Sleep Apnia

Sweet13_Princess
Sweet13_Princess Posts: 1,207 Member
edited October 5 in Motivation and Support
My husband was just diagnosed with severe sleep apnia. He stopped breathing approximately 101 times an hour, according to his sleep study, and he snores terribly.

The doctor, of course, recommended a CPAP machine. I'm not really gun ho on this, as I'm a light sleeper and I'm afraid the machine will interfere with MY sleep. Also, as we're newlyweds, a darth vader mask isn't exactly conducive to romance.

I want my husband to be healthy, restful, and life a long life though. The doc recommended trying the machine out, but we're also exploring surgical corrects, physical therapy, and weight loss.

My husband is a little overweight, but not considered obese.

Does anyone else suffer from this and were you able to get rid of it through any of these means?

Shannon

Replies

  • JennaGermain
    JennaGermain Posts: 71
    The machine isn't super-loud and can actually be a good white noise to help you sleep. The steady in & out breathing sounds can block out other background noises that might otherwise wake you up. I'd suggest just don't have him put on the mask until after "fun time" is over and if later on you're feeling frisky he can always turn it off and take off the mask to put back on after.
  • Lifting_chick
    Lifting_chick Posts: 275 Member
    The machine is really quiet and if he needs it, you will get used to it.
  • NaomiLyn15
    NaomiLyn15 Posts: 388 Member
    My dad has sleep apnia. The machine can be loud, but get a long tube and put it in a different room. My dad puts his in another room with the door shut and you can't even hear it. :)
  • Debbe2
    Debbe2 Posts: 2,071 Member
    The CPAP isn't a loud machine. It has a soft humm which is much softer and quieter than the snoring he may be doing currently. If he has sleep apnea then he really does need to have the device in order to sleep safely and soundly. Was he seen by a cardiologist office?
  • LexieSweetheart
    LexieSweetheart Posts: 793 Member
    The machine is really quiet I don't love it but it is necessary.. When I don't use mine I wake up and can't move then start to panic. It is really bad.
  • Shweedog
    Shweedog Posts: 883 Member
    Sleep Apnea can lead to severe cardiac issues. I am a respiratory therapist in a sleep clinic. If he exhibited apnic episodes that many times he is in need of the device. It wouldn't hurt to lose weight but in the mean time he needs to be following doctor's orders. Surgical procedures can be an option but do not always rectify the issue.
  • klhull
    klhull Posts: 5
    I was diagnosed with apnea at 34. The machine is super-quiet. No, it is not sexy...but neither is a tired, sick husband. Stress during the night releases cortisol, which will make your husband gain weight. Sadly, this only amplifies the problem. Sleep apnea can often be improved with a loss of 10% of body weight, especially if he carries his weight around his neck area. It sounds like your man really, really needs this machine. His lack of sleep can affect his daily life....my father had apnea similar to your husband's and would fall asleep while driving. WHILE DRIVING!!!

    The new CPAPs are very quiet, believe me. Forget your preconceived notions about what is sexy or whatever. He needs to do this for him and you need to support him. It will make your relationship so much better!!!
  • maygans
    maygans Posts: 196 Member
    My boyfriend has sleep apnea as well and I don't even notice the noise from the machine when he uses it (the person who said it's better than the sounds of snoring is right!!). I don't know if they're all this way, but the one he has is sort of like an elephant trunk on his nose. I think it slightly embarrasses him, but he sleeps a lot better with it, and I sleep a lot better with it, because I don't have to hear snoring all night! (which does keep me awake). He calls it his "dream machine" because he only ever has dreams when he's using it.

    One thing I will say though is he randomly started jogging every night early in the year and has lost about 20 lbs. He says he sleeps a lot better in general and doesn't even need it that often anymore, so if you say your husband is slightly overweight, maybe if he increased exercise it would help him not need it as much (or at all)? Just a thought!
  • cramernh
    cramernh Posts: 3,335 Member
    My husband was just diagnosed with severe sleep apnia. He stopped breathing approximately 101 times an hour, according to his sleep study, and he snores terribly.

    The doctor, of course, recommended a CPAP machine. I'm not really gun ho on this, as I'm a light sleeper and I'm afraid the machine will interfere with MY sleep. Also, as we're newlyweds, a darth vader mask isn't exactly conducive to romance.

    I want my husband to be healthy, restful, and life a long life though. The doc recommended trying the machine out, but we're also exploring surgical corrects, physical therapy, and weight loss.

    My husband is a little overweight, but not considered obese.

    Does anyone else suffer from this and were you able to get rid of it through any of these means?

    Shannon

    After working in a DME environment, I can definitely tell you that your husband's health is the priority - and that is more than enough reason to be gung-ho... and if youre married, you will be by his side regardless. There are many nights I am not able to sleep because when my husband is sick - Im right there for him and not getting any sleep just like him, to make sure he is comfortable and gets the help he needs - that is what marriage is about...

    Depending on the type of insurance you have, THAT dictates the types of remedies he can take before anything surgical can happen - so if you are thinking about surgery right now - dont bother yet. You will only be more frustrated with the whole process because he has to go through non-surgical means for an extended amount of time before any insurance would consider him a surgical candidate.

    Your husband needs to follow any and all recommendations set by the physician and respiratory therapist if he wants to get better. If he is 100% compliant with their recommendations and it still doesnt pan out, he has to go on from there with their new recommendations...

    As far as him needing to lose some weight - only he can be ready to do that and let's hope his sleep-evaluation was enough to scare him into being compliant with the medical team working with him.
  • Z_I_L_L_A
    Z_I_L_L_A Posts: 2,399 Member
    My husband was just diagnosed with severe sleep apnia. He stopped breathing approximately 101 times an hour, according to his sleep study, and he snores terribly.

    The doctor, of course, recommended a CPAP machine. I'm not really gun ho on this, as I'm a light sleeper and I'm afraid the machine will interfere with MY sleep. Also, as we're newlyweds, a darth vader mask isn't exactly conducive to romance.

    I want my husband to be healthy, restful, and life a long life though. The doc recommended trying the machine out, but we're also exploring surgical corrects, physical therapy, and weight loss.

    My husband is a little overweight, but not considered obese.

    Does anyone else suffer from this and were you able to get rid of it through any of these means?

    Shannon

    ********* I'm afraid the machine will interfere with MY sleep.************
  • EHeadings
    EHeadings Posts: 50 Member
    i'm not trying to be rude, but if this can make your new husband HEALTHY, then isn't that more important than YOUR sleep??
  • Patriciafree
    Patriciafree Posts: 1
    I have severe sleep apnea. It took about a week to get used to the CPAP machine. I like that someone calls it the Dream Machine. that's exactly what it is! i no longer fall asleep at work or have a foggy mind. I was so crabby, i didn't get along with me!
    it makes no noise at all and my husband appreciates the fact that i don't snore anymore. My allergies have also cleared up and i haven't been sick in over a year. It's a good thing. Now, i just need to stay with this site and lose the extra weight!
  • dmpizza
    dmpizza Posts: 3,321 Member
    Newlyweds? You can do some Darth Vader role playing.
  • Helenatrandom
    Helenatrandom Posts: 1,166 Member
    My husband uses a CPAP. In the beginning, it kept me up at night, but I like to go to bed later than him.. The machine starts out quiet. By going to bed the same time as him and falling asleep before it got loud, things got better. (If I didn't, I'd have to go to bed only when I was so exhausted I'd drop in order to fall asleep. ) Now I'm used to it and it doesn't bother me at all.
    Also, he only puts the mask on after being thoroughly :smooched: :blushing:
  • Helenatrandom
    Helenatrandom Posts: 1,166 Member
    i'm not trying to be rude, but if this can make your new husband HEALTHY, then isn't that more important than YOUR sleep??

    If she doesn't get sleep, then she will be unhealthy! A balance needs to be found so they can BOTH get the rest they need in order to be healthy.
  • Z_I_L_L_A
    Z_I_L_L_A Posts: 2,399 Member
    i'm not trying to be rude, but if this can make your new husband HEALTHY, then isn't that more important than YOUR sleep??

    I didn't want to be rude or mean either, so I just put the quote out there. Its not just you anymore its a couple a family its more than just you now. I would do anything for my spouse attitude that keeps a marriage healthy. This is one of those things. Hope he can take care of his health problem( which could kill him ) one way or another. The machines are much quieter now. Blood pressure will go back down, he won't fall a sleep while driving, a whole lot of medical problems can be caused by sleep apnea. Using the machine will make most problems go away. In sickness and in health newlywed. I hope you find some other way to correct the problem but most end up with the machine. Good luck with this problem and congrats on your marriage.
  • Sweet13_Princess
    Sweet13_Princess Posts: 1,207 Member
    Of course, my husband's health is important to me. I stated that earlier and it's why I'm posting in this forum as well. We're just hoping that he gets off of the machine. It's a bit of a downer for a guy who's only in his 30s to lug a machine around on vacations and stuff. My grandfather has one, and has oxygen during the day, so I can see how equipment can weigh a person down.

    Even my husband himself hopes to get off of it eventually. That's why he's going to use it, but also pursue surgery, physical therapy, and weight loss as well.

    I'm a light sleeper.. the cat pawing at the door wakes me upin the middle of the night, so the comment about my own sleep is also valid.

    Just wanted to clarify!:-) Please continue to post your own experiences. We would love to learn anything that would be helpful.

    Shannon
  • LexieSweetheart
    LexieSweetheart Posts: 793 Member
    How do you clean your mask? and how often do you replace yours?
  • KCharron20
    KCharron20 Posts: 105
    My husband had very severe sleep apnea. (He would stop breathing over 200 times per hour) The machine is very quiet you will very quickly get used to it and if your husband used the nose pillows instead of the mask, he won't even get the Darth Vader effect. My hubby also tried the surgery. He needed his tonsils and adnoids out anyways. This surgery has a very low success rate and for him only worked for a short time. He now has problems from it though. They reshape the roof of your mouth for the surgery and now he had trouble with food going down his windpipe. I wouldn't recommend it. He was overweight and has lost 100 pounds. He no longer needs the machine. My advice is to get the machine. If your husband is anything like mine, he will feel so much better once he's on it and so will you. No longer worrying when he'll fall asleep, driving, at the dinner table, etc. If he can lose weight and this helps, that will be a bonus. But at least you'll have peace of mind till then.
  • Z_I_L_L_A
    Z_I_L_L_A Posts: 2,399 Member
    My husband had very severe sleep apnea. (He would stop breathing over 200 times per hour) The machine is very quiet you will very quickly get used to it and if your husband used the nose pillows instead of the mask, he won't even get the Darth Vader effect. My hubby also tried the surgery. He needed his tonsils and adnoids out anyways. This surgery has a very low success rate and for him only worked for a short time. He now has problems from it though. They reshape the roof of your mouth for the surgery and now he had trouble with food going down his windpipe. I wouldn't recommend it. He was overweight and has lost 100 pounds. He no longer needs the machine. My advice is to get the machine. If your husband is anything like mine, he will feel so much better once he's on it and so will you. No longer worrying when he'll fall asleep, driving, at the dinner table, etc. If he can lose weight and this helps, that will be a bonus. But at least you'll have peace of mind till then.

    Very true, I use the nose pillows and its quiet. I'm losing the weight hoping that it will not be needed after the loss. But it makes a difference when you need it.
This discussion has been closed.

Categories