Well, if you’re already wearing a CPAP, I got nothin’ else for you but hope. I know I sleep better with my CPAP. I’ve gotten used to the hose and hissing. Mrs. ricepad not so much, but she realizes that it’s a tradeoff between hissing and semi-truck-jake-brake-on-a-long-descent-snoring, so she’s learned to live with it.
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I love Sleepytime, and the equivalent one from the other guys.
I think you are so far ahead of most people that it seems silly to speculate without medical analysis and observation (whether a sleep study, a sleep tracker like a watch, or other).
Stress may factor in , and/or hormones, but those can also be medically monitored (someone I know had a cortisol monitoring study over 24h a few times, to measure how the hormone concentration changed, and how it affected various things including sleep).
In terms of non-medical tools at bedtime (or other times), there is meditation, on your own or through various apps like Oak and Calm. I like Oak a lot, my brain recognizes the sound of the routine. Others I know like Calm for other routines that I find too busy.
In terms of supplements, I don’t find a sleep effect from any of these but family and friends do – magnesium (glycinate), B12, L-theanine, ashwagandha. Magnesium oil rubbed on the soles of the feet is even more effective according to some of them (like knock you out till morning effective).
ETA: On the OP re foods, but I think these are more about falling asleep than sleep quality – warm milk with honey, or some protein item to keep you full overnight (plain yogurt or with honey and nuts, nuts or nut butter, cheese, an egg even).
Slept a little better last night. In addition to the valerian-laced tea, I ate a big spoonful of peanut butter right before bed.
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I and virtually every person I’ve met who’s tried a CPAP notices a big improvement. It’s become a bit of a joke for us, but I know several guys who vehemently denied they are apneaic and even that they snore. Their partners all roll their eyes. I have an extra machine and always keep spare hoses/masks, so I challenge them to try CPAP for 3 nights. The ones who’ve tried it ALL concluded they (and partners) slept better.
Can I visit 
I wish there were some way to test out the machine without dropping several thousand dollars on it!
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Sure, drop on over.
The right way to do it is to have a sleep study and have the machine prescribed, but the only real setting is pressure (and you can vary that yourself). You need a mask that fits and you tolerate, and then choose to humidify or not.
I found my extra at… a garage sale for $100. The seller was an ER doc who decided just to lose 50 pounds and didn’t use it. I ended up keeping that one at our beach house so I don’t have to schlep a machine back and forth.
If you have apnea, a CPAP can not only improve your sleep. It can save your life.
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I’m doing a sleep study next week. I kind of dread the idea of the machine (really, the mask) and especially the idea of having to shlep it when I travel, which is frequently. I am a person who prides herself on her super-light packing skills, and never checks a bag. Having to haul that machine around would blow all of that up!
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Nah. Unless you’re one of the few people who simply can’t tolerate the mask/hose, they’re easily acclimated to. And there are small travel models.
Speaking of travel, 2 things. One, the machines don’t count in airline carryon limits. Two, some machines can still operate without the humidifier half, which makes it small enough to be tolerable travelling with. Combining 1 & 2, you can fill you CPAP bag with other travel stuff.
Just don’t do the implant…
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That’s how I felt many years ago when travelling.
When flying by commercial air, the unit took up half of my carry on case. I was able to carry on distilled water for the humidifier tank, tho. The TSA in Molokai were especially troublesome when it came to packing my unit in my carry on luggage. They took the carrying case and contents apart, those b*&^%$ds. Ten days, two mainland airports and 4 islands were smooth with that one exception.
I hope, if you have to have the machine, that you find a person at the medical supply center that will fit you and work with you to get the greatest experience. There are many different units out there and accoutrements. I found the mask liners were very helpful. I went through three different companies in ten years and still wasn’t completely satisfied.
You do what you gotta do. I’m so glad I graduated out of it!
Thanks, that is great info! Do you mean I can bring my regular rollaboard plus a personal item plus the CPAP in its bag? Or just leave the humidifier part out, stuff the CPAP itself into my rollaboard, and then put other stuff into the CPAP carrying bag?
As for an implant, I don’t even know what that is and I don’t think I want to.
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Whatever you do, do not bring the CPAP and it’s travel bag on board unless you have it packed in a regular carry on suitcase. You don’t want someone picking up your valuable machine thinking it was theirs.
Absolutely, yes. Medical devices are exempt. I’m not sure this is required, but I let the airlines know in advance I’ll be adding a medical device.
I normally leave the humidifier half at home, and then “top up” the CPAP bag with other stuff, i.e., stuff that might have overfilled the carryon and personal item.
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Yes, I had a colleague who toted his CPAP with him on our ridiculous travel schedule (90%). He said no one gave him a second glance…he left his in the original bag so everyone knew it was a CPAP without having to open bags all the time.
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Wow. TIL! This is excellent information that I would never have guessed on my own.
Great advice. Thanks!
The implant is called inspire. The short version is it acts similar to a pacemaker but instead of for your heart it’s for your airway sending electrical signals to those muscles to keep things open
A relative works on the code for how the implant collets data and reports it. I just putting the information out there.
Eek. I am unlikely to be eligible for that (having not tried CPAP yet) but even so…I’d rather stick to sleep meds. They work well enough.
I would say that if sleep meds work for you, I doubt you have OSA, but since you’re doing a sleep study soon, you’ll get those results pretty quickly.
[DISCLAIMER: I am not a doctor, although I have played one in the backyard.]
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I asked my sleep doctor about Inspire, and he was not enthusiastic. It’s not approved for most patients, and it only helps about 80% of those who get the foreign body implant surgery.
As a last resort, maybe. After seriously trying to use a CPAP or BiPAP and losing weight. Not just as an instant fix or to avoid extra luggage…
