sleeping completely upright to prevent OSA?

General Discussion on any topic relating to CPAP and/or Sleep Apnea.
anonfan1432
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sleeping completely upright to prevent OSA?

Post by anonfan1432 » Fri Oct 24, 2014 1:40 pm

So this was brought up in my previous thread about stomach sleeping;
someone brought up that your airway can still collapse when your windpipe is parallel.

What if you were completely upright, like in a big armchair?

how can your throat muscles collapse if you are upright?

Has anyone here tried sleeping in an armchair in a nearly upright position?
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Krelvin
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Re: sleeping completely upright to prevent OSA?

Post by Krelvin » Fri Oct 24, 2014 1:50 pm

When My machine is broken or I am somewhere I don't have it, I sleep in a Recliner in the upright position. While this does let me get some sleep it is not as good as using my machine nor is it as good as lying down since it causes other problems.

I get swollen feet and legs if I try to sleep overnight in that position and I certainly don't get the same amount of rest.

Even if I have my machine and sleep upright while I might sleep better, I don't get the same rest and have issues over time with my feet and legs which really need to be either horizontal to my heart or elevated a bit.

If you have OSA, you should be getting the proper equipment to get it treated.

Oh and yes your airway can get constricted as you fall asleep and relax the muscles in your throat.
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49er
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Re: sleeping completely upright to prevent OSA?

Post by 49er » Fri Oct 24, 2014 1:54 pm

<Removed by Admin> wrote:So this was brought up in my previous thread about stomach sleeping;
someone brought up that your airway can still collapse when your windpipe is parallel.

What if you were completely upright, like in a big armchair?

how can your throat muscles collapse if you are upright?

Has anyone here tried sleeping in an armchair in a nearly upright position?
I tried something similar when I ordered wedge pillows that had money back guarantees. I wasn't trying to get rid of the pap machine but hoped that doing so would help my sleep. Found the experience very uncomfortable.

Not sure the effect on apnea but it doesn't like it totally prevents it and that it was a substitute for the pap machine.

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Re: sleeping completely upright to prevent OSA?

Post by chunkyfrog » Fri Oct 24, 2014 1:59 pm

On long trips, I have fallen asleep sitting up in the car, and apnea still happens.
If your apnea is positional, there might be a difference;
--but using your cpap is a lot more effective and comfortable.

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Re: sleeping completely upright to prevent OSA?

Post by Wulfman... » Fri Oct 24, 2014 2:20 pm

<Removed by Admin> wrote:So this was brought up in my previous thread about stomach sleeping;
someone brought up that your airway can still collapse when your windpipe is parallel.

What if you were completely upright, like in a big armchair?

how can your throat muscles collapse if you are upright?

Has anyone here tried sleeping in an armchair in a nearly upright position?
What if it isn't your throat muscles......maybe the nasal passages closing up (which is more likely MY situation).
Then, your mouth falls open to breathe (and you snore) and the tongue falls back into the throat (apneas when you stop breathing because your throat is obstructed).

The point is, you need to know the source of your apnea......and your limitations.

In the past, I've been able to take short naps in my recliner, but about a half hour to an hour is my limitation. And, they've not always been without snoring or other wake-ups. Anymore, I just head to bed and get some decent sleep when I nap.


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Re: sleeping completely upright to prevent OSA?

Post by nw guest » Fri Oct 24, 2014 2:23 pm

When I have TRIED to sleep upright in my chair, my chin falls on my chest and blocks my airway even more. Mouth falls open and the "snores" can be heard blocks away .
Been there tried that....... didn't work!!!!!!
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Re: sleeping completely upright to prevent OSA?

Post by Julie » Fri Oct 24, 2014 3:14 pm

One fix for Nan's problem (head forward onto chest) is to wear a soft cervical collar that keeps your head up (and incidentally also helps to keep your jaw closed, avoiding mouth breathing to some extent). But just thinking about actually sleeping upright every night is a huge turn-off for me, and I can think of all kinds of reasons I couldn't do it, or would hate it, short of a one-time emergency.
Last edited by Julie on Sat Oct 25, 2014 6:46 am, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: sleeping completely upright to prevent OSA?

Post by Janknitz » Fri Oct 24, 2014 3:26 pm

I've had apnea sitting straight upright and at a small angle of recline (ever fall asleep on a plane?), whether my head fell forward or back or stayed mostly upright, didn't matter. Occasionally I get to sit down at home to watch tv and if I fall asleep either the apnea or reflux will wake me, regardless of how upright I am.

Counting on sleeping upright to avoid apnea is magical thinking. Doesn't work in my case.
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Re: sleeping completely upright to prevent OSA?

Post by M'ohms » Fri Oct 24, 2014 3:36 pm

I had shoulder surgery last January and found it necessary to sleep in a recliner due to shoulder pressure. I wore a cervical collar and used my BiPap. Sleeping more upright with head support worked fine for me--my AHI was better than sleeping flat in a bed. It was a good thing because I was in the recliner for the better part of a year!

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Re: sleeping completely upright to prevent OSA?

Post by cathyf » Fri Oct 24, 2014 3:45 pm

Before I was diagnosed, I would wake up and feel like I just HAD to sit up, leaning forward, for awhile. This happened several nights per week. When I had pneumonia in 2010 the pain in my chest was intolerable unless I sat in that position. (Fortunately it was bacterial and the antibiotics knocked it right out.)

It's ridiculously uncomfortable, but if you are sick/exhausted enough you will doze off in that position. I'm not sure if my anatomy is unique, but sitting up did have an effect for me on breathing.

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Re: sleeping completely upright to prevent OSA?

Post by zoocrewphoto » Fri Oct 24, 2014 10:56 pm

I have to sleep upright if I have a bad cold or asthma attack. I still have apnea events. If I fall asleep in an upright position watching tv, I actually wake myself up and hear the snorts. So, I am pretty bad in the upright position.

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Re: sleeping completely upright to prevent OSA?

Post by Kennerly » Sat Oct 25, 2014 6:24 am

M'ohms wrote:I had shoulder surgery last January and found it necessary to sleep in a recliner due to shoulder pressure. I wore a cervical collar and used my BiPap. Sleeping more upright with head support worked fine for me--my AHI was better than sleeping flat in a bed. It was a good thing because I was in the recliner for the better part of a year!
I often PAP in a recliner to improve drainage from my nasal passages, and as you indicate, I've also found that sleeping at an angle like that reduces my pressure needs. And the lower pressures combined with the "face up" sleeping position makes it far easier to wear a ffm. On the downside it can be hard on the back...

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Re: sleeping completely upright to prevent OSA?

Post by BlackSpinner » Sat Oct 25, 2014 7:58 am

Ended up in ER once due to a reaction to injected iodine. Sat with the bed in sitting position hooked up. When I dozed off my O2 went down to 79% - so no guaranties.

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Re: sleeping completely upright to prevent OSA?

Post by sc0ttt » Mon Oct 27, 2014 11:35 am

I broke four ribs last weekend and couldn't sleep lying down at all, so I've been sleeping in a cushy chair with pillows (not a recliner).

Before this accident, a good night for me would be below 10 AHI... hardly ever would I see less than 5, and I figured that was good enough because I felt like I was getting good sleep (untreated AHI in the 70s).

But in this chair, every night my AHI has been below 1 !!! This is really amazing. My leaks are a little higher and my snores are a little more frequent, but last night I had ZERO apnea events. Sleep isn't great because of the broken rib pain, but once that gets better I'm staying in the chair.

On Friday I went out and bought a deluxe LaZBoy recliner with four adjustment things - being delivered tomorrow... this might well become the new normal.

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Re: sleeping completely upright to prevent OSA?

Post by palerider » Mon Oct 27, 2014 12:40 pm

sc0ttt wrote:I broke four ribs last weekend .... every night my AHI has been below 1
the new technique for better numbers, broken ribs.

sc0ttt, you should break ribs more often!

(seriously, though, I don't recommend it, when I broke mine, most of what i remember is spending two or three weeks trying not to breath, cuz that HURT!

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