cpap machines

May work for obstructive sleep apnea but not central sleep apnea, unfortunately

Found that Breathe Right strips were all that was needed, whether camping or home, to clear up snoring or other breathing difficulties.  This was after sleep tests etc. by Docs who prescribed heavy CPAP gear, which was returned to the source.  Am I the only one who has had this experience?

Supposedly I have ‘extreme’ apnea.  I wonder. At the end of the day, ya gotta ask  yourself, ‘do I feel better during the day and sleep better at night with cpap?’ For me the answer is a resounding Yes. So I gladly use cpap every night.

I tried all kinds of nasal strips and such while backpacking;  nothing really worked. No matter, I still slept pretty well while hiking. I think those dental appliances that treat apnea may be a good substitute for cpap while hiking. but they’re expensive and many folks find they’re painful. those devices are certainly light weight.

Once I developed atrial fibrillation(since fixed) I was REALLY sold on cpap. There’s a strong correlation  between afib and  apnea.

I looked into the dental appliance. The specialist I talked to said it wouldn’t work for me because my throat narrows far down my neck and the dental appliance only affects the part near the jaw.

So anyway – talk to your doctors.

I “only” have mild apnea, but I tried backpacking with no CPAP (sleeping on my side, as is my usual way) and slept so badly that it just wasn’t fun.

So I went on a multi-hundred dollar journey to get a travel CPAP and a battery and a little  crate to keep the quilt fabric away from the CPAP air intake on nights when it’s cold and I keep the CPAP in the foot of my quilt. It’s worth it to me, but I’m blessed to have some discretionary funds and the capability to healthily carry extra weight and cursed with bad sleep.

With my diagnosis of OSA, the doctor said he would prescribe the oral appliance, CPAP or Inspire, my choice. As a backpacker, I decided to go with the mouth piece and chose that over the Inspire because the implanted battery that Inspire requires would disqualify me from any MRI study I might need in the future. After a year of nightly use, my TMJs were starting to be chronically achy so I gave it up and switched to CPAP and glad that I did. I currently use in ResMed Airsense 11. After the doctor reviewed the data from the machine, he told me my apnea was essentially gone. I still only get about six hours of sleep a night but the quality is much better. There is now an AirSense Mini but that isn’t in the budget for now, so when camping, I still take the mouthpiece. It works, but not nearly as well as the AirSense.

As a sidenote, there was a simple neoprene strap that came with my CPAP prescription designed to keep your mouth closed while sleeping and on CPAP. I only used it  a couple of times. Using the mask and the strap, it was all a bit too much going on around the face so I gave up on it. For backpacking however,  I think I will try it again, who knows, maybe that’s all I needed all along, just something simple to keep my mouth shut while sleeping.

Jerry and jscott et al;

Thank you for the insights.  Clearly the problem for me was in the interior nasal area, and suggests why the breathe right strips were effective.  I also keep Austin air cleaners with the “Plus” filters on at low setting, but running all the time in the bedroom and living room where the most time is spent.  The well water also has a radon removal device and a Pentair all purpose filter, and I drink only Poland Spring water at home.

That probably sounds overdone to most; however, years ago when taking care of several cats for some family and friends, they all suffered from short lives (the cats I mean).  After switching to Poland Spring, my cats have all lived at least 15 years and longer.

So while I live surrounded by national forest land, there is a highway serving tourism and a truck route just 500 feet away, and my neighbor and I have both had types of cancer; fortunately that succumbed to treatment.  So I believe that even in the boonies, there is a great deal of pollution and air contamination.  Still, I think that hiking and backpacking in wilderness areas during most of my life has also been helpful.  Don’t even use a smart phone; but more to keep from polluting my brain than the rest of me.  But as far as pulmonary issues go, some precautions definitely seem to have been helpful in improving the quality of life.  Sam, in Chocorua NH