Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Why Sleep Apnea Patients Rely on a CPAP Machine Hacker

motherboard.vice.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

41–50 of 261 posts

Re: Why Sleep Apnea Patients Rely on a CPAP Machine Hacker

#41

Post by Rooster61 »

saint_fiasco wrote: post #9
Aloha wrote: post #3

I think the risk of death is probably overstated, as these people have often gone decades without a CPAP, and lived just fine.

Maybe a badly configured CPAP machine is worse than nothing at all? The article says the data they collect include something called "mask leak rates". That means the machine has an airtight mask and could in principle suffocate you if it malfunctions.

They are airtight in as much as they can effectively deliver the prescribed pressure without leaking air. Not truly airtight. The system HAS to have a safeguard against malfunctions, as power loss is always a possibility. They generally have a passive airflow built into the line somewhere.

Re: Why Sleep Apnea Patients Rely on a CPAP Machine Hacker

#42

Post by 01100011 »

Aloha wrote: post #3

I think the risk of death is probably overstated, as these people have often gone decades without a CPAP, and lived just fine.

Just to be clear, sleep apnea causes organ damage. I had oxygen levels dipping to 71% in my sleep study. It was enough to dramatically affect my cognitive abilities and took months of CPAP therapy to recover from. I'm 43, relatively fit, and don't have a history of snoring. If you have excessive daytime sleepiness, confusion, and difficulty thinking, get checked ASAP. Fortunately you can reverse the damage:

https://aasm.org/brain-damage-caused-by-severe-sleep-apnea-i...

Sleep apnea is not a joke. My dad has a pacemaker because of the stress placed on his heart from years of untreated apnea.

Re: Why Sleep Apnea Patients Rely on a CPAP Machine Hacker

#43

Post by learc83 »

robotmay wrote: post #24
Waterluvian wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've slept long into a power outage and woken up with a headache and significant disorientation and my mask still on. Really upsetting. And with an AHI off the charts, I may very well die without one.

Might be worth investing in an Uninterruptible Power Supply for it if you haven't already.

And/or a power failure alarm.

Re: Why Sleep Apnea Patients Rely on a CPAP Machine Hacker

#44

Post by ryukafalz »

robotmay wrote: post #24
Waterluvian wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've slept long into a power outage and woken up with a headache and significant disorientation and my mask still on. Really upsetting. And with an AHI off the charts, I may very well die without one.

Might be worth investing in an Uninterruptible Power Supply for it if you haven't already.

As a bonus, these usually beep loudly when power to them is interrupted.

Re: Why Sleep Apnea Patients Rely on a CPAP Machine Hacker

#46

Post by Rooster61 »

saint_fiasco wrote: post #27
reaperducer wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That means the machine has an airtight mask and could in principle suffocate you if it malfunctions. Ummm... no. If the CPAP machine fails, you'll just start sucking air in the holes that are normally used to expel your exhalations. (When you exhale, the air goes out through these vents, not back into the machine.) It's significantly less airflow, and will cause you to wake up, but it's not going to suffocate you.

But isn't the point of sleep apnea that the lack of air does not wake you up?

Only until your brain reaches a threshold where it says "OOOOK, we definitely need to start breathing now. Time to wake up". When you reach that threshold, you wake up on a very low, subconscious level that disrupts your sleep pattern, which in combination with the lower level of oxygen, is what causes the damage to your system.

The difference with a malfunctioning machine is that you still cant get air even after that threshold has been hit (or at least it's very difficult to do so). At that point, your brain kicks you totally out of a sleep state and you awake completely.

Re: Why Sleep Apnea Patients Rely on a CPAP Machine Hacker

#47

Post by fibonachos »

rrggrr wrote: post #21

Accessing the clinician menu on most machines is accomplished by a quick Google search. I've adjusted my pressure several times to bring down AHI, or to reduce some side-effects of higher pressures as my weight comes down. Most machines report AHI in the main menu. My point is this... the article's premise is on target, but the situation isn't as dire as characterized.

Same here. As I have lost significant amount of weight over the past 18 months, the higher pressure actually became an impediment to restful sleep. A quick google search and a couple nights of trial-and-error and I was good to go.

Which reminds me... it's time to lower it, again.

Re: Why Sleep Apnea Patients Rely on a CPAP Machine Hacker

#48

Post by simcop2387 »

werdnapk wrote: post #26

My wife (oral surgeon) says the only real solution to sleep apnea is surgery. CPAP machines to her and bunk. I believe she moves the jaw forward to help open up the airway. Whatever works I guess.

Surgery might work for obstructive sleep apnea, depending on the actual cause, but it will not work at all for people like me who suffer from central sleep apnea. With central sleep apnea the windpipe isn't obstructed, your autonomic-nervous-system just doesn't breathe sometimes.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Central_sleep_apnea

Re: Why Sleep Apnea Patients Rely on a CPAP Machine Hacker

#49

Post by bsder »

werdnapk wrote: post #26

My wife (oral surgeon) says the only real solution to sleep apnea is surgery. CPAP machines to her and bunk. I believe she moves the jaw forward to help open up the airway. Whatever works I guess.

The problem is that breaking your jaw and moving it forward has its own risks--especially in patients 50+ years of age.

Nerve damage occurs in the vast majority of cases. The older you are, the worse the recovery from that seems to be.

CPAP machines may not work for everybody, but there is a significant set of people for whom they clearly do.

Re: Why Sleep Apnea Patients Rely on a CPAP Machine Hacker

#50

Post by shados »

01100011 wrote: post #42
Aloha wrote: post #3

I think the risk of death is probably overstated, as these people have often gone decades without a CPAP, and lived just fine.

Just to be clear, sleep apnea causes organ damage. I had oxygen levels dipping to 71% in my sleep study. It was enough to dramatically affect my cognitive abilities and took months of CPAP therapy to recover from. I'm 43, relatively fit, and don't have a history of snoring. If you have excessive daytime sleepiness, confusion, and difficulty thinking, get checked ASAP. Fortunately you can reverse the damage: https://a…

> If you have excessive daytime sleepiness, confusion, and difficulty thinking

Ive always wondered and never found data: do you have an idea of how many people with these symptoms get prescribed mental disorder medicines from not knowing the real root cause? I can picture this stuff being misdiagnosed pretty hard by some practitioners.

Post reply on HN