How did you stop sleeping on your back?

[reecemj]

I tried the tennis ball but it would move to the side.I made my on. Are there any other ways ?

[jnk...]

PAP pressure should be optimized to prevent events in every position, since anything that prevents a sleep position causes disruption to sleep itself, which defeats the entire purpose of PAP therapy. An injury, for example, may require supine sleep, so PAP needs to be set up to cover that position. That is why lab titrations are generally performed with users on their backs instead of simply preventing that sleep position during the titration.

That said, the most effective way I know to prevent back sleeping is to put a child's size bicycle helmet so that its edges dig into the shoulder blades up high and to hold it in that position by running a belt through the slats of the helmet and buckling it tight high on the chest. Comfortable? No. Effective? Sometimes. But the question remains, Why would anyone do that instead of adjusting PAP for a comfortable and restful night of sleep in all sleep positions?

Position therapy is mostly something used by people in denial of the need for PAP, not a serious approach to getting the best sleep possible.

Personally I would choose to sleep upright in a recliner before I would resort to anything strapped to my back in bed.

[Pugsy]

I always have felt that anything that promotes pain so it wakes us up so we can change position is not the brightest idea to be trying.
Think about it....we have a sleeping problem anyway and we strap something to our backs to wake us up so we can turn on our side.
No thank you....I get enough wake ups that I don't want on my own anyway.

Anyway, try to figure out something that can keep you off your back but is comfortable and won't disturb your sleep.

Bed pillows don't have enough weight and will most likely slide out from under you....as will rolled up bed linens in most situations.
A foam wedge can do it but again it slides rather easily right out from under you.
Now there is one foam wedge thing that straps on the back and costs some big bucks and requires a RX....I never tried it.

I have tried a lot of things to try to keep me off my back. Not because my OSA is particularly worse but because being on my back really hurts and the pain wakes me up often when I end up on my back.

The best thing that worked for me was a heavy buckwheat pillow slid up against my spine so that if I leaned against it there was enough weight there that it wouldn't slide out from under me. Not to mention if you do end up sort of laying at a 45 degree angle on it....it's super supporting and quite comfortable.

So try to figure out something that won't move that you can lean against that will support you when you end up trying to go supine and prevent you from getting supine.......that is comfortable and won't cause wake ups itself.

[palerider]

I tried the tennis ball but it would move to the side.I made my on. Are there any other ways ?

Years and years of untreated sleep apnea did it for me, I find it almost impossible to sleep on my back now, even after 10 years of successful CPAP treatment.

[D.H.]

I never slept on by back until I started using CPAP. Since I landed on my back in titration, the lab tech adjusted my pressure to accommodate back sleeping. This was back in 1999 when they really didn't have automatic machines.

[zonker]

I tried the tennis ball but it would move to the side.I made my on. Are there any other ways ?

can you post some charts? as others have indicated, getting your therapy optimized is the best solution. personally, my ahi has been under 1 for the last 6 months, with an occasional night between 1-2. all of this while sleeping on my back for a small portion of the night.

this takes me back to when i was brand new to cpap and this forum. i read a LOT about obstructive events and sleeping on your back. i thought i HAD to sleep on my side or i'd never conquer sleep apnea.

now, i can sleep as i want because i have my therapy going the best way for me. so you might want to post charts so experts can help.

what's your typical ahi?

[Kroldor]

I tried the tennis ball but it would move to the side.I made my on. Are there any other ways ?

can you post some charts? as others have indicated, getting your therapy optimized is the best solution. personally, my ahi has been under 1 for the last 6 months, with an occasional night between 1-2. all of this while sleeping on my back for a small portion of the night.

this takes me back to when i was brand new to cpap and this forum. i read a LOT about obstructive events and sleeping on your back. i thought i HAD to sleep on my side or i'd never conquer sleep apnea.

now, i can sleep as i want because i have my therapy going the best way for me. so you might want to post charts so experts can help.

what's your typical ahi?

That's exactly what I thought too when I first started reading forums lol. People made it sound like sleeping on your back was a death sentence. I only started sleeping on my back after I started treatment. It was too hard too sleep on my side with my mask on.

[chunkyfrog]

Some of us have apnea in all sleep positions. I am one of them.
I have never considered positional therapy, as it would be useless in my case.
Even if it works, confining sleep to one position can lead to shoulder, back and hip problems.
You will wish you had never opened that box.

[Goofproof]

Never had to, I learned how to set up my XPAP so it will treat all apneas I have no matter how my sleep position is. I sleep like Rover, all over!

Don't say it's too high (15 cm) no ramp, or 13 CM to 15 cm if using APAP. my treatment is fine for me. Jim

[nicholasjh1]

Plenty of Tumeric with pepper, so my hips didn't ache.

[ChicagoGranny]

How did you stop sleeping on your back?

Why do you want to do this?

[zonker]

you know, i managed to sleep on my back last night and my ahi showed it. lots of obsructives on my chart.

but it is what it is. when i started out, i would've been discouraged by it. now, i just shrug it off.

[Stephaniedp3]

I tried the tennis ball but it would move to the side.I made my on. Are there any other ways ?

can you post some charts? as others have indicated, getting your therapy optimized is the best solution. personally, my ahi has been under 1 for the last 6 months, with an occasional night between 1-2. all of this while sleeping on my back for a small portion of the night.

this takes me back to when i was brand new to cpap and this forum. i read a LOT about obstructive events and sleeping on your back. i thought i HAD to sleep on my side or i'd never conquer sleep apnea.

now, i can sleep as i want because i have my therapy going the best way for me. so you might want to post charts so experts can help.

what's your typical ahi?

That's exactly what I thought too when I first started reading forums lol. People made it sound like sleeping on your back was a death sentence. I only started sleeping on my back after I started treatment. It was too hard too sleep on my side with my mask on.

Same here. I’ve always been a side sleeper but sleep mostly on my back with cpap. I tend to get easier leaks on my side. And with my treatment I have zero apneas and minimal hyponeas ever night even on my back mostly.

[ChicagoGranny]

People made it sound like sleeping on your back was a death sentence.

It often is ... for people who don't use CPAP.