Sleep Apnea and loosing weight

[ldduran05]

I don't get it! I was just recently diagnosed with Sleep Apnea and I have to use a CPAP machine (which i dont have yet) I work with an RN and she said that if I loose about 20-25lbs it should go away. Since April 16th I've lost 25lbs and I know the weight loss has slowed down already. I read online that you can never fully get rid of Sleep Apnea no matter what you do and because of it, it will be extra hard to loose the weight unless I use the CPAP machine which I can't afford even if I try. I don't know what to do next. I don't even have insurance anymore so I can't go to the doctor to even get a check up anymore. This sucks!

[Hopeless Dork]

Idduran, Sleep apnea is a very serious condition that can take your life. It is not something to put on a back burner. You do need that Cpap and most places will rent you one at a reasonable fee if you lack insurance. I use to be very obese and was put on a cpap machine before I lost all that weight. It did improve after losing weight and now I don't need to use the machine.

Avoid drinking alcohol or anything else that depresses your central nervous system as sleep apnea causes you to stop breathing in your sleep. Spontanious breath (that gasp you probably do that wakes you up...) is the only thing keeping people without a cpap machine alive. If you depress your CNS, spontanious breath is less likely which can lead to not gasping for air when you stop breathing.

A Cpap helps wonders, you will have so much more energy than you have waking up so many times a night (even if you are unaware of it, it still prevents you from getting the sleep you require).

Call medical supply places in your area and explain your situation, they usually have caseworkers on hand that can assist you in getting this life-saving device to use in the mean time while you are working on getting off those pounds. Weightloss doesn't always cure apnea, but it can reduce it enough to where you don't require a machine, etc.

Sleep apnea is usually related to neck size, but some skinny ppl have it too.

[ldduran05]

wow yea that helps a lot! I think the doctor I was seeing just doesn't care too much. It took about 6 months to even have the sleep study done. I'm supposed to get the CPAP by the end of the month but I highly doubt that is going to happen. If I can finance a machine some how I would probably do it. The idea of sleeping with a mask over my face is still freaking me out. During the sleep study the tech put a nose mask on me and told me to breath through my nose only and I freaked out so he put the full face mask on me and that was better. It's just a scary thing to me I guess. I don't want to die in my sleep but I don't like masks. Hopefully things will work out. Do people with Sleep Apnea dream?
~Lori~

[WildChild]

I posted on this before and don't have time to write anything really long right now so you may want to use the search feature. But I got rid of my apnea with a combination of losing weight and doing soft palet exersizes. My ENT specialist confirmed that yes, this can eliminate the apnea. There are two types if yours is the more common form where the muscles over relax and collapse,closing the air passage then this will help. My doctor said he doesn't suggest it because, "no one will do it". Of course they won't if they don't know about it! Talk about a self fullfilling statement!

[ldduran05]

Thanks Wildchild. See I think one of my issues is that my doctor only said "Yep, you have sleep apnea, i'll order the machine" and that was it. No info about it or details of the report, nothing. I think that's why i'm so frustrated and now I don't have insurance. I had Medi-cal before from the state and now I don;t qualify. So this all just really stinks.

[Hopeless Dork]

When I got the machine, full face mask, it was so cumbersome at first, my I slept better than I had in such a long time, dreamt, and could relax.. wasn't waking up gasping for air, woke up in the morning feeling like the rest of the world did after a full night sleep and what a difference it made in my mood, awareness and activity!

Its scary, and it was one of the motivating factors I had to finally lose weight. Not being able to wear a bikini didn't matter so much to me... but the possiblity of dying in my sleep horrified me and made me realize how much my weight had become a co-morbidity.

Not only does having sleep apnea run the risk of sudden death, it also causes long term damage to organs being deprived of oxygen throughout the night as well. Do your research on it and it will inspire you to call around and get on a rental for sure. Its so important. I am not trying to scare you, at all, its a scary enough thing - but I don't wish for you to think it isn't necessary and put yourself in harms way either.

[happy ending]

i have sleep apnea and have been given a machine, but i find the mouthguard much less intrusive, so i use that. i find the soft palate exercises interesting wildchild where do you find out about them?

[WildChild]

I had to go to a speach therapist to get exersizes to strengthen my soft palet and throat for another condition (vocal chord disorder). It's the same group of muscles, so a speach therapist is who you want to see on that, it was only one visit. You have to commit to doing the exersizes for the rest of your life but it beats the machine. I expect to live another 50 years. Losing the weight and making some healthy lifestyle changes has improved many areas of my life and the soft palet exersizes have made a definite differnce. If I get lazy and slack off I notice the difference in few weeks.

[happy ending]

thanks WC by the way Idduran congratulations on losing 25 pounds, thats alot you must feel much better - so well done!

[ldduran05]

Thank you so much Happy Ending! I've been trying to hard. I just can't believe I lost it so fast. But I still have a lot more to go! I do feel so much better! I can keep up with my kids more now!