Alcohol and CPAP

General Discussion on any topic relating to CPAP and/or Sleep Apnea.
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Zigs
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Alcohol and CPAP

Post by Zigs » Mon Dec 06, 2010 6:53 pm

I know that alcohol consumption is supposed to make apnea worse because it relaxes your muscles (i.e. in your airway)...but I'm curious what people's experiences have been when having a couple of drinks in the evening. Do you avoid alcohol completely? Only have a drink before dinner, etc.?

I like to have a couple glasses of wine or cocktails a couple of times a week. Typically it's with dinner or just after dinner, which makes me feel tired, so I'm trying to cut that out anyway...but I find that I actually FEEL like I sleep more soundly when I've had a few. Still, I'm pretty sure that can't really be the case...since everything I've read says alcohol makes apnea worse.

I had a few glasses of wine at the company holiday party this weekend, and I didn't use CPAP that night...why? Not really sure - I guess I thought maybe I would die in my sleep or something...I'm a paranoid newbie

Just curious what others have experienced..

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Julie
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Re: Alcohol and CPAP

Post by Julie » Mon Dec 06, 2010 6:59 pm

Not to be crude or anything... but you don't think you'll die in your sleep if you don't use Cpap (alcohol or no alcohol)?

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Zigs
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Re: Alcohol and CPAP

Post by Zigs » Mon Dec 06, 2010 7:02 pm

I know, I know, it was a bad joke...talk about crude...haha

I think alcohol in general just makes us less adherent to our good habits (i.e. using the CPAP, sleeping well, not inhaling a bag of chips right before bed, etc.) so obviously it's probably not the best idea to drink at night...but I'm just curious what others have experienced if they've had some drinks and then used the CPAP - do they sleep worse? Is it something to be concerned about?

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AndrewB
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Re: Alcohol and CPAP

Post by AndrewB » Mon Dec 06, 2010 7:23 pm

I personally like to have a few (and occasionally more than a few) drinks as the occasion permits.

I find looking at my numbers that I do tend to have more apnea events it's not significant. Also, I actually tend to be less hung-over. It's either all in my head, or there's some science to it, but that's my experience.

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ppharman
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Re: Alcohol and CPAP

Post by ppharman » Mon Dec 06, 2010 7:25 pm

Good question. I probably am not a good example. I have a fondness for old whiskey and...... My experience is that when wearing a cpap sobriety is optional. Life is too short not to indulge in the pleasures that I enjoy and do no harm to anyone else.

Pat

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jmelby
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Re: Alcohol and CPAP

Post by jmelby » Mon Dec 06, 2010 7:33 pm

I have noticed I tend to have AHI = 0 often on nights I have been drinking.

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Zigs
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Re: Alcohol and CPAP

Post by Zigs » Mon Dec 06, 2010 8:45 pm

Interesting - I'm not the only one who thinks I sleep better when I've had a few!

I wonder if that's reality or if it's a perception based on the effects of alcohol...

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M.D.Hosehead
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Re: Alcohol and CPAP

Post by M.D.Hosehead » Mon Dec 06, 2010 9:33 pm

Zigs wrote:Interesting - I'm not the only one who thinks I sleep better when I've had a few!

I wonder if that's reality or if it's a perception based on the effects of alcohol...
Your suspicion is correct.

The subjective experience of all CNS depressants feels the same as sleep. General anesthesia is perceived as sleep.

But when you drink "a few" before going to bed, your EEG won't look the same as natural sleep. (In fact, it more nearly resembles the EEG of general anesthesia.) The normal sleep architecture, that is, the cycles of REM and NREM is disrupted, and usually REM is suppressed, at least until the alcohol is metabolized. It feels like sleep but it isn't the same.

I'm in the same camp as Pat, i.e., life is short and you don't get any extra points for being ascetic.

But, as I wouldn't drive after drinking, I sure wouldn't fall asleep after drinking without xPAP. And I check my graphs to be sure it's working.

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Zigs
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Re: Alcohol and CPAP

Post by Zigs » Mon Dec 06, 2010 10:30 pm

Thanks for that great info! I agree - all's good in moderation. Except CPAP and good-quality sleep.

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kempo
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Re: Alcohol and CPAP

Post by kempo » Mon Dec 06, 2010 10:35 pm

"Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy" - Benjamin Franklin 1776

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Captain_Midnight
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Re: Alcohol and CPAP

Post by Captain_Midnight » Mon Dec 06, 2010 11:31 pm

Alcohol consumption followed by a papless night is a total no-no. With OSA, airways collapse and occlude anyway; and alcohol relaxes muscles and leads to further collapse. I also suspect that the feedback loop which leads to arrousal from a hypoxic sleep is attenuated, making everything worse.

That said, so long as your xPAP therapy is working well for you, and so long as you have a good daily data feedback monitoring setup, then having a drink (followed by xpap in the night) might be just fine. My ahi is slightly lower, on average, when I indulge. I think that the PR-1 does its job, and that I may not sleep quite as soundly after a drink or so before dinner.

Your results might vary, which is why monitoring would be key. Naturally, overdoing the booze is a poor idea for an apneic.

One other thing. OSA does lead to some liver and kidney damage. If this is you (think blood test results here) or if you are diabetic, then I might stick to iced tea.

.

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XSnorer
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Re: Alcohol and CPAP

Post by XSnorer » Tue Dec 07, 2010 8:13 am

After 2 months of observing the numbers on my data capable machine, I have not yet observed any higher AHI results on nights that I've had alcohol vs nights without alcohol. My previous CPAP machine was not data capable - so no way to know. In my pre-CPAP days, alcohol seemed to have a major (unfavorable) impact on my sleep quality.

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Re: Alcohol and CPAP

Post by robysue » Tue Dec 07, 2010 10:16 am

Just throwing in my two cents.

I have had to give up alcohol at dinner time since starting on CPAP. But it's because drinking a beer or a glass of wine with dinner or having a drink or two at a party seems to aggravate the CPAP-induced insomnia I've been fighting off and on since starting CPAP. When I have a drink or two, I usually can get to sleep ok, but I wind up not sleeping very well with frequent wake-ups and tossing and turning. And I often wind up waking up with a headache in the middle of the night. Now understand, I've had that kind of reaction to (too much) alcohol off and on my whole life---so the problem is not CPAP+alcohol; the problem (for me) is that alcohol can and does distrub my normal sleep if there's anything stressful going on in my life.

I really hope that some day I will be able to have a beer with pizza or gumbo or a steak or ... and also enjoy that occasional glass of white wine at a nice restaraunt like I used to be able to do without it triggering problems at night with staying asleep.

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Re: Alcohol and CPAP

Post by mayondair » Tue Dec 07, 2010 10:34 am

I don't notice a difference in AHI after a few glasses of wine, but I do notice VS is up, so my 2 cents : always strap on the Baby Alien, Mini Darth , or Paul the Octopus, and enjoy a glass or three if you don't have other issues.
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Re: Alcohol and CPAP

Post by Hawthorne » Tue Dec 07, 2010 10:50 am

I do enjoy a Single Malt Scotch once in a while and I also indulge in a glass or 2 of wine now and then but my data seems to be much the same no matter what. My intake of alcoholic bevereges is "occassional".

If I am having Scotch, it is usual a before dinner drink. Wine is with dinner or at an afternoon or evening get together with friends and family.

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