Oh those things! Yeah I've tried them. None of the gear was ever physically uncomfortable. I would fall asleep, but not stay asleep for more than 3-4 hours, after which I was fully wide awake. Given my lack of physical discomfort, I have never gotten any satisfactory explanation for the problem. But thanks, all the same for the suggestion.
Thank you all for the input. Probably getting ahead of myself but only thing that concerns me is about the nose mask. Deviated septum and frequent allergies keep the shnozz somewhat stuffy, usually. Do they make a pilot type mask for mouth and nose?
I have a deviated septum too. But, I am not a mouth breather. I forced myself to be a nose breather years ago. So, if I don't have both sides clear, I have one clear. I also use Flonase during alergy seasons. The ResMed P10 nasal pillow mask works very well for me. The CPAP keeps your throat open so you breathe freely.
I know I mouth breathe when I'm asleep. Would like to find a workaround. *eyes duct tape* *eyes obit page* *puts duct tape away* (Flonase & Allegra D a great combo)
I've had a few sleep tests. Also had/have a deviated septum, which I had surgery on partially because I had difficulty tolerating the pilot type mask and wanted to be able to use one of the CPAP options that only cover the nose. Only the worst half of my nose was worked on and the results were disappointing. Sounds like your doc is on top of things. Probably overkill, but if your sleep test was negative for sleep apnea, or was positive but CPAP didn't resolve symptoms, you could talk to your doc about whether neuropsych testing, which systematically assesses several areas involving learning, memory and attention among other cognitive functions (kind of like a neurology assessment from the eyebrows up), might be helpful in sorting out what might be going on. I'd bet (just a guess) that your neurologist turns out to be right though. And these days there are a lot more options mask-wise for making CPAPs more easily tolerated for most people.
Dental appliances take on the problem of snoring by pushing the lower jaw forward. This helps to open up your airways and keeps your tongue in place while also tightening the muscles round your jaw and throat. Prevents or dramatically minimizes the uvula, tongue and soft palette and from vibrating. The device is fixed in your mouth by your teeth Once the jaw is held forward the tongue is unable to relax and the chance of your airway becoming restricted is reduced.
Update, but still welcoming input. Going to forgo the sleep test for now because (a) I can't afford it after having burned through my sick days and (b) last week the doc put me on a trial run of Synthroid just to see how things go before my endocrinologist appointment that's been moved up to next month, yay. I know you're not supposed to go by immediate impressions (placebo effect, high hopes/wishful thinking/fooling yourself, etc) but after a few days on the starter dose I think I'm feeling and functioning better. Brain fog is lifting; motivation is up; stress is normal (not overwhemling); mood is stable, and my sleep seems better. Don't want to jinx it but I'm hoping I've finally hit on what's been slowly dragging me down over the past few years...low thyroid.
I have insomnia issues. My doctor put me on Zopiclone, but that bitter taste it leaves in my mouth is no fun although I must say it allows me to sleep well. I'm planning to discontinue the Zopiclone soon because I don't want to get too hooked on it.
Dude, I'm really happy to hear that you're experiencing some relief! Congratulations! In your case where you don't currently have the funds, and you're experiencing several areas of improvement, I'd say don't worry about second guessing or analyzing whether it's really real relief...just go with it and enjoy. You may have just hit on the magic bullet. One can always revisit and adjust if it turned out to be otherwise.
I have had two, and im on my second CPAP. If it turns out you have sleep apnea, try and get an auto pap instead of a cpap. your test looks something like this...
