What do I do if I think I have sleep apnea?

[brose005]

Hello,

So I have been a snorer all of my adult life to the best of my knowledge. This was not much of a concern to me until recently I have been waking up a couple times throughout the night and have not been feeling rested in the morning even though I believe I am getting about 7 hours of sleep.

I looked into this a bit online and sleep apnea kept popping up as a possible diagnosis. I was wondering if anybody could give me some advice on how to proceed? Are there ways I can self diagnosis myself?

Do I go right to a doctor? Primary doctor or other? Just wanted some guidance on what to do next to try to address this issue.
Thanks in advance for your help.

Cheers,
Ben

[ChrisD]

Hello Ben,

I would recommend going to your primary doctor first and discuss your concerns (snoring, waking up multiple times, not feeling rested). From there, your doctor can recommend a sleep study and you can get tested to see if you actually have sleep apnea.

Thanks,
Chris

[JDS74]

You could take the Epworth Sleepiness test and it will provide some guidance.
http://web.stanford.edu/~dement/epworth.html

The snoring is a clue and does indicate apnea sometimes.
However, it seems best to go to your PCP and discuss the issue with them.
Besides sleep apnea (ignoring the snoring), there are other physical conditions that can cause tiredness and feeling not rested in the morning. Your PCP will likely order some blood tests to get a better idea of your general health.
The Epworth result will be helpful but is not diagnostic by itself.

[Bergie51]

The best way is to have a sleep test at a certified sleep clinic. I just Googled it and see that RHS Alianza has a sleep clinic in Medellin. You'll spend the night hooked up to all kinds of monitors and they'll determine whether you have apnea and the severity of your case. Then they'll recommend ways to proceed. Self-diagnosis is not the best. It can all be rather expensive but good insurance covers most of it. I've been using a CPAP machine now for about three weeks. My snoring has stopped, I'm feeling more refreshed in the morning and even my night leg cramps have gone away. It's worth it.

[sc0ttt]

The Berlin Questionnaire is another preliminary check. When you do go to a doctor, you'll save some time by having this done before you go in.

https://www.faa.gov/about/office_org/he ... nnaire.pdf

[brose005]

FIrst of all, I just want to say thanks for all the helpful information. I will definitely take the questionnaires to get a better idea of where I stand. If I do determine I should have a sleep study I was wondering if there is much of a difference between the home sleep study and the one you do at a clinic. Is one cheaper than the other? Are they both effective at diagnosing sleep apnea? I have catastrophic insurance so probably will have to pay this all out of pocket. Just wondering what my best most economical option is.

Thanks again for all your help.

Cheers,
Ben

[SewTired]

FIrst of all, I just want to say thanks for all the helpful information. I will definitely take the questionnaires to get a better idea of where I stand. If I do determine I should have a sleep study I was wondering if there is much of a difference between the home sleep study and the one you do at a clinic. Is one cheaper than the other? Are they both effective at diagnosing sleep apnea? I have catastrophic insurance so probably will have to pay this all out of pocket. Just wondering what my best most economical option is.

Thanks again for all your help.

Cheers,
Ben

Cost is a huge difference. Unless you have heart or lung problems, you should be able to do a home sleep study. You might even want to consider getting a home sleep study through cpap.com provided your doctor has ruled out thyroid, heart, lung and anemia problems. If you are found to have sleep apnea then, you can get a new machine through online retailers or used since your catastrophic coverage isn't going to be of help. A local DME will just cost you way more.

Note: my primary knows zip about sleep apnea and won't write any prescriptions for equipment. So, costwise, you might be well off just to use online sources as your home study will be evaluated by a doctor who will issue a prescription.

[bwexler]

There is also an Epworth test. A simple questionnaire that will indicate the likelihood of Sleep Apnea.
If the questionairs indicate a strong probability of Apnea get the home test, cost usually under $500.
Lab tests range from $750-$5,000+ from what I have seen.
Then be sure to get a data capable auto CPAP. I recommend you stick with either Resmed or
Philips Resperonics. These are the most popular here, which will allow you to get the most assistance from the experts here that use the same machine.

Spend as little as possible on doctors, especially those who do not specialize in sleep medicine.

[sc0ttt]

FIrst of all, I just want to say thanks for all the helpful information. I will definitely take the questionnaires to get a better idea of where I stand. If I do determine I should have a sleep study I was wondering if there is much of a difference between the home sleep study and the one you do at a clinic. Is one cheaper than the other? Are they both effective at diagnosing sleep apnea? I have catastrophic insurance so probably will have to pay this all out of pocket. Just wondering what my best most economical option is.

Thanks again for all your help.

Cheers,
Ben

If you have a camcorder or GoPro or something, you might try recording yourself sleeping as well. Nothing like watching yourself have an apnea episode to start taking it seriously.

[brose005]

First of all, want to give an update that I ended up making the leap and getting a sleep study done ASAP even though I don't have health insurance and I am glad I did as I was positively diagnosed with moderate sleep apnea. Its unforunate that I was diagnosed with sleep apnea but I am actually very relieved as the problem to my symptoms have been positively identified and I can get started on treating it so I can get some real restorative sleep

Obviously the next step is to get a CPAP machine and mask. I really would appreciate some guidance on how to go about finding the right one for me.

My prescription is: 11 CM/H2O

I don't know if my prescription matters or whether the fact that I am newly diagnosed matters. I have been trying to do research online and sites like this one are saying the REMstar A-Flex and Dreamstation are the best CPAP machines. I have also seen site and forum posts talking highly of the Resmed S9 Autoset.

In terms of the mask, I do sometimes breathe through my mouth, so I think I will need a full face mask. I also like to sleep on my side. Any suggestions?

I would really appreciate any guidance or advice on this topic as there are so many options, it is a little overwhelming. I thank you in advance.

Cheers,
Ben

[ChicagoGranny]

In terms of the mask

Here are some tips -->

How to Choose an Initial CPAP Mask for Newbies

1. If you had a sleep lab titration and liked the mask that was used, and that mask was recommended by your medical team, then go for it.

2. If not 1., then did your medical team recommend a nasal mask or a full face mask (FFM)? For many people, nasal masks are easier to use assuming they don't mouthbreathe, leak air out the mouth or get air inflating the cheeks while using CPAP during sleep. If you have any of these problems, you may need to use a FFM. (Despite what you may see in the forum, there are many of us that find FFMs are easy to use, do not leak and are not uncomfortable.)

3. Once you have decided whether you need to start with a nasal mask or a FFM mask, begin looking at the mask descriptions and images at https://www.cpap.com/cpap-masks.php . This is the website of this forum's host.

4. For a newbie, you should select a popular mask that gets high rankings from the reviews. Some people in this forum get excellent usage out of masks that are not popular and do not get good reviews. They might rave about the mask to you. But for a newbie, you want to start with a popular mask with high rankings. After you get some experience, you can experiment with masks that pique your fancy but are not popular.

5. Once you have a category (nasal or FFM) of masks selected, you can go to that category on CPAP dot com's web page and sort by Biggest Sellers and then by Rating. You can check the ratings and read reviews.

6. When you receive your mask and machine, you should watch the mask manufacturer's videos (On CPAP dot com's web page) for instructions on use and adjustments.

7. If you have any problems using the mask, please start a new thread here and ask for help.

8. It's not unusual to try different masks before settling on one that works well for you. If you find yourself buying a fourth or fifth different mask, the problem may be with the way you are trying to use the masks, instead of the mask itself. Please get help from the experienced forum members.

- ChicagoGranny

[Cardsfan]

The 2 most recommended brands are Resmed and Phillips Resperonics.
Resmed's newest line of machines is the Airsense 10.
Phillip Resperonics newest line is the Dreamstation.

In both of these lines, you want the Auto model that is fully data capable.

The Resmed's older model, the S9 Auto for her model can be gotten at a good deal. (It is pink, if that doesn't bother you) You can see the prices on https://www.cpap.com
Another place to ck prices is http://www.secondwindcpap.com

[Julie]

Look at PapPillow.com - a good idea for side sleepers with FF masks... and/or a friend who sews well could do one for you.

[chunkyfrog]

My favorite/(now only) pillow us the one linked at the bottom of this post.

[sc0ttt]

First of all, want to give an update that I ended up making the leap and getting a sleep study done ASAP even though I don't have health insurance and I am glad I did as I was positively diagnosed with moderate sleep apnea. Its unforunate that I was diagnosed with sleep apnea but I am actually very relieved as the problem to my symptoms have been positively identified and I can get started on treating it so I can get some real restorative sleep

Obviously the next step is to get a CPAP machine and mask. I really would appreciate some guidance on how to go about finding the right one for me.

Cheers,
Ben

You don't have insurance so you don't need to go through a local provider, and that's a good thing because it's kind of a hassle and they generally prefer to work with insurance anyway.

You prescription is for a constant pressure, so it's saying you don't need adjustable/auto pressure. The constant pressure machines are significantly cheaper and lots of people are happy with them. There's no downside to auto pressure machines other than the cost, and they are especially good if you've got trickier issues (like you have more apneas in REM sleep eg). And you can save a lot by buying used of course.

And if you're willing to go with an older model, you can get a new one pretty cheap also. Actually, you sound a lot like me, so I'll just go ahead and recommend mine (PRS1 Pro):
https://www.cpap.com/productpage/pr-sys ... tooth.html
You'll probably want the heated humidifier too.

This one is essentially the same machine but with auto-adjusting pressure, you can determine if the price difference is worth it. (PRS1 Auto)
https://www.cpap.com/productpage/pr-sys ... tooth.html