Sleep Problems

[miztrniceguy]

Ambien didnt work for me. I have sleep apnea, too but i don't use a machine, as i couldn't fall asleep with the mask on. i would lie in bed all night freaking out about the mask on my face.

I use nyquil or benadryl...cheap walmart brands that is. i switch off between them. i get about 6 hrs a night.

[pam]

I've gotten to where I can't sleep at all unless I'm using my cpap machine for sleep apnea. I don't use the kind of mask that completely covers your nose. Just a thing that fits underneath. So much more comfortable.

[ryanh]

Pam, I was hoping to talk to you this Fri about this. I know the OP was pretty old, and I knew you had apnea, but didn't know if you felt the two were connected.

It took me a while to figure out that my insomnia was related to sleep apnea. It seems completely counter intuitive, but something about the apnea causes the mind to not want to go back to sleep. At least for me. One would think that being so sleep deprived would overrule insomnia, but apparently not.

My body hasn't respond to CPAP. It just doesn't relieve the symptoms. I've had several surgeries, and they have helped. But, what I am doing now seems to have the greatest benefit. I have found a way to keep myself from lying on my back - the position where the majority of my apneas occur.

What I did is take a one-size-too-small t-shirt (so it's snug and won't twist around my torso) and sewed a pocket in the upper middle of the back, right between the shoulder blades. In that pocket I place a hard plastic ball. So, anytime I roll onto my back while sleeping, I have a built in reminder to keep rolling till I'm on my side. After a couple nights, I no longer noticed it at all. It became pretty automatic that I simply rolled over to the other side without waking up because of the ball.

I used to wake up periodically from an apnea, and find myself on my back. Now, I don't wake up from apnea's at all, and I never find myself on my back.

Here are couple photos of one of the shirts I made. (I pleated the pocket so that it fit the ball well, but didn't press it into my back)

[pam]

Sounds good Ryan. We can talk about it Friday. Sounds like you have obstructed sleep apnea. That's what I have. I can't sleep on my back at all if not using my cpap machine. My throat closes up and causes me to quit breathing. I'd love to have the surgery to remove that little flap of skin that hangs that we are prone to get as we age in the throat. I've heard more pros for it than cons.

[miztrniceguy]

I had a UPPP or UP3, in which they removed part of my soft palette, my uvula, tonsils, and fixed my extremely deviated septum. It helped. Last study I was down to 70 events per hour.

[ryanh]

Yes, I too have had the UPPP. Not a fun surgery to recover from, but it has helped quite a bit! I know a lot of docs are reluctant to consider it, and there are studies showing limited success. But, if OSA is the problem, esp with tongue or back of throat, I say go for it!

Even with that surgery, I still have problems if I lay on my back. Just not a bad of problems as before. And, the combo of the UPPP, sinus surgeries, and the shirt/ball seem to have really helped.

The shirt/ball is simple and inexpensive. It's well worth the try. It's been a great help to me.

[personne]

Pam hi, I do not know if your problem is resolved or not, it must think once, we're lying in bed that we are Light as a Feather we sink into the bed .. no it is not a nightmare .. its not working on some people.

I think our body sends us signs and we should not miss the train

[tefor]

I turn the alarm clock facing the wall so that the glare doesn't wake me up at 2:30 AM. The alarm's already set, so I don't have much need to be looking at it.

I also keep my iPod by my side of the bed. It has several episodes of The Meditation Podcast on it, which always helps me relax and get to sleep. The most important thing for me is to quiet the chatter that's always going on inside my head.

[pam]

Originally Posted by personne

Pam hi, I do not know if your problem is resolved or not, it must think once, we're lying in bed that we are Light as a Feather we sink into the bed .. no it is not a nightmare .. its not working on some people.

I think our body sends us signs and we should not miss the train

I certainly appreciate your thoughts personne. I really do. But those with sleep apnea have quite a few other issues than just thinking we are light as a feather in our bed.

[personne]

Pam thank you I appreciate you too. I am sorry that my answer did not help.