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For sleep apnea, a mouth guard may be a good alternative to CPAP

nytimes.com

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Re: For sleep apnea, a mouth guard may be a good alternative to CPAP

#41

Post by eutropia »

DoingIsLearning wrote: post #18

For some types of 'positional' sleep apnea (i.e. apnea only when supine) you also have non-CPAP alternatives with a positional therapy device. It's basically a vibrating device that conditions you (while you sleep) for you to turn on your side and avoid sleeping supine. Disclaimer: worked as a consultant for a wearable in this field.

Really happy to hear that this exists, because when I told the sleep doctor that I'd rather learn to sleep on my side he LAUGHED at me and said it wasn't possible. Jerk.

Re: For sleep apnea, a mouth guard may be a good alternative to CPAP

#42

Post by ShakataGaNai »

elric wrote: post #35

CPAP isn't anywhere near as awful as people make it out to be. I suspect many of these "CPAP sucks" stories come from people who (for whatever reason) are given a cheap, shitty mask and a cheap, shitty & loud machine. Masks used to be really bulky and unpleasant. Machines used to be pretty loud. These days, machines are nearly whisper quiet and masks come in more varieties than I care to list. I mean sure, there is a…

The problem starts with the doctors. Regardless of who paying, if your doctor says "here's a thing, use it" you assume (because they are a knowledgeable specialist) that it's the "right thing". Most people don't/won't know if they've actually been prescribed the best option.

Not too long ago I went through this adventure and my experience with the ENT was terrible. Fortunately I was in a position where I could do an end run around the system and get something better, both machine and mask.

I still had a not-great experience, even with better gear. The adjustment period just never went away. Maybe a better doctor would have solved it, but I'm sure that for some people, the CPAP's just aren't a great experience at the best of times. Options are always good.

The biggest up-side to this mouth guard option is that it can be available to a lot more people for a lot lower cost.

Re: For sleep apnea, a mouth guard may be a good alternative to CPAP

#43

Post by noyesno »

jzig wrote: post #4

I think this this article leaves out the consequences of the device, which I believe include permanently changing your bite and tooth damage.

It's true, my SO had to switch from a mouth guard to a CPAP machine because the guard was changing their bite "pattern" to worse.

Re: For sleep apnea, a mouth guard may be a good alternative to CPAP

#44

Post by kcolford »

elric wrote: post #35

CPAP isn't anywhere near as awful as people make it out to be. I suspect many of these "CPAP sucks" stories come from people who (for whatever reason) are given a cheap, shitty mask and a cheap, shitty & loud machine. Masks used to be really bulky and unpleasant. Machines used to be pretty loud. These days, machines are nearly whisper quiet and masks come in more varieties than I care to list. I mean sure, there is a…

Also, a lot of people may not just need a CPAP machine but a more advanced bipap machine that also pulls instead of just pushes.

Re: For sleep apnea, a mouth guard may be a good alternative to CPAP

#45

Post by ebfe1 »

After having sleep study done and bought an airsense 10 with the latest nasal pillow (very very comfortable, i slept like a log the first day I used it). Initially, I felt somewhat different/better but it was not totally obvious until i slept over at cousin's house without the machine and felt wrecked the next day. I then realised my coffee intake was half of what i usually have and I don't yawn during the day as much!

Re: For sleep apnea, a mouth guard may be a good alternative to CPAP

#46

Post by antiterra »

xenophonf wrote: post #31

I'll get my medical advice from a board-certified MD who specializes in sleep medicine, thank you very much.

This article is not an NYTimes writer telling you to go get a mouth guard from a sporting goods shop. It’s about experts in otolaryngology studying the effectiveness of appliances that are colloquially called mouth guards. Otolaryngology is a significant component of sleep medicine, and the primary one of the mechanics of sleep apnea. None of this article is advice to circumvent that expertise.

Re: For sleep apnea, a mouth guard may be a good alternative to CPAP

#47

Post by kelp »

elric wrote: post #35

CPAP isn't anywhere near as awful as people make it out to be. I suspect many of these "CPAP sucks" stories come from people who (for whatever reason) are given a cheap, shitty mask and a cheap, shitty & loud machine. Masks used to be really bulky and unpleasant. Machines used to be pretty loud. These days, machines are nearly whisper quiet and masks come in more varieties than I care to list. I mean sure, there is a…

It's been 10+ years since I tried CPAP, but I could never get to a place where I'd sleep through the night with it on. I'd always take the mask off in my sleep. I tried more than a half dozen different masks and I could never get one comfortable enough to sleep with. It always felt like it made the situation worse.

Over the years I think I've been to 4 different doctors for sleep apnea. Had 3 in lab sleep studies and a few take home ones. I always came away somewhat skeptical of any data obtained from the sleep studies, especially the in lab ones. The situation was just so different from how I'd normally sleep.

I only have mild sleep apnea and I'm not overweight. So I ended up going in for surgery twice, with different doctors. Got a turbinate reduction, so I could breath through my nose better and they somewhat straightened a deviated septum. Had the pillar procedure, and got a mouth guard made.

The mouth guard has changed my bite, but overall it does improve my subjective sleep quality, and objectively, the stake home sleep study showed substantially improved numbers. Though I'm told I'll still stop breathing and gasp for air in my sleep. So It's improved on the issue but not eliminated it.

Re: For sleep apnea, a mouth guard may be a good alternative to CPAP

#48

Post by abartl »

The danger in this article is that less people might be willing to get a proper sleeep study after reading it and having a false sense that CPAP is terrible.

For sleep apnea CPAP WORKS and everything else is a hack.

We need more articles encouraging people to try CPAP instead of: here, take this nose clip on Ali Express it might work; or here put this ointment or use this mouthguard.

If you snore loud or people say your breath stops at night or you feel continuously tired or have headaches in the morning: - talk to your doctor and demand a sleep study - try CPAP for several weeks/months and try to get used to it - once in a while you can test your blood oxygen / heartbeat overnight with a pulsoxymeter that has memory; also this can be helpful for people who can't convince e.g. a family member to do a sleep study - please don't believe that a nose clip or mouthguard is a full solution; your life quality will suffer greatly

Re: For sleep apnea, a mouth guard may be a good alternative to CPAP

#49

Post by JohnWhigham »

jessaustin wrote: post #14
JohnWhigham wrote: post #11

Anecdote warning: I've already been wearing a mouth guard when sleeping for years due to bruxism. It's perfect for that. A couple months ago though when I was ~15 pounds heavier than I am now, I started to wake up struggling to breathe a couple times per week. Now that I lost the weight, it stopped completely. Mouth guard didn't help me there (or maybe it did and that it could have been much worse). It's probably bet…

Unlike mouthguards for bruxism, those for apnea are designed to hold one's jaw in a particular position.

Got it, shows how much I read the article!

Re: For sleep apnea, a mouth guard may be a good alternative to CPAP

#50

Post by antiterra »

abartl wrote: post #48

The danger in this article is that less people might be willing to get a proper sleeep study after reading it and having a false sense that CPAP is terrible. For sleep apnea CPAP WORKS and everything else is a hack. We need more articles encouraging people to try CPAP instead of: here, take this nose clip on Ali Express it might work; or here put this ointment or use this mouthguard. If you snore loud or people say y…

I use a CPAP; I hate it. I can’t wear appliances because of orthodontics, and I am very wary of costs & long recovery times for surgery. However, neither of those two things are ‘a hack’ in any negative sense. They both can offer significant life improvement.
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