you can try the smaller SWIFT style "mask" that just fits under your nose and in your nostrils...but at high pressures isn't as tolerated as the triangle shaped ones. but they are much smaller. it usually takes 2 weeks to get the equipment set up at home. A doctor still has to review your study with the mask etc... then they order a prescription for the Home CPAP set up. A home care company would be contacted and set up a time with you to get your machine. I don't think any place would send you home with the equipment. Sleep Techs can't write Rx! You might want to try going in during the day and trying on various masks before you get your home set up. You can normally get a mask only every 6 months. OR pay out of pocket. They can be $100+ however. Surgery at significant levels of sleep apnea is pretty much lost...it may allow you to tolerate lower levels of CPAP but for most people it isn't a cure. I consider it a ROTO ROOTERING of the throat. Doesn't sound very pleasant does it?!

I don't know that it matters when you take the anti depressants to affect your sleep...the fact that you are taking them in general can affect your sleep patterns. I found this info a websearch Sleep: Quality, restful sleep Sleep is essential for good physical, mental and emotional health. Different people require different amounts of sleep. In general, most healthy adults need 7 - 9 hours of sleep each night. However, some people need more than 9 hours, and others can sleep less and wake up completely refreshed (contrary to myth, the need for sleep does not diminish with age, although the ability to get it all at one time may be reduced). Obviously, for each of us the amount of sleep we get is extremely important. But the type of sleep we get also determines how well-rested we will be when we awake. The two basic types of sleep, REM (Rapid Eye Movement or dream sleep) and Non-REM (NREM), include a total of five stages that we move into and out of as we sleep. The duration and quality of these stages can vary greatly, depending on age, health, sleep hygiene, and the individual sleeper. Sleep researchers use the term "sleep architecture" to describe the cycles of sleep. Sleep usually begins with a cycle that consists of 80 minutes of NREM sleep followed by 10 minutes of REM sleep. This 90-minute cycle is repeated three to six times each night. With each cycle, the amount of slow-wave sleep decreases and the proportion of REM sleep increases. The order of a typical sleep cycle is: waking, stage 1, 2, 3, 4, 3, 2, 5 (REM). About 80% of adult sleep is NREM sleep. NREM sleep is divided into four stages: Stage 1 (transitional sleep): The transitional stage is the drowsy period from wakefulness to deeper sleep, and usually lasts less than 15 minutes. This is the lightest period of sleep and during it we are more responsive to sounds and external activities and are more easily awakened. Brain waves, as measured by an electroencephalogram (EEG), are fast and are known as "beta" waves. During this transitional stage breathing becomes slow and regular, heart rate decreases, and the eyes exhibit slow rolling movements. Stage 2 (light sleep): This is a deeper stage of sleep and lasts 15 to 30 minutes in each sleep cycle (over the whole of a night it makes up 45 - 55% of our total sleep). Here, the brain waves, now called "theta" waves, slow even further and fragmented thoughts and images pass through the mind. Eye movements usually disappear, muscles relax, and there is very little body movement. Stages 3 and 4 (deep sleep): Stages 3 and 4 are often referred to as deep sleep or "delta" sleep. These stages normally last for 30 to 40 minutes in the first sleep cycle and decrease with subsequent cycles throughout the night. In stages 3 and 4 there is little contact with external sensation, breathing slows down even more, muscles relax, and the heart beats slower and slower. Dreams are more common during stages 3 and 4 of sleep, and people are more likely to talk to themselves. Deep sleep decreases with age - by age 75, stage 4, the deepest sleep, may be completely absent. About 20% of sleep is REM, or dream sleep. Stage 5 (REM or dream sleep) REM sleep typically occurs at the end of each sleep cycle - though some researchers have noted the presence of dream activity during NREM sleep as well. Unlike NREM sleep, REM sleep involves a high level of mental and physical activity, including increased brain activity, blood pressure, heart rate, blood flow to the brain and respiration. Intense dreaming occurs during REM sleep as a result of heightened cerebral activity, but interestingly, REM sleep is also characterized by muscular immobility or paralysis. It is generally thought that REM-associated muscle paralysis is meant to keep the body from acting out the dreams that occur during this intense sleep stage. The first period of REM sleep typically lasts 10 minutes, with each recurring REM stage lengthening, and the final one lasting an hour. In the newborn baby, more than 50% of sleep may be REM sleep. By the age of 2 years, the proportion of REM sleep decreases to 20% to 25% and remains constant throughout adulthood. Although the reasons for the different types of sleep are still being studied, it is clear that we need each type. The "restorative" theory suggests that sleep enables the body to make repairs after the exertions of the day. REM sleep appears to be vital to many of our most important brain functions and may allow the brain to synthesize neurotransmitters like norepinephrine and dopamine to compensate for the amount used during the day. REM sleep also appears to stimulate the brain regions used in learning and memory. One theory is that in REM sleep important memories / experiences are strengthened, and trivial events are discarded. Similarly, deep sleep (stages 3 and 4), appears to be essential for its repair and restorative properties. During deep sleep metabolic activity is at its lowest, providing an opportunity for tissue growth and repair. The secretion of growth hormone also reaches its peak during stages 3 and 4. In children, growth hormone encourages growth. In adults it assists with healing of muscles. Interestingly, daytime sleep is less restful than nighttime sleep because it does not provide the same quality of sleep architecture. http://remedyfind.com/rem.asp?ID=13568 or this site....a different explanation with some good side notes http://www.medicinenet.com/sleep/article.htm this is what is says about REM/drugs- Since sleep and wakefulness are influenced by different neurotransmitter signals in the brain, foods and medicines that change the balance of these signals affect whether we feel alert or drowsy and how well we sleep. Caffeinated drinks such as coffee and drugs such as diet pills and decongestants stimulate some parts of the brain and can cause insomnia, or an inability to sleep. Many antidepressants suppress REM sleep. Heavy smokers often sleep very lightly and have reduced amounts of REM sleep. They also tend to wake up after 3 or 4 hours of sleep due to nicotine withdrawal. Many people who suffer from insomnia try to solve the problem with alcohol--the so-called nightcap. While alcohol does help people fall into light sleep, it also robs them of REM and the deeper, more restorative stages of sleep. Instead, it keeps them in the lighter stages of sleep, from which they can be awakened easily.

Man oh man am I screwed up. Just did my sleep study last Wed and am defective even where Sleep Apnea is concerned- needed the pressure adjusted from a regular CPap to a BiPap because apparently I woke up (with the mask) and then my incidents changed from not breathing IN to not breathing OUT. To top it all off I am EXTREMELY CLAUSTROPHOBIC!!!! I only made it thru the study by meditating and because my sleep tech swore he would wake me up as soon as he had the tests he needed. They didn't send me home with a machine, though I apparently desperately need it, so I am wondering- am I the only claustraphobe out here? Does anyone know of an alternative to the masks?

I got my CPAP a few weeks before surgery. The first night I was very conscious of the mask,but I did sleep. I woke up the very first morning without my usual headache and feeling rested for the first time in a year. The next night I slept like a baby. I experimented and didn't use the machine one night and woke up with a blinding headache the next morning. I'm so used to the mask that, when I wake up, for a few seconds, I think there's nothing on my face. In short, I'm very happy with the machine, but I am looking forward to being without it eventually. Donna

Wow Shannon, you are a wealth of information. I read your post about anti-depressants maybe causing non-REM sleep? So are you supposed to take those in the morning? I don't know why, but I have always taken mine at night. I am waiting on the results of my overnight oximeter test. My PCP decided to go that route, and depending on what it says, I might have to do the full night one. I am not pre, I am post WLS and have lost a total of 141 pounds, but the last year or so have had major issues with headaches and being extremely tired, so hopefully my test will show something. Thanks, Stephanie 402/261/180ish