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Fitful nightly sleep linked to chronic inflammation, hardened arteries

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Re: Fitful nightly sleep linked to chronic inflammation, hardened arteries

#61

Post by balfirevic »

kevinmgranger wrote: post #55
balfirevic wrote: post #41

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I wonder if it would be helpful to allow people who experience sleep issues to just get a CPAP machine and try it out, instead of having to go through a sleep study.

Most people aren't good at assessing their own fatigue. A sleep study gives one quantifiable information about the quality of one's sleep. So may people find their CPAP uncomfortable when they first use it, that it's unlikely they'll use it properly. Having a first use under the watchful eyes of a physician could be a good idea. Then again, some people also get one and then don't use it, so maybe it's more of the sam…

Yes, I'm sure it's not as good as having a proper sleep study but if the end result is that more people who need them get them it would be a positive outcome.

Also, a doctor can show you how to use one, you would not necessarily be completely on your own.

Sleep studies are just such a hassle (and expensive, depending on where you live), and if you have a weird sleep schedule it can be difficult to even fall asleep in time.

Being able to just rent a CPAP machine for a couple of days and have a doctor show you how to use it would be a good option to have.

Re: Fitful nightly sleep linked to chronic inflammation, hardened arteries

#62

Post by chooseaname »

adamsbriscoe wrote: post #29
chooseaname wrote: post #19

Is there a Dr in the house? Am I reading this correctly as if you improve your sleep you could possibly (I don't know the correct word to use here) improve? reduce? the plaque buildup in your arteries?

It will reduce your risk. Poor sleep leads to an inflammatory cascade which can contribute to atherosclerosis. Also affects blood pressure; hypertension is a well-established risk factor for vascular disease. More reading here: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3548567

Thank you. I am glad these types of posts make it to HN, I just don't always understand them.

Re: Fitful nightly sleep linked to chronic inflammation, hardened arteries

#63

Post by balfirevic »

odiroot wrote: post #43
SaintGhurka wrote: post #23

If your doctor tells you to do a sleep study, do it. If, as a result, they tell you to get a CPAP, get it. Those things are life-changing. I felt like an old man at 50 years old. My back was so stiff I couldn't put on my socks. When I got out of bed in the morning I felt so fragile, like my joints were all inflamed - especially my Achilles' tendons. I was too tired to do anything beyond 6 pm. Now, 51, I feel totally…

If only it was so easy. I was told, in Germany, I have to wait 2+ months for the next appointment.

Can you do it in private clinic (for a reasonable amount of money)?

Here in Croatia, I could wait a couple of months or I could pay around $300 to have it done privately.

Re: Fitful nightly sleep linked to chronic inflammation, hardened arteries

#64

Post by sillysaurusx »

SaintGhurka wrote: post #23

If your doctor tells you to do a sleep study, do it. If, as a result, they tell you to get a CPAP, get it. Those things are life-changing. I felt like an old man at 50 years old. My back was so stiff I couldn't put on my socks. When I got out of bed in the morning I felt so fragile, like my joints were all inflamed - especially my Achilles' tendons. I was too tired to do anything beyond 6 pm. Now, 51, I feel totally…

When I say the same thing about Prozac, people react with anger. It's strange.

A sleep study is definitely one of the best things I ever did. It helped uncover some undiagnosed narcolepsy, and I've been able to manage it since then. Even knowing that it existed was helpful. (For example, lots of stress was caused by getting jobs that expect you to have your butt in the seat from 9am to 5pm. Other jobs exist.)

So yes. Sleep study good! Go do one!

Re: Fitful nightly sleep linked to chronic inflammation, hardened arteries

#65

Post by dnissley »

novok wrote: post #28
dota_fanatic wrote: post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Dreem is the only thing I know of. Pricy though. https://dreem.com/en

Does it actually stay on? I had a zeo headband sleep tracker and there was a %50 chance it would slip off while I was asleep.

Just got one a few weeks ago. Feel free to AMA.

It stays on for me (medium to large size head, or so I think) -- tends to ride up on my forehead a bit over time but never had it fall off. It's got some adjustments that can be made to tighten/loosen the fit, on top of which there is some elastic in part of the band.

Re: Fitful nightly sleep linked to chronic inflammation, hardened arteries

#66

Post by goldenkey »

SaintGhurka wrote: post #23

If your doctor tells you to do a sleep study, do it. If, as a result, they tell you to get a CPAP, get it. Those things are life-changing. I felt like an old man at 50 years old. My back was so stiff I couldn't put on my socks. When I got out of bed in the morning I felt so fragile, like my joints were all inflamed - especially my Achilles' tendons. I was too tired to do anything beyond 6 pm. Now, 51, I feel totally…

I had a sleep study done but was so uncomfortable I couldn't fall asleep...all the wires and crap. Waste of money.

Re: Fitful nightly sleep linked to chronic inflammation, hardened arteries

#67

Post by technofiend »

SaintGhurka wrote: post #23

If your doctor tells you to do a sleep study, do it. If, as a result, they tell you to get a CPAP, get it. Those things are life-changing. I felt like an old man at 50 years old. My back was so stiff I couldn't put on my socks. When I got out of bed in the morning I felt so fragile, like my joints were all inflamed - especially my Achilles' tendons. I was too tired to do anything beyond 6 pm. Now, 51, I feel totally…

Getting an APAP (auto-adjusting machine) was automated to the point that the barrier to entry is pretty darn low.

An at-home study required me to sit through dead obvious instruction on how to equip and use the machine. Once I was prescribed a machine as a result of the study, the most time-consuming part was picking up a machine and sitting with a nurse to try on various masks.

Since the machine itself is set to what the CPAP community calls "lazy doctor mode" meaning it's just set to auto-adjust itself in a range and the newer machines use cell data to automatically upload usage data, once you take it home you're done. My only follow up visit was over the phone. And there is an open source project for reading the data which will appeal to the HN crowd: https://www.sleepfiles.com/OSCAR/

Re: Fitful nightly sleep linked to chronic inflammation, hardened arteries

#68

Post by mattm »

chrischen wrote: post #25

Anybody have “clinical grade” sleep tracker recommendations as recommended by the article? I have a smart watch sleep tracker but my doctor says it is inaccurate (withings watch), and it always says my deep sleep number is too low even though google says the range is within normal.

It's not clinical grade but I got the Mi Band 3 and it seems to work surprisingly well for only $30. The account of rest I feel in the morning generally matches the account of deep sleep it says I got.

Re: Fitful nightly sleep linked to chronic inflammation, hardened arteries

#69

Post by balfirevic »

dnissley wrote: post #65
novok wrote: post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Does it actually stay on? I had a zeo headband sleep tracker and there was a %50 chance it would slip off while I was asleep.

Just got one a few weeks ago. Feel free to AMA. It stays on for me (medium to large size head, or so I think) -- tends to ride up on my forehead a bit over time but never had it fall off. It's got some adjustments that can be made to tighten/loosen the fit, on top of which there is some elastic in part of the band.

What prompted you to get one? Did you have any sleep issues, or was it just curiosity? If you had sleep issues, did it help?

Re: Fitful nightly sleep linked to chronic inflammation, hardened arteries

#70

Post by Phenomenit »

SaintGhurka wrote: post #23

If your doctor tells you to do a sleep study, do it. If, as a result, they tell you to get a CPAP, get it. Those things are life-changing. I felt like an old man at 50 years old. My back was so stiff I couldn't put on my socks. When I got out of bed in the morning I felt so fragile, like my joints were all inflamed - especially my Achilles' tendons. I was too tired to do anything beyond 6 pm. Now, 51, I feel totally…

I suspect I might have some sleep disturbance. It's really hard for me to sleep on my back, I wake up constantly and snoor so I just sleep on my stomach instead.
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