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Back Sleeping?
#1
Back Sleeping?
After failing CPAP therapy 12 years ago, I wanted to try again. After much fuss with doctors and insurance companies, I finally had an in lab study and just got the results today. (The records of the study 12 years ago are lost and not available.)  Moderate apnea on my back, and no apnea at all on my side. "No effective" CPAP levels were found due to frequent "central apneas" on sleep/wake transitions and the short length of the sleep study -- they titrated the pressure from 4 to 10 but didn't have time to go higher I guess.

Haven't seen the doc yet, and he hasn't posted his interpretation yet, but my armchair interpretation is that I'm headed not for CPAP, but for a "device" to prevent back sleeping. In other words, I probably could have taped a tennis ball to my back and saved myself a lot of trouble.

Any of these devices actually work?

I am very shocked that this is where my journey is apparently leading given that insurance bought me a machine after the study 12 years ago.  
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#2
RE: Back Sleeping?
You must have felt some discomfort in requesting a test. What are your basic symptoms?  
Since the test may not have been fully diagnostic due to test conditions, perhaps you might consider asking for a re-test. 
You can always ask for a short-term CPAP trial with an auto-titrating device to see if that alleviates symptoms.

Best of luck.
"The object in life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane." -- Marcus Aurelius
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#3
RE: Back Sleeping?
You may learn to endure the back-sleeping irritant, but I don't see a lot of positive feedback on this forum for them....whatever they are.  If a person will rip off his/her mask mid-sleep, they'll surely find a way to ditch the back-biter, maybe just after that mid-sleep trip to the john, thinking the worst is behind them.  They're almost certain to be wrong; it's what's coming that will continue to test their heart and their endocrine system.

If it were me, I'd want a new whole shebang so that I could leave the debriefing confident in what I needed to do, or in what I needn't worry about.
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#4
RE: Back Sleeping?
Hello,  
I have a similar issue!!  However, I am new to the sleep apnea world.   

Can I piggy-back on your post? 

I was diagnosed from a home test in November. Was told it was obstructive apnea.  Had frustrating issues with insurance and dr. office being, well, institutional and not helpful for 6 months. I purchased a Airsense 10 VAuto machine for myself in attempts to move forward with a solution. (I wouldn't usually do that, but I was desperate to get help and it looked like things would not change for another 4-6 months.) In June my lab sleep apnea titration study said I had all central apneas.  Throughout this time I slept on my back.  

I found out after that, I have less than 5 AHIs when I sleep on my side.  I am relieved to hear someone else is experiencing the same back/side differences.  

With the sleeping position issue described in both our posts, is there a machine that typically helps with that?  Or, is it usually just a "train yourself to sleep on your side" solution? 

I have a second lab study scheduled for next week to address this issue and would like to have some knowledge beforehand. 

Thank you.
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#5
RE: Back Sleeping?
There's really nothing other than tricks that keeps you in side position while sleeping. I would look into that.

I would suggest, side-sleep wedges they sell on Amazon. Tennis balls trick. Pregnancy body pillows, etc..

I personally just trained myself which took a bit of time. Whenever I wake up on my back, I get myself on side-position and it seemed to have did the trick to keep myself in side position majority of the night. If you are back and side-sleeper, it will take a bit of time for the body to develop muscle support to keep the body on the side.

Also, in order to prevent natural topple over effect to the back, it's best to bend your leg at the hip, and bend the knees perpendicular so that it prevents the body from turning over.
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#6
RE: Back Sleeping?
For those who prefer side sleeping, I'm gonna strongly suggest getting a body pillow to go between your knees. This is a total game changer.
I generally sleep on my back and my PAP therapy is very effective now. But on the occasion I do roll to my side, not only is the body pillow more comfortable, it seems to inhibit me from rolling on my back without much shifting.

If you want to try it, Walmart sells a decent body pillow that is about 4' long for about $10. I usually get about 6-8 months out of mine before I need a new one so it's not a great expense.
My get-up-and-go musta got up and went.  Cool

Download OSCAR for your sleep data.  
https://www.sleepfiles.com/OSCAR


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