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Oral appliances work by thrusting the jaw forward-messing with your TMJ and teeth alignment. Most Orthodontists and Physical Therapists agree that oral appliances, while effective, are NOT worth the risk.
I agree. WiredGeorge rocks.
Hi sleeptech! I have heard that advice before, but it strikes me as kind of weird from a sleep hygiene perspective. I mean, we are told NOT to read or watch TV in bed, so wouldn't it also be a bad idea to to so with the CPAP on? I tried this on the first couple of nights with bad results. I'm just curious to know if it actually works for people.
Ugh. Bummer. I don't know if this helps, but...
My opthomologist gave me a list of eye drops that are truly effective vs the ones that aren't. I never realized how different they are. Top rated one was Systane Balance. I use it before bed, and during the day in the winter. Works great.
Also I have found that wearing a mouth guard and lower retainer CURED my dry mouth issues. Another guy on these forums mentioned that he uses a boil and bite mouth guard that you can pick up at most sporting good stores.
That sounds perfect. I have an upper bite splint and a lower retainer. Mine still fit because I had braces as an adult, and don't want to get old lady teeth as I age (my orthodontist warned me about that). I'd love to know if this works for you-not sure if my situation is simply a fluke. I've been trying to avoid using the humidifier because it just adds a layer of complication that I don't want. It also makes the Resmed significantly smaller.
Well I'm not a Sleep Tech, but I am a PT. I was stumped by your initial question-not knowing much about this strange new world of sleep apnea devices. But ultimately I think sleeptech is right. This could be especially true if you are a side sleeper. Side sleeping causes you to rotate your lower shoulder forward, thus placing your thoracic spine in rotation for a prolonged period of time. If you are at all stiff in your thoracic spine (most people are), it will hurt most wherever you rotate most. This would be at the thoracic-lumbar junction, which in lay-terms would be just south of your shoulder blades and spreading outwards. I'm just speculating here based on the limited info you gave us. If this is the case, I don't think muscle relaxants are the answer. Rather some range of motion exercises might be more beneficial, as well as investigating your position on your mattress. If the mattress is too firm or too soft, it can exacerbate the problem.
Wow-you are a trooper. Negotiating this stuff isn't easy, and it sounds like you are pushing through it. What is your biggest challenge, comfort wise?
Hi Sleepymommy-I'm a sleepy mommy too! As it happens, I have a bite splint. When I first started to use my CPAP, I chose NOT to wear my bite splint for fear of adding too many factors. But over the weekend I started using it again and WOW! No dry mouth or throat. None at all. I think the bite splint closes the remaining space in my mouth so that there is no place for air to travel. Even if you don't use an orthodontic appliance, WiredGeorge mentioned using a mouth guard. You can pick one of those up at a sporting goods store.
Pattyloof, I agree. Embrace it or suffer it, I prefer the former. By day it is easy to be a positive problem solver, but in the middle of the night it can be pretty upsetting when you can't sleep. For the past two nights I have gone to bed WITHOUT the CPAP, then put it on in the middle of the night when I wake up to pee. Somehow I have no trouble falling asleep with it at that time, and I get 3-4 hours of sleep with it on. It's not ideal use of the device, but I figure that I am getting more comfortable with the thing, and it's a more positive experience. Over time I hope to be able to just put it on when I go to bed.
Did you end up buying a lot of different things out of pocket? And what was your best tweek?
Thanks for your words Wired George! You give me hope. This site has already been so helpful after only 4 nights on CPAP.
