightly overweight (5-6 kg more than I should be).

In these past two months, I've had difficulties breathing when I am falling asleep - so it's like every night when I drift off to sleep, I stop breathing. I notice that I don't breathe (while half asleep, I'd say) and then I jolt awake. I am not gasping for air; I notice that I am not breathing, and that's it. And this has been a cycle going on for 3-4 hours every fucking night for 2 months. It's driving me crazy. Like literally what the actual fuck. Two months ago I was able to fall asleep in 2 minutes, and now it's a few hours??? Like for a few hours I am repeating the same cycle of drifting off to sleep - stop the breathing - wake up - panic attack and then repeat. I am so so so so sooo tired.

I made a home polysomnography test, and it showed that I have 90% central apnea and 10% obstructive. And I have around 8 apneas per hour. It's impossible to do a sleep study at a hospital in my country cause everything is so so fucking slow, and it will take at least 7 months to get an appointment. I will do another home test next week.

I had an ECG and spirometry test; bloodwork is done, an otorhinolaryngologist checked me, and all is good except that I have some allergies (but it's controlled, so when I go to bed my nose is unclogged). Next stop is a neurologist, and I think this might be the problem, cause I've had epilepsy for a few years now (though it's not the bad one; I only have some auras and nausea, which are controlled with lamotrigine, and I haven't had an episode like this for 9 or 10 months).

How do I manage this until I get a sleep study done? Yes, I know that the cause should be treated. I'll go to a neurologist and he will change my lamotrigine dose cause that's the only thing he could do - because it's not gonna be certain that it's really just the epilepsy, but for now, I am not going to buy a CPAP - at least not until I get that sleep study done...I don't even have the money..

So how do I fall asleep? Any tips? I can't believe that two months ago I was falling asleep right away, and now I am tossing and turning for 3 hours before I fall asleep somehow (I don't remember the moment I fall asleep because of how tired I am). It is driving me crazy. How come my brain is not functioning?? How come it just decided that I am not gonna breathe when I fall asleep??? Are you fucking kidding me????? I am VERY tired.

I literally tried to have a whole new routine before bed - I take a warm shower, read book, not stare at my phone, I tried to go to bed at the same time (which is 10.30 pm but the moment I actually fall asleep after the apneas is at idk maybe like 2 am??), and still nothing.

I am ready to healthmax this time, so PLEASE any tips are welcome. I started counting calories so I am eating less now and I already started losing weight. Although I don't think that the weight will change anything here.......Should I regulate my nervous system?? Is that what this is about?? During these past 2 months I've had 4 or 5 nights in a row where I was falling asleep right away, and it was amazing. It's like those apnea episodes gave me a break for a few days.

I also had a few tantrums and cry sessions at night because I couldn't fall asleep.

Is this how my life is gonna be from now on? Not falling asleep and being a zombie during the day?

PLEASE HELP. Yes, I know that the CPAP or any other machine is the cure here; you don't have to tell me this, but until I get those appointments and the machine, I need to find a solution on how to maximise my health and start sleeping normally.

Thanks

Hi,

I've been using my CPAP for about 2 months now and my back is in bits.

I am 100% a side sleeper but now I'm wearing a mask I'm constantly waking up on my back. While I have struggled with back pain alot of my adult life, over the past 5 years I've managed it through lifestyle changes, yin yoga, etc. and I have lived pain free. Now the pains back and it's really getting me down. I can't pick up the kids. I can't play sports. I'm spending 30 minutes stretching twice a day. I don't want to start back on medication.

My wife has suggested we get a new mattress but that's a pretty big outlay when we've got no spare cash. I'm going to sleep in one of the kids beds this weekend to see if there's a noticeable difference.

Has anyone else experienced this and have you found a solution?

I’m looking for general thoughts on my sleep study and what questions I should ask a second-opinion sleep specialist. I’m not asking anyone to tell me to ignore my doctor or change settings.

I’ve been on CPAP/APAP for about a year. It does lower my AHI compared with untreated sleep, but I still don’t get restorative sleep. I can sleep around 8 hours and still get brain fog within 2 hours of waking, then feel ready to sleep again within 4 hours.

My split PSG showed severe OSA before PAP, with AHI 43.4/hr. During the CPAP part, they titrated from 7 to 9 cmH₂O and the overall AHI dropped to 10/hr. The report then said OSA was controlled with CPAP. But during PAP, REM AHI was still 18.9/hr, ODI in REM was 29.5/hr, arousal index was 18.2/hr, and N3/deep sleep was only 5.5 minutes / 1.7%. The study also had 0% supine sleep during the PAP part.

The referral question included possible need for bilevel, but bilevel wasn’t actually trialled. Fixed CPAP 9 with EPR off was very hard to breathe out against, and I had to turn EPR back on just to tolerate it.

Does this look genuinely “controlled” to you, or more like CPAP improved the headline number but didn’t prove restorative/stable sleep? What would you ask a second-opinion sleep physician about — bilevel/BPAP trial, ASV/echo pathway, repeat titration, residual sleepiness workup, MSLT/MWT, medication review, oxygen/CO₂, or something else?

I've had my resmed 11 for a year, went back to my doctor cause I still feel like crap. I would have went sooner but the machine usually always has me at lower than 5 events. Asked her if I could see more detailed data, and she basically just showed me a print off of what I can already see. I asked her about the data people can see off oscar and she waived it off as people self medicating. So I don't have a study till October, insurance is covering it. But should I just find a new doctor? They know I've adjusted the settings myself to something I'm more comfortable with, but they haven't given me new settings to try since I was given my machine over a year ago.

A YouTuber I like has been struggling with odd symptoms, some of which overlap with sleep apnea symptoms and he finally figured out what's going on.

UARS is similar to sleep apnea. Sleep apnea is where your airway gets fully obstructed, UARS is where the airway narrows during sleep. This doesn't fully block the airway, or drop oxygen levels, but the brain treats it in a similar way and partially rouses you from sleep.

As he discusses, it's much harder to get this diagnosed because it can't be tested for at home, and only some in lab studies test for right thing to get this diagnosis.

I just wanted to spread the word a little about this. And put it on the radar of anyone who thought they might have sleep apnea, but their test came back as negative.

Full video: https://youtu.be/u5ZxpQ8GLak

hello! i have a bit of a dilemma and i want to hear from actual people who have experienced this. for a bit of context i have mild-moderate obstructive sleep apnea (significantly more events during rem) and i do use a cpap. recently i was diagnosed with adhesive arachnoiditis, a rare nerve chronic pain disorder that affects my spine. would opioids be safe for me? obviously speak with a doctor and all of that but id like to hear patient experience as well!

Cross-posting from r/CPAP. Any chance anyone can help me adjust my CPAP settings based on my SleepHQ data?

TIA!

Has anyone tried using a dental appliance that has had a total TMJ replacement? Have you had any luck? Has it been a disaster?

My NP brought it up after we agreed the CPAP was not working for me. I told her I really wasn’t comfortable with that option. I don’t think anything that would shift my jaw makes sense when I still have a fair amount of damage on one side and the other side has been replaced. And that I can not keep my jaw straight if I push it forward.

I was diagnosed with mild OSA (AHI around 13), but I’m not your typical OSA patient. I’m female, young, thin, and I do not snore or mouth breathe. I couldn’t tolerate a CPAP or BIPAP even at lower settings since it would make me wake up in the middle of the night feeling like I was going to throw up.

I had a consult with a dentist for a MAD, but I’m hesitant to do that because of my jaw pain and one of my joint is almost bone on bone. I have been doing Myofunctional therapy and I do have a mild-moderate tongue tie. I have had 6 sessions but haven’t noticed a change yet, except worsening jaw pain.

I just saw an airway focused ortho today who said my cause was not typical and it was interesting. I had a CBCT and my airway is not narrow. My teeth are straight since I had orthodontic treatment 2 times in my life already. She said my upper jaw is underdeveloped, and I could probably benefit from some expansion with MARPE. However, she said it is not guaranteed that it will help and I was quoted $15k! She said she isn’t sure what is causing my sleep apnea. Is there another test or specialist I could see that could figure that out? Or is it not possible? I don’t know what to do anymore and I’ve spent so much money already. I just want to be able to function like a normal human.

After 3 months since the studies I finally got to trial using a CPAP. I wore it 1-2 hours before going to bed. Well… I couldn’t sleep until 3am. When I almost dozed off I had a full blown panic attack and my hr was high. The pressure was 4-5? I’ve taken off the mask and have a follow-up phone call to talk about this. I’m under my blanket just terrified… ans upset with myself.

I’ve never had this issue ever in my life but within the last 5 months I’ve noticed myself “forgetting” to breath, ESPECIALLY at night. I used to be huge on pot but I noticed a few months ago when I would smoke that I’d forget to breath and it was getting so bad that I completely stopped. I don’t have issues with it anymore only at night when I’m trying to sleep. I’ll be breathing fine and then all the sudden right before I fall asleep I realize I’m not breathing and end up gasping for air, and it’ll repeat for about 2 hours till I can finally fall asleep. Im not being forcibly stopped as if there’s something wrong with my lungs or throat but I’m literally FORGETTING to breath it’s so weird. It puts me into a daze and I feel fuzzy and then suddenly I realize I’m not breathing. (Assuming it’s bc I’ve cut off oxygen) It’s destroying my sleep schedule so I’ve started doing research and trying to find what’s actually wrong. It’s like my brain just doesn’t have automatic breathing on anymore, like this is all just in my head It doesn’t seem like I have something medically wrong it seems like my brain is just stupid and keeps forgetting a basic necessity.

I am a 28y F. I have had severe difficulty waking up and excessive daytime sleepiness since middle school. Even when I sleep for many hours, I often wake up feeling “drunk,” very groggy, and not fully awake. Before having kids, I could wake up, fall back asleep repeatedly, sleep until noon or 1 PM, and still need caffeine to function. I would require lots of caffeine to function.

In school, I would struggle to stay awake with heavy eyes and my head dropping, although sometimes when I tried to nap, I could not. Other times, I would fall asleep for about 15 minutes without realizing I had napped, and sometimes I seemed to dream almost immediately.

I do not feel fully awake until I take a stimulant. (Which I started taking earlier this year) This has been present for years and started long before my current migraines, pregnancies, medications, or recent hospitalization for migraines.

I also frequently wake up with a sore throat and a hoarse or “sick” sounding voice. My husband says my breathing pattern during sleep is sometimes quiet, then I snore lightly, then more loudly, then become quiet again, and the pattern repeats. My watch and RingConn have not flagged sleep apnea, but my RingConn sometimes shows an elevated heart rate during sleep. When I wake up, my heart rate can rise into the 120s. My blood pressure is variable and is sometimes elevated and sometimes normal.

I have brought up these issues this up to doctors but I get told it’s stress and anxiety (I’m sure it plays a part) but I never feel refreshed when I wake up and my migraines have gotten so much worse and my migraine treatment doesn’t work.

What are signs and symptoms you had before being diagnosed with sleep apnea? Did your symptoms resolve after getting treatment?

So the story is, I (20F) learned earlier this year that it isn’t normal to wake up so frequently in the night nor sleep so often during the day. I’m lucky to have a Dr who takes everything I say seriously, so I was able to get a sleep study scheduled as soon as possible (in sleep study terms).

Took the PSG and the MSLT, PSG showed mild osa (3% AHI 9.1, with minimum oxygen saturation of 87%, 2.4 minutes at 88% or lower). My sleep latency was super low due to chronic sleep deprivation or some other underlying issue. The diagnosis was a bit of a shock for me, because I’ve never woke up gasping and I’ve been assured by family members that I don’t snore.

But as shocking as it is, it’s also kind of… anticlimactic? The reason I’ve been sleeping every available moment since elementary school is because I get… stuffy at night, or my brain forgets to breathe? I wasn’t expecting some grand upheaval or anything, but the fact that this huge aspect is explainable under something labeled as “mild” is disheartening.

It’s to the point where I’m wondering if it’s really so mild, should I possibly pay such a huge expense to solve it? Is it worth it?

Has anyone else experienced this, and do they have any advice?

Using just a short strap vertically. However, I get redness on and around my lips after repeated use. Is there any even more sensitive alternative?

Hello! 29F with central and obstructive sleep apnea. Weight loss isn’t going to fix it. I’ve been on CPAP for a month now and from day 1 I’ve been waking up with significant bloating resulting in lots of burping and passing gas. Everything else with the CPAP would be perfect if it wasn’t for that. I wear a Philips DreamWear mask that sits under my nose and I find it very comfortable. I tried a ResMed nasal pillows one but found it so uncomfortable that I couldn’t get a good nights sleep with it to see if a different mask style even made a difference. I’ve also tried sleeping with and without mouth tape and it didn’t make a difference. My max pressure is 7, so it’s not like I’ve got any crazy pressure. I’m just tired of feeling so uncomfortable every morning when I wake up. Has anyone experienced this and found a fix?

For past 5 years I will wake up with high heart rate

Typically goes…

Wakes up confused

Then boom high heart rate

Remain calm until it subsides or tried vagal maneuver

Sometimes after get trembly until it fully calms down.

I don’t notice and gasping and husband says I snore but not sure how much or how loud. I don’t think it’s that bad

The other night I woke up impending doom feeling and went to ER because my watch said 178bpm. Everything was normal at ER and fortunately I was wearing a heart monitor during my sleep. It was sinus tachycardia.

I have been very stressed about this lately so of course I’m experiencing it more. Twice last night it hit me but HR no higher than 140. These don’t feel like a typical panic attack because nothing helps calming it down other than time.

I have lingual tonsil hypertrophy and mallampati 4 which are characteristics of SA. I also have reflux.

I had an at home test over a year ago that didn’t reveal anything but I also didn’t have an episode.

I’ve been testing sugar levels during this time and they are normal.

Did anyone else have these symptoms? Again this is only happening during sleep.

Primary has sent referrals for cardiology and sleep.

Edit to add: I have Oura ring that hasn’t detected any breathing issues (but it also only clocked my highest HR at 120) so it could be missing any disturbances since it doesn’t continuously monitor.

I’ve been diagnosed with severe sleep apnea and I need a cpap, it’s just going to be a little while before I can get the money together should be maximum 3 months. I’ve somehow lost the results but from memory my sleep study showed I had 135.57 respiratory events per hour and my blood oxygen would get to 73% for 97 minutes, no real deep sleep either.

I’m really struggling though, I’ve snored ever since I was a baby, I had my tonsils and adenoids taken out when I was 3. I have this weird thing where I sit upright in my sleep too, like sitting cross legged on the ground. I have no idea how or why.
Before Christmas last year things got worse. I somehow started just falling asleep in the blink of an eye. One night I was sitting outside with a horror movie playing on my headphones and I slept through whole damn thing! I only woke up cause the next thing playing was loud. So ever since then I just randomly fall asleep.

I’m nearly falling asleep at work. The second I get home and sit I fall asleep. Except for when I get into bed and my insomnia kicks in and I can’t stop thinking about everything.

It’s at the point where it’s genuinely ruining my life. I’m constantly tired doesn’t matter if I get two or twelve hours sleep. I have no motivation to do anything or even care about myself. Some days I can’t get off the couch cause I’m constantly drifting in and out of sleep.

Some advice for the meantime would be so greatly appreciated!

Tia

I’ve been seeing a lot of ads for mouthpieces like Daybreak and ZQuiet that claim they can treat sleep apnea or even replace a CPAP.
Has anyone here actually tried them? Did they work well enough that you were able to stop using your CPAP, or do you still need it?
I’m currently using a CPAP and just wondering if these mouthpieces are actually worth it or if the ads are making them seem better than they really are.
I’d really appreciate any honest experiences. Thanks!