Sleep Apnea

[bigbadboss101]

Friend of mine said he has sleep apnea. Very often he says he's tired when I invite him to do this and that. If there are things people can do to treat or reduce the issues with this problem people should go for it. I wanted to tell my friend you can't live the rest of his life being tired.

[kcasement]

One of the top guys in the country for diagnosing and treating sleep apnea is right here in Calgary. http://www.calgaryhealthregion.ca/sleep/ Dr. John Remmers, and his team, at the sleep lab in Foothills Hospital. The company that sells the best selling CPAP device (has ~80% of the world market) licensed the technology from Dr. Remmers many years ago and has continued to work with him over the years.

If you go get an appointment (you may need a referral from your regular doc, but not sure), he will do a physical exam and then based on your symptoms, most likely send you home with a device that you will wear overnight to collect some data on what happens while you are sleeping. From that, he will have a good indication of whether you have sleep apnea, to what degree, etc.

From there, it may indicate an overnight at the sleep lab itself where they monitor you all night long to collect more data. It's also possible that something called an oral appliance might be indicated. If that is the case, he would refer you to a dentist that specializes in this type of device. They would then go through a procedure to have you fitted for the device. It's essentially a custom mouth orthotic that holds your lower jaw in optimal position during sleep. In many people that have a certain degree of sleep apnea, the lower jaw falls back during sleep, causing the airway to close. I'm simplifying things a lot, but there are options out there and lots of things to consider besides sleep apnea. The oral appliance can run you about $2000-2500 as well, so check with your insurance to see if they cover (many do not).

Cheers, Kevin

[E36M3]

Originally posted by C_Dave45

Most people think that just because they're loud snorers, then they have sleep apnea. Which isn't the case. Breath rights might cure snoring..they don't cure Sleep Apnea.

Sleep apnea isn't "curable", it is treatable. A couple studies using Breathe Right strips show that it does in fact treat sleep apnea where nasal obstruction is the issue (which is probably what is happening in my case).

For example:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10582117

[VWEvo]

I treat alot of Sleep Apnea patients in our practice with Oral appliances. It all begins with screening. We have a fairly accurate device that we send home with patients that will allow us to get a "sleep score". Basically it allows us to see how severe the sleep apnea and snoring are. Not everyone is a candidate for Oral appliance therapy. Mild to Moderate sleep apnea can be treated in approximately 75-80% of cases. Many people tend to find oral devices far more comfortable than CPAP (the gold standard in sleep apnea treatment), and compliancy is far higher.

For someone that is suspecting they have Sleep Apnea, a take home sleep test is a great start. Many medical and dental clinics offer this service. The costs are reasonable and can range from $150-250 depending on the office.

As for the Oral appliance, dental offices can charge anywhere from $1650 all the way to $3500. (Usually its the exact same appliance just different pricing).

Just thought I would chime in on the matter.

[SilverGS]

I was referred to the Healthy Heart Sleep Company for my diagnosis.

Not sure if it has to be from a doctor but they did not charge me for the diagnosis. They had me take the device home to measure my sleep pattern. I returned it the next day and he sent it off for a sleep doctor to review the results.

Used a CPAP machine for about 9 months to a year but I have lost some weight recently and found that I do not snore that badly anymore. Losing weight definitely has had an impact for me. I currently don't use it but am thinking of doing the test again to see if my condition has really improved or if I should continue to use the CPAP.

Anyways here is the company I went through. Cost was Either $1800 or $2400 depending on which model you got.

http://www.qbox.ca/hhsc/

[Klew]

I'm taking the Respiratory Therapy program at SAIT right now and we're learning about OSA.
Sleep apnea is defined as repeated cessation of airflow for >10s. Obstructive Hypopnea is a reduction in airflow.. but basically the same thing.
Polysomnography is when you go to a lab and sleep and they conduct a sleep study on you. The wait is like 2 years or something crazy, but it's the 'gold standard' to test for it. Like someone else said before there is also a machine you take home called a snoresat (Remmers sleep recorder). You would just need to call a clinic (like RANA) and book an appointment. If the snoresat can't rule out OSA then you would have to go have a polysomnograph done.

The cheapest way to manage positional OSA is to sew a pocket on the back of your pj shirt and put a tennis ball in it!

Also, just wanted to say that my teacher told us that the oral appliances that Dentist sell do not work. The reason for OSA is usually due to the relaxation of the tissues in the back of your mouth/throat, so moving your jaw forward wont fix it.

The only way to cure OSA 100% is to get a tracheostomy! (cutting a hole in your throat that you breath out of instead of your mouth/nose)

[VWEvo]

Originally posted by Klew

Also, just wanted to say that my teacher told us that the oral appliances that Dentist sell do not work. The reason for OSA is usually due to the relaxation of the tissues in the back of your mouth/throat, so moving your jaw forward wont fix it.

The only way to cure OSA 100% is to get a tracheostomy! (cutting a hole in your throat that you breath out of instead of your mouth/nose)

I'm sorry this is 100% false. The research does not support what your teacher says. One of the guru's of Sleep Apnea treatment, Calgary's own Dr. Remmer himself advocated the use of Oral appliances in the right patients.

Its unfortunate that your teacher would say something, it prevents people from obtaining the help they need.

[Klew]

Whatever you say! Maybe the % of the right people oral appliances work for is very small and that's why he said it?... anyways, I don't know or care enough to get into it. I guess that's why treatment must be individualized

[VWEvo]

Originally posted by Klew
Whatever you say! Maybe the % of the right people oral appliances work for is very small and that's why he said it?... anyways, I don't know or care enough to get into it. I guess that's why treatment must be individualized

75-80% of sleep apnea patients can be successfully treated by oral appliances. I would hardly say that is a very small %. But like you said, you don't want to get into it

[Klew]

You're absolutely right actually, and if it helps 80% of people suffering from OSA then everyone should see the dentist about it!
YOU WIN!!!

[Spoons]

I wonder who's opinion I am going to take here... Someone who is learning about OSA, and someone who is currently working in the field.......

Thanks for the info VWEvo.

[C_Dave45]

Originally posted by SilverGS


Anyways here is the company I went through. Cost was Either $1800 or $2400 depending on which model you got.

http://www.qbox.ca/hhsc/

I paid $900 for the ResMed S8 AutoSet II with the heated humidifier attachment, along with the "Mirage Swift II" Mask. New, with warranty. That was shipped to my door.

Calgary Sleep clinic wanted $2300.

[Klew]

During school we were only taught in depth about CPAP for treating OSA, nothing about oral appliances except for what my teacher said. I wasn't trying to get into a debate over it! haha sheesh, sorry I said anything about it! Too bad no one on here so far has used an oral appliance to let you know how well it worked for them.

[Spoons]

I may try a humidifier or air purifier in my room first. Me and my Dad smoke in the house (which pisses me off, but if he is going to smoke inside I might as well too) so air quality may not be the best. Plus I have noticed lately my nose has been slightly plugged, so possibly I breath through my mouth during my sleep which brings on the apnea.

Literally I have just noticed me being tired now. I've always had wild and rowdy dreams, even some not to long ago, which is an indication that I am hitting REM sleep... I'm really confused.

Alas instead of being an internet doctor, I'm going to head to the doctors this weekend. I need to get my knee checked out while I'm at it anyways.

[little_wan]

Skimmed most of the thread so maybe it's all been said, but im a registered respiratory therapist, so I pretty much deal with sleep apnea daily.
Firstly sleep apnea is a general term and there are hundreds of different types. Snoring would lead you to think of obstructive sleep apnea, but what people usually report is the person snores, then stops breathing, chokes, comes out of REM sleep and the cycle starts over, so you never go into deep sleep. There are several ways of treating obstructive sleep apnea, but it heavily depends on what the cause is.
1.) oral appliance- lifts the jaw forward so essentially you don't choke on your tounge while you sleep
2.) CPAP- stents open your airway with continous pressure, usually used for people with thick/fat necks that lose muscle tone in REM sleep....or try to lose some weight helps too.
3.) Don't drink before bed...alcohol is associated with some degree of obstructive sleep apnea
4.) Uvula/soft palate surgery...removing parts of the anatomy in your mouth that may be the cause

You can get a sleep study done to diagnose obstructive sleep apnea at places like RANA or respiratory homecare solutions. This test monitors your oxygen level, snoring, position, heart rate and breathing. Depending on what the doc sees, you may require a PSG, which is done at foothills, where they also monitor your brain waves while sleeping and trial you on cpap pressures.
But again, there are many forms of sleep apnea. Obstructive is just one type. there are others like restless leg synrome, central sleep apnea, etc.

[Pinner]

Originally posted by C_Dave45


I paid $900 for the ResMed S8 AutoSet II with the heated humidifier attachment, along with the "Mirage Swift II" Mask. New, with warranty. That was shipped to my door.

Calgary Sleep clinic wanted $2300.

Link ?

[C_Dave45]

Originally posted by Pinner




Link ?

Ahh. Sorry...saw your PM first and wasn't sure which you wanted. This is the place here:

http://www.directhomemedical.com/mac...sybreathe.html

The S8 autoset II that I got has been replaced with the S9. Still a great price compared to local suppliers.

[Pinner]

Thanks Dave

[SilverGS]

Originally posted by C_Dave45


Ahh. Sorry...saw your PM first and wasn't sure which you wanted. This is the place here:

http://www.directhomemedical.com/mac...sybreathe.html

The S8 autoset II that I got has been replaced with the S9. Still a great price compared to local suppliers.

Good to know. At the time I wanted to solve the snoring fast and insurance covered most of the cost of the machine so I just went with it. If I ever need a replacement machine though at least I know to go somewhere else.

Thanks Dave

I have the Remstar Auto M Series with A or C flex I think.

http://www.cpap.com/cpap-machine/rem...es-a-flex.html