sleep apnea and travelling at high altitudes

hello, i have obstructive sleep apnea .i do not use any devices...cpap, etc. i will be travelling around wyoming by car for 2 months. would i need to acclimate before i sleep high or is sleeping high out of the question altogether?what is the acclimation procedure? how about awake hours...can i even drive at high altitudes at all? i have seen many different minimum heights listed as being the ones that pose a concern so i don't even know which height i should be concerned about. thanks for your help.

You knew we'd ask , why aren't you on Cpap? The machines (decent ones anyhow) adjust automatically to high alts... If you've had trouble adjusting to Cpap, maybe we can help... too many are turned off by badly fitted masks without realizing how many others are available, or by wrongly set pressures, etc.

You should definitely get a CPAP and mask to wear while you are driving.............

Be ready for pounding headaches when you awake from not getting enough oxygen at night. You might ask your doctor for a medication that would help with that, can't remember the name of it.

johnalan wrote:hello, i have obstructive sleep apnea .i do not use any devices...cpap, etc. i will be travelling around wyoming by car for 2 months. would i need to acclimate before i sleep high or is sleeping high out of the question altogether?what is the acclimation procedure? how about awake hours...can i even drive at high altitudes at all? i have seen many different minimum heights listed as being the ones that pose a concern so i don't even know which height i should be concerned about. thanks for your help.

Yep! WHY NOT???
You didn't tell us where you currently live and what the altitude is for comparison purposes. You also didn't mention in what parts of Wyoming you're planning to spend two months. Wyoming (where I live) has significant variation in altitudes. All you have to do is check some maps or Google the towns/areas and see what the altitudes are. However, as far as just "driving", most of the highways in the state aren't necessarily at higher altitudes, although the far western parts (Yellowstone/Jackson/Pinedale areas) CAN be fairly high (relatively speaking).
If you're also a snorer, and any others are going to be traveling with you, I'd suggest making sure they wear ear plugs because in the higher elevation areas (thin oxygen), you're going to sleep like a rock and snore like a freight train (or even more than normal).

If you have significant (apnea-caused) sleepy-driving issues and don't use an XPAP, no amount of "acclimation" (whatever the heck that could mean if it's just a temporary visit) is going to help, if it was even remotely possible.......which it is NOT.

Get a machine and USE IT!!!


Den

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Well my first reaction is you are not concerned with your OSA now so why worry about being at higher altitude? You didn't say how high up you plan on going either.

If you were using cpap now there would not be much of a difference at altitude. I have slept at 11,000 ft above sea level with my apap and did not have a problem.