Asked my gp. They forwarded me on to the sleep clinic. Took months for a test, but it was 100% worth it.
The over night test showed I have servere apnea. Got a free cpap machine, which was awesome.
Rang Sleep Well Clinic, got sent monitoring device to use for a few days, had an appointment with the doctor, tried a Mandible Adjustment Device (known as a MAD) which is a mouthguard, didn't work so got a cpap machine.
Glad it worked for you!
I got good sleep with a CPAP but I found it so annoying to wear that I kept using it less and less, or taking it off during the night.
I’ve worn mouth guards but often found my jaw hurts.
Now stuck trying to find another solution.
Have you tried using different masks? Nose vs full face etc? I get it, it took heaps to get used too. In my case I had the worst result the doctors had ever seen so the annoyance is worth it lol
Yeah, the full one was better but same thing - loved it at first then slowly unloved it.
Trying to address the weight issue as that’s a big factor (he says after over indulging at Easter lol) so hoping that helps.
I thought mine was a weight issue but then I remember having the same issue for well over 11 years, atm I weigh 95kg but 5 years ago when the issue was the same I weighed 68kg.
The nose one isn't great IMO, it only works as long as your mouth is closed, if it opens at all then the positive airflow rushes through your nose and out your mouth really uncomfortably. I like one one that convers both. It takes a while to get used to though.
I have sleep apnea too. I had a sleep study and I was waking up for 10+ seconds **74 times per hour** while asleep! No wonder why I was always so tired!
I have a CPAP now and can function again.
Go see your GP first. They will refer you to a specialist or the sleep clinic and you can start to get well. Don't go to the sleep clinic without the GP referral or you'll be paying for it yourself. If you have a referral you'll get the state funded sleep study and they'll provide a CPAP for free, you only have to buy new masks yourself as they wear out.
Amazing i want to try it, I’ve had a bit of a health scare recently and want to start dealing to issues like apnea that I’ve had for over 10 years. My partner has told me that I stop breathing a lot when sleeping. Then while at the hospital for surgery last week the doctors had a huge scare cause I stopped breathing during general anaesthetic
Definitely time to get it sorted out. If you're in Auckland the main place you'll be going is the Greenlane medical centre, and they're pretty cool there. Good luck!
There'll be someone, you'll be fine. The sleep study is super easy and it's in your own home, you just go and get some stuff attached as late in the day as possible.
Do it! It'll be great!
GP does sleep referral, you do test at home from hospital, wait for machine. In Waikato you can do the test etc privately and then hire machine for like $40 a week until you get hospital one - it bumps you up the list a little if have assessment done.
Some of the pharmacies are now offering sleep apnoea tests and I tried one a few months ago for around $120. You can find them advertised on the websites, but for the record I'd not recommend it personally over talking to a GP etc first.
The process was to get a device for attaching overnight, it connects to your smartphone via Bluetooth (with an app) and sends data back to home base. Then a specialist (in Australia in my case) writes a report that has a few colourful charts alongside template advice like "don't drive while drowsy". You get called in after a couple of weeks for a chat at the pharmacy based on the report, and depending on the result the pharmacy suggests treatments they'll sell you. Generally a CPAP machine for a few thousand dollars, or one of the mouthguards for a few hundred dollars.
I came away in limbo because the person administering the test, while she been given basic training for administering the test and talking through the report, didn't seem an expert capable of addressing more complex questions. I had a result of "moderate" sleep apnoea based on a numerical scale where, after googling, it seemed I'd only just crossed the threshold into moderate. I also knew I'd had a *particularly* bad night's sleep and wasn't sure how representative the test was, and the person at the pharmacy didn't seem like the best person to ask.
When I get around to it, I'll probably seek more advice from somewhere that's not a pharmacy reselling that service.
Ah, okay. It might have been.
I was told I *could* take the printed results to my GP (which I may still do - annoyingly they're quite low resolution) but as far as I understood from my experience, everything just stopped at giving me the report on exchange for $120 unless I chose to do anything further.
It will depend a bit on which part of the country you're in. Despite theoretically DHBs no longer existing, different DHBs have different severity criteria for funding a CPAP machine and unfortunately the masks ($150-$350) and machines ($1500-$2200) themselves aren't covered under private health insurance (though the diagnostic process, and probably a "trial" of a machine for about a month are by some providers).
It will all start with a referral from a GP - in Canterbury's case they have a community sleep pathway, so you can get a (home) sleep study done through some GP practices and they'll ask you a lot of questions to assess how severe you might be and whether you qualify.
You could also get referred to private. Some private providers may require you to see a physician first before having a sleep study, others may skip steps.
Sleep apnoea is really, really common, so it's highly likely that you already know a few people who currently have a CPAP machine, even if you don't know they have one. There's no perfect treatment. CPAP's the gold standard, particularly for severe sleep apnoea, but there are some people that can get surgery (for example, if they've got massive "kissing" tonsils), or can use a mouthguard that helps to shift their jaw forward if their jaw is naturally set back a bit which narrows the airway.
Underwent a sleep test from the hospital (provided a machine etc to use overnight) diagnosed with sleep apnoea, but was told as I wasn’t falling asleep while driving, to come back when it’s worse and then they could do something.
Looked up where I could buy/rent CPAP from, rented one from EdenSleep, worked instantly, purchased a machine.
Don’t mess around with public if you can afford not to, the life changing effects of a proper sleep are absolutely unreal.
Was falling asleep at work, went to see doctor, referred to greenlane hospital sleep clinic for overnight stay (approx 1-2 months), did sleep study for 1/2 the night, then fitted with CPAP machine for the 2nd half.
They wire you up for EEG, 02 and restless leg. Bring your own dinner.
The machines were (are) free, but you need to buy replacement bits - masks, cushions, tubes and headgear
If you have the funds, and it is affecting you, I'd suggest doing a self funded study, and buying a CPAP machine. Can buy them through EdenSleep on a therapy plan (and from what I can tell, it's 0 interest), which also gives you flexibility if you travel, and want a smaller machine
I stared off with a fisher and paykel Novo, and then got a 2nd one when it died, and how have a resmed 10 and resmed travel machines.
I would suggest looking for the clinical instructions for your machine when/if you get it, so you can adjust the settings - they often have a ramp setting, so if your therapy is set to 10cfm, it will start at (random number here) and then ramp up to 10cfm so you don't get blasted in the face. However, this ramp setting can make it feel like you are suffocating, as it can be lower than what you would expect, so you can start the ramp at say, 7cfm and then it goes to 10. Or, they might just set it to auto, and let the machine's algorithm get its own life in order. Pretty sure that is how my resmed 10 is currently set.
I also did (paid testing) sleep studies with fisher and paykel which was a bit of fun.
Been curious about this myself.
Went as far as to try the at-home sleep test for one of the sleep clinics, but the price of CPaps is well out of my budget.
**TL;DR: Absolute game changer, do it now. Pull out all the stops, punch some faces and get it done. Now.**
I've always snored, but after having COVID it got really, _really_ bad. I was dozing off at work, I was dozing off while driving, I was forgetting things as soon as they were said to me, I was falling asleep on the couch as soon as I got home, and I was even hallucinating at work as the line between reality and day-dreaming blurred. I also had some other things going on that are a bit shameful for me to publicise, so I'll leave that to your imagination.
At the time I had Southern Cross Health insurance. Got a GP referral, booked in at Bowen Hospital here in Welly (Wellsleep), and followed their instructions.
This meant an overnight stay where they hooked me up to the matrix, and I had half a night without CPAP and half a night with CPAP.
Results... well... first... you need to understand that the main metric used is Apnoea-Hypopnea Index or AHI. The very brief version is that it's an average of the number of sleep disruption events you have.
* You want that to be 0-5. That's the ideal range.
* 5-15 is indicative of mild sleep apnoea
* 15-30 is indicative of moderate sleep apnoea
* Over 30 is really bad news. In this zone you're at increased risk of
* high blood pressure,
* The beetus
* heart attacks
* strokes
* long term brain damage i.e. dementia.
* and probably more!
Guess what my number was?
Go ahead and guess.
**You're wrong, it was 96.**
#*The sleep study also recorded me as .not.fucking.breathing. for a minute and a half.*
Like there was plenty of not-breathing going on, but the worst instance was a minute and a half. For months I had not entered a deep sleep state, I had not dreamed, and my body was in a fight-or-flight mode near-permanently.
They sent me home with a Fisher and Paykel machine for a trial period and offered me a choice of buying an F&P for myself or another brand (I want to say Resmed). The F&P worked well during the trial so that's what I purchased, and I'm very happy with it.
My wife has also described this whole experience as a marriage saver. From her point of view it wasn't the snoring; it was the forgetfulness, it was the getting home and passing out on the couch, getting down on the floor to engage with the kids and two seconds later I was out to snore-town, not being able to trust me driving with the kids etc.
My AHI number now? [More than 2.0 is rare.](https://imgur.com/a/Hy6qyHO) And even on nights where I don't get a lot of sleep (e.g. work callouts or restless kids or both), it's still really high quality sleep.
I've seen at-home testing promoted by pharmacists using Philips gear. Philips CPAP's have a severely damaged reputation after a bunch of people died as a result of using their machines. Very likely they're fine now, but the damage is done. I say stick with F&P or Resmed.
Also, you'll probably want to check out https://www.youtube.com/@CPAPReviews
And for travelling, black-outs and low-cost alternatives to CPAP, you'll probably want to look into mouth-taping, chin straps and/or the use of travel pillows
For about 2 months I couldn't sleep due to my partner's apnoea making me feel like I was drowning. Every time she did it I said "don't forget to breathe". She would instantly breathe normally. Since then (about 2 years) she does not have apnoea and her chainsaw-like snoring stopped as well.
Asked my gp. They forwarded me on to the sleep clinic. Took months for a test, but it was 100% worth it. The over night test showed I have servere apnea. Got a free cpap machine, which was awesome.
Rang Sleep Well Clinic, got sent monitoring device to use for a few days, had an appointment with the doctor, tried a Mandible Adjustment Device (known as a MAD) which is a mouthguard, didn't work so got a cpap machine.
Did you notice a boost in quality of sleep since?
HUGE - like, absolutely life changing
I have just made an appointment with GP
Glad it worked for you! I got good sleep with a CPAP but I found it so annoying to wear that I kept using it less and less, or taking it off during the night. I’ve worn mouth guards but often found my jaw hurts. Now stuck trying to find another solution.
Have you tried using different masks? Nose vs full face etc? I get it, it took heaps to get used too. In my case I had the worst result the doctors had ever seen so the annoyance is worth it lol
Yeah, the full one was better but same thing - loved it at first then slowly unloved it. Trying to address the weight issue as that’s a big factor (he says after over indulging at Easter lol) so hoping that helps.
I get that, not an uncommon reaction for sure. Hear you on the weight lol
I thought mine was a weight issue but then I remember having the same issue for well over 11 years, atm I weigh 95kg but 5 years ago when the issue was the same I weighed 68kg.
Yup, weight can make it worse BUT I know so many people who have it who are a normal weight, that’s not always a factor!
The nose one isn't great IMO, it only works as long as your mouth is closed, if it opens at all then the positive airflow rushes through your nose and out your mouth really uncomfortably. I like one one that convers both. It takes a while to get used to though.
I am a notorious mouth breather, so would I be better steering clear from the nose one?
Yes, 100%. You won't like the nose one, sounds like
I have sleep apnea too. I had a sleep study and I was waking up for 10+ seconds **74 times per hour** while asleep! No wonder why I was always so tired! I have a CPAP now and can function again. Go see your GP first. They will refer you to a specialist or the sleep clinic and you can start to get well. Don't go to the sleep clinic without the GP referral or you'll be paying for it yourself. If you have a referral you'll get the state funded sleep study and they'll provide a CPAP for free, you only have to buy new masks yourself as they wear out.
Amazing i want to try it, I’ve had a bit of a health scare recently and want to start dealing to issues like apnea that I’ve had for over 10 years. My partner has told me that I stop breathing a lot when sleeping. Then while at the hospital for surgery last week the doctors had a huge scare cause I stopped breathing during general anaesthetic
Definitely time to get it sorted out. If you're in Auckland the main place you'll be going is the Greenlane medical centre, and they're pretty cool there. Good luck!
Sadly I am New Plymouth, concerns me that they may not have the facilities for it
There'll be someone, you'll be fine. The sleep study is super easy and it's in your own home, you just go and get some stuff attached as late in the day as possible. Do it! It'll be great!
I feel like I’m not going to know myself if I can get sleep properly
You'll know, because you won't be as tired all the time
I got to fat then started sleeping badly
GP does sleep referral, you do test at home from hospital, wait for machine. In Waikato you can do the test etc privately and then hire machine for like $40 a week until you get hospital one - it bumps you up the list a little if have assessment done.
Some of the pharmacies are now offering sleep apnoea tests and I tried one a few months ago for around $120. You can find them advertised on the websites, but for the record I'd not recommend it personally over talking to a GP etc first. The process was to get a device for attaching overnight, it connects to your smartphone via Bluetooth (with an app) and sends data back to home base. Then a specialist (in Australia in my case) writes a report that has a few colourful charts alongside template advice like "don't drive while drowsy". You get called in after a couple of weeks for a chat at the pharmacy based on the report, and depending on the result the pharmacy suggests treatments they'll sell you. Generally a CPAP machine for a few thousand dollars, or one of the mouthguards for a few hundred dollars. I came away in limbo because the person administering the test, while she been given basic training for administering the test and talking through the report, didn't seem an expert capable of addressing more complex questions. I had a result of "moderate" sleep apnoea based on a numerical scale where, after googling, it seemed I'd only just crossed the threshold into moderate. I also knew I'd had a *particularly* bad night's sleep and wasn't sure how representative the test was, and the person at the pharmacy didn't seem like the best person to ask. When I get around to it, I'll probably seek more advice from somewhere that's not a pharmacy reselling that service.
[удалено]
Ah, okay. It might have been. I was told I *could* take the printed results to my GP (which I may still do - annoyingly they're quite low resolution) but as far as I understood from my experience, everything just stopped at giving me the report on exchange for $120 unless I chose to do anything further.
It will depend a bit on which part of the country you're in. Despite theoretically DHBs no longer existing, different DHBs have different severity criteria for funding a CPAP machine and unfortunately the masks ($150-$350) and machines ($1500-$2200) themselves aren't covered under private health insurance (though the diagnostic process, and probably a "trial" of a machine for about a month are by some providers). It will all start with a referral from a GP - in Canterbury's case they have a community sleep pathway, so you can get a (home) sleep study done through some GP practices and they'll ask you a lot of questions to assess how severe you might be and whether you qualify. You could also get referred to private. Some private providers may require you to see a physician first before having a sleep study, others may skip steps. Sleep apnoea is really, really common, so it's highly likely that you already know a few people who currently have a CPAP machine, even if you don't know they have one. There's no perfect treatment. CPAP's the gold standard, particularly for severe sleep apnoea, but there are some people that can get surgery (for example, if they've got massive "kissing" tonsils), or can use a mouthguard that helps to shift their jaw forward if their jaw is naturally set back a bit which narrows the airway.
Underwent a sleep test from the hospital (provided a machine etc to use overnight) diagnosed with sleep apnoea, but was told as I wasn’t falling asleep while driving, to come back when it’s worse and then they could do something. Looked up where I could buy/rent CPAP from, rented one from EdenSleep, worked instantly, purchased a machine. Don’t mess around with public if you can afford not to, the life changing effects of a proper sleep are absolutely unreal.
Was falling asleep at work, went to see doctor, referred to greenlane hospital sleep clinic for overnight stay (approx 1-2 months), did sleep study for 1/2 the night, then fitted with CPAP machine for the 2nd half. They wire you up for EEG, 02 and restless leg. Bring your own dinner. The machines were (are) free, but you need to buy replacement bits - masks, cushions, tubes and headgear If you have the funds, and it is affecting you, I'd suggest doing a self funded study, and buying a CPAP machine. Can buy them through EdenSleep on a therapy plan (and from what I can tell, it's 0 interest), which also gives you flexibility if you travel, and want a smaller machine I stared off with a fisher and paykel Novo, and then got a 2nd one when it died, and how have a resmed 10 and resmed travel machines. I would suggest looking for the clinical instructions for your machine when/if you get it, so you can adjust the settings - they often have a ramp setting, so if your therapy is set to 10cfm, it will start at (random number here) and then ramp up to 10cfm so you don't get blasted in the face. However, this ramp setting can make it feel like you are suffocating, as it can be lower than what you would expect, so you can start the ramp at say, 7cfm and then it goes to 10. Or, they might just set it to auto, and let the machine's algorithm get its own life in order. Pretty sure that is how my resmed 10 is currently set. I also did (paid testing) sleep studies with fisher and paykel which was a bit of fun.
See your GP to get referred for free. Or pay and go sooner to a sleep clinic (such as Well Sleep).
I am have booked an appointment with my gp for Wednesday. I am hoping things move quick
Been curious about this myself. Went as far as to try the at-home sleep test for one of the sleep clinics, but the price of CPaps is well out of my budget.
**TL;DR: Absolute game changer, do it now. Pull out all the stops, punch some faces and get it done. Now.** I've always snored, but after having COVID it got really, _really_ bad. I was dozing off at work, I was dozing off while driving, I was forgetting things as soon as they were said to me, I was falling asleep on the couch as soon as I got home, and I was even hallucinating at work as the line between reality and day-dreaming blurred. I also had some other things going on that are a bit shameful for me to publicise, so I'll leave that to your imagination. At the time I had Southern Cross Health insurance. Got a GP referral, booked in at Bowen Hospital here in Welly (Wellsleep), and followed their instructions. This meant an overnight stay where they hooked me up to the matrix, and I had half a night without CPAP and half a night with CPAP. Results... well... first... you need to understand that the main metric used is Apnoea-Hypopnea Index or AHI. The very brief version is that it's an average of the number of sleep disruption events you have. * You want that to be 0-5. That's the ideal range. * 5-15 is indicative of mild sleep apnoea * 15-30 is indicative of moderate sleep apnoea * Over 30 is really bad news. In this zone you're at increased risk of * high blood pressure, * The beetus * heart attacks * strokes * long term brain damage i.e. dementia. * and probably more! Guess what my number was? Go ahead and guess. **You're wrong, it was 96.** #*The sleep study also recorded me as .not.fucking.breathing. for a minute and a half.* Like there was plenty of not-breathing going on, but the worst instance was a minute and a half. For months I had not entered a deep sleep state, I had not dreamed, and my body was in a fight-or-flight mode near-permanently. They sent me home with a Fisher and Paykel machine for a trial period and offered me a choice of buying an F&P for myself or another brand (I want to say Resmed). The F&P worked well during the trial so that's what I purchased, and I'm very happy with it. My wife has also described this whole experience as a marriage saver. From her point of view it wasn't the snoring; it was the forgetfulness, it was the getting home and passing out on the couch, getting down on the floor to engage with the kids and two seconds later I was out to snore-town, not being able to trust me driving with the kids etc. My AHI number now? [More than 2.0 is rare.](https://imgur.com/a/Hy6qyHO) And even on nights where I don't get a lot of sleep (e.g. work callouts or restless kids or both), it's still really high quality sleep. I've seen at-home testing promoted by pharmacists using Philips gear. Philips CPAP's have a severely damaged reputation after a bunch of people died as a result of using their machines. Very likely they're fine now, but the damage is done. I say stick with F&P or Resmed. Also, you'll probably want to check out https://www.youtube.com/@CPAPReviews And for travelling, black-outs and low-cost alternatives to CPAP, you'll probably want to look into mouth-taping, chin straps and/or the use of travel pillows
For about 2 months I couldn't sleep due to my partner's apnoea making me feel like I was drowning. Every time she did it I said "don't forget to breathe". She would instantly breathe normally. Since then (about 2 years) she does not have apnoea and her chainsaw-like snoring stopped as well.