Posted by TemporarilyBob on September 6, 2012, at 22:53:33
In reply to Anyone using/benefiting from CPAP?, posted by Chris O on September 3, 2012, at 20:47:58
When I had my first sleep study, I averaged over 60 disturbances an hour, including one incident where I stopped breathing for over a minute. There is NO way I could consciously hold my breath that long! My blood oxygen dropped as low as 68% during the evening. CPAP wound up working wonders for me. Prior to it, I would have "sleep attacks," kinda like narcolepsy, where you just fall asleep in the middle of the day but I usually had about 10 seconds warning. It did take some time to adjust and, fortunately, I was never one for tossing and turning -- I always slept flat on my back, which helps considerably. If you do toss and turn, try blocking your head upright with pillows on either side, or even block the sides of your body to keep you from rolling.
The thing that helped me the most, and the thing that was the hardest to achieve, was losing about 60lbs, about 20-25% of my max body weight. I've had no need for CPAP ever since.
(my quick weight loss secret? PTSD. Sorry, I don't recommend it for even my worst enemies!)
BPSD | PTSD ... no health care, no meds.
Ain't America wonderful?
poster:TemporarilyBob
thread:1024801
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20120830/msgs/1025034.html