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Hey, You should buy one like this: https://www.amazon.com/Tranquility-Pro-Adjustable-Mouthpiece-Mouthguard/dp/B07BTL8QZ6/ref=sr_1_4?keywords=sleep+apnea+mouth

Hey, You should buy one like this: https://www.amazon.com/Tranquility-Pro-Adjustable-Mouthpiece-Mouthguard/dp/B07BTL8QZ6/ref=sr_1_4?keywords=sleep+apnea+mouth+guard&qid=1557267281&s=gateway&sr=8-4 https://www.amazon.com/Tranquility-Pro-Adjustable-Mouthpiece... I am sure you can find some in this style for even cheaper, maybe around $20. I had sleep apnea for the last 18 months, which got so bad that I couldn't hold down a job or do much of anything. I would sleep around 14 hours a day, which sounds crazy, but every time I hit REM I would just wake up. So, it would take around 12-14 hours to finally accumulate enough REM to not feel totally fatigued. I would typically wake up around 3pm and just loathe around without much energy waiting for the following night's choking spell. I tried it all. CPAP, sleeping with tennis balls on my back, a backpack, sleeping face down on a massage table, sleeping upside-down (don't try that). Anyways, for me, the mouthguard I linked was the item which provided the most relief. I went as far as to jury-rig the device into extruding my lower jaw out even further than it was designed to by using some screws to separate the top and bottom even more extensively. It actually gave me a terrible underbite, because at night the pressure from my lower jaw pushed my top teeth back further into my mouth. But, I was able to sort of sleep, and it probably saved my life. Sleep apnea is no joke. I ended up getting three surgeries, the last of which was just last week and from which I am still recovering. It feels like I am finally cured, and boy, does it feel good to finally sleep. edit - Oh and if you have any questions please feel free to reach out. I have several lifetime's worth of experience in this area now after working so hard to have this resolved. Email is in my bio.

cko 7y ago
i wasn’t able to locate your email. why did you need three surgeries? i had double jaw surgery done and while it improved my jaw, the unresolved issue is my poor TMJ, which the surgeon pointed out. when i sleep on my back, my jaw still falls open and my tongue slides back into my airway. i am hesitant to use the mouth guard because i don’t want my upper jaw sliding backward. my solution now is to side sleep. help!
- nikkwong 7y ago
  Sorry! Try nikk @ getfractals dot com. Changed my bio recently and forgot. That's pretty insane that you had that surgery; I heard that's one of the most intense treatments they have. Was it specifically for the sleep apnea? I am very familiar with the jaw falling open/tongue sliding back. I tried a headstrap + mouth taping + mouth guard combo for a while which was often able to keep the jaw in place, but it's finnicky, and sometimes slips, causing the jaw to fall back in deep sleep. Another option I tried were the 'tongue retainers', which pull the tongue forward, but, from the literature I've read, they may or may not prevent the base of the tongue from collapsing backwards. Very subject dependent; I didn't have good results, personally. Anyways, for my personal case, it turned out that I had enlarged lingual tonsils which were pressing on my epiglottis and causing it to collapse back into my throat. My epiglottis was 'floppy' and collapsed over the airway particularly in REM. The treatment was a lingual tonsillectomy. After that treatment I still didn't feel better and had another endoscopy with a different surgeon which uncovered that my soft palette was collapsing; the treatment for which was this, [0] a treatment which essentially sewed my soft palette down and removed my palatine tonsils. The whole thing was a nightmare. I'm 5'7 140lbs so maybe 4-5% body fat, in shape, 27 y'o. Outwardly in shape, basically. I'd go to doctors telling them I was not able to achieve refreshing sleep, and they'd tell me I was either depressed or had some psychological disorder. Around four our five dozen doctors told me this. My cries fell completely on deaf ears. To confound things even further, I had four in-lab sleep tests and around 5-6 at-home sleep tests, almost all of which were completely absent of sleep apnea. When pushing for another endoscopy/surgical remedy, one surgeon said, "why would I operate on you? you sleep better than I do." I wanted to cry; so frustrating. The practitioner that you choose matters; as there are relatively few in the world who understand the complex anatomy of that area and can suggest the particular surgical treatment that's most likely to relieve your symptoms. You'd be surprised to find out that most sleep apnea surgeons provide the same blanket surgery, the UPPP, to all of their patients, independent of the patient's particular problem areas/issues. Not to say UPPP doesn't work for anyone, but, it only addresses correcting a very particular subset of problematic tissues, when the patient may be having collapse in an entirely different part of their airway. The over prescription of the UPPP and most doc's reluctance to attempt to properly diagnose a patient's particular issue is a major reason as to why surgery is often seen as ineffective in sleep apnea treatment and cpap is still the 'golden standard'. I think this will change as cutting-edge research continues to slowly disseminate through the field; but it will probably be a long time before your average sleep surgeon becomes versed in cutting edge techniques. I am absolutely convinced that Dr Eric Kezirian in Los Angeles saved my life and couldn't recommend him more highly. He has a blog with tons of useful information [1] if you're interested. Even better, I don't think there was a single email I sent him that he didn't respond to within an hour. It's a crazy dichotomy to have an expert surgeon who is also highly available and helpful. Anyways I hope you find relief. [0] https://sleep-doctor.com/surgical-treatment-overview/palate-procedures/expansion-sphincter-pharyngoplasty/ https://sleep-doctor.com/surgical-treatment-overview/palate-... [1] https://sleep-doctor.com https://sleep-doctor.com

cko 7y ago

i wasn’t able to locate your email. why did you need three surgeries? i had double jaw surgery done and while it improved my jaw, the unresolved issue is my poor TMJ, which the surgeon pointed out. when i sleep on my back, my jaw still falls open and my tongue slides back into my airway. i am hesitant to use the mouth guard because i don’t want my upper jaw sliding backward. my solution now is to side sleep. help!

nikkwong 7y ago
Sorry! Try nikk @ getfractals dot com. Changed my bio recently and forgot. That's pretty insane that you had that surgery; I heard that's one of the most intense treatments they have. Was it specifically for the sleep apnea? I am very familiar with the jaw falling open/tongue sliding back. I tried a headstrap + mouth taping + mouth guard combo for a while which was often able to keep the jaw in place, but it's finnicky, and sometimes slips, causing the jaw to fall back in deep sleep. Another option I tried were the 'tongue retainers', which pull the tongue forward, but, from the literature I've read, they may or may not prevent the base of the tongue from collapsing backwards. Very subject dependent; I didn't have good results, personally. Anyways, for my personal case, it turned out that I had enlarged lingual tonsils which were pressing on my epiglottis and causing it to collapse back into my throat. My epiglottis was 'floppy' and collapsed over the airway particularly in REM. The treatment was a lingual tonsillectomy. After that treatment I still didn't feel better and had another endoscopy with a different surgeon which uncovered that my soft palette was collapsing; the treatment for which was this, [0] a treatment which essentially sewed my soft palette down and removed my palatine tonsils. The whole thing was a nightmare. I'm 5'7 140lbs so maybe 4-5% body fat, in shape, 27 y'o. Outwardly in shape, basically. I'd go to doctors telling them I was not able to achieve refreshing sleep, and they'd tell me I was either depressed or had some psychological disorder. Around four our five dozen doctors told me this. My cries fell completely on deaf ears. To confound things even further, I had four in-lab sleep tests and around 5-6 at-home sleep tests, almost all of which were completely absent of sleep apnea. When pushing for another endoscopy/surgical remedy, one surgeon said, "why would I operate on you? you sleep better than I do." I wanted to cry; so frustrating. The practitioner that you choose matters; as there are relatively few in the world who understand the complex anatomy of that area and can suggest the particular surgical treatment that's most likely to relieve your symptoms. You'd be surprised to find out that most sleep apnea surgeons provide the same blanket surgery, the UPPP, to all of their patients, independent of the patient's particular problem areas/issues. Not to say UPPP doesn't work for anyone, but, it only addresses correcting a very particular subset of problematic tissues, when the patient may be having collapse in an entirely different part of their airway. The over prescription of the UPPP and most doc's reluctance to attempt to properly diagnose a patient's particular issue is a major reason as to why surgery is often seen as ineffective in sleep apnea treatment and cpap is still the 'golden standard'. I think this will change as cutting-edge research continues to slowly disseminate through the field; but it will probably be a long time before your average sleep surgeon becomes versed in cutting edge techniques. I am absolutely convinced that Dr Eric Kezirian in Los Angeles saved my life and couldn't recommend him more highly. He has a blog with tons of useful information [1] if you're interested. Even better, I don't think there was a single email I sent him that he didn't respond to within an hour. It's a crazy dichotomy to have an expert surgeon who is also highly available and helpful. Anyways I hope you find relief. [0] https://sleep-doctor.com/surgical-treatment-overview/palate-procedures/expansion-sphincter-pharyngoplasty/ https://sleep-doctor.com/surgical-treatment-overview/palate-... [1] https://sleep-doctor.com https://sleep-doctor.com