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Comment by jwestbury | Hacker News Reader

Nerve stimulation implants are really exciting. I have sleep apnea, and while I take to CPAP therapy pretty well, I hate having to travel with the device and I hate its limitations. When we travel, I have to ensure there's an outlet somewhere near my bed; I can't camp without a massive battery pack for my CPAP; I can't go backpacking; and even cuddling my wife at night is a challenge because of the hose hanging off my head.

There's now a sleep apnea implant available, which also functions based on nerve stimulation, and is apparently quite effective. It's still a bit large, so not ideal for those of us who can deal with a CPAP, but in another 10 years maybe I can stop using my CPAP and just get a relatively straightforward surgical procedure every 5-10 years. I'd absolutely do it.

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Also using CPAP and cuddling is a big problem for me as well. I have to sleep facing the opposite direction because the venthole in the nasal mask I can tolerate (F&P Eson 2) blows on her face.

I use a Resmed P30i, which I find really comfortable, but if either of the tubes on the side of my head get compressed, it gets noiser, or if the vent at the top of the head is too close to a surface, which means I now sleep in pretty specific positions to avoid disturbing my wife.

Still, better than keeping her up with my incessant snoring, I guess.

Depending on how severe your sleep apnea is, there are oral appliances that can help with mild to moderate cases of sleep apnea. Could be an alternative to a CPAP machine. It’s like wearing a bulky retainer at night.

That said, you’ll want to go to a dentist who specializes in sleep apnea and is able to test / fit the oral appliance properly. (Source: father is dentist who specializes in TMJ pain and sleep apnea).

I've heard they're about $3,500USD and aren't covered by insurance. For something that I'm unsure would solve the problem, it seems a bit much. If it were 1/10th the price, I would just try it.

Seems like the 3d scanning my kids had for their braces, plus 3D printing could make it less expensive, at least for a prototype device to just try.

I should try that "tape over the mouth" thing to see if it helps, particularly as I'm super mild apnea, but I'm expecting it won't really work with my beard.

That is correct on both counts: they’re a bit pricey and insurance won’t cover an oral appliance for sleep apnea, which is unfortunate!

I do tape over the mouth every night. It’s worth a try! I also wear an oral appliance to prevent teeth clenching at night which was a game changer for me in terms of jaw muscle inflammation (due to clenching).

Mouth taping is one thing my dad (dentist) recommends for people who snore. While I don’t snore or have sleep apnea, I do feel like I get a more restful sleep.

Check eBay for medistrom batteries. I can get 1 night for AirSense 10 (w/o humidity); 2 nights using resmed portable cpap & no issues backpacking with the portable cpap so long as I can get a periodic recharge.

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