Can a pillow worsen apnea?

[joeljjk11]

I use a My Pillow and have realized that it sort of crunches my neck up. Has anyone noticed their pillow can negatively affect their apnea if it is too thick or full? My AHI has been dreadful for some time now and after trying everything else, I wonder if the pillow is worsening it.

Joel

[LSAT]

The key is to be able to sleep in comfort. If you can't sleep, the AHI will be negatively affected. There is no pillow that is right for everyone. There are dozens of pillows that claim to be for SA. Personally, I have been using a buckwheat hull pillow that is very firm but can be shaped as needed.

[chunkyfrog]

I use a My Pillow and have realized that it sort of crunches my neck up. Has anyone noticed their pillow can negatively affect their apnea if it is too thick or full? My AHI has been dreadful for some time now and after trying everything else, I wonder if the pillow is worsening it.

Joel

Some better quality loose foam pillows have zippered ticking,
which allows one to remove excess stuffing.
One would think that as much as they cost, there would be a zipper . . .
Tall pillows give me much pain.

[jlsmithseven]

I got the pillow cube recommended by lankylefty. Thought I’d give it a try since I could return if it didn’t work. First couple of days it was hard to get used to, but I really like it now. It keeps pressure off your face and it has a nice height. Made for side sleepers. Check it out. It’s not cheap but I think it’s worth it.

[Respirator99]

If your head is tilted forward so that your airway is stressed, that can indeed lead to clusters of obstructive apneas. The wrong choice of pillow can certainly do that. Here are two articles worth reading over at Apnea Board:

http://www.apneaboard.com/wiki/index.ph ... onal_Apnea

http://www.apneaboard.com/wiki/index.ph ... cal_Collar

[Sheriff Buford]

I got chewed out a while back by saying the buckwheat pillow was hard as a rock for me. At the risk of being kicked off this site, I think it's a Fred Flintstone-type pillow. But that's only my opinion, and you asked for them. Pillows are personal. Some folks like what I like and and vise versa. Early on, I was sorta in your predicament.... and yes pillows can make a difference. Regular pillows can move the mask (cause leaks) when you smush your mask in the pillow. I settled for memory foam pillows. If you can get used to them, you'll see a lot of cpap pillows that are the memory foam type. I am on my third generation Contour (brand) pillow. The current one comes with 1 1/2" memory foam layers. you can use the layers to adjust the height of the pillow or for heat transfer. I have never noticed the difference in the heat transfer layer. Now that I think about it, I probably liked the old version a little better, and I think there is another brand that I may try. Anyway you''ll see most cpap pillows have cut outs for the mask, but they never worked for me, cause i roll around a lot.

Sheriff

[Miss Emerita]

Just wanted to second Respirator99's comment.