Non-CPAP treatment
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Non-CPAP treatment

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Posted by Duberry on February 13, 2009 at 03:28:36:

Thought I would share my story. For many years I suffered from sleep apnea without being diagnosed. I thought it was job stress that caused it. Once I was diagnosed with sleep apnea, I started using a CPAP machine. From the onset, I had problems with it. I would usually start out OK, falling asleep on my back for about 2 hours. As I cannot sleep on my back all night, after about 2 hours I would wake up and turn on my side, which is when the problems started. The mask would move and by the time I got it situated again I was wide awake. It would take several hours to fall asleep again, and even then it would be fragmented. I work with a Neurologist who is a sleep specialist. I mentioned to him that I was having a problem with the mask and he offered a possible solution: "Buy yourself a mouthguard, not like boxers use, but the kind you can find that would only the upper teeth". I want to Walmart and found one for 97 cents. I followed the directions and fitted it to my upper teeth. After a couple of tries to get it comfortable, I cut about 1/2 inch off of each end of the mouthguard and rounded off any sharp edges. It seems to work wonderfully according to my wife. There is no more of the Darth Vader breathing. My wife says that after I fall asleep it seems to take me about 15 minutes to get comfortable with the mouthguard after I fall asleep, which is almost immediately. My wife says that there is no snoring and no jerking and she is sleeping better than in a long time. I can't say if this will help everyone, but, it has helped me tremendously. Hope this helps someone out there who is having problems adjusting to the CPAP mask. I figured that for 97 cents, what do I have to lose? I am not a doctor, but the doctor who recommended this to me is a sleep specialist. I know that there are people who are renting or buying CPAP machines. This solution, if it works for you, would save a lot of money. It seems to work very well for me.

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