Alcohol and CPAP

[jabman]

I too enjoy a beer or two (and sometimes a glas of brandy) through the week. I have not seen any changes in my overall AHI.

One other thing. OSA does lead to some liver and kidney damage. If this is you (think blood test results here) or if you are diabetic, then I might stick to iced tea.

I am a diabetic and I found that a beer or tow will actually lower my BG numbers so if I do drink a will always have a snack just befor or after having a drink or I will have it with a meal. I just can no longer pound them down.

[xenablue]

Ditto on jabman's post - I enjoy a glass or so of dry, red wine most nights, which has benefits aside from lowering my blood glucose. Never really considered it with OSA as I never drink enough to make me feel the effects. I'll start logging it and see whether it affects my stats.

Cheers,
xena

[Big S]

In the not so old days, if I had alcohol before bed, I suffered mightily from reflux. Since CPAP, I no longer get reflux. I count myself on the lucky side.

[el_zorro]

My experience is that "a few" will not disrupt normal sleep patterns. I have validated this with my Zeo. Your assumption that is that the alcohol level is high enough to induce sleep (as in an anesthesia). This would require more that "a few" in a normal adult, probably more like 6-7 drinks or a BAC (Blood Alcohol Content higher than 2.0).

My experience is that overindulgence leads to non-compliance. The only one time in the last year that I havent used my CPAP was when I had too much to drink. I completely agree with you that overindulgence and OSA are a bad combination. As I get older my desire to poison my system with anything is less also. Life is too short to feel like crap in the morning also.

[Sheriff Buford]

Officer... Officer...
- I only had a couple...
- That ain't mine....
- I don't know how that got there....
- I don't know who that is...
- I ran because I was scared (skeert...)
- Never seen that before in my life...

Sheriff

[jabman]

Officer... Officer...
- I only had a couple...
- That ain't mine....
- I don't know how that got there....
- I don't know who that is...
- I ran because I was scared (skeert...)
- Never seen that before in my life...

Sheriff

Officer I haven't been drinking it must be my OSA.

[chunkyfrog]

Where did this ring/rash/chicken outfit come from?

[SuperGeeky]

The New Dual Humidified Null-Mask

Comes with:
Durable Hard Hat - Great for Sleep Walkers
Interchangeable Humidifiers with your choice of Adult Beverage
Easy to insert Tube, guaranteed high pressure to puff those cheeks and throat out
Great Stocking Stuffer, limited supplies....
Prescription and Drivers License Required
Disclaimer - We discourage drinking and sleeping

[Zigs]

Hahaha...this thread is informative AND entertaining!

I agree that life is too short (and most of us are getting too old) to wake up feeling like crap

[Guest]

Good question. I probably am not a good example. I have a fondness for old whiskey and...... My experience is that when wearing a cpap sobriety is optional. Life is too short not to indulge in the pleasures that I enjoy and do no harm to anyone else.

Pat

I agree. Live is short. Let's all live well, prosper and be happy!

[archangle]

I still have this terrible urge to try vodka in the humidifier.

I know it's probably a terrible idea.

[PST]

I still have this terrible urge to try vodka in the humidifier.

I know it's probably a terrible idea.

Because it's a waste of good vodka. It won't do any good breathing the fumes.

[PST]

I don't usually drink except to have a glass or two of beer or wine with dinner, and I have seen no evidence that this affects my therapy at all. A couple of times a year, though, I am called upon to sacrifice my liver and entertain some very hard-drinking clients. I usually return extremely late and thoroughly drunk. That doesn't seem to affect my therapy either. I was a compulsive data checker and grapher for more than a year, and my AHI those nights didn't really deviate from the norm. (I later settled down to such a regular pattern that I no longer look at my data often.) The one part of my experience that stands out is that I never have hangovers after such a night anymore. For a while I wondered if CPAP was the cure for the common hangover, but now I'm more inclined to think that it must have been a combination of alcohol poisoning and OSA that gave me such a headache and sense of malaise in the morning. With the OSA under control, alcohol by itself doesn't seem capable of causing as much discomfort. I see AndrewB has had a similar experience.

[sol]

When a man drinks wine at dinner , he begins to be better pleased with himself .
plato

[SuperGeeky]

Phffffft, did I post that?? Ha, I'm back, finally!! The geekster rides again