I'm not a doctor so take the info with a large grain of salt, as I may have left a lot of information out. Short answer - get a used CPAP from craigslist. There are a lot of people who try it, don't like it and end up having to sell it there. ----------- Long answer - A sleep study, and CPAP cost me ~$800 out of pocket with insurance. If I want to get a replacement CPAP later, I will need to get prescribed again and more out of pocket expense. If I want to adjust the pressure after a few years, I will have to get prescribed again. The initial prescription consist of A sleep study - overnight monitoring, - brain activity monitoring - trial of CPAP - trial of nasal and face mask - pressure adjustment of CPAP Once prescribed, - There is month long monitored use. They have a chip that I take to the office so they can download and analyze the logs. - if you don't use it x hours per night, your insurance may not pay for it. --------- A used CPAP can go from $100 to $300. You can find deals for a lot less. - IMO, a DIY study, is to turn up the pressure until you stop snoring. You can search the model of the CPAP to figure out how to adjust the pressure. I have seen a couple where you unplug the device, plug in, turn on while holding 2 random buttons to enable adjustments in pressure. - You can't buy the CPAP online since it's a medical device, and it's sale is regulated. The listings on ebay will get reported and removed. Retail must have prescription and they can go for ~$800-$1200. You can, however, buy accessory like face mask and such online. Below are features of newer CPAPs. - ramp up, Feature that starts at a lower pressure, then increase over a few minutes as you fall asleep. More comfort for the user. - a-flex, c-flex, Terms that mean the pressure is reduced as you exhale. More comfort for the user. - humidifier, More comfort for the user. - newer ones tend to be smaller, to make it easy for travel. I currently don't use ramp, flex, or humidifier. What to look for when buying a used CPAP. - low hours of use. They have hour meters. - low to none calcium buildup from humidifier. - get new mask and hose. face mask vs nasal mask. I'm currently using a nasal mask. You can't have a beard with face mask and only a light stash only with nasal mask otherwise there will be air leakage. If you do get one, you must make every effort to use it every day. It feels pretty uncomfortable in the beginning and looks hideous, but you will get used to it. Your S.O. will thank you for it. My wife used to wear earplugs to sleep. Remember, haters are going to hate. And also remember to always rub one out before going to sleep.
Wow! Thanks for the input ling ling. It's good going into this with the additional knowledge of how to avoid possible higher costs. Very helpful info. BTW...it seems the cpap machine helped your wife ...did it help you alleviate any of your symptoms?
Do you snore? The louder you snore, the more choking you have during sleep, the you more gasp for air in the middle of your sleep, the worse your sleep apnea is. This should fix it. It works great for me. I'm not tired or sleepy at work or from the drive home anymore. I got some as backups as well as a set packed for travel combined for less than a co-pay for a new set. I can sense when I start snoring, so I can adjust the pressure up or down as needed. I will not have anymore trips to the doctor for this symptom.
That would be a waste. There are ways to override machines to change pressures on bipap and cpap machines. I used to work with them everyday
My advice: I would not recommend using CPAP unless you have an actual diagnosis of obstructive sleep apnea. And I wouldn't buy a used CPAP machine unless you really know what you are doing. Don't try to adjust the CPAP yourself (you will likely either underpressurize which will result in poor tolerance or overpressurize resulting in central sleep apnea). If you are reasonably healthy, ask your PCP about doing a home sleep study. If that study is positive for sleep apnea, an auto-titrating CPAP can be used with no need for an in-lab sleep study. Proper mask fitting is paramount as well. Although achieving a proper diagnosis may be semi-expensive, I doubt anyone would treat themselves with anti-hypertensive medication without checking their blood pressure first. Self-treating for sleep apnea without proper knowledge of severity or type, may be jumping the gun a bit. Regarding dental appliances, they have been shown to be helpful in people with mild obstructive sleep apnea. A proper dental appliance is extremely expensive (on the order of $2000) but probably have somewhat better compliance rates than CPAP. Side effects are significant though, including malocclusion of the jaw.
What? How will it cause central sleep apnea? most central sleep apnea is caused by a brain/spinal injury. Of course theres, idiopathic CSA, which simply means the cause is unknown, but it's not because of too much pressure. Unless you mean knocking out someones drive to breath by bleeding in oxygen with someone with COPD.
It occurs via 2 mechanisms. 1. People with chronic obstructive sleep apnea and/or obesity hypoventilation syndrome will basically have a higher CO2 set point. If the CPAP pressure is too high, you can basically blow off too much CO2, in which the brain will then compensate by "holding your breath". Its not uncommon to see emergent central apneas during cpap titrations. The treatment decision when this occurs is generally complicated (lower cpap pressure, change to bipap/asv, add oxygen). 2. When pressure is too high, some people will have more cortical arousals resulting in more wake to N1 transitions. When this happens there is a tendency to have central apneas as CO2 set point will be higher in sleep than it is in wake state. I think it is important to know if central apneic events are occurring as significant oxygen desaturations can sometimes occur.
#1 doesnt qualify as central sleep apnea. I understand the concept of the hypoxic drive theory. That happens more with bipap more than cpap. I bipap you set respiratory rate. I believe thats for more ventilation issues than oxygenation. But I do agree with if you dont know what you're doing, dont mess with the pressures. I would say the main reason is because a high PEEP could cause lower blood pressures and pulmonary pressure, lower cardic output/venous return. I think those are bigger concerns than CSA. #2 Hypoventilation caused by obesity would be treated with bipap. knocking out someones hypoxic drive is more of an issue with bleeding in O2 and COPD'ers
Anyone know where to get this mask from? I just bought a CPAP machine today from craigslist for $210 bucks and I want the mask above but can't seem to find it.
Try cpapshop.com...see if it's compatible with your machine though. Also, if you're a mouth breather the nasal pillows won't be effective
