I was diagnosed with Sleep Apnea 2 years ago and currently use a CPAP with a pressure of 18.  Sleep Apnea runs in my family.  I am only 40 pounds overweight.  I have at times slept with the mask off and my wife has said that I do not snore.  Is it possible that the pressure applied through my nose actually pushes this tissue back so that it will stay pushed back when I occasionally do not use the CPAP?

If only this were the case.  It's important to remember that you don't have to snore to have sleep apnea.  In addition, if you're sleeping at a more inclined position/up on pillows, your snoring may decrease/disappear.  In addition, if you sleep in any position other than your back, you may also not snore.  

Snoring, while typically associated with sleep apnea, is not a requisite to carry the diagnosis.  The only way to definitively determine if your OSA is gone is to undergo a repeat overnight sleep study.

Best of luck!

I have heard just as you say.  Wishful thinking on my part.  I have a pressure rating of 18 and it drives me up the wall.  It feels like I am being blown up like a basketball.  I am 190 pounds and should be around 165.  I am only 47 years old, but this runs in my family.  I have been told this is very high for my age, so I hope to loose the weight and get the pressure down some.  I dad is only at a pressure of around 11.  Even after using the CPAP for the last 6 months, I still seem to have some the symptoms that I had before:  Brain fog and muscle soreness.  I have heard that a lack of oxygen can cause both, so I can't understand why these symptoms remain.  I am a very high anxiety person, which I believe contributes to the issues I have.  Can I get someone to respond that has experienced problems with the muscle soreness.  It feels like I have the flu most of the time and I can't figure out if the CPAP is causing this or what.

laynei wrote:

I have heard just as you say.  Wishful thinking on my part.  I have a pressure rating of 18 and it drives me up the wall.  It feels like I am being blown up like a basketball.  I am 190 pounds and should be around 165.  I am only 47 years old, but this runs in my family.  I have been told this is very high for my age, so I hope to loose the weight and get the pressure down some.  I dad is only at a pressure of around 11.  Even after using the CPAP for the last 6 months, I still seem to have some the symptoms that I had before:  Brain fog and muscle soreness.  I have heard that a lack of oxygen can cause both, so I can't understand why these symptoms remain.  I am a very high anxiety person, which I believe contributes to the issues I have.  Can I get someone to respond that has experienced problems with the muscle soreness.  It feels like I have the flu most of the time and I can't figure out if the CPAP is causing this or what.

First of all, I am sorry that you are not getting the full benefit of the CPAP machine. Some things to consider: weight is NOT the only indicator of how bad your sleep apnea is. Case in point, I am 100 lbs over weight (trying to work on that) and my setting is only 11 - even though I am diagnosed with severe OSA. Second, the CPAP machine does not necessarily clear up all apnea episodes each night, just brings the rate down to "normal", so it is possible that you are still experiencing some of the effects of OSA. Third, being a "high anxiety" person can have its physical effects on the body as well. It may well be that other issues related to high anxiety and stress are afffecting your body. For instance, if your body does not relax at night, you can't get the restorative sleep that you need, even with your OSA under control. When I have had a particularly stressful week (even if I do manage to get the magic 7 hours of sleep a night), I am still sore and tired all day becasue I went to bed stressed and basically stayed tense all night. I wake up having had no major apnea episodes, but am still tired and achy. When my stress level goes down, I feel much better.
I know I am kind of rambling here, but I hope this helps some.
Good luck.

laynei,

Was your last sleep study and follow up with your sleep doc two years ago?  If so, you are badly due for a followup.  There are many possible causes as to why you are feeling badly, one being that your pressure needs have either increased or decreased.  If your weight has changed up or down since your sleep study, then it is highly probable that your pressure needs have changed as well.  Your fatigue may be due to something else, but you need to eliminate the need for a pressure adjustment as a cause.

Vicki


_________________
Being defeated is often a temporary condition. Giving up is what makes it permanent.
Marilyn Vos Savant

That which does not kill you makes you stronger-Friedrich Nietzsche
Friedrich must of had apnea.

I have heard they can do the pressure adjustments by setting you up with a titration device while at home.  Anyone ever heard of this.  Sleep Studies can be very expensive.

Yes, under the guidance of a competent sleep doc., they can do an in-home titration.  It isn't as good, and yields less information than an overnight study.  And, if your problems are because you have developed another sleep disorder, Periodic Limb Movement Disorder for example, then it will be missed.  But a titration will show if you are near the right pressure.

Vicki



Last edited by Vicki on Mon Sep 08, 2008 1:32 am; edited 1 time in total
_________________
Being defeated is often a temporary condition. Giving up is what makes it permanent.
Marilyn Vos Savant

That which does not kill you makes you stronger-Friedrich Nietzsche
Friedrich must of had apnea.

laynei wrote:

I have heard they can do the pressure adjustments by setting you up with a titration device while at home.  Anyone ever heard of this.  Sleep Studies can be very expensive.

I've had two titration tests - my initial and my follow up this year and both were done at home.