Hey team, love the product, love the podcasts, so such great informative content and humorous. Question / topic for a podcast, after hearing about Nate’s insane sleeping “arrangements” with 2 weighted blankets, cooling fan, CPAP, mouth taping, sounds like my torture. For years and years I have struggled with sleep, terrible mouth breathing at night, wake up with dry mouth and tongue, finally saw ENT and had surgery to correct deviated septum and collapsed nasal valves (December 23, 2020)… post surgery, during the day upright, nose airflow much better, but at night reverts back to struggling / labored breathing (sleep app recording snoring and just struggle to breathe), so I wake up more exhausted than before going to bed, I know this is having a huge impact on my body and mind to recover, chronic fatigue… scheduling Another sleep study to see what’s going on… for Nate, does the CPAP help ? does he have a version of OSA, UARS, or other sleep disordered breathing issue ? I am 5 11, about 182, so not “overweight” and active cyclist, but obviously something still going on with nighttime breathing, killing me… would love to hear from others that are also struggling… Keep up the good work
Go get a sleep study done. At a Hospital. If they still do it that way.
I’ve never slept well. Didn’t know why.
Got married and my wife told me I “stop breathing” and make funny noises at night.
Went in to the Doc, referred to ENT. Got septoplasty for deviated septum.
Thought that “fixed” it. I was 6’ and 185lbs and a machinegunner in the Marines. People like me don’t have sleep apnea. Fat people do (my thoughts and others as well).
Few years later I still couldn’t sleep. I was on my way to work at 0800 and I fell asleep driving an on ramp. Thankfully I veered inside towards the grass and dirt and not the guardrail or Heaven forbid oncoming traffic. A little bit later I fell asleep driving home from work and rear ended someone ( I actually fell asleep whil slowing down) at about 20mph.
Fell asleep at movies, at work, everywhere.
Ugh I hate talking so much, sorry. Blah blah blah I got a sleep study again, severe OSA and got my CPAP.
It. Saved. My. Life.
Go get an actual sleep study. It will (May) change your life.
I’ve used a CPAP for mild obstructive sleep apnea for the last 20+ years (54 yrs old now). Even after a bad night’s sleep with the CPAP I feel better than if I had slept through the night without it (because you really don’t sleep). It makes a significant difference. I initially used the full nose mask but now use nasal pillows and find them much more comfortable.
I’ve been a PAPPER (sp?) for 4 years now after a sleep study indicated I had an AHI of 41. I am also a mouth breather at night, so I have to resort to some ways to mitigate this problem. I too had a septoplasty as well as uvula reshaping to control my snoring. That was more than 20 years ago. It helped somewhat, but not entirely.
When I started on CPAP I only used a nasal mask, the Resmed N20. My machine is the Resmed Autoset 10. I now use a Fisher & Paykel Brevida hybrid nasal/pillow mask. Very comfortable kit. I alternate also using a Resmed P10 pillow mask. Along with this I use BSN (Leukoplast) cover roll tape to tape my mouth. I get this from Amazon. Works great for me. I also use a Knightsbridge Chin strap. That keeps the jaw from moving and opening when relaxed during the night.
Yeah I look like a fighter pilot when I go to bed, but my partner doesn’t mind…she’s happy that I don’t snore her out of bed.
As an aside, it wasn’t until I joined the CPAP forum apneaboard that I found out about software to really dig deep into my sleeping metrics when on CPAP. Google OSCAR software, and if you have a Resmed machine with an SD card capability, you’ll be able to review your nightly data and see details of leakage, respiration rates, flow limits, respiration flow and events, such as hypopneas, obstructives, Central apneas, RERAs…to name a few.
I’m 5’9+ and 155lbs. Diagnosed with moderate OSA four years ago. CPAP changed everything for me. Also had septoplasty which helped me breathe better, but the sleep study and CPAP have been literally life changing.
I didn’t even know what good sleep felt like. Now I do.
I mean, the answers above probably say it all, but just in case, I’ve been on CPAP therapy for more than ten years. I started in my early thirties. My AHI was 84. Just a brutal way to live that is kind of hard to realize until you’re treated. It has absolutely changed my life for the better in every respect. Well, other than not being the most romantic look at night. But, it’s good for a giggle every once in a while if you start talking dirty to your partner while you’re wearing a cpap. That slays every single time!