Hacker News Reader

Comment by crimsonalucard | Hacker News Reader

One way around this is to get a bed that has something like a zero gravity mode. Sleep a bit upright and your airway won't collapse in on itself.

I don't need CPAPS yet, but if a CPAP alone isn't working for you, you can try this combined with CPAP or just using the bed itself.

View on HN

And at the risk of being down voted, weight loss: https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/weight-loss-breathing-de...

The risk of sleep apnea increases with age, as well as the morphology (small neck, ...) or neurological problem: https://www.atsjournals.org/doi/full/10.1513/pats.200709-155...

Obesity sleep apnea ≠ Age and morphology sleep apnea, the first can be cured by weight loss, the second is a lifelong "disease" (except surgery that does not last).

In my case, my OSA is most likely due to being overweight.

Having effective CPAP treatment alongside active weight loss measures would work wonders. It's no fun trying to diet and exercise while being completely exhausted day in and day out due to poor sleep.

Worse, the constant exhaustion makes your mental state absolutely horrible. Not just in the obvious stuff like being more scatterbrained, but in lack of motivation and, I dare say, depression.

Wouldn’t wish it on my worst enemy.

Yep, I most likely had it for 5 years without realising it. I had no idea why I was so tired.

Every day, getting to work on time was a huge mission, slogging through the day trying to get stuff done jacked up of caffeine.

Then the nights, despite being exhausted I was unable to fall asleep, my experience was that I was lying awake in bed for hours but actually I was falling asleep many times per minute and choking myself back awake. The only easy way to get to sleep was to have a few drinks which naturally made my apnea worse, not to mention the negative effects of alcohol.

Once I realised I was doing it, I learned to sense when I had choked back awake. I did everything I could to get a CPAP Machine ASAP (it was expensive and not covered by health insurance in Australia).

2 weeks of using it every night I felt like a new person. My compliance using the device is nearly 100% over the last year (as reported by the device) and it's been so great.

I fall asleep in about 5 minutes these days.

The reason why I didn't realise I had this condition was because I had been single for about 6 years and slept on my own. It wasn't until I started dating that my (now fiancee) said 'you snore and choke all night'.

So, as a PSA, anyone overweight and long time single that is always tired, get a sleep study!

There is a secondary solution to CPAP machines that may apply to some people who find their breathing/sleep improves with sleeping position. About a year ago I got a Mandibular Advancement Device from a TMJ specialist that pushes the jaw forward, preventing the tongue from pushing the against the palate and obstructing airflow.

I had tried a CPAP machine previously and still felt that it wasn't working (although the data said otherwise, I just felt like I wasn't breathing properly).

If, while laying on your back, moving your jaw forward improves breathing significantly, this type of treatment might be a good alternative to a CPAP (costs are similar though).

Another solution is a pluggable hole in your neck. Remove plug when sleeping.

My understanding is that sleeping on one's side (rather than back) can make a big difference too.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com