Positional Therapy

[danb1996]

Hi guys.

I am only 22, but I went to the sleep clinic a few months back and my sleep doc told me I had mild sleep apnea. However, in my study I slept on my back to avoid disconnecting the various wires. I got the prescription a little while later and it said I have moderate sleep apnea. Why would the doctor tell me I have mild?

This only concerns me because I am not comfortable using my CPAP device, and am considering just sleeping on my side from now on.

If I really have mild apnea on my back, would side sleeping be able to cure my apnea.

[ChicagoGranny]

I got the prescription a little while later and it said I have moderate sleep apnea. Why would the doctor tell me I have mild?

Stuff happens.

If I really have mild apnea on my back, would side sleeping be able to cure my apnea.

No, it would not cure it. But, sleeping on your sides or stomach might avoid sleep-disordered breathing (apnea et al). And, it might not.

In any case, sleep-disordered breathing is usually a progressive condition. As one ages, it gets worse. So, you want to take this seriously and not just think positional therapy "fixes me".

BTW, what symptoms did you have that caused you to seek a sleep study?

How about getting a copy of the summary of your sleep study and come back to this thread to discuss some details. It's your legal right to have a copy if you are in the U.S. It will be good to keep in your permanent files for future reference.

[danb1996]

I got the prescription a little while later and it said I have moderate sleep apnea. Why would the doctor tell me I have mild?

Stuff happens.

If I really have mild apnea on my back, would side sleeping be able to cure my apnea.

No, it would not cure it. But, sleeping on your sides or stomach might avoid sleep-disordered breathing (apnea et al). And, it might not.

In any case, sleep-disordered breathing is usually a progressive condition. As one ages, it gets worse. So, you want to take this seriously and not just think positional therapy "fixes me".

BTW, what symptoms did you have that caused you to seek a sleep study?

How about getting a copy of the summary of your sleep study and come back to this thread to discuss some details. It's your legal right to have a copy if you are in the U.S. It will be good to keep in your permanent files for future reference.

I think I am one of the rare cases of a young adult with sleep apnea. Starting when I was 17 I noticed it took me longer to fall asleep, I slept for less hours unless exhausted and that number is usually around 6 hours compared to a solid 8+ everyday in my younger years, and I started having concentration and memory problems. I also have more night time awakening and nightmares.

The worst symptom I have is brain fog where I am awake but I almost feel like im dreaming. Only before bed does this symptom get somewhat better.

I`m hoping sleeping on my side can help me breath and night, so I can avoid cpap.

[ChicagoGranny]

I think I am one of the rare cases of a young adult with sleep apnea.

Wrong. Many have it. Few get diagnosed and treated.

Many of the members here had it in their teens but didn't get it diagnosed until their 50s and later. Much damage to their health by delaying.

I`m hoping sleeping on my side can help me breath and night, so I can avoid cpap.

Try it for now. You may get some relief. But, almost certainly, you will need CPAP in the future.

Get that copy of your sleep study, and let's discuss it.

[palerider]

I think I am one of the rare cases of a young adult with sleep apnea.

Not that rare

[danb1996]

I think I am one of the rare cases of a young adult with sleep apnea.

Wrong. Many have it. Few get diagnosed and treated.

Many of the members here had it in their teens but didn't get it diagnosed until their 50s and later. Much damage to their health by delaying.

I`m hoping sleeping on my side can help me breath and night, so I can avoid cpap.

Try it for now. You may get some relief. But, almost certainly, you will need CPAP in the future.

Get that copy of your sleep study, and let's discuss it.

will do.

Ill get back asap.

[Stom]

Hi guys.

I am only 22, but I went to the sleep clinic a few months back and my sleep doc told me I had mild sleep apnea. However, in my study I slept on my back to avoid disconnecting the various wires. I got the prescription a little while later and it said I have moderate sleep apnea. Why would the doctor tell me I have mild?

Doctors may decide not to treat mild apnea with a CPAP. My first sleep doctor put me on allergy treatments rather than CPAP. Positional therapy won't cure sleep apnea, per se, but it could treat it to an acceptable degree depending on your particulars. Devil is in the details.

Definitely get a **full** copy of the sleep study, including the charts. I got one years ago and had to get the doctor to re-write the conclusions as they did not match the data in a way that even I, who knew pretty much nothing about sleep apnea at the time, could notice.

[kteague]

Can you clarify this for me? You slept on your back in the study because of the wires, so does that mean you usually side or stomach sleep? If that is true, and you were having some life disrupting symptoms even though side sleeping, I wouldn't expect side sleeping to be your solution now. I encourage you to spend some time consistently using your cpap and see if your symptoms improve. Having long standing sleep disruption can do crazy things to us, and can blur the lines between sleep and wake. Some of what you said makes me think you're experiencing that. That's another reason I'd be curious to see what treatment does for you. If those particular symptoms persist even with getting well treated sleep, you might want to ask your doctor about getting checked for narcolepsy. They generally don't test for narcolepsy if your sleep doesn't meet a certain standard, because generally sleepiness can muddy the picture as some of the symptoms of sleep deprivation and narcolepsy can overlap. But maybe you'll be pleasantly surprised and using cpap will greatly help your symptoms.

[ChicagoGranny]

Definitely get a **full** copy of the sleep study

He will never get that, and it is not necessary. I don't know what the asterisks mean, but a full copy would include flow charts, EEG, leg movements, etc. for every second of the night.

The summary (a few pages at most) is often very revealing.

[LSAT]

Mild Sleep Apnea is diagnosed when you have under 15 events per hour...Moderate is 15 and over. You may be right on the border. Doesn't matter..the treatment is the same....CPAP.

[Stom]

Definitely get a **full** copy of the sleep study

He will never get that, and it is not necessary. I don't know what the asterisks mean, but a full copy would include flow charts, EEG, leg movements, etc. for every second of the night.

The summary (a few pages at most) is often very revealing.

I got a relatively full report of mine, years ago. Not the digital data, mind you, that could be expanded to see the the detail on the graphs, but certainly more than a summary. And if I'd settled for the summary I'd never have discovered my diagnosis didn't match the data.

I'm not in the industry so I don't know the range reports available.

Asterisks around a word or block of text are a plaintext convention denoting emphasis.

[ChicagoGranny]

I got a relatively full report of mine, years ago.

Weasel word

[zonker]

I got a relatively full report of mine, years ago.

Weasel word

https://blog.hubspot.com/sales/weasel-w ... versations

[Stom]

Weasel word

It's a qualifier. If you are just out to be mean, go for it. It seems to be a thing around here.

My original sleep study that I received was 7 pages long, longer than you say a summary is. So if that isn't a "relatively full report" please do give us a characterization of it, and specifically tell us your **exact** minimum length for a full report. You, too, zonker. Note that I said **report** not a copy of all the raw data.

[Dog Slobber]

Weasel word

It's a qualifier. If you are just out to be mean, go for it. It seems to be a thing around here.

My original sleep study that I received was 7 pages long, longer than you say a summary is. So if that isn't a "relatively full report" please do give us a characterization of it.

Studies show, most experts believe that weasel words are used to give a false sense of authority. Some argue that those who always use such tactics are being dishonest, but probably the most common reason is; ignorance of actual data.