Need help with snoring! (1 Viewer)

[Dean Cooper]

As I get older my snoring continues to get worse and worse. I have tried using that snore stop spray, pill and the breath right strips but unfortunately they haven’t worked for me. I snore no matter how I’m sleeping, back, side and stomach are all the same; I keep the entire house up. Anyone have ideas for me to try before my wife decides to suffocate me with her pillow?

Dean

 

[BrianB]

Yes, go talk to your doctor or a "sleep specialist" about getting tested for Sleep Apnea.

It's a common sleep disorder that is potentially life threatening. There's been a couple of good long threads about it & other causes of snoring - do a search.

 

[LDfan]

Dean, Funny you mention this. I've been a bad snorer for years so I went to a ENT doctor (ear, nose, throat) and they set me up for a sleep study. A sleep study will determine if you have sleep apnea. As suggested just do a search on the forum for "sleep apnea". There's a couple of good posts covering the subject here.

My sleep study is scheduled for tonite so I'll be able to answer any questions tomorrow.


Jeff

 

[ChuckDeLa]

I have sleep apnea and so does my uncle and two people I work with. It's very common. You should definitely get a sleep study done. If you do have it and get treatment (usually a CPAP machine... basically an oxygen mask you wear while sleeping), you will sleep better and feel much better during the day. And your wife won't kill you.

 

[Jeffrey Noel]

How do you get two 200 pound English Mastiffs to stop snoring? Seriously. My landlord, who lives up stairs, has two Mastiffs that snore horribly! I bang on the ceiling all the time, because I can actually FEEL them snoring. Talk about annoying!

For my snoring, I've used Breathe Right nose strips with a Breathe Right snore relief throat spray with success. The spray does make your throat feel "funny" though.

 

[Len Cheong]

Use a sound conditioner from Marpac industriies. Situate it just beside your wife on the night table and turn it on when you go to bed. It's supposed to emit white noise that's supposed to be restful.

 

[Dean Cooper]

Thanks for the help guys. It does look like I have a lot of the symptoms of sleep apnea so I made an appointment to see my doctor on Monday. I did quite a bit of research today and found that the waiting list for the sleep study here is 2 years :frowning: . Sigh, I guess I should invest in a good second bed I can put in the garage or something until then.

Dean

 

[ChuckDeLa]

Ouch, 2 years? When I did my sleep study in 1991, the wait was like 2 days. Awareness of the condition has really mushroomed in recent years.

 

[Karl_Luph]

If you don't have sleep aphnea, you might try to lose weight, I've heard this helps too.

 

[LDfan]

I just got back home from my sleep study last night. Well I have sleep apnea. I was there for a split-night polysomnogram. The criteria was that I had to show signs of sleep apnea within the first 2 hours of falling asleep and if so then they fitted me with a CPAP machine and adjusted the air-flow through the rest of the night. It was a little strange trying to get used to it but I really think it'll help me out.

Talk to your doctor Dean. Maybe there are other hospitals and/or clinics in your area that can fit you in faster.


Jeff

 

[BrianB]

It was a little strange trying to get used to it but I really think it'll help me out

Most people can adjust to them pretty easily. It's part of our nightly routine now.

 

[Matt Stryker]

How much on average do the studies cost? I'm only asking since I'm almost sure my HMO will cover none or very little of the cost.

 

[Walt N]

Matt, I'm not sure what the studies cost but I have read on the various "Sleep Apnea" sites and forums (Google will pull up a bunch of them for you) that many with HMO's have been covered.

I went in last week for a consultation and have my sleep study scheduled for a couple of weeks from now. Losing weight will surely help me as my neck size went up with my waist, but my energy level is so low I feel I need to fix the breathing first to have a fighting chance at the other.

Good luck guys.

 

[LDfan]

Matt, I'm not sure of the cost but even a HMO should cover the cost. The reason being that sleep apnea if left untreated can have serious health problems in the long run such as heart attacks etc... They'd rather pay for a sleep study and a CPAP or surgery than heart surgery.


Jeff

 

[Cees Alons]

Dean,

And while you're waiting for that study and are losing some weight, a practical advice: try sleeping on your sides (or if you wake up your wife, let her give you a "pull"). Most people who snore do it only, or mostly, when sleeping on their backs (tongue sinks in throat).

Hope this helps.

Cees