gluttony and drunkeness

Well, I had some good news yesterday, and celebrated... next thing I know, stuffed to the gills and drunk, I started to fall asleep. Question: to use the cpap machine or not? I simply don't know if I should be using it when I am drunk and stuffed to the gills. I elected to let myself fall asleep in the usualy way, figuring I'd probably sleep for 2 hours, be up, stay up till my stomach gave me a break and I was sober, and then I'd use the machine, which is precisely what happened. But meanwhile, should one use or reframe from using a cpap machine when one is either drunk, stuffed to the gills, or both?

Skinny,

It's "YOUR call"........

Next time, you could try it WITH the CPAP and see what happens.
(You'll probably end up sleeping through the night)

Den

I think this is pretty easy to answer

1) If you are inebriated to the point that you know you will be emptying the contents of your tummy, DON'T PUT YOUR MASK ON
Why ?
a) You will probably fill it with more than air
b) You will probably put it on upside down anyway & never know
c) You will probably fail to turn on your machine anyway

2) If *not* that inebriated then DO PUT YOUR MASK ON (the right way up of course) and use your machine
Why?
a) I personally promise you you will feel 500% better the next day than if you let nature & apnia rule such a night

Hope this advice helps (despite the humour I mean it).

Cheers

DSM

I agree, use the cpap drunk. I do. If you have an auto, might even want to crank up the upper number. My numbers are always higher after drinking. I can look at the past month of readouts and tell you which nights I was drinking.

I was curious what people's personal experience was with drinking and apnea. My sleep doctor said not to drink or take any sleeping aids and medicine that would make you sleepy because that would make the apnea worse. This does make sense but all the more reason to have an APAP that can compnesate for that. At first I didn't drink at all but honestly now that I have the APAP I feel more comfortable having a glass of wine sometimes and actually more than than that for a wedding.

I started a gluten free diet 1 1/2 years age after being dx'd with celiac disease. I had to give up a lot with that since you can't have wheat, rye, barley or oats (so no regular bread, cake, cookies, pasta and many other things you wouldn't even think of including beer). I just don't want to give up having a glass of wine at night.

Hopefully I can start looking at the data soon so I know what the impact is.

That last post was me - I was away from my computer too long!

so far, based on my carefully controlled and extensive experiments..

I find a single beer/glass of wine/margarita, especially early in the evening has a negligable effect on my AHI numbers.

Several drinks and/or closer to bedtime, and the numbers do shoot up a fair amount. All the more reason to be using CPAP, in my opinion.

Trying to reset your upper limit on your machine when you are drunk enough to justify that....probably not a good idea to attempt it. Just try to focus on getting the mask on right side up and turning the machine on.

I want to thank you all. At least I'm not among health-conscious puritans. Next time I over do it, I'll wear the mask (as long as I can get it on right). Thanks again. Yours, Skinny...

snork1 wrote:so far, based on my carefully controlled and extensive experiments..

skinnysleepapnea wrote:At least I'm not among health-conscious puritans.

What? You're implying drinking alcohol means I'm not a health-conscious puritan???????????

Just wanted to add, that whatever xPAP does, it is to me a miracle prevention of colds & flu. Speaking for myself, I have *not* had a serious cold since taking on xPAP but I have been certain that on 3 occasions I was fighting off cold (& last thu/fri - flu). My wife is not so lucky.

I am aware of a minor throat irritation & last thu/fri a very slight headache as well. Others around me were coming down with bouts of flu.

So why am I posting this in this thread. Wellll ...

I have not had a bad follow-on hangover since taking on xPAP. Dinner parties that would once have left me a crumpled mangled sore headed mess the next day seem to be a thing of the past

This doesn't mean I go overboard & let the machine sort it out, just that in the past I would refrain from
1) Mixing drinks
2) Drinking the 'heavy' reds (Cab Sav & other Cab blends)

a good night's cabernet savingnion (real head whacking wine) mixed with a couple of beers & perhaps a glass or two of champers would destroy me before xPAP.

A few beers could do the same.

Well, xPAP cures em all (for me that is )

Cheers & please enjoy that nice Napa Valley red you have been saving (or was it a doz on special )

DSM

Anything that reduces muscle tone (alcohol, tranquilizers (Valium, Serax, etc., muscle relaxants -Robaxin, etc.,) will contribute to more apneas during your sleep. These things should be avoided as much as possible in the hours before sleep if you want to reduce the possibility of apneas during your sleep.

Having said this, I will have some wine with dinner, but don't have an evening drink anymore. I simply remain aware that every drink has the possibility of contributing to a poor night's sleep. Comments about jacking up the upper limit of one's APAP are valid in terms of giving the machine the room (increased upper limit) to deal with the user's reduced muscle tone, but be aware that the user may have micro-arousals based on the increased number of pressure changes that the APAP is delivering during the night.

There has been discussion about having one's lower limit raised somewhat so that the number of events is reduced. As an example, when I have my APAP set for 6-13, the machine has to do more work during the night moving through this broad pressure range AND, every move through the range has the potential to cause a micro-arousal that fractures my sleep.

Some might say that this is fine, let the machine do the work that it is supposed to do, but I think there is a potential pitfall in that pressure change can cause arrousals. So, I have the pressure set to 8-13 and spend the majority of the night at 8, with only periodic increases to 10. In this way, I stay at a single pressure for much of the night and run a lesser risk of micro-arousals based on pressure change during those few increases above 8.

For the user who takes alcohol in the evening, your APAP can, and will deal with your increased pressure needs but you, the user, may have micro-arousals based on the higher pressure AND the frequent pressure changes that the machine delivers.

For me, it just makes sense to not drink during the evening.

As an aside, the PB 420 line of machines allows the user to set the machine to function in increments of .5 -this allows for a more gentle transition between pressures if you are using APAP. Even the 420S, which is not an APAP allows the user to set the pressure to a .5 increment (EX: 10.5 rather than 10 or 11) which, I believe, allows for better tailoring of the treatment pressure.

I know that I could set my RemStar Plus to a pressure that was not a whole number as well. I don't know about ResMed... I don't know if the user can tell the RemStar Auto or the ResMed Spirit to work in increments of .5 If not, this is unfortunate as I know that I sleep better when the device gives treatment in .5 increments -makes for less sleep disruption. Maybe I'm a hot-house orchid, but I want my treatment to be as non-intrusive as possible.

Remstar Auto does have .5 increments. Don't know about Resmed. When I had it I don't remember noticing any .5 increments. But that doesn't mean there weren't any.

On the nights I've had a few, my numbers the next day are higher AHI-wise no matter WHAT pressure I'm using.

Hey, hot house orchid...

On page 33 of the ResMed Spirit autopap's clinician manual, it says maximum and minimum pressure settings changes can be made in 0.2 cm H2O increments.

I still like the 420E autopap better.

rested gal wrote:Hey, hot house orchid...

On page 33 of the ResMed Spirit autopap's clinician manual, it says maximum and minimum pressure settings changes can be made in 0.2 cm H2O increments.

I still like the 420E autopap better.

Same for the S7 Elite and S8.
0.2 incr and it is useful

Cheers

DSM