sleep apnea?

[tweakxc03]

Trying to figure out if i should get checked for sleep apnea. I have a deviated septum. 6'4, 230, but not really overweight. My wife says I've started snoring a lot in the last few months. Lately I've noticed that I wake myself up with my own snoring or wheezing periodically throughout the night. It's allergy season though, so I am more stuffy than usual as well.

I don't want to pay $ to see a sleep doctor if I don't need to though.

Anybody have thoughts?

[PaulBeech]

Try some natural sleep aids and see if that changes anything?

[umairsemail]

Do you feel tired and groggy throughout the day? Do you feel like sleep is not as refreshing as it should be? These are important questions for potential sleep apnea patients. If you have it you may need to use a CPAP machine.

[Jimmer]

There are statistical correlations between sleep apnea and all kinds of nasty stuff, so even a suspicion would probably be worth following up on.

I had a sleep study done last December, even though I was pretty sure I didn't have sleep apnea, and found out I was having as many as 40 to 50 episodes per hour when I was asleep. I started using CPAP shortly after that, and it apparently put a stop to the episodes of atrial fibrillation that I'd been having for many years, even though medication and even a catheter ablation procedure had failed to stop them. That alone made it more than worthwhile to me.

But obviously your mileage will vary. The studies and equipment are an expensive proposition if you have to pay for it yourself, and CPAP is a hassle to get used to, so it can be a damned if you do, damned if you don't situation. Good luck with this!

[johnnys]

I don't know about apnea, but my wife said my snoring was getting worse. She noticed that I didn't snore when sleeping on the couch/etc., so I tried a wedge pillow in bed to elevate my head some. Everybody's happy now. If you're in the same boat, maybe try a pillow like this one.

[Str8shutr]

Get checked. Even though I did not present normal symptoms (sleepy during day, etc) I got checked because of consistently low test. Turned out I was averaging 21 apneas per hour. Got set up with CPAP, everything is much better now. It's not that expensive, and well worth the expense.

[Tiburon]

Fuck the CPAP. Find a good Dental Sleep Center and get fitted for a mandibular extension device. Basically a mouthguard that juts out your lower jaw ("underbite") to prevent the airway from closing.

You'll probably need a sleep study for insurance to cover it. Have your PCP refer you for a study