Has anyone ever recorded yourself while sleeping? I did that last night using the app, "Snorelab." I sure was surprised! I snore kinda loud and a lot. I notice that the snoring sounds kinda nasal, sometimes like I'm blowing my nose. So I'm beginning to think my sleep apnea is being caused by nasal issues or just my usual sinus issues so that's not surprising. I still use my oral device for sleep apnea but I'm still snoring. Is snoring normal at all even with the oral device? I've tried part of the night with the device and part of it without the device to see if I can find the difference. Seems like the oral device reduces the volume of my snoring but doesn't get rid of it. Anyway, I thought the experience was interesting. I can't believe I snore that much and that loud! Only thing is I still can't tell on the app when I stop breathing. When I listen to myself, all I hear is my snoring and a humming noise the entire time. I don't know how to fix that humming noise and because of that humming noise, I can't hear whether I've stopped my breathing or not.
Can't really help with your issue as I don't use an oral device to mitigate my sleep apnea. I use PAP therapy and I am pretty sure that the snoring means whatever you are doing isn't really working. The snoring is caused by someting in your throat dropping back and blocking your airway. The oral gizmo is supposed to fix that problem and you should be breathing through your nose. I don't think you can snore if you breath through your nose. My wife took a video of me when I was sleeping to convince me I was not only snoring (A LOT) but that I quit breathing. In the video, it showed that when I started breathing again, I did it with a gasp. One of the issues with the oral appliance fix is that there doesn't seem to be a way to monitor effectiveness other than a sleep study, I guess. If you are snoring with the thing, you had best talk with the doc who prescribed it as it doesn't seem to be working as it should.
Well the appliance has a gap in between the top and bottom plates so it's easy to breathe through your mouth. I guess that's a good thing if you have a cold and your nose is all stopped up. I used my voice recorder on my phone to record my snoring and man, do I snore! It's like I can snore all night long without hardly stopping. Not sure if that meant I stopped breathing or I just stopped snoring for a bit. The snoring does definitely sound pretty nasal. So you're right, the oral doesn't seem to be helping with the snoring and I don't know if that's a real big deal but I know it can be an indicator that I still have sleep apnea. I recorded myself the last two nights. The night before last sounded a bit like I was almost gasping when I was waking up. Next minute sounded like I was waking up but I don't know. I don't use a video because it's so dark so I didn't think I could see myself. I don't know how you were able to see yourself in the dark with the video unless it wasn't real dark. For me, even some light keeps me awake so I need the room to be real dark. Anyway, the last 10-20 minutes before what sounded like me waking up, I can really hear myself breathe and sometimes it'd sound like I was sighing deeply or taking a little deep breathe. Before that, nothing like that kind of breathing. Last night, it wasn't really like that. I'd just snore and I was able to hear my breathing better (put the phone closer to me last night) but I don't think I heard much of "sighing" or really taking a deep breath before I heard what sounded like me waking up. So I don't know what to make of the whole thing. I'm thinking that I probably just need to have another adjustment, have the dentist move it up another millimeter. I just don't know how much more he'll do before he decides it's not working. I'm just surprised that I snore that much even with the oral device in and having an adjustment already. I didn't record myself before having the first adjustment. Wish I had thought of it! I can't believe I would snore that much when I sleep on my stomach. I can understand why I'd snore that much if I was laying on my back but don't understand why it'd happen that much when I sleep on my stomach. When I had my first sleep study, they determined I stopped breathing 14 times in an hour and that was in November. There's no way that's the case anymore if I snore that much now!
Well, if you have decided that your dental appliance has stopped your sleep apnea, suggest you look up the causes for snoring and also sleep apnea. This info may indicate that there are similarities or said another way, the same root cause. I can't interpret your self-video but I would say that you may need to consult with the sleep doctor again and see if the dental appliance is doing what it is supposed to do.
I think I would talk to my doctor because if you are still snoring, I don't think it is working for you. Even if it is less than before.I have an app that goes with my cpap machine and it tells me how often I still stop breathing, even with the machine (5 or less per hour). I never thought I stopped breathing and neither did my husband. However, when I had my sleep study, it said I stopped breathing 169 times in 6 hours. You may not be able to tell if you stop breathing, so see your doctor please.
