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What doesn't work
#1
What doesn't work
What things have you tried that don't work? When I was trying to figure out why I was so tired, my GF told me that I had a big snoring issue....so I tried a ZQuiet mouthguard, Breathe Right nasal strips, and even a chin strap. 

According to SnoreLab, I was quieter....but listening to the samples, I was stopping breathing just as often - so I WAS quieter...but it was because I wasn't breathing as much. 

What about your experience? What tools, techniques, software did you use when trying to find the problem?
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#2
RE: What doesn't work
What doesn't work is shot-gunning the forum with a bunch of questions without backing it up with useful data so we can help you. Download the free OSCAR program.
Sleeprider
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#3
RE: What doesn't work
(10-11-2022, 08:57 PM)Sleeprider Wrote: What doesn't work is shot-gunning the forum with a bunch of questions without backing it up with useful data so we can help you.  Download the free OSCAR program.

My AirSense 11 is on its way. I'll be downloading OSCAR as soon as it's on-site to get actual hard data from it. I'm interested in hearing what others have learned prior to using a machine that's OSCAR-compatible.
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#4
RE: What doesn't work
I tried just about every type of non-CPAP appliance, Rx and otc.

The only thing that really helped apnea at all was tongue advancement. However, I couldn’t keep that device on in my sleep, so I used it WITH a Zquiet, but that was really just to hold my tongue flat to keep the tongue device on. Then I had to add a nasal dilator, because mouth breathing is impossible with the tongue device in place. Now, with all three of those appliances together, TRY to get to sleep, and maybe get an hour of sleep before something falls out, or gets thrown across the room in my sleep. Finally, my wife said it was TIME to accept that I needed CPAP. She was right.

None of us want to be using CPAP, but it is by far the gold standard for treating apnea.
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#5
RE: What doesn't work
One thing that sets Apnea Board apart from most of the other forums out there is a pretty strong desire to provide advice and suggestions based on data, specifically the detailed daily data available from your pap machine.

Would you rather have suggestions based on a guess, or form data?
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#6
RE: What doesn't work
Appreciate all the feedback so far - having found out about my issue rather by chance than anything else. I never even knew that I snored. I just knew that a couple years ago, I started having trouble focusing, would get drowsy in the afternoon, and it took me a while to wake up fully. I was diagnosed as ADHD....not OSA. Nobody asked me much about sleeping issues.

Also, I was living by myself for several years post-divorce, and still wouldn't have known anything if my GF hadn't alerted me to the issue. Before I knew about it, I had actually said, "If I had to use a CPAP, I think I'd rather die." (I have since reconsidered that statement).

Once she told me about it, I tried some OTC things (listed above), but the kicker was looking at the data from my Garmin watch and SnoreLab. Despite getting plenty of exercise, my resting HR is higher than I would expect for my fitness level...and while my nighttime PulseOx is 92%, it dropped at times into the low 80s, and 76 in the actual sleep test. The SL reports and sound samples were downright scary. Despite being in bed for 8+ hours, my actual sleep time was less than half that.

So, using some OTC methods, I was convinced to go see a real doc, since I couldn't improve things myself, but it took some convincing. I'm hoping my adjustment to using one will go smoothly....because I could use the sleep.
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#7
RE: What doesn't work
A high resting heart rate was what triggered my visit back to my cardiologist and found I had finally slipped into congestive heart failure (CHF). Is your body OK in the cardiac department?
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#8
RE: What doesn't work
(10-12-2022, 01:29 PM)SideSleeper Wrote: A high resting heart rate was what triggered my visit back to my cardiologist and found I had finally slipped into congestive heart failure (CHF). Is your body OK in the cardiac department?

So far, yes. I've done at least 4 EKG's in the past couple years, and nothing has been flagged - 2 EKG's were part of my physicals, and I had to do 2 as a pre-surgery checkup. (I had spinal surgery in 2020). Despite my weight creeping up, I've kept active by biking/hiking/walking. I used to run, but stopped in 2019 after developing sciatica.....which the spinal surgery corrected. So, I probably had some reserve, but I've noticed that my top end capacity on the bike and when hiking has dropped over the last couple years, so good that I caught it when I did. My RHR is in the mid 60s, but should be lower based on the other stuff I do....but I could never get it down below 60. During the sleep test, the lowe was 56, and the average was 72, with a max of 136....which is what I would be pushing if I were riding hard on the bike.
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