CPAP without Apnea?

[STLWantRest]

I am a heavy snorer and wanted to see if a CPAP might work.

I have snored very loudly my entire life. I've had nasal passage surgeries and nothing has helped. Had a Sleep Study done and they said that I didn't have Sleep Apnea. I'm not overweight, even snored when I was real skinny as a kid, but I'm tired all day and want a solution!

Should I get a used CPAP and try it?

[rested gal]

I would.

[BlackSpinner]

I am a heavy snorer and wanted to see if a CPAP might work.

I have snored very loudly my entire life. I've had nasal passage surgeries and nothing has helped. Had a Sleep Study done and they said that I didn't have Sleep Apnea. I'm not overweight, even snored when I was real skinny as a kid, but I'm tired all day and want a solution!

Should I get a used CPAP and try it?

Bad study or lousy sleep doc. I have friends who use prescribed cpap for snoring.

[STL Mark]

I am assuming you are in St. Louis also. Welcome to the forum. You have found a great resource here.

[no_more_headaches]

My wife snored loudly and felt tired all the time. She had a sleep study and it showed she did not have Apnea but sever Hypopnea (partial collapse) and her O2 levels drop to the 70s. I have severe apnea and stopped breathing up to a minute but my O2 levels only hit 89%.

I would think her situation is worse with the desats but I had an uncle die in his sleep at my age so ....

[LinkC]

That question is best answered by someone who has evaluated your sleep study. The odds are that experimenting with xPAP wouldn't cause you any harm, but it COULD. It is irresponsible for anyone with no knowledge of your case to recommend going out on your own. I recommend you ask your Dr about your plan and the associated risks before proceeding.

But, if you DO go ahead, I would suggest you find a used AutoPAP machine. It will adjust the pressure setting to meet your body's needs. If you use straight CPAP, you wouldn't have a clue what setting to use.

I hope you find a solution!

[chunkyfrog]

I would add to linkc's comments that you would be best be served by an Auto cpap machine with full data;
That way you would have feedback to give your doctor. I would also get a O2 monitor--(just my thought)
It would be best to have a doctor in on this with you--maybe it would have to be a different doc.
You might even have to pester the doctor to find the real reason for your fatigue.
Don't give up!

[STLWantRest]

Thanks to all for the rapid responses.

I will get a different doctor involved. Is it typically a Neurologist or ENT that you work with concerning the CPAP? My ENT was a very well-known and respected doctor in St. Louis. Not sure why he didn't go the CPAP route.

Thanks again!

[no_more_headaches]

ENTs are typically surgeons and in my experience are not as involved.
Sleep doctors can be pulmonogists or neurologists but it is a specialty.

I would look specifically for sleep doctors if you can.

[brazospearl]

Do you have a copy of your sleep study results? I think it'd be worth reading to see if you had any apneas or hypopneas, what your oxygen levels were, if there were any limb movements, etc. If, for instance, your doctor said you "didn't have sleep apnea" because you had 4 events instead of the standard of 5, but you also had hypopneas or desats, that would be good to know.

[parabellum]

Few notes:

1) I have "herioc" snoring. That basically means LOUD as hell. :-/ But the good news is that it almost completely stops when I use the CPAP. My GF described it as dropping from a 10 to a 0, with some rare nights where I may snore at a 1 or 2 level of loudness.

2) The Resmed S9 records snore levels. I'm not sure exactly how it does that, I presume there is a mic in the unit that listens through the tube...but it does do a very good job of showing me exactly when I do snore a bit.

If you can get the script, definitely give it a try, but watch out, if your pressure is too high it can have adverse effects (such as triggering central apneas).

[Lizistired]

If you or your insurance company has already paid for the sleep study, get the "Full Scored Data Summary Report with Condensed Graphs". (I think that's what it's called. If not someone will be kind enough to correct me.) Then you can read it and can take it to a sleep doctor.
My AHI was only 11, but I had 49 arousals an hour and awakenings that were unrelated to apneas or hypopneas. Tired wasn't the word for it. The cpap cleared most of the arousals too. I felt 100% better just on the 2 good hours of sleep I got during the titration. Go see a sleep doctor.

[Wonka]

Few notes:

1) I have "herioc" snoring. That basically means LOUD as hell. :-/ But the good news is that it almost completely stops when I use the CPAP. My GF described it as dropping from a 10 to a 0, with some rare nights where I may snore at a 1 or 2 level of loudness.

2) The Resmed S9 records snore levels. I'm not sure exactly how it does that, I presume there is a mic in the unit that listens through the tube...but it does do a very good job of showing me exactly when I do snore a bit.

If you can get the script, definitely give it a try, but watch out, if your pressure is too high it can have adverse effects (such as triggering central apneas).

OK. I'm confused. I have a S9 Autoset, and when I run a detailed report I only get reporting on four variables; Pressure, Leak, AHI & AI, and Usage. I don't see any snoring data whatsover. Please explain.

[robysue]

wonka,

When you download the data, make sure you select "download all available data." The snoring data is not in the summary graphs; it's only in the detailed graphs. When you select the detailed data graphs in ResScan, there's a little tab off to the right somewhere that controls which graphs show up on both the navigation (large) time scale at the top and the detailed time scale (at the bottom). Check there to make sure that the Snore graph is selected as one of the ones to show. Then it will show up as a function of time. The y-axis is a scale of how loud the snoring is and the x-axis is the time of night the snoring is occurring.