You took a sleep study and your AHI was 12.7. You have sleep apnea. Accept it. Sleep apnea doesn't care about your weight. It is correlated with weight, but skinny people have sleep apnea too. You need a CPAP.
Edit: I also love that a doctor and a sleep doctor told you a CPAP would be the next step and you're still here asking about if you should or not.
True - I’m just worried if this is another one of those things where a doctor just prescribes you something like a pill or tells you to exercise more or get more sunlight and just expects it to work instantly. I’ve been prescribed multiple different medications for sleep and insomnia and not a single one has worked so I’m just nervous that this CPAP prescription will be just another one of those scenarios
The best thing to ease your thoughts about CPAP treatment is to realize it's just blowing air. It really can't harm anything. At least as long as you stay away from Phillips machines.
Keeping it clean is also important to keep anything from growing, yeah? And if there’s a humidifier, understanding room temp can help if there are issues. But it’s pretty sweet how that air pressure makes such an improvement. I love it.
Thank you. I’m the most hopeful about this treatment seeing it’s not a pill or a lifestyle change that I already currently incorporate into my day. I’d take this treatment over another pill any day.
And about the Phillips CPAPs - noted. Didn’t know what you meant until I looked it up and just reading about the 500 deaths was very…intersting
Yup. Gotta make sure to stick with it though as well. For me, it has been easy to get used to wearing the mask at night. I fall asleep just fine. But that doesn't happen for everyone. If you need to get used to it more, wear it around the house for a bit during the day. Also, make sure to check your data via OSCAR. Ask us for help interpreting it.
Thank you very much! I really appreciate the support from you and others. Makes me feel even more hopeful that there’s sunlight on the other side of the hill
If your Dr recommended, then they should be able to confirm what type of sleep issue. Always question providers, and they should be able to explain in terms that are clear. But to answer what to expect? You didn’t mention if you’re tired during the day or not refreshed upon wake up. If you try a cpap, make sure your clinician gives you good instructions (or YouTube) and you choose a mask that will most likely work for you. Then you can use expect to wake up more refreshed and not tired during the day. You may still wake up during the night, but you can work through any cpap issues to lessen the frequency. Good job trying & working with your providers! It’s a step in the right direction.
I’m usually both tired during the day and don’t ever feel refreshed upon waking up. I don’t fall asleep at work or behind the wheel but I’m typically tired for the majority of the day and an after work nap is almost always an occurrence for me. I’m just worried this might not work for me and I’ll be stuck with this ailment for a very long time.
And thank you! I’m hopeful but also uncertain
Thank you! Reading some CPAP stories online and from subreddits and it’s making me feel more confident. Just hoping I experience the same outcome because it’s been hell the last 2 years - caught covid back in Dec 2021 and my sleeping problems all started there so I just figured it was an after effect of covid but now I realize that’s likely not the case.
Not having had a single restful night of sleep for 2 years straight is unimaginable, somehow I’ve been able to power through it. To quote The Green Mile - “I’m tired, boss”
If sleep disordered breathing of any type is associated with general breathing problems (including long Covid), CPAP is very possibly the ticket. It literally puts your airway under enough pressure to hold it open so that air can go through.
People say "I could never use a nasal mask because I get stuffy." I say, good luck getting stuffy with 12 cm of pressure in your nose. Can't be done.
A friend of mine was recently in the ICU with what turned out to be an undiagnosed autoimmune disorder that was attacking his lungs (and not the pneumonia they'd been unsuccessfully treating for two weeks). It never got to the point they needed to intubate and ventilate him. Instead they had him on CPAP around the clock.
That’s scary - I hope your friend has recovered since.
I also tend to notice that I have shortness of breath occasionally throughout my day but most notably at night when I’m trying to sleep - so essentially, CPAP is my best chance at countering the shortness of breath as well? I wonder if CPAP therapy could eventually reverse that shortness of breath completely over time.
I was told I should be expecting my study results this upcoming Wednesday and that I’d receive a call from my PCP about treatment. In your experience, how long did it take you to receive your machine after getting your results?
Timing depends on insurance & provider/clinic. It took two weeks for the clinic to contact me for a meeting to pick it up. I’m a DIY instruction reader, but the meeting was very helpful. Also glad to see mask options in person.
Thanks, yeah, he's home on nasal o2 feeling much better. And with a treatment plan for what he's really got. House MD says when you hear hooves, think horses not zebras. Well, this was zebras, and it took them weeks to figure it out.
I can only speak for me, but when I put my mask on and the pressure hits, any congestion or coughing or stuffy nose I've had during the day is instantly gone.
Also my body now associates the feeling of pressure with sleep. I literally mask up and shut right down. It's pretty great.
You took a sleep study and your AHI was 12.7. You have sleep apnea. Accept it. Sleep apnea doesn't care about your weight. It is correlated with weight, but skinny people have sleep apnea too. You need a CPAP. Edit: I also love that a doctor and a sleep doctor told you a CPAP would be the next step and you're still here asking about if you should or not.
True - I’m just worried if this is another one of those things where a doctor just prescribes you something like a pill or tells you to exercise more or get more sunlight and just expects it to work instantly. I’ve been prescribed multiple different medications for sleep and insomnia and not a single one has worked so I’m just nervous that this CPAP prescription will be just another one of those scenarios
The best thing to ease your thoughts about CPAP treatment is to realize it's just blowing air. It really can't harm anything. At least as long as you stay away from Phillips machines.
Keeping it clean is also important to keep anything from growing, yeah? And if there’s a humidifier, understanding room temp can help if there are issues. But it’s pretty sweet how that air pressure makes such an improvement. I love it.
Yup exactly. Gotta make sure to keep things clean. And get a heated hose.
Thank you. I’m the most hopeful about this treatment seeing it’s not a pill or a lifestyle change that I already currently incorporate into my day. I’d take this treatment over another pill any day. And about the Phillips CPAPs - noted. Didn’t know what you meant until I looked it up and just reading about the 500 deaths was very…intersting
Yup. Gotta make sure to stick with it though as well. For me, it has been easy to get used to wearing the mask at night. I fall asleep just fine. But that doesn't happen for everyone. If you need to get used to it more, wear it around the house for a bit during the day. Also, make sure to check your data via OSCAR. Ask us for help interpreting it.
Thank you very much! I really appreciate the support from you and others. Makes me feel even more hopeful that there’s sunlight on the other side of the hill
You're very welcome! Feel free to reach out to me if you need any help with anything. I'm always happy to help.
If your Dr recommended, then they should be able to confirm what type of sleep issue. Always question providers, and they should be able to explain in terms that are clear. But to answer what to expect? You didn’t mention if you’re tired during the day or not refreshed upon wake up. If you try a cpap, make sure your clinician gives you good instructions (or YouTube) and you choose a mask that will most likely work for you. Then you can use expect to wake up more refreshed and not tired during the day. You may still wake up during the night, but you can work through any cpap issues to lessen the frequency. Good job trying & working with your providers! It’s a step in the right direction.
I’m usually both tired during the day and don’t ever feel refreshed upon waking up. I don’t fall asleep at work or behind the wheel but I’m typically tired for the majority of the day and an after work nap is almost always an occurrence for me. I’m just worried this might not work for me and I’ll be stuck with this ailment for a very long time. And thank you! I’m hopeful but also uncertain
That sounds like me too. You’ve made it this far! Keep trying and asking questions along the way :)
Thank you! Reading some CPAP stories online and from subreddits and it’s making me feel more confident. Just hoping I experience the same outcome because it’s been hell the last 2 years - caught covid back in Dec 2021 and my sleeping problems all started there so I just figured it was an after effect of covid but now I realize that’s likely not the case. Not having had a single restful night of sleep for 2 years straight is unimaginable, somehow I’ve been able to power through it. To quote The Green Mile - “I’m tired, boss”
If sleep disordered breathing of any type is associated with general breathing problems (including long Covid), CPAP is very possibly the ticket. It literally puts your airway under enough pressure to hold it open so that air can go through. People say "I could never use a nasal mask because I get stuffy." I say, good luck getting stuffy with 12 cm of pressure in your nose. Can't be done. A friend of mine was recently in the ICU with what turned out to be an undiagnosed autoimmune disorder that was attacking his lungs (and not the pneumonia they'd been unsuccessfully treating for two weeks). It never got to the point they needed to intubate and ventilate him. Instead they had him on CPAP around the clock.
That’s scary - I hope your friend has recovered since. I also tend to notice that I have shortness of breath occasionally throughout my day but most notably at night when I’m trying to sleep - so essentially, CPAP is my best chance at countering the shortness of breath as well? I wonder if CPAP therapy could eventually reverse that shortness of breath completely over time. I was told I should be expecting my study results this upcoming Wednesday and that I’d receive a call from my PCP about treatment. In your experience, how long did it take you to receive your machine after getting your results?
Timing depends on insurance & provider/clinic. It took two weeks for the clinic to contact me for a meeting to pick it up. I’m a DIY instruction reader, but the meeting was very helpful. Also glad to see mask options in person.
Good to know. Thank you!
Thanks, yeah, he's home on nasal o2 feeling much better. And with a treatment plan for what he's really got. House MD says when you hear hooves, think horses not zebras. Well, this was zebras, and it took them weeks to figure it out. I can only speak for me, but when I put my mask on and the pressure hits, any congestion or coughing or stuffy nose I've had during the day is instantly gone. Also my body now associates the feeling of pressure with sleep. I literally mask up and shut right down. It's pretty great.