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Constant Positive Pressure



I'm a snorer. I'm not sure if that is a word... I snore like no other. It's an art form. I tell the scouts on campouts that it's my bear-defense mechanism. I ask - did you get eaten by a bear last night? No? You're welcome.

Due to a series of events, and after much advice, I decided to get it checked out. I went to an ENT who recommended having a sleep study. This was an interesting experience - and, while I don't recommend trying to sleep while glued to a bunch of wires, it was very helpful.

It seems I have obstructive sleep apnea. The ENT indicated that that might be the case due to some unusual mouth/throat configuration. It turns out that anything over 25 obstructive events per hour is cause for concern. I had over 140 per hour for the three hours I was being observed. The sleep tech dude came in and said - let's get you on a CPAP machine. After that, none.

So I now have this lovely "nose hose" that helps my breathing when I am asleep. I tried it out for the first time last night. There are a variety of masks to choose from - the kind I'm using look like this:

It's essentially a couple of soft, silicone cones with the ends cut off that fit into my nostrils about 1/8" or so. There's a head strap to keep the thing affixed, and which helps keep pressure on the device and thus creates a good seal. The idea is to keep the air pressure in my throat to keep it open. I looked at other options, but this one seemed the least troublesome.

It is going to be a while getting used to it, but based on the machine and it's sensors, I slept well last night with few apnea incidents. I'm hopeful this will help with some of the energy/sleepiness issues I have been having.

I'm also battling a bit of a cold, so I am looking forward to seeing how all of this plays out long-term. I will try to give y'all updates. :) ('cause I'm sure you want them...)

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