is cpap the only answer to apnea?  Is there a cure?
470335
There are several surgical procedures, some on an outpatient basis that can increase the diameter of the airway which can help.  Check with a good ENT doctor if you are interested.  The CPAP is the cheapest option and a trial is usually required by insurance companies before they will pay for any surgical procedure.
905085
My son was diagnosed with sleep apnea, being the worst one they had ever seen.  He is 20. He actually stopped breathing about 45 times in a minute.  Very serious.  The Cpap machine is supposed to help but it has to be set with the correct setting as it won't help unless it is.  Are you on oxygen during the day?  That is a key supplement if you are really bad.  Also, if you take any over the counter meds to sleep that is especially bad.  Pain medication is also bad in your case.  Email me at djvanduyne@mchsi.com and we can discuss things a little more.
1123478
Yes. You may want to be referred to a sleep clinic. It seems odd I know but you usually go on a couple of sleepovers there and they record every event of apnea. My best friend did it and is now using a Cpap ? machine and seems to be doing much better. \n\nGood luck!
993950
You should see your family physician number 1...but another thing you could be having Sleep Apnia...this is where you sort of "forget" to breathe during the night...there are medications for this...hope this helps!
191630
I KNOW THAT YOU DO NOT WANT TO HEAR THIS:\n\n >>>>>> BUT YOU NEED TO READ ALL THESE ANSWERS !!!!<<<<<<<\n\nI HAD INSURANCE !!!  BUT DID NOT GET PROPER SLEEP TREATMENT UNTIL LAST YEAR.  I AM NOW 61 YEARS OLD AND I SWEAR TO GOD I FEEL LIKE I HAVE REGAINED BACK OVER 40 YEARS OF MY LIFE!\n\nI APPARENTLY NEVER KNEW WHAT SLEEP WAS! \n\nDO WHATEVER YOU CAN TO GO TO A SLEEP CLINIC, BEG WHATEVER YOU CAN IF YOU HAVE APNEA, AND YOU GET A CPAP YOU WILL SHORTLY BE A NEW YOU!!!\n\nFOLLOW THE DOCTORS DIRECTIONS ORDERS, AND ALL SORTS OF WONDERFUL THINGS WILL HAPPEN!  \n\nIT IS POSSIBLE THAT A CPAP COMPANY HAS A PROGRAM,  MY DAUGHTER IS ON A MEDICAL PLAN FROM THE MANUFACTURER FOR FREE AS SHE DOES MOSTLY CHARITY WORK FOR OTHERS.  ONLY A DOCTOR WILL KNOW THIS, OR SALESMAN OF A CPAP MACHINE , AT ANY RATE IT WOULD CENTER AROUND A CLINIC.\n\nI AM POSITIVE THAT THE CLINIC WILL WORK OUT SOMETHING REASONABLE.  BUT THE RETAIL COST OF THE MACHINE IS $2000.00 AND THAT OVERNIGHT STAY CAN COST JUST ABOUT WHATEVER THEY WANT IT TO. IF A PERSON HAS INSURANCE THEY MAKE IT 2 NIGHTS AND A TOTAL COST OF SAY $15,000.00+ TO THE INSURANCE COMPANY FOR THE CLINIC.  WITHOUT INSURANCE THEY CAN DO IT IN ONE NIGHT AT A COST OF FROM NOTHING TO SOME NOMINAL FEE PAID OVER TIME WORKED OUT AHEAD OF TIME.\n\nMAIN THING IS SEE A DOCTOR WITH A CLINIC AS SOON AS POSSIBLE FOR ADVISE!  IT WILL BE THE BEST THING YOU WILL EVER DO FOR YOURSELF!\n\nJUST ASK AT THE CLINIC NEAREST YOU!\n\nI SWEAR YOU WILL NEVER REGRET IT!  AND IF YOU ARE MARRIED, AND OLDER I KNOW YOUR WIFE WILL GET THE POINT!\n\nGOOD LUCK AND GOOD DREAMS,\n\nAPS
342669
No, there is no cure, but there are some treatments that are effective for some people.  Check out www.helpforkp.com for treatment options.
765727
First thing I have sleep apnea and it is simply treated with a device called a CPAP !\n\nNOW !!!   Sleep apnea simply means stopping breathing more than so many times, for a specific length of time, during a given period of time.\n\nWe go to sleep but never  go into what is called REM sleep where our brain really gets its rest! For probably the past 40+ years I  was not truly sleeping! I denied that I had a problem, I really wasn't tired. But, my wife finally convinced me. She deserves a gold Star, Probably a Congressional Medal of Honor! I am a Hard Headed 61 year-old I'm afraid that I was extremely hard on her! She no doubt has saved my life and no words will ever be able to thank her enough. After all I WAS ASLEEP. ALL WAS OK AS FAR AS I WAS CONCERNED!!! How do I know what quality sleep I encounter, when I am asleep!\n\nIn the "usual" cases apnea is caused by blockage of the airway. This blockage is caused frequently by the collapse of the airway thus a positive air pressure is applied to "inflate" this airway. A Constant Pressure Air device CPAP is prescribed. It will furnish air at a specific pressure measured in inches of water that will be / or has been prescribed from the sleep lab session. The pressure in inches of water, where your brain goes into REM (for rapid eye movement) pattern on the EKG. This is the ideal pressure!\n\nThey will set up the machine for you. Don't worry it will all go smooth. I promise that soon you will get use to the CPAP machine PROBABLY even love it! If you live up North, you can always bundle yourself underneath tons of blankets and breath. Kinda like breathing underwater!\n\nThis will be a good adventure for you! You will feel better overall I promise regardless of any other conditions that you might have!  \n\nMain thing is that you do go to a SLEEP CLINIC FOR A EVALUATION!\n\nNOT TO BE UGLY BUT MY "PND" STANDS FOR POST NASAL DRIP!\n\nI DO HAVE SOME INITIALS THOUGH .... "RLS" FOR RESTLESS LEG SYNDROME IT DISTURBS YOUR REM SLEEP ALSO JUST LIKE SLEEP APNEA DOES AND KEEPS YOU FROM GETTING QUALITY SLEEP!\n\nSLEEP APNEA CAN RARELY CAUSE DEATH!\n\nPLEASE SEE A DOCTOR!!!!!!!!!!\n\nAPS
1064072
There are a ton of possible reasons. Your best bet is to have your doctor schedule a sleep study for you. They monitor your breathing, leg movements, blood pressure and a lot of other things so they can narrow it down for you. If you have gained weight you might have started to develop apnea. I know of a few people that happened to and a cpap machine took care of it right away.
465648
Difficulty breathing to sleep? Sleep apnea is the answer, bipap, loosing weight is the help. Allergies and asthma is worse at night time..  go to the doctor they can halp
450679
Everyone in my family is the same way it is really bad!! One of my brothers had to use a CPAP machine for a while because of his sleep apnea, but we finally found the answer to stop snoring and it is awesome!! It is a custom fitted mouthpiece that we purchased on http://www.prosnore.com it really works good and my brother doesn't even have to use his CPAP anymore!! IT IS AWESOME! GIVE IT A TRY!! PROSNORE.COM is the place!\n\nSteve
453931
If she is only using the nasal C-PAP, she needs the FULL mask.  If she IS using the full mask, then her C-PAP machine needs to be adjusted to be more forceful to keep the upper palette of the mouth from blocking the airway.  If this doesn't help, there are minor surgeries that are done on the upper palette that will take care of this problem.  I suggest that she see the doctor that prescribed her C-PAP with these questions.  However, I would get another opinion and another sleep study somewhere else if at all possible because I was diagnosed with severe sleep apnea at one hospital, but another hospital told me that I didn't have sleep apnea at all.  I'm still waiting for the results of my last study to tell me what my sleep abnormalities are since they don't think that it's sleep apnea.  Good luck.  I hope this helps.  If not, ask more - I'll be watching just in case.  \nAl
870354
Snoring can be a symptom of a very serious disorder called sleep apnea, which can, if untreated, lead to heart damage and even death. If other people complain that you snore very loudly, especially if they comment that sometimes you stop breathing for a moment and then start breathing again with a huge snort, you really must go to a sleep clinic for a diagnosis. If you snore softly once in a while, then this is probably not apnea, but if you shake the house, snore like a bear, and drive your spouse to the guest bedroom, then apnea is a distinct probability. It sounds like your boyfriend is in the latter category and needs medical evaluation NOW.\n\nApnea is usually treated with the use of a device called a CPAP. He can't just buy one of these - they are sold only on prescription, as the pressure needs to be adjusted to his individual needs, with too high pressure being as dangerous as too low. CPAP stops snoring 100% and usually makes the patient feel generally more energetic and alert during the day as well.\n\nPlease try to get him to go to a sleep clinic right away. They usually have a long waiting list, and it's important to get the process started ASAP. It usually requires a referral from a primary care doctor.\n\nGood luck - be patient but firm with him - not treating this could damage his health very badly. It will not get better on its own
671655
I hope you have not been waiting for this long. Don't adjust the pressure yourself- do you use for sleep apnea..?\nCall the home health people and tell them to come and sort it out right now.
130933
I doubt that there is a bad CPAP machine on the market!  Every machine that I personally tried was excellent.  I myself choose was Respironics, it is extremely quite. Some are quite noisy.  As stated earlier, go by the guidance of your technician.  He or She has helped many others, and knows many of the problems that you may face on your headgear.\n\nActually in realility you will face few problems, if you keep the equipment clean and FOLLOW DIRECTIONS.  You will get use to the device within a few short months.  I promise you it works!   Its for real.  NOT WITCHCRAFT!\n\nI am 61 years old and it took me this long to realize that I was not really sleeping good!  I feel 20 years younger and have lost all sorts of weight!  Man this is a miracle machine in my life hint ... ask my wife!\n\nGOOD LUCK, GO WITH IT !\n\nAPS
672390
My uncle has sleep apnea he has never taken drugs for it though.  He does use a breathing machine that gently forces air into you nose. he says he sleeps much better now.\n-------\n\n\n\nTreatment for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) includes lifestyle changes, continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) (to prevent the airway from closing during sleep), and surgery. The goals of treatment are to relieve symptoms such as snoring and excessive daytime sleepiness and prevent other problems, such as high blood pressure. Your doctor will base your treatment on how severe your sleep apnea is. \n\nGenerally, your doctor will have you try lifestyle changes and CPAP first. Surgery is an option only if these do not work. \n\nYou may need to be treated for other health problems before you are treated for sleep apnea. For example, people who also have infections need to take antibiotics. People who have an underactive thyroid gland (hypothyroidism) need to take thyroid medicine.\n\nChildren have the same treatment options as adults. However, surgery (tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy) generally is the first choice because enlarged tonsils or adenoids cause most cases of sleep apnea in children. Children are treated using CPAP if surgery is not possible or does not work.
927567
There are causes of snoring that may possibly be helped by a sleep study to determine if sleep apnea is present.\nThere are surgeries available, or some use a C-PAP machine to keep the airways open while sleeping.\nA good ENT should be able to help with your problem.\nbest wishes
11645
Your boyfriend needs to seriously consider testing for sleep apnea, especially if the snoring seems to be throat-based.  I'll just bet he has it, too.  Age is not a factor; I am told kids as young as 12 can have it.\n\nI have it and didn't know it.  For me, it wasn't a snoring issue; it was an issue with not getting a restful night's sleep.  I'd wake up in the morning and feel completely exhausted.\n\nI was tested three years ago and was shocked to find out that I stopped breathing 30 times in three hours, which essentially woke me up.  When the clinic stirred me, they put me on a CPAP (controlled positive air pressure machine) and I fell into deep REM sleep for the first time in I can't remember.  Since then, I use the CPAP every night and sleep like a baby.  You will, too.\n\nI can't stress enough the health implications of this beyond the lack of sleep.  It is a severe drag on the heart and respiratory system.\n\nI can't speak to your financial issues, but medical insurance should cover this if your doctor makes the referral.\n\nAccording to my doctor, surgery has only a 35% success rate.  I didn't like those odds.  My experience with Breathe-Rite strips was largely negative although they were helpful when I was at the gym (-: