Sleep apnea and CPAP machines....

[Bushmaster]

Whose got 'em and uses them, how much $$, etc. etc. I was recently tested....haven't heard the results yet but am pretty sure it will be recommended (as its the only way they make any money). I can't help but feel its a scam....

[mgvande]

A co worker has the Darthvader mask and he says it works. He gets a way better sleep

[rugatika]

Got a Resmed autoset9. Life changer. No longer tired all day. I never went through the sleep study stuff. Just figured it out on my own and ordered one out of Ontario. CPAPclinic.ca I think.

At the time they were selling for around $2400 in Alberta, and I spent $1200 or so. Not sure if things have changed much since then. (5 years ago maybe)

I found out later they were about half as much again in the states.

[Hawkeye]

I used to snore and wake up the babies and really annoy my wife.
I got my first CPAP in 2008, wore it out and am on my second one.
You may need some patience and commitment to make it work, but I really like mine and hate to sleep without it.

You need to find a mask that works well for you (might not be the first one that you try) and then you need to adjust the mask straps with the least tension that avoids leakage. Furthermore, I think it's really important to run the hose so that it passes from the mask to the headboard of the bed and then runs between the pillow and the headboard; the last thing you want is the hose passing by your hands and arms and getting tangled it in when you move around during the night.

I travel a lot and sometimes the plug in simply does not allow me to put the machine by the headboard (at the side of the bed). On several occasions, I have slept with my head at the foot of the bed, put a chair against the end of the bed (with the chair back against the bed), machine on the seat of the chair, and the chair back keeping my pillow from falling off the end of the bed (chair back becomes the headboard). Never asked the housekeeping person what she thought when she came to make the bed!

I know that you can buy machines on-line for prices much lower than what the 'conventional' sources charge. I am sure some searching on here (there are old threads) and on the web will give you a ton of information.

In my view, a strong commitment to making it work, finding a mask that fits well and orienting the hose so it's not in the way when you inevitably move around, will go a long way to achieving success. It really has been a positive change for me and one that my wife deeply appreciates.

On a side note, my father snored for years and when he got one (maybe 20 years ago), my mother found it a little hard to sleep, as it was too quiet!


If you snore and have sleep apnea, this device should improve how you feel, your health and well being, and may add some years on your life; those are pretty awesome benefits!

Good luck to you.
Hawkeye

[bat119]

I've been on CPAP for almost 20 years of all the machines I've had the best was the cheapest one I bought and it runs on 12 volt for camping.

https://www.cpapclinic.ca/CPAP-store...?CatalogID=146

[mgvande]

Now I know who not to share a tent with😀

[kevinhits]

I was using a cpap years ago but decided to lose some weight instead...No longer need it now as long as I stay fit...

[Bushmaster]

I guess I don't doubt that they help people. But I'm not sure I need one ! I snore but I don't sleep fitfully, snorting, starting/stopping breathing, tossing or turning. I always wake up in the same position I went to sleep in. But I am tired.... but in no danger of falling asleep at work or at the wheel, etc. And I can't get over the prices for these gadgets. Why don't I just hook a hose to the humidifier already sitting beside my bed ?? Lol

[Scott h]

Originally Posted by kevinhits

I was using a cpap years ago but decided to lose some weight instead...No longer need it now as long as I stay fit...

Good for you ! A large percentage of sleep apnea could be rectified by weight loss.

[javlin101]

Originally Posted by kevinhits

I was using a cpap years ago but decided to lose some weight instead...No longer need it now as long as I stay fit...

X2 but if you buy one get it with the humidifier

[Grizzly Adams]

Originally Posted by kevinhits

I was using a cpap years ago but decided to lose some weight instead...No longer need it now as long as I stay fit...

Learned to sleep on my stomach as well.

Grizz

[covey ridge]

Originally Posted by Bushmaster

Whose got 'em and uses them, how much $$, etc. etc. I was recently tested....haven't heard the results yet but am pretty sure it will be recommended (as its the only way they make any money). I can't help but feel its a scam....

I have never heard of anyone having the test and being told they don't need one? I used one quite a few years, but for all the good it might be doing, it just kept me awake.

The most improvement I had with my sleep was when I lost weight.

[58thecat]

Originally Posted by Bushmaster

Whose got 'em and uses them, how much $$, etc. etc. I was recently tested....haven't heard the results yet but am pretty sure it will be recommended (as its the only way they make any money). I can't help but feel its a scam....

I am not sure of the health conditions you are in or others but first hand experience with people that I know who relied on these had a weight issue and other bad habits.
I bet a buddy that if he dropped the weight he would throw the pills and the machine away and guess what one year later he is off the North American meds and that dam machine, feels great too, more energy, better sleep and everything else life has to offer.
Might not be the case with all but most I know it is a bandaid fix.

[Jack Hardin]

Originally Posted by Bushmaster

Whose got 'em and uses them, how much $$, etc. etc. I was recently tested....haven't heard the results yet but am pretty sure it will be recommended (as its the only way they make any money). I can't help but feel its a scam....

I was tested in Red Deer two months ago and was told everything was normal and no action was required so, I don't believe it is a scam.

[Sitting Bull]

I have had one for 4 years now.Have not had a good night sleep yet. Resmed S9. I am a side sleeper and can't break the habit. I have tried many masks as well. I currently am using pillows. The mask wakes me up several times a night as it seems to move and creates an air leak so I wake up fix it and repeat a couple times a night. Anybody have any suggestions?

[Wisebuck]

Originally Posted by hunter64

I didn't have a heart attack but the rest of the story is exactly what I was going thru. Now I sleep like a baby and the alarm actually wakes me up in the morning.

Originally Posted by Sitting Bull

I have had one for 4 years now.Have not had a good night sleep yet. Resmed S9. I am a side sleeper and can't break the habit. I have tried many masks as well. I currently am using pillows. The mask wakes me up several times a night as it seems to move and creates an air leak so I wake up fix it and repeat a couple times a night. Anybody have any suggestions?

Consult your doc. I was diagnosed with apnea was given a loaner to test and would rip machine off in my sleep and toss it across room. Had soft palate laser surgery (which hurt like hell during recovery but went away after a few weeks slowly) started getting much better sleep and now over ten years later still sleep great.

[acrtech]

when an inventor develops a mask that doesnt exhaust the air straight out the front of the mask but instead up.., will be a rich man/woman and spouses will wake up without a frozen shoulder or the influx of air blowing in ones face all through the night.
wife has had one now for about 15 yrs or more. saw an article in a paper and had the wife look into testing cause she snored uncontrolably. found she too had been stopped breathing through the night, the machine has helped her sleep immensly. just keep the tubing and mask clean to prevent bacteria and musty odours. like was said, have a long enough hose so you dont get tangled, you sure wake up when the tube comes apart. lol

[bat119]

Originally Posted by Sitting Bull

I have had one for 4 years now.Have not had a good night sleep yet. Resmed S9. I am a side sleeper and can't break the habit. I have tried many masks as well. I currently am using pillows. The mask wakes me up several times a night as it seems to move and creates an air leak so I wake up fix it and repeat a couple times a night. Anybody have any suggestions?

A friend had the same problem couldn't sleep his back, his wife sewed a golf ball pocket on each side of the pajamas (or your tighty whiteys) forcing him to sleep on his back.

I've been using CPAP for almost 20 years anybody that think it doesn't work is dead wrong, I couldn't drive 50 miles without starting to close my eyes.

[Scott h]

Originally Posted by Bushmaster

Whose got 'em and uses them, how much $$, etc. etc. I was recently tested....haven't heard the results yet but am pretty sure it will be recommended (as its the only way they make any money). I can't help but feel its a scam....

What makes you think it's a scam ???? You don't believe in sleep apnea or you don't think the technology works?

[1899b]

We have one as the misses was diagnosed with sleep apnea. tried it one night and its been sitting for the last 4 years. Will sell cheap btw.

When i sleep i sound like a D11 dozer possibly louder. I also gasp for air when i snore loudly so i am told. Still make it to the gym at 430am every morning. I dont worry about it. Sometimes the medical industry looks for problems that arent there...

[Bushmaster]

Scott....I think/thought it was a scam because their main goal was to sell me a machine, even before testing. I know apnea is a real problem. I have buddies who won't spend 1 night without their machines. I'm not married so there's no one there to attest to whats going on. I go to sleep and wake in the exact same position . My fishing buds tell me I snore but no gasping or stopping breathing. So I was convinced I didn't have the problem.

They sent me home with a test machine....I think I wore it for 17 nites. They pulled the card out and sent it to a Dr. at the Grey Nuns to read the results. It said I stop breathing 35.3 times per hour. So I bought their machine and have been using it faithfully now for 3 months. Because I'm a sound sleeper the mask doesn't bother me 98% of the time. But I am still tired all the time (I am overweight, for sure) and I haven't had the successes my friends have.

[Sitting Bull]

After hearing the ad on the radio for the Mayo clinic advertising the dental appliance I decided to call and get more info. So basically if you have medium to severe sleep apnea the success rate is very low and not to mention about $3500.00 .
I hate my cpap . Have not had a good night sleep in years!

[Jack Hardin]

Originally Posted by Bushmaster

Whose got 'em and uses them, how much $$, etc. etc. I was recently tested....haven't heard the results yet but am pretty sure it will be recommended (as its the only way they make any money). I can't help but feel its a scam....

I don't think it is a scam as I was tested in Red Deer this past summer and was told I didn't have a problem regarding sleep.

[theoldguy]

Originally Posted by Bushmaster

Whose got 'em and uses them, how much $$, etc. etc. I was recently tested....haven't heard the results yet but am pretty sure it will be recommended (as its the only way they make any money). I can't help but feel its a scam....

Get it! If you're like me you will fight it for months and then finally put up with it. I've been 1 1/2 yr now and still find it a nuisance after putting on but sleep so much better. I had oxygen levels of 75% many times per night.
Also had a father who snored horribly ( probably stopped breathing many times) and died of heart attack at age 63 in 1989 so I have him beat for now. Who knows - the machine if it was even available then it might have saved his life. It's just money - don't take this lightly. tog

[morinj]

Originally Posted by Bushmaster

Whose got 'em and uses them, how much $$, etc. etc. I was recently tested....haven't heard the results yet but am pretty sure it will be recommended (as its the only way they make any money). I can't help but feel its a scam....

When I was tested, results showed that I quit breathing 43 times a hour, I was having night terrors, and on occasion waking up with near blue lips, I've flipped desks, smashed glasses, and literally dived of my bed, awaking to the terrible pain in my wrists I just landed on! My CPAP machine has changed my life, since I've started using it, I haven't had one night terror, and don't require the 2 hrs naps I was taking everyday after work, it's actually got to the point were my body will not let me sleep without my CPAP. My tests were performed by the University of Alberta, at the General Hospital, in Edmonton, they do not sell CPAP machines, nor did they try to pedal one on me, if you are worried about this, seek out someone who, does just the tests, not the sales.

[covey ridge]

Originally Posted by Bushmaster

Whose got 'em and uses them, how much $$, etc. etc. I was recently tested....haven't heard the results yet but am pretty sure it will be recommended (as its the only way they make any money). I can't help but feel its a scam....

I have heard some that swear by them but I am one that swore at my cpap. I tried one for 3 years.

The best thing that happened to me was that I had a bit of a health issue and lost a significant amount of weight. I hardly snore at all now.

The people who do the test are the people who sell the product.

[Bushrat]

My problem is I can't get to sleep in the first place. Toss and turn all night. I envy the people who go to sleep 5 minutes after they hit the sack. In fact it ****es me off! I can doze off watching the tv while in the easy chair or on the couch but only for 5-10 minutes then I'm awake and feel more sacked out than before I dozed off. Sleeping pills don't work, tried them a few times over the years. Been like this for decades. When I actually am asleep any sound wakes me up. I have a noisy old fan that I point at my head and that helps dull outside noises. Took a sleep test years ago, of course doing the test kept me from sleeping.

[covey ridge]

^^^^^^Pretty much describes me. I have very little apnea, but insomnia seemed to be my problem. They say there is no rest for the wicked Could fall asleep in seconds if I was in a chair, but no matter how tired I would not stay asleep in bed. Tried zopiclone or imovane but those did not keep me asleep but when I discontinued them a got no sleep. Then I went a direction that I would have never predicted years ago. I tried THC drops about an hour before bed. I was able to reduce the zopiclone and then totally stop taking. I still have to get up a couple time a night to pee but I get back to sleep right away and for most of the night I rest well.

[Scott h]

Originally Posted by covey ridge

I have heard some that swear by them but I am one that swore at my cpap. I tried one for 3 years.

The best thing that happened to me was that I had a bit of a health issue and lost a significant amount of weight. I hardly snore at all now.

The people who do the test are the people who sell the product.

Sounds like you fixed the problem with your weight loss. A very large percentage ( but not all ) of sleep apnea can be directly attributed to excess weight.
Unfortunately you are right. There are some sleep clinics that will over prescribe CPAP just to make sales. It's pretty predictable when ever you have private industry there is always the financial incentive that is hard to pass up.

[covey ridge]

Originally Posted by Scott h

Sounds like you fixed the problem with your weight loss. A very large percentage ( but not all ) of sleep apnea can be directly attributed to excess weight.
Unfortunately you are right. There are some sleep clinics that will over prescribe CPAP just to make sales. It's pretty predictable when ever you have private industry there is always the financial incentive that is hard to pass up.

Yes the weight loss fixed the apnea or the stopped breathing but did not completely cure my sleep problem. The years I hoped that the cpap would be the cure all left me not tackling the insomnia I had developed. In my previous post I mentioned that THC helped but I have also eliminated several fibrous foods and foods that contain certain substances that cause gut irritation.

It is my opinion that there are many changes that may be needed to increase quality of sleep. I am not there yet but my sleep in the last year is way better than in decades.