UPDATE! hair clip DID solve my positional sleep apnea!

[elena88]

boy, I havent been here in forever! since last year?

so hi to everyone I used to know and howdy to all you new guys!

quick review, I came here after I discovered I had severe sleep apnea for SO MANY years I cant even imagine, probably since I was a kid..
Anyway, after thousands of dollars spent on tests and equipment which came out of MY pocket due to (yummy high deductable!)

and also hundreds of hours of research, and all of YOUR help with the sleep studies from my s 9, I would like to announce that..

YES IT WORKED! my machine has been in the closet for a year, and I have learned to sleep on my stomach, or sort of caddywhompas side/tummy position,
and I am a normal person now! OMG, I had so many issues from this, at least a dozen health problems caused by it, maybe more... but now, all is dandy as candy!
I only slept an hour in my sleep test, and not all at once, so I had no idea that I had postional sleep apnea, but we all figured it out over the course of many months!
So, thank you so much, and I just thought I would pop in and give you an update.... I also started seeing a holistic MD and now Im on a vegan diet and feel like a million bucks and look ten years younger.. .. no meds either! geez, things sure have turned around.. thanks to you all and all your expertise! THANK YOU, EVERYONE!!!!!
I hope you all find the treatment answers that work for you.
hugs and kisses!
elena

[DougalMcDougal]

Do u mean that your apnea is cured by sleeping on your front?

Interesting it makes sense that the airway wouldn't collapse if your tongue and the rest of the tissue are pulled forward by gravity instead of falling backwards and constructing the airway

I wonder how many people his would work for?

[elena88]

YES, exactly... I learned to tilt my head forward and down, and thank goodness for gravity!

I sleep with several different pillows, some gooshy, some firm, and I make a little trap door for my face, and vuella!

I cant tell you how freaking miserable I used to be when I had no idea I had sleep apnea, and then the s 9, although a fabulous machine drove me
insane.. I was totally unable to tolerate it as I was just too sensitive. I gave it the old college try, nine months I think..

but now, I have my life back.. and I just want anyone who has NO idea if they have positional apnea, to maybe look into that.
Like if you had a sleep test, and you didnt sleep in a bunch of different positions, or didnt sleep long enough, or ran out of the lab like your hair was on fire..
consider the possibility that it could be positional.. just in case, ya never know.. I sure didnt!

[Jayjonbeach]

Hi there, I remember you from the cute Avatar of yours, welcome back. Funny thing, I think it has been over a year since I have been here too and today here I am

So I guess I must be really tired (and I am, I need to turn in...) but I don't get the hair clip reference.

Glad you found a solution that is awesome, and good job sharing it!

Cheers

[elena88]

welcome back to you!

funny timing...

well, I have long hair, and if I stick a big hair clip in the back of my head right in the middle, I cant roll over on to my back and have a bunch of episodes..

they tell some people to sew a tennis ball in the back of their shirt, this was much easier if you happen to have a lot of hair.

oh, I recall why I only slept an hour at my sleep study:

I found it in SLEEP LAB HUMOR...
these are funny! my story is on page two, and if you read it once, you didnt forget it, I promise you that!

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=55404&st=0&sk=t&sd= ... dy+elena88

[nanwilson]

Morning Elena
Welcome back and I'm happy to hear you have finally found a solution....Good for you.
Cheers
Nan

[sylvie]

I'm going to try this tonight. However, I'll try it while using the Somnodent mouthpiece and lowering the pressure a bit. Is your bed flat, or is the head of the bed raised at all? Mine has been raised a good 8 inches, but I'm going to take the bricks out and leave the bed flat. I have a feeling it would be hard on the back sleeping on the front with the bed raised. Thanks so much for sharing. It's worth a shot.

[sleepio]

Like this?

[elena88]

Hi Nan,
thanks so much, yes, Im so lucky this worked as I just did not tolerate the a- pap.

My bed is flat. I realize some folks need to raise it due to acid reflux, which I also had, but the sleep apnea was actually causing it.. so thats gone too..
I can also sort of sleep on my side as long as my head is tilted a little bit down and forward. Left side is best if you have acid reflux, I recall.
It took about three weeks to train myself to always keep it like that, now I do it naturally, so dont
give up too soon.. I tested this while wearing the apap, so I knew it worked, I turned the pressure down to 4, and
had no episodes, plus I felt SO good when I woke up. If you do this, be sure to work on your posture during the day so you
dont get in the habit of leaning forward like that all the time.. just when you are sleeping... it may not be for everybody, but
it sure worked for me, and its such an elegant solution to one type of positional sleep apnea.

the things that changed..

I lost weight without even trying, I can sleep thru the night, I wasnt a freaking hyper nut during the day, I got tired at night like a normal person,
I quite lying in bed for four to six hours trying to go to sleep, I dream a lot more (of course I only recall when I wake up during one) my health is 100 Percent
turned around too.. and I had so many issues, too many to mention, so sleeping steadily is important! geez, I just wish I knew about this years ago.

[Jayjonbeach]

Holy geez that was some story for sure!

I also want to know if this is more or less what you are doing?

Like this?

[elena88]

glad you liked the story...

well, I started out with pillows sort of like that position, then it morphed into me sort of being on my side/tummy.. now I can sleep all the way on my side
as long as my head is tilted down and forward a bit. I can actually feel my tongue fall forward and hit my teeth, then I know Im in the right position.
If you relax and let your tongue fall forward, and then you breath thru your mouth and feel the air slipping by the spaces you now have created, it should work,
It took awhile of practicing but now its really easy.. so everyone that might have positional apnea sleeping on your back, should give a try..
practice, practice, practice,and you can check your results after you have it perfected with your s 9 machine, like I did.. turned it down to four, and discovered
no events. This was one lucky day when I saw that.. hope some others find this helps too.. use lots of different size pillows and firmness..
maybe a pillow under your arm, or arms and one between your legs.. lots of pillows... one shallow pillow for your head so your head can tilt off it.. oh and the biggest tip
I remember was... get in a position that is causing you as little discomfort as possible before you close your eyes and try to fall asleep.. really get it nailed
down, that is key.. keep tweeking it till you are completely as comfy as possible.. I know thats not easy because everyone might have other issues, but try to
be as pain free as you can be when you settling to try it out... . good luck!

[Julie]

Elena - welcome back (hope you stick around a while tho' wouldn't blame you if you didn't ) but doesn't anyone remember Mars' thread - so well presented, updated and documented - on positional apnea? The steps he went through to make it work and how he was cleared by a new PSG and many overnights with the oximeter?

Here's the link if anyone else is interested - viewtopic.php?f=1&t=70205&p=649806&hilit=+mars#p649806

[lazer]

I don't sport enough hair to use this method.

And don't tell me tennis balls in a sock sewn into my shirt. Tried that and was major fail.

[pharm30]

yeah, I was told after 2 sleep studies about year and half ago I had complex sleep apnea and got an ASV machine.
After many issues and $$ spent, I had another sleep study. The tech looked at old results and was confused why the previous tech did what they did.
I am young with no real health issues, so didn't really buy the central apnea part.
Anyways, this sleep study resulted in diagnosis of positional obstructive apnea. The dr thought it was ridiculous I had an ASV machine.
I always sleep in my stomach or sides, and in the sleep studies I bascially slept on my back.
After 2-3 months without machine, I don't really feel any different than when I was on it...

[Lizistired]

Elena, I'm having trouble with this part: "my head is tilted down and forward a bit".
It seems that is what closes my airway when I lay on the couch or fall asleep in the recliner. Maybe the trick is laying on your stomach. That is the way I always thought I slept before pap. I found out different after my PSG so I'm not sure that I could count on not rolling over on my back while sleeping without knowing it.
I'm glad it's working for you though.