cpap and tongue collapse

[sleepsurfer]

does it generally require a high pressure to stop tongue collapse? i am up to a pressure of 14 and that is not enough. let me also add that i have UARS. my ahi in my sleep study was about 3 and my RERA's were at 19. my ahi on my pr system 1 is usually around 4.0 wther my pressure is 7 or all the way up to 14. i use nasal pillows, don't have a leak problem, breath perfectly through my nose(thanks to turbinate reduction), i use tape and a chin strap, sleep on my side, etc,, etc. i've been using the dang machine for 11 months. could i really need to turn the pressure up even more? am i missing something?

[Wulfman]

does it generally require a high pressure to stop tongue collapse? i am up to a pressure of 14 and that is not enough. let me also add that i have UARS. my ahi in my sleep study was about 3 and my RERA's were at 19. my ahi on my pr system 1 is usually around 4.0 wther my pressure is 7 or all the way up to 14. i use nasal pillows, don't have a leak problem, breath perfectly through my nose(thanks to turbinate reduction), i use tape and a chin strap, sleep on my side, etc,, etc. i've been using the dang machine for 11 months. could i really need to turn the pressure up even more? am i missing something?

What is "tongue collapse"?
Have you trained your tongue to stay to the roof of your mouth while you're sleeping? Put the tip of your tongue behind your front teeth and then act like you're sucking on a lemon drop.


Den

[sleepsurfer]

thanks for the reply. tongue collapse is were the tongue relaxes during sleep and obstructs your airway. i do keep my tongue in tight when falling asleep. however, tongue collapse tends to start from the base of the tongue. not from the top.

[SleepingUgly]

Sleepsurfer, how do you know you have tongue collapse?

Den, can the tongue really stay on the roof of one's mouth given atonia during REM?

[Wulfman]

Sleepsurfer, how do you know you have tongue collapse?

Den, can the tongue really stay on the roof of one's mouth given atonia during REM?

I'm not sure. I would suspect it might vary from person to person and depend on a variety of other factors.

http://www.medterms.com/script/main/art ... lekey=9811

http://www.jcircadianrhythms.com/content/7/1/1


Den

[sleepsurfer]

i know i have tongue collapse because my ENT has examined my airway by going through my nose and down my upper airway with fiber optics and he saw no signs of potential obstruction. ie, enlarged adenoids, tonsils, palate issues, etc. my only issue was my nasal passages which have been resolved beautifully with a turbinate reduction. i know it is the tongue also because i often awaken while falling asleep with a little choke and snort from behind my tongue.

[Blue Waters]

does it generally require a high pressure to stop tongue collapse? i am up to a pressure of 14 and that is not enough. let me also add that i have UARS. my ahi in my sleep study was about 3 and my RERA's were at 19. my ahi on my pr system 1 is usually around 4.0 wther my pressure is 7 or all the way up to 14. i use nasal pillows, don't have a leak problem, breath perfectly through my nose(thanks to turbinate reduction), i use tape and a chin strap, sleep on my side, etc,, etc. i've been using the dang machine for 11 months. could i really need to turn the pressure up even more? am i missing something?

Sleepsurfer, what do you mean by pressure "not enough"? Are you trying to reduce the AHI number and/or you are still feeling tired during the days?

[sleepsurfer]

does it generally require a high pressure to stop tongue collapse? i am up to a pressure of 14 and that is not enough. let me also add that i have UARS. my ahi in my sleep study was about 3 and my RERA's were at 19. my ahi on my pr system 1 is usually around 4.0 wther my pressure is 7 or all the way up to 14. i use nasal pillows, don't have a leak problem, breath perfectly through my nose(thanks to turbinate reduction), i use tape and a chin strap, sleep on my side, etc,, etc. i've been using the dang machine for 11 months. could i really need to turn the pressure up even more? am i missing something?

Sleepsurfer, what do you mean by pressure "not enough"? Are you trying to reduce the AHI number and/or you are still feeling tired during the days?

i am still feeling tired and on my wave form breathing report on my pr system 1, i can see that i am still having multiple arousals that don't even show up as apneas or hypopneas.

[Blue Waters]

I hope you can find a solution. I am kind of baffled about it. Can high pressures trigger central apneas and these won't get recorded in AHI?

I've been steadily putting on weight since my last sleep study. Increasing the min pressure in my APA from 6 to 9 helped me push down the AHI to around 3. AHI crept up to almost 6 at one point.

[dwbro]

I know this is a late response but for anyone who could potentially be reading this, cpap only works well to prevent soft palate and pharyngeal airway collapse. It may be able to prevent tongue collapse but only at very high pressures, which is intolerable to most people and can cause bloating and central apneas etc.

I’d recommend using a TRD (tongue retaining device) to hold the tongue forward, or a mandibular advancement device to hold your lower jaw forward and create more room at the back of the throat so the tongue is less likely to fully obstruct the airway. If tongue collapse is your sole issue, try one of these options first. Personally I have both tongue and soft palate collapse, so I use a TRD with CPAP (nasal mask). My pressure never needs to be higher than 10, it’s great. If you too have obstruction at multiple sites, you’ll have to use either a TRD or MAD in combination with CPAP. Obviously the thought of having BOTH these things on your face every night for the rest of your life is awful, so ultimately I’d recommend looking into surgery, particularly lower jaw advancement surgery if your issue is tongue collapse. Any other surgical option I’ve seen just involves removing tongue tissue, which you want to avoid at all costs. Hyoid surgery doesn’t have as high a success rate as mandibular advancement surgery. Everyone with tongue collapse should look into this.

[Jas_williams]

Why respond to a 9 year old thread ????? Not useful for anyone. Just open your own

[Goofproof]

b

Why respond to a 9 year old thread ????? Not useful for anyone. Just open your own

I have bitten my tongue badly many time, but not once has it caused the air to come out and making my tongue collapse. When Trolling in the Way Back Machine, it's best to just read, and keep reading. Jim

[ChicagoGranny]

Everyone with tongue collapse should look into this.

Tongue collapse is nearly universal in OSA.