I had never really thought about apnea until I was tentatively diagnosed. I went to the doctor for headaches and came out with a prescription for blood pressure and a sleep test. Pretty much the first thing the hypertension specialist said was apnea. The only thing I’m worried about is that I might not recognize the world from an alert point of view…

Terrible, terrible tragedy. He was 29. his name was Stephen Pitts.

My Mom (a nurse) began working at a neurologist office w/ a sleep lab about 10 yrs ago, so as soon as she could convince him, he went in for a sleep study. The sleep lab rooms are great (I used to work there too) and so comfy it’s like being in a hotel. The wires and such can get annoying, but most patients sleep as good or better than they do at home.

He’s been on a C-PAP ever since, and the change in his was amazing. The first morning after he used it he talked about his dreams – he said he hadnt dreamed in decades before that (no REM sleep, obviously). He’s more alert, happier, etc and wont leave home w/out it – he even takes an adapter so he can plug it in on camping trips!

The funny side effect is that now my mom cant sleep with out the ‘white noise’ of the C-PAP. As soon as his insurance would pay for a replacement, he started taking the new one on business trips and mom kept the old one at home and turns it on even when he isnt there!

I’m on my third night of CPAP treatment. My pressure’s 11 and my AHI was 48 (which I thought was bad until I started reading these comments!). I’ve been experimenting with different masks, and it’s been somewhat rough at first — but each night I’ve slept longer stretches with the mask on.

Anyway, thank you for sharing, and keep it up! I’ll be back mid-week with more on my experience. And Amy, it sounds like you’ve got a lot of interested parties for the mouth apparatus!

While I do have the stereotypical body type, there are a few things that set my case apart – I don’t snore. At all. Those around me can’t tell I’m having an apnea. Moreover, I was so starved for sleep that I would actually have controlled fits of narcolepsy, particularly at friends’ houses. (try explaining that one…)

One thing for the recently diagnosed – your pressure needs can change over time – in my case, after about a month, my body decided to try to compensate, and I’ve had to have it adjusted 5 times thus far (I just got it to 15. This is largely due to the fact that I didn’t stay asleep long enough during the pressure assessment – We’ll see how it goes.) – so if you start feeling “bad” again (and you’ll know, trust me) go back to the specialist and LET THEM KNOW. Apparently it’s quite common.

I have always felt like I couldn’t concentrate, had trouble getting up in the morning (even with multiple alarm clocks), and driving to work was always a challenge. (I’ve driven off the road several times while falling asleep while driving. Thank G-d, noone was ever injured.)

My wife always complained about my snoring, and I have gotten disposable ear plugs (meant for shooting) for her, and those helped a little bit. About 11 years ago, I went in for a sleep study. An AHI number of between 5 and 30 is considered mild. My number of disturbances per hour was over 400. Basically, I was not truly sleeping. AND, I didn’t know it.

I got a CPAP machine, set at a pressure of 4, and now, I get up in the morning, can really concentrate, and rarely, if ever, need to nap during the day.

My wife now sleeps also, and everyone is happy.

Ideally, you want the lowest pressure possible tht still keeps your AHI (hourly apnea episodes) to less than 5. If you are at 1 or 2, you can probably lower the pressure even a little more.

When all is sealed well, I use a setting of 13, ramped up from 10. My doctor had me at 17 initially to allow for leakage (NOT a good solution, FIX the leakage), causing me bloodshot eyes, earaches/blockage, sinus discomfort, etc.

Also, for those that don’t want to go to the doctor to make adjustments (or can’t), look up the clinician’s manual for your machine, adjust yourself (carefully).