For those of you with sleep apnea

[Smack]

Did anyone have really really really really really bad brain fog before using a CPAP machine? Did the machine cure it?

I've only been able to sleep with mine probably 5-10 full nights since Ive had one (over a year) but when I have I felt like an entirely different person.

 

[nothuman]

I've only been able to sleep with mine probably 5-10 full nights since Ive had one (over a year) but when I have I felt like an entirely different person.

Why do so many people struggle to sleep with it on? Does it fall off over night or something?

 

[danieltx]

Why do so many people struggle to sleep with it on? Does it fall off over night or something?

First is the adjustment to sleeping with something over your head and face. It just feels very different from lying your head on your pillow with nothing on it.

Second, and what was most challenging for me, is getting used to the airflow. It's a very strange sensation to exhale with it when you first start. I worked up over 4 - 6 weeks from only wearing it for 30 minutes to an hour, to a few hours, to all night.

The masks won't fall off at night, they have bands that go around the back of your head to keep it in place.

Finding the right mask for you is key for adherence. There are many options - full nose and mouth masks, nose only, nasal pillows (what I prefer), etc.

If you end up getting a CPAP, start getting used to it by using it during normal activities - watching TV, browsing the Internet, etc. This will help the adjustment period so you actually wear through your sleep and get the benefits.

I find it amazing how hard guys will push in the gym, the discomfort they'll bare there, but they can't apply that mindset to wearing their CPAP, when it can do so much to help their health and progress as a bodybuilder.

 

[nothuman]

Results are in and I do not have sleep apnea

 

[thethinker48]

Results are in and I do not have sleep apnea

Damn. So the search continues for the brain fog?


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[nothuman]

Damn. So the search continues for the brain fog?


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I'm pretty sure I narrowed it down to hypothyroid. I have been feeling better most of the time on 25mcg/50mcg T3/T4 since I've incorporated that. Still playing with the doses a little bit

 

[thethinker48]

I'm pretty sure I narrowed it down to hypothyroid. I have been feeling better most of the time on 25mcg/50mcg T3/T4 since I've incorporated that. Still playing with the doses a little bit

Any clue as to why your thyroid took a hit? I’m pretty sure you never messed with thyroid drugs in the past much. And usually discontinuing GH returns it back to baseline.


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[A50#]

I've only been able to sleep with mine probably 5-10 full nights since Ive had one (over a year) but when I have I felt like an entirely different person.

For my insurance to cover mine I had to sleep with mine on for a minimum of 6 hours every night for 3 months. If I didn't comply I had to return the CPAP unit or pay the $1300 out of pocket.

 

[nothuman]

Any clue as to why your thyroid took a hit? I’m pretty sure you never messed with thyroid drugs in the past much. And usually discontinuing GH returns it back to baseline.


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No idea. It looked like my free T3 was on the low side for years but the symptom didn't start until a year and a half ago. I am normal according to the lab range but the "normal" ranges are very inaccurate. I have a sneaky suspicion hypothyroid is common in bodybuilders but many don't realize it.

 

[Knight9]

No idea. It looked like my free T3 was on the low side for years but the symptom didn't start until a year and a half ago. I am normal according to the lab range but the "normal" ranges are very inaccurate. I have a sneaky suspicion hypothyroid is common in bodybuilders but many don't realize it.

There's only one other thing I can think of since apnea has been ruled out...and I mentioned it when we trained in NYC a few weeks ago. You could have had high cortisol levels and shot adrenals which then effected your thyroid function.

If that is the case, you could explore trying to restore optimal adrenal function rather than apply thyroid meds forever. Btw, I've heard several great minds say they suspect plenty of bodybuilders are hinging on the brink of being hypothyroid..if they aren't diagnosed already.

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[nothuman]

There's only one other thing I can think of since apnea has been ruled out...and I mentioned it when we trained in NYC a few weeks ago. You could have had high cortisol levels and shot adrenals which then effected your thyroid function.

If that is the case, you could explore trying to restore optimal adrenal function rather than apply thyroid meds forever. Btw, I've heard several great minds say they suspect plenty of bodybuilders are hinging on the brink of being hypothyroid..if they aren't diagnosed already.

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You are on to something here and I have thought about this. It seems complicated to try to check cortisol levels, fix them, etc. I think I'd have to come off every supplement two weeks and do a saliva test. My mother is actually doing this right now herself because she suspects her cortisol is shot. Another issue is I would have to feel horrible again if I come off the thyroid meds for any period of time. I'm going to research this a little more though. I looked back and saw FT3 at like 1.7 four years ago. Oddly enough, I wasn't as symptomatic then.

 

[Wynn]

I was just reading about the CES tech expo and saw this ScanWatch. It can apparently also measure blood oxygen levels.


Withings' new health watch can check for sleep apnea

I've lived with a CPAP machine for years, after I was diagnosed with sleep apnea. I had to do a sleep study to realize I even had apnea. There are a number of health wearables that have promised to eventually check for sleep apnea, including Fitbit. Withings looks like it may have beat everyone else to the punch with the ScanWatch at this year's CES in Las Vegas.

The French health tech company released an ECG-equipped watch last year, but the new ScanWatch looks like the most complete on-wrist health package yet. It also has a one-lead electrocardiagram for checking for arrhythmia, but has PPG (optical heart rate readings) and can engage in continuous monitoring for possible atrial fibrillation, much like the Apple Watch. The Withings ScanWatch also measures SpO2 for blood oxygen levels like Fitbit's wearables, and can track sleep. But the most intriguing feature is a deeper sleep analysis mode that can recognize possible sleep apnea.

There aren't other watches that can check for sleep apnea yet, even though Fitbit's promised this feature for a while in its sleep tracking tech. Withings claims that both atrial fibrillation and sleep apnea detection are "clinically validated," but no specific FDA clearance status has been posted yet.

According to Withings' PR, the watch is "currently going through the FDA and CE clearance approval processes for both ECG and sleep apnea detection," with more indications around Q2 this year of when the watch will be available (clearance timing often affects when health devices go on sale).

Withings' health smartwatches have been a consistently good choice for anyone looking for a normal-looking watch with solid fitness features inside. The ScanWatch looks like other previous Withings watches, with a stainless steel case, sapphire crystal dome, real analog watch hands, and also an OLED display for heart rate and other on-watch fitness stats. One standout feature could be its promised 30-day battery life, which is far beyond what competitors like Fitbit or the Apple Watch have.

At $249 (£229) for the 38mm model or $299 (£279) for 42mm, it's also more expensive, priced closer to the Apple Watch and the Samsung Galaxy Watch Active 2. (The Active 2, released last fall, has ECG features and fall detection capabilities, but hasn't been FDA-cleared yet.)

The version I tried at CES in Las Vegas, on a crowded showfloor, wasn't a working model...and detecting sleep apnea is something that would only work after a night's sleep, anyway. But the watch's design feels great, and I hope the final version works...because I could use the help to check up on how my nightly rest has been since using my CPAP.

https://www.cnet.com/news/withings-new-smartwatch-can-check-for-sleep-apnea/

 

[Nextlevel]

Id say even if you weren't diagnosed with apnea, you could still benefit from a cpap. I have mild apnea and its changed my life.

 

[Dr. Noe]

I was in a sleep study about 8 years ago because my wife said, I would wake up grasping for air. I told her she was full of shit. so I go to the place where they do the sleep study overnight. I wake up feeling good and the test results came back. I stop breathing on a average of 18 time per hour. Oh ya, everything was covered by my insurance. I think the machine was over 2k. These days is all about money and its a sad state to see insurance company's screw over there customers. In my days, that shit wouldn't fly. They have forgotten some of the secrets to running a successful business its called customer satisfaction.

I went home and followed the instructions like the doctor had instructed before l left. I made several attempts but I could not get use to it being over my face and most of the time, I would lay there for hours just trying to fall asleep. Plus there is this air sound that I would focus in on that was also keeping me awake and if your breath the wrong way, oh you will rip it off because its not the way you have been breathing. You should be breathing thru your nose like when you were a baby. this teaches you how to breath right again. So then I started taking ambient with the mask on. Still could not keep it on. I went back to the clinic and the doctor gave me a different type of mask which I was also taking off after about 15 minutes. I tried 5 types all together but eventually gave up.

My mother had to wear one and she had no problem. After 2 years she didn't need it anymore she said. But with all that said, I only sleep around 2 to 3 hours a night but will be in bed for 6. My body is use to it but I would be stronger with a full 8 hours sleep. The doc just put me on a new sleep medicine called about 3 months ago called Temazepam. That is not working nether.

 

[JOKER]

Of course weight loss sometimes helps. But I have a lot of underweight clientele with sleep apnea. Is usually from a combo of low test or high e2
Or high prolactin and/or chronic mouth breathing and hyperventilating.

There is also a huge correlation with sleep apnea to hypothyroid individuals.

Check out Buteyko method and the work of Patrick McKoewen. He has some great books and YouTube’s to help correct the

 

[Itachi]

I've done the at home sleep study it was a little awkward with all the wires...I wake up multiple times per night gasping and choking for air. I've also had my throat completely close temporarily and no air gets in or out.
Definitely get one that adjusts pressure automatically if you're a bodybuilder because otherwise you will need to have the pressure on the machine reset as your weight fluctuates.
That being said I've had my machine laying around for years and gone through 5+ masks and just cannot get used to it but this thread makes me want to try again...

 

[m314]

I'm getting ready to try a CPAP machine at home tonight. I've been putting it off for years, but my sleep quality has gotten worse and worse as I've gotten older. I hope this can improve things.

 

[Alongside333]

I’m a tremendous snorer but don’t have sleep apnea according to the sleep study - but due to the heavy snoring I had low oxygen levels - I got the APAP machine which automatically adjusts the setting according to your breathing

The thing I notice more than anything is my BP is down a good 10-15 points...maybe more
Was always 140s-90s now 120s-70s

Best thing I could have done for myself

man bro that is great news, my girl thinks im about to die because my oxygen levels go from 97 to 88, but i snore like a mug and i wake myself up etc... i got an appt thursday at a sleep study place here where i live

 

[alfresco]

https://www.dignityhealth.org/arizo...rvices/ent-otolaryngology/breathing-pacemaker

Speaking of sleep apnea. . . .

Does this mean anything to anybody?

 

[Golden]

I am picking up equipment for a home test in the next week. I’ve snored terrible and often stopped breathing during the night for many years, more so when at my heaviest body weights. Ive always put the lethargy during the afternoon, where I can be barely stay awake to having small kids and their ability to survive on minimal sleep!