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You can get a simple boil and bite oral appliance at most sporting goods stores. These do NOT thrust the jaw forward, but they DO help you keep your mouth shut.
some people find a boil and bite splint (from sporting goods store) can really help with this
I've been told it takes up to a year to see all the benefits of the therapy. Do a search on the boards-I've seen this question answered much more eloquently and with more detail.
Hi Patti, Don't give up! I felt the same way when I started using the CPAP. It felt like I couldn't breathe! Once you start panicking, your breathing gets even deeper, which makes it worse. The way I handled it was to just give up trying to use it first thing at night. It just freaked me out too much. Halfway through the night, when I got up to pee, I'd put it on while I was calm and sleepy. This seemed to work much better for me. Within a week I was using it all night. It also helped to get a really good book on my Kindle. My reward for keeping the mask on was that I allowed myself to read in bed as much as I wanted. (A guilty pleasure for me.) Eventually my breathing would calm, and I'd fall asleep.
I'd also check the ramp setting on your machine. It's possible that your full pressure is 5, but the starting pressure might be something lower. For example, my machine starts at 4mm, then takes about 5 minutes to get to full pressure at 8mm. I find 4mm to be a little bit low, and just had my sleep tech change it to 5mm today.
My ResMed tells me L/min, but the MyAir web app just give you the useless points. Is there another way Pattyloof can get this information?
This is helpful. As always, you have wonderful tips. Doesn't L/min mean Liters (of air) per minute? Just trying to better understand these things. That stupid smiley face mocks me-as I KNOW that I have leakage sometimes...Just sure it needs to be addressed.
Hi Morgan, My story is similar to yours. Decreased performance in my work, inability to retain information/data for problem solving, huge weight gain (despite training for and competing in several triathlons per year.) I, like you, was anxious and excited about the CPAP, and was hoping for an IMMEDIATE improvement. Well, two months in, I can say that the improvement was not been instantaneous, but slow and steady. For the first month or so I really struggled. It was much harder to adjust to the machine than I thought it would be. Having these boards really helped me a lot. As for the weight loss: I am waiting until the three month check up to weigh myself. In the mean time, I've noticed that I don't feel as inclined to snack all the time. I won't say the weight is melting off, but everything is simply less hard for me. My biggest newbie tip is to get a fleece hose cover. Whether you use a humidifier or not. The plastic tubing is noisy and has no place in a bed. Best of luck! I'm only two months ahead of you, so I'm happy to be a sounding board for you. Sarah
Keep these reviews coming! I need to make a purchase decision about this, and they are not returnable!
Wow! I can't believe I am writing this, but I am doing much better recently. I am like Pavlov's dog when I put the mask on. Straight to sleep within a few minutes. I used to have terrible insomnia in the middle of the night, but no more. Now I wake at 3am to pee, put the machine back on, and I am off to dreamland. I wish I could say it doesn't work. I have a real love/hate with my machine (whom I call Sven-much sexier that way). But the truth is that it does work for me. Hauling it on vacations and camping is going to stink, but totally worth it for the good night's sleep.
I don't think the cover will solve your trouble, but I will say that I got a great cover for $15 on Amazon. It made a huge difference in my comfort level. The hose goes under the covers with me, and no longer feels like a hollow tube of noisy plastic zip-zipping around every time I move. Super happy with it. Check your insurance-mine covers a new hose every month!
