Has anyone ever done a sleep clinic thing?

[Yeoman Randi]

My husband has been snoring for 30 years. He snores no matter what position he is in. He snores quite loudly. I sleep quite lightly. I have not had a good night's sleep in 30 years.

Recently it has gotten REALLY bad. I have been oh-so-tempted to smother him with a pillow, or, move to the empty bedroom permanently. For the last year i begged him to see a doctor about participating in one of those sleep clinics to see if there is something he can do about it. (A few years ago he had surgery for his deviated septum and we had hoped it would end the snoring but it didn't.)

So, for the last month i've been really really cranky....and he finally broke down and went to the doctor who got him an appt for a sleep clinic thingie.

I'm curious if anyone here has ever done one of those clinics? He is spending the night there and will be hooked up to stuff (i think mostly to see if he has apnea, but also to see if anything can be done to stop the snoring which is louder than a pack of lumberjacks taking down a forest).

I figure if nothing else, i will get ONE good night's sleep (the night he is there!) But, has anyone ever done one of these and if so, was a remedy figured out for your problem?

 

[Bloodwhiner]

Never done one but it isn't needed to know that A) I snore like a chainsaw hooked to a Peavey Amp cranked up and B) I have apnea (freaks my wife out). I've tried the breathing assists that you wear when you sleep and they were a failure. I sleep on my stomach and would knock the mask off.

ANYWAY - one word of advice to your husband based on a co-worker experience. Do NOT allow anyone to take a photo of you hooked up. If you do, it will find it's way to your co-workers and you will get laughed at.

Good luck

 

[TheSeeker]

I went to a sleep clinic and all they could tell me is that I snore but I don't have apnea. No solutions were offered.

You should just do what my wife and I do. We each have our own bedroom and the only time we actually sleep in the same bed is when we travel.

 

[Robert Maxwell]

Apnea is commonly what is found in sleep studies. After that, they usually want you to start wearing a CPAP, which Bloodwhiner alluded to. But also, as he said, most people can't stand to wear them! They really suck.

As a cheap remedy with low risk, he could try some of those nasal strips and see if they help. They may not do any good but they're worth a shot.

I believe there are surgeries that can be done to alleviate snoring, but they are rarely performed unless there are very serious consequences arising from said snoring.

 

[Yeoman Randi]

In talking to people about this problem i have learned that more than half DO sleep in separate bedrooms. I was very surprised to learn that. We really want to try to avoid doing that (even after 30 years of marriage)...we're hoping the techs/docs come up with some other solution for us. The ear/nose/throat guy he saw thinks the "oral appliance" might work to stop the snoring, but wanted him to do the study anyway in case he has apnea or some other health problem.

Edit: Husband has tried the nasal strips. In fact, last week the snoring was so bad that he tried using TWO to see if it helped. It didn't.

Robert Maxwell, if there is a surgery that will stop the husband's snoring he better have it. If he doesn't serious consequences will arise. I will kill him while he sleeps. Or move to the other bedroom.

 

[Tom Hendricks]

I did the sleep test, well aware of my sleep apnea. Of course they diagnosed me with sleep apnea. I was given a c-pap machine about a year ago. I really wish I had done it sooner, sleeping with the c-pap machine is easy to get use to. In fact after using it, you will hate not sleeping with it. You will get use to waking up refreshed and well rested. I forgot my machine when we went away for a weekend, not wearing it is like not sleeping at all.

 

[Misfit Toy]

I did the sleep test, well aware of my sleep apnea. Of course they diagnosed me with sleep apnea. I was given a c-pap machine about a year ago. I really wish I had done it sooner, sleeping with the c-pap machine is easy to get use to. In fact after using it, you will hate not sleeping with it. You will get use to waking up refreshed and well rested. I forgot my machine when we went away for a weekend, not wearing it is like not sleeping at all.

^This.

I have severe sleep apnea. The sleep study indicated that stopped breathing over 500 times. The CPAP I use is quiet, and (more-or-less) comfortable. Any discomfort is far outweighed by the quality of sleep I get now.

 

[Yeoman Randi]

^ I'll be honest, even if they decide the c-pap is what my husband needs, i doubt he'll do it. It's a vanity thing. He could really use a hearing aid, but refuses to do that as well. So i have to repeat myself a LOT to him. Which i hate doing.

Can you hear the crankiness creeping into my voice?

I do think he has apnea. He is TIRED all the time and falls asleep in positions no human being should be able to. I say it is because he isn't getting a restful sleep due to the snoring. He says it is because he gets up so early. This has been a bone of contention for some time now......I'm really hoping they figure something out when he's at the clinic.

 

[Robert Maxwell]

^ I'll be honest, even if they decide the c-pap is what my husband needs, i doubt he'll do it. It's a vanity thing. He could really use a hearing aid, but refuses to do that as well. So i have to repeat myself a LOT to him. Which i hate doing.

Can you hear the crankiness creeping into my voice?

I do think he has apnea. He is TIRED all the time and falls asleep in positions no human being should be able to. I say it is because he isn't getting a restful sleep due to the snoring. He says it is because he gets up so early. This has been a bone of contention for some time now......I'm really hoping they figure something out when he's at the clinic.

Would it help convince him if you told him he could die if he doesn't get it treated? Apnea puts a major strain on your heart, and can kill you in your sleep if you let it go on.

 

[Udat]

Boyfriend and I have been together for 12 years he snores really badly, and for twelve years we have lived in seperate bedrooms, it works for us.

 

[RevDMV]

I've snored my whole life, it's a structural thing as my weight is within normal range.

I've had two sleep studies over the years, both times I checked out without apnea, but in the words of the tech, was loud as hell.

Through my research the reports I hear about all various surgical methods are pretty bleak. You might hit the jackpot and get one that works for some time, but long term the body ages and the snoring/apnea tends to return. Worst case you end up with a complication and are worse off for it.

I can't wear the CPap, feels like I'm being smothered.

What's worked me is an oral appliance. I've been through several, again the body changes and they do wear out over time.

Just recently fitted for a brand new one.

And yes, if I have a cold or allergies, I sleep downstairs.

30 years? Your're a saint my wife would killed me long before that.

 

[Yeoman Randi]

Would it help convince him if you told him he could die if he doesn't get it treated? Apnea puts a major strain on your heart, and can kill you in your sleep if you let it go on.

I have to hope it would convince him but we'll have to wait and see.

I've snored my whole life, it's a structural thing as my weight is within normal range.

I've had two sleep studies over the years, both times I checked out without apnea, but in the words of the tech, was loud as hell.

Through my research the reports I hear about all various surgical methods are pretty bleak. You might hit the jackpot and get one that works for some time, but long term the body ages and the snoring/apnea tends to return. Worst case you end up with a complication and are worse off for it.

I can't wear the CPap, feels like I'm being smothered.

What's worked me is an oral appliance. I've been through several, again the body changes and they do wear out over time.

Just recently fitted for a brand new one.

And yes, if I have a cold or allergies, I sleep downstairs.

30 years? Your're a saint my wife would killed me long before that.

"but in the words of the tech, was loud as hell."

Heh, actually 31 because we lived together for a year prior to getting married. And yes, i tell him all the time how lucky he is that i haven't killed him over this. The doc told him he thinks the oral appliance will work for him (he scoped him up the nose practically into his brain) because he sees nothing else that would cause the snoring. He asked about the stapling thing (i had mentioned it to the husband) but the doc said he didn't think that would solve his particular problem.

I don't know what i am hoping for. A miracle i guess. We really don't want to go to separate bedrooms......well, he has the sleep study appt so we'll have to wait and see.

 

[RevDMV]

Oh, I hate that scope...

Good luck to him and you, I know for myself, the mouthpiece has been the ultimate mute device.

 

[KimMH]

My little peanut has had three. A C-pap is not very likely - he hates all the other breathing apparatii we use on him and there is no way he'd countenance one all night.

Perhaps an intermediate step like one of those mouth guard things?

My hubs is looking at a septum scraping in the yet-to-be-determined future himself. That works for some - others not so much.

Good luck to you both and big hugs!

 

[Crusher Disciple]

Beats me- I hate sleeping on the couch sometimes because both of my cats snore. Loudly.

 

[sbk1234]

^ I'll be honest, even if they decide the c-pap is what my husband needs, i doubt he'll do it. It's a vanity thing. He could really use a hearing aid, but refuses to do that as well. So i have to repeat myself a LOT to him. Which i hate doing.

Can you hear the crankiness creeping into my voice?

I do think he has apnea. He is TIRED all the time and falls asleep in positions no human being should be able to. I say it is because he isn't getting a restful sleep due to the snoring. He says it is because he gets up so early. This has been a bone of contention for some time now......I'm really hoping they figure something out when he's at the clinic.

He sounds a lot like my father. He's now been using the cpap for a bunch of years. He got used to it, as did my mother. She spent close to a decade sleeping in her own room over this. She does sleep in ear plugs now, but she is such a light sleeper that a fly farting in the next room would wake her.
Also, my father won't wear his hearing aids, but uses the c-paps. So, hopefully your husband will.
Apnea can be very dangerous, so let us know how it goes.

 

[The Boy Who Cried Worf]

I was diagnosed with sleep apnea about eight ears ago and have used a CPAP machine ever since The difference is like night and day. I used to be almost completely unable to get up in the morning even after sleeping for 12 hours. A CPAP is literally a life saver. Football star Reggie White died of complications due to sleep apnea at the age of 43.

Some people can't seem to tolerate the mask, but I have had no problems. You'll have to find the right style mask for you though. There are kinds for the nose, for the mouth, and full face ones. I personally prefer the over the nose type.

You'll want to stay away from surgery for apnea. The two most common kinds involve either removing parts of your throat or cutting a hole in your windpipe. That used to be the only options and The CPAP was really a revolutionary treatment for it.

Regardless of what you do this is a problem that you just can't ignore. Apnea is rather common in men middle-aged, overweight men(although anyone can have it) and is a huge contributor to heart attacks.

 

[Kirby]

I've had a CPAP machine for almost 2 years now and it really has made a difference in the quality of my sleep. It's helped not only my apnea, but I get neck problems and sleeping on my stomach or sides hurts my neck, but due to the apnea I could never sleep on my back, so the CPAP allows me to sleep on my back, and keeps my neck in proper alignment.

 

[RoJoHen]

I used to snore like a madman until I had my tonsils removed. Now I don't snore at all.

 

[sbk1234]

I will add that weight has been a major issue. When my father's weight was down, the apnea went away and he was fine without the cpaps.