hmmmm....I'm getting the coughing too. I never thought it could be the CPAP, but maybe there is something to that. I don't use a heated tube. It is summer where I am, and I thought it was allergies. I didn't have a cold.
I had an oral device and it was terrible (drooling at night, dry mouth other times, clamping down on my gums), but I persisted with it for a few years, until I was so ready for the CPAP! Then I ditched the oral appliance and thought the CPAP was great at first, but now I'm just as tired as ever even though my numbers are great. And I get headaches every night that start while I'm sleeping. Do you know why this happens? It's not fun to deal with this daily. HELP!!!
Hi Doc, I'm wondering if people get tired from these machines because we are breathing in plastic particles from the hoses and machine itself? There have been many scientific articles over the years about the chemicals (BPA and phtalates are a couple that come to mind) in plastic containers that leach into our food and that are toxic, carcinogenic and hormone disruptive, and I wonder if anyone has studied this with the CPAP machines? If we are breathing in microscopic particles of toxins in the plastics, that could cause more tiredness and aging, as well as disease. Just sayin'.
Hi, yes, I am struggling with the same question.....why the headaches??? I have headaches with onset during sleep. But I should add that I also have had chronic headaches for years. I started using a BiPAP 6 months ago, and found it relaxing for sleep, and I'm glad I'm preventing stroke and heart attack but hoping it would help with headaches. The big disappointment was that it didn't. Lately they have been worse, like daily. When I get up to urinate around 3 a.m. I start to notice one coming on. Normally, I may not get back to sleep, or I'd reawaken really early like 4-4:30 a.m. due to the headache pain and not be able to get back to sleep. But since I take an herbal product for sleep, plus melatonin and Zyrtec for allergies and that all keeps me asleep until 6 - 7 a.m. Still, it's no fun waking up with those dang headaches! Sometimes caffeine will help to get rid of it in an hour or so after I get up, but other times they last all day and are so draining!! I am tired all day most days. You would think that the CPAP or BiPAP would correct whatever is wrong in our sleep, but I'm not feeling much of a benefit, except they say it is preventive for stroke and HA so that is a comfort. I have the same experience of not even feeling the air pressure in my nose, but I know it's there when I take the hose off the nose piece and then it is strong and loud. I think it is the way the BiPAP works.
Hi Polite Apricot Squirrel, That's been happening to me for months now, maybe even a year. And it's really tiresome, isn't it? Kind of like, waking up with a "no, not again" instead of "Yes! I'm alive!" After a number of remedies I tried which yielded no results, including acupuncture, homeopathy, guided imagery, and allergy testing to get allergens out of my diet, I did have a reprieve in the last week! I don't know if it will last, but I'll share what has worked for me. I asked my acupuncturist to work on my jaw joints and put needles there during our regular session, and I also had body work done to release tightness in my upper back. My thinking is that this was related to clenching. I do have a dental device for the apnea, which seems to work for that, but if there is tension in the jaws, it can't prevent clenching itself, it only prevents teeth from grinding against each other. In between acupuncture sessions, I also deeply massage the jaw joints before bed. Seems to work for me....fingers crossed! Hope something works for you!
Hi all, First, I would like to find out about any research being done with alternative or complementary medicine and how it helps sleep apnea. I heard that playing a didgerido helps to strengthen your throat muscles, but the research doesn't hold up and who has the time anyway?
I have chosen to use a dental device for sleep apnea, and it helps somewhat with my sleep apnea, but I'm not crazy about it either, as it clamps down on my teeth and gums and causes dry mouth, etc. But I'm sure a C-pap would drive me crazy too. is there a recommended device for a home sleep study to see if this is working?
