sleep apnea death

Last week my brother-in-laws father died in his sleep because he did not wear his mask.. I know I am sometimes guilty of this , sometimes I will say to my self , "I'll just lay here for 5 minutes than I will put it on ." I usually wake up later that night gasping for breath . PLEASE PLEASE Do not do this . My new rule is put it on then lie down. thanks for reading lisa p

Sometimes, the big problem is masks that don't fit well or that are so uncomfortable that wearing them means you don't sleep. When I first had a sleep study, the techs were incompetent. They fitted me with a mask that was way too big. It also had complicated strapping. So I couldn't get it to fit and air leaked out of it and I was miserable. It also crushed my nose and really hurt my skin everywhere it touched me. If you have a mask that isn't comfortable, go to the people who service/rent your CPAP and tell them. They usually know a lot more about fitting the masks and selecting the right one than the techs (hospitals generally only work with one model of CPAP and one type of mask -- one size does not fit all in this case). I went through a phase of thinking that I was better off getting a little bit of bad sleep without the machine than no sleep at all with it. Those aren't the only choices! I have the nasal pillow now (it's tiny and just has soft tubes that fit in your nostrils). It's very comfortable. I'm having some problems right now, but I know I still need my CPAP. Apart from dying in your sleep, untreated apnea can also cause congestive heart failure. I don't want that. I'd rather sleep in the space gear

It's really good that you tried and like the nasal pillows, that's what I have. There is also a new product that is a slim line style, which is much more comfortable. We use the canula style masks at our lab, but our technicians go through extensive training on how to fit them. David Pisarra Gateway SleepLabs

Daivd, I have been on a CPAP for five years now and cannot sleep without it, even though it is awkward for the most part. I must have a humidifier just to make it through the night, does that make sense to anyone? Also, I had LapBand surgery three days ago by Dr. Kuri. I would be interested in knowing more about nasal pillows. Thanks, Ken Bothell WA.

I tried over a year to use the cpap with about 5 different masks. No luck. I wake up all night from the noise. Some times the cord is wrapped around my neck. Finally I got the dental device. Not sure it works as good as cpap but it is something.