Sleep apnea on the trail

[nsherry61]

. . . After I was tested, I asked my doctor about it and he laughed. They are really only effective for people with mild apnea. . . I'm ok for a few days in the wilderness without it. . .

I have "moderate apnea" and sleeping, even 1/2 a night without my CPAP, provides me with intolerable headaches in the morning and completely screws up most of the next day. With a combination of a mandibular advancement device (MAD) and a nasal dilator I no longer snore and over three weeks of travel last month I experienced no symptoms of apnea at all! I am using my CPAP again, now that I am home, but I'm not sure I will spend the money on another one in the future due the the success of my MAD. Clearly what works for me may completely fail someone else. BUT . . .

Especially if you can manage a day or two without a CPAP machine, and especially if you have a connection with a dentist that can make you a custom MAD I would suggest you are crazy not to try it. If your doctor suggests MADs only work for mild apnea, he is NOT well read on the topic. A quick and simple literature search provided me with these references, ALL of which support the efficacy of MADs for many people. Yes, most of the studies were on people with mild to moderate apnea, because untreated or unsuccessfully treated severe apnea has serious health risks associated with even a single night of associated oxygen deprivation. In all, it seems to me that the potential benefit and convenience of being able to use a MAD make experimenting to see if it works for you a worth while effort.

An Oral Elastic Mandibular Advancement Device for Obstructive Sleep Apnea
KATHE G. HENKE , DONALD E. FRANTZ , and SAMUEL T. KUNA
https://doi.org/10.1164/ajrccm.161.2.9903079 PubMed: 10673180

Non-CPAP therapies in obstructive sleep apnoea: mandibular advancement device therapy
Marie Marklund, Johan Verbraecken, Winfried Randerath
European Respiratory Journal 2012 39: 1241-1247; DOI: 10.1183/09031936.00144711


Mandibular Advancement Device vs CPAP in the Treatment of Obstructive Sleep Apnea: Are they Equally Effective in Short Term Health Outcomes?
David P. White, M.D., F.A.A.S.M.1 and Shirin Shafazand, M.D., M.S., F.A.A.S.M.2


Mandibular advancement splints and continuous positive airway pressure in patients with obstructive sleep apnoea: a randomized cross‐over trial
Y. K. Tan P. R. L'Estrange Y.‐M. Luo C. Smith H. R. Grant A. K. Simonds S. G. SpiroJ. M. Battagel
European Journal of Orthodontics, Volume 24, Issue 3, 1 June 2002, Pages 239–249,https://doi.org/10.1093/ejo/24.3.239
Published:
01 June 2002

P.S. The medical profession is extremely conservative and surprisingly slow to adopt new technologies, treatments, and tests. Fully half the time I get advice from a doctor (most often from GPs, but also occasionally specialists), I find out it is not quite correct or that the solution suggested isn't necessarily the best for my particular issue, it's just the easiest or the textbook answer to a question that doesn't quite fit the text. Good doctors rock, but they are surprisingly hard to find!! A great family doctor may be spot on for the straight forward stuff and wonderful to work with, but then utterly incompetent without realizing it on less straight forward matters. It's always worth double-checking what your doctors tell you if you are not happy with the advice or the solution they provide.

[ggreaves]

Thanks for the info - I will check it out!

[yassine]

look for alternatives to cpap mask like wix and Somnoplasty just googling

[JackDuggan]

I have "moderate apnea" and sleeping, even 1/2 a night without my CPAP, provides me with intolerable headaches in the morning and completely screws up most of the next day. With a combination of a mandibular advancement device (MAD) and a nasal dilator I no longer snore and over three weeks of travel last month I experienced no symptoms of apnea at all! I am using my CPAP again, now that I am home, but I'm not sure I will spend the money on another one in the future due the the success of my MAD. Clearly what works for me may completely fail someone else. BUT . . .

Especially if you can manage a day or two without a CPAP machine, and especially if you have a connection with a dentist that can make you a custom MAD I would suggest you are crazy not to try it. If your doctor suggests MADs only work for mild apnea, he is NOT well read on the topic. A quick and simple literature search provided me with these references, ALL of which support the efficacy of MADs for many people. Yes, most of the studies were on people with mild to moderate apnea, because untreated or unsuccessfully treated severe apnea has serious health risks associated with even a single night of associated oxygen deprivation. In all, it seems to me that the potential benefit and convenience of being able to use a MAD make experimenting to see if it works for you a worth while effort.

An Oral Elastic Mandibular Advancement Device for Obstructive Sleep Apnea
KATHE G. HENKE , DONALD E. FRANTZ , and SAMUEL T. KUNA
https://doi.org/10.1164/ajrccm.161.2.9903079 PubMed: 10673180

Non-CPAP therapies in obstructive sleep apnoea: mandibular advancement device therapy
Marie Marklund, Johan Verbraecken, Winfried Randerath
European Respiratory Journal 2012 39: 1241-1247; DOI: 10.1183/09031936.00144711


Mandibular Advancement Device vs CPAP in the Treatment of Obstructive Sleep Apnea: Are they Equally Effective in Short Term Health Outcomes?
David P. White, M.D., F.A.A.S.M.1 and Shirin Shafazand, M.D., M.S., F.A.A.S.M.2


Mandibular advancement splints and continuous positive airway pressure in patients with obstructive sleep apnoea: a randomized cross‐over trial
Y. K. Tan P. R. L'Estrange Y.‐M. Luo C. Smith H. R. Grant A. K. Simonds S. G. SpiroJ. M. Battagel
European Journal of Orthodontics, Volume 24, Issue 3, 1 June 2002, Pages 239–249,https://doi.org/10.1093/ejo/24.3.239
Published:
01 June 2002

P.S. The medical profession is extremely conservative and surprisingly slow to adopt new technologies, treatments, and tests. Fully half the time I get advice from a doctor (most often from GPs, but also occasionally specialists), I find out it is not quite correct or that the solution suggested isn't necessarily the best for my particular issue, it's just the easiest or the textbook answer to a question that doesn't quite fit the text. Good doctors rock, but they are surprisingly hard to find!! A great family doctor may be spot on for the straight forward stuff and wonderful to work with, but then utterly incompetent without realizing it on less straight forward matters. It's always worth double-checking what your doctors tell you if you are not happy with the advice or the solution they provide.

What do you use for a nasal dilator? I have a mandibular advancement device, but I don't seem to get the same results as CPAP as a far as O2 concentration. I measure overnight with an oximeter and have many more SPO2 drops as they call them when I used the MAD.

[Mouser999]

I found in a local Med. Store a strap that fits over my head and keeps my mouth closed. Works pretty well for $10 though there are more expensive
straps