4 ms·
Make sure you get sleep tested for sleep apnea. (see a pulmonologist.) Don't worry if you don't mean the typical patient criteria. I didn't. (I wasn't overwei
by Blakestr 7y ago
Make sure you get sleep tested for sleep apnea. (see a pulmonologist.) Don't worry if you don't mean the typical patient criteria. I didn't. (I wasn't overweight, didn't really snore, etc.)
It's a largely undiagnosed problem because most people just "adapt" and it's not until you get to be in your 40's or 50's that your heart starts to show signs of problems. IF you have sleep apnea, you are missing out on a lot of REM sleep, where your repair hormones are released and also, long-term memory assimilation occurs.
The first night I used my machine correctly, I woke up 4 hours before my normal wakeup time, thinking I overslept. I went back to bed again and woke up normally and for the first time in year, realized my EYES didn't hurt. Went and did like 16 hours of straight work after that.
Long-term effects? I'm pretty sure my functioning IQ went up 10 points thought that's obviously a subjective sample size of 1. Bottom-line though, I just seem to figure things out quicker and have a lot more energy.
I hope this is your problem because it's a real easy fix. Just go to bed.
- ta0987 7y agoThat is awesome. CPAP did fuck all for me. And they won't let me have the surgery. FML. OP, get tested, it could be life-changing.
- Blakestr 7y agoThere is a sleep/cpap technician who has a youtube channel. Try it again, seriously, change something but don't just accept it as "FML". https://www.youtube.com/user/TheLankyLefty27 https://www.youtube.com/user/TheLankyLefty27 that's his Youtube Channel Have enough patience/motivation to experiment until it works. You'll know when it does. You might need a different mask, a refit, switch from nose to full-face, something. My problem was I'm slightly claustrobic - and wearing the full mask reminded me of my mask I wear at the Fire Department. There I can always mentally power through it and focus - but with the CPAP, you literally can't focus while you are TRYING TO FALL ASLEEP. I ripped the damn thing off my first night. I watched that Youtuber's videos and found one of the tips about relaxing and used it on the 2nd night and have never looked back. I'm talking "from my cold dead hands" will you take my cpap away.
- ta0987 7y agoI appreciate the encouragement, but I flew out to Stanford on my own dime and they gave me a pressure over 20. (22 maybe? I can't remember.) They told me 'this still isn't high enough but if we set it any higher the pressure itself wakes you up so that's as good at you're gonna get'. I've tried plenty of masks.
- Blakestr 7y agoCrap, that sucks. Unless you can pull a Vader and perhaps have a room with negative pressure it seems like the surgery is your best bet.