what if you bend your neck?

Do you think if you are bending your neck as you sleep then the CPAP doesn't work as well? If my head is bent downward I don't think it blows my throat open much.

nobody wrote:Do you think if you are bending your neck as you sleep then the CPAP doesn't work as well? If my head is bent downward I don't think it blows my throat open much.

That's been my opinion, too. Even before starting CPAP therapy, I got into the habit of tilting my head slightly backwards as I was about to go to sleep.....still do.

Den

nobody wrote:Do you think if you are bending your neck as you sleep then the CPAP doesn't work as well? If my head is bent downward I don't think it blows my throat open much.

Agreed on that... but while sleeping I don't think any of us have much control over what position our head ends up in... unless we wear some sort of "apnea brace" to keep the head & throat positioned straight for a clear airway.

Don't know. What I do know is that my neck hurts when I get up. It even "creaks" when I turn it, so something is going on.

Just from what i have learnt as a nurse when we have to be watch patients who have potential problems maintaining there own airway, it is certainly that forward sagging of a persons head than can make a significant difference to a patent airway- having said that unless you are almost in a sitting position or have a very fat pillow it would be unusal to have your head flopped that far forward- apart from airway issues your neck would hurt like H*!# in the morning.

I do sleep propped up a bit more than average, I simply cannot lie flat these days thanks to hip contractures/muscle spasms from being wheelchair dependant from MS so my head can flop forward a bit- i have found a pillow that is a bit flatter than average particularly in the middle and a bit higher at either edge and that seems to support my head in a better position-it was marketed for people who snore and it does seem to help

I use one of those "memory foam" pillows that is thicker at the top and bottom than in the middle. It tends to keep your head tilted back (but only when on your back!)

As I normally turn to my side at some point, the "valley" in the pillow puts less side pressure on my mask. When I'm facing my wife I usually tilt nose-toward-the-headboard to keep the mask exhaust out of her face. That may (or may not) also help open the airway.

But then, at a setting of 16, that sucker could blow a bowling ball thru a soda straw...

LinkC wrote:But then, at a setting of 16, that sucker could blow a bowling ball thru a soda straw...

Maaaaannnnn, I JUST got the keyboard replaced.

Seriously, I wonder if that might be part of hubby's problem. I've noticed that he seems to be tilting his head down, trying to keep his exhaust out of my face...I'll have to have him try moving his head in the other direction.

I guess it's just another bad habit I need to try and unlearn! That type of pillow sounds like a great idea LinkC thanks

LinkC wrote: As I normally turn to my side at some point, the "valley" in the pillow puts less side pressure on my mask. When I'm facing my wife I usually tilt nose-toward-the-headboard to keep the mask exhaust out of her face. That may (or may not) also help open the airway.

I'm new to all this, but have discovered that I sleep fine with the mask on UNTIL I turn on my side, at which point the mask starts blowing air into my eyes and I end up taking it off during the night.

How have others dealt with this problem?

Thanks!

LinkC wrote: As I normally turn to my side at some point, the "valley" in the pillow puts less side pressure on my mask. When I'm facing my wife I usually tilt nose-toward-the-headboard to keep the mask exhaust out of her face. That may (or may not) also help open the airway.

I'm new to all this, but have discovered that I sleep fine with the mask on UNTIL I turn on my side, at which point the mask starts blowing air into my eyes and I end up taking it off during the night.

How have others dealt with this problem?

Thanks!

LinkC wrote:I use one of those "memory foam" pillows that is thicker at the top and bottom than in the middle. It tends to keep your head tilted back (but only when on your back!)

As I normally turn to my side at some point, the "valley" in the pillow puts less side pressure on my mask.

I also use this type of pillow and found it made a HUGE difference. As a former tummy sleeper, and still tried post cpap to complete failure, i have managed to retrain myself to sleep on my back with the help of this pillow to alleviate the neck pain, I still often sleep on my side but notice a difference in the AM sometimes if i sleep too long on one side or the other. I have both the regular size pillow and the queen size version as well. I found the queen size pillow actually makes my neck hurt more so i went back to the regular size which i found weird but there you go. I do drag out the queen size pillow when i am very congested and it clears the airways better and i just put up with the neck stiffness in lieu of breathing.

GVD

it might be worth experimenting on this. I have a soft collar device that I used when i had a neck injury from sport. It's not a rigid brace, rather a contoured foam collar that provides support to the head when upright, and keeps the chin up.

I wonder!!!!!

Cheers

K

I really never thought about how my neck is when I sleep, I'll check on it tonight

Neck position makes a SIGNIFICANT difference. A group here in Australia looked at the effect of neck posture on upper airway collapsibility during anesthesia and found that sleeping with your neck extended i.e. head tilted backwards, produced the most stable airway. The airway was significantly more collapsible when the neck was flexed i.e. chin towards chest.

split_city wrote:Neck position makes a SIGNIFICANT difference. A group here in Australia looked at the effect of neck posture on upper airway collapsibility during anesthesia and found that sleeping with your neck extended i.e. head tilted backwards, produced the most stable airway. The airway was significantly more collapsible when the neck was flexed i.e. chin towards chest.

That's why I started doing what I mentioned in my first post. I had run across an article on the Internet regarding neck position during sleep.....about the time that "Sleep Apnea" was being mentioned by my doctors and I was trying to read everything I could about this condition.

Den