Anybody here have sleep apnea? What's your exp? Are you using a cpap? How's it working for you? Would it work for someone who also has a chronic cough (allergies) at night???? Between snoring, coughing and getting up to use the bathroom my dh thinks I get about an hr of interrupted sleep at night! T

I swear by my CPAP. A friend of mine had the surgery - 8 months later he had the same problem and ended up on CPAP anyway. My sleep doctor says that's not unusual.

I'd suggest marine beta carotene (algae) and esterC for allergies.

The apnea could be aggrevating your coughing. My dad was diagnosed last year with severe apnea (they stopped the test after only 20 minutes because he was scaring the technician). He swears by his machine. It does take a bit of getting used to.

Perhaps you should talk to your doctor about your allergies? It is difficult to use the cpap if you nose is blocked up or runny, unless you wear a complete face mask.

you may find your apnea goes away as you lose more weight.

I just say that from experience. My nightly breathing problems didn't kick in until I hit about 170. And it seemed that it was from fat around my neck, which I had never had before. Now, I am back to sleeping like a baby and it is wonderful. Makes a huge difference in how I feel during the day. So, depending on how fast you can get a sleep study done and get a machine, if recommended, it may be worth your while to just wait until the rest of the weight comes off.

Regarding the allergy cough, the CPAP won't help there. Are you coughing from sinus drainage at night? If so, perhaps some allergy medicine is in order.

Well since you asked...here is my "coughing saga".....several months ago I switched blood pressure meds to something less expensive. One side effect was coughing. The warning label said it may cause a "dry cough"....Two weeks after beginning that med, I started coughing up blood, coughing so hard I threw up, etc...and coughing so much through the night my chest hurt. I went to the dr who said I had pneumonia and gave me antibiotics. When I was done w/the antibiotics, the coughing was mostly gone.

Then about a week or so later it slowly started up again. Two months after the beginning of the pneumonia I was so exhausted and was coughing all night and feeling tired and I looked around on the net and found that according to several sites, the bp med not only caused dry cough, but also could cause: coughing up blood, coughing to the point of vomiting, and, ta-da pneumonia!!!!!!!!! My dr didn't bother telling me that. I took myself off of that med, weaned myself off and refilled my old "expensive" bp prescriptions.

Shortly after that, allergy season kicked in here in OH. I was so congested I couldn't breath through my nose and as we were driving to the drugstore, felt like my throat (the only way I could breath!) was closing up. It was really scary. I went to the er and they said it was just an upper respiratory viral infection and gave me some nose drops and an inhaler to get me through the crisis of feeling like I couldn't catch my breath. They said according to the test they did my throat was NOT closing up but most likely just felt like it when I'd have to swallow because my throat was so irritated from coughing so much.

Ever since I am still coughing, not as much as when I was on the bp med zestril, but enough that when I lay down at night it begins and is sporadic through the night. I usually have cough drops (sugarless) by my bedside which help a little when I begin to feel the urge to cough. It feels now like post nasal drip irritating the back of my throat again I'm guessing its an allergy thing related to the season in Ohio.... I've taken otc cough suppresant/expectorant. I can't take stuff for decongesting because of the blood pressure issue. I am not experiencing other "allergic type symptoms" listed on the pkgs of otc allergy meds (like itchy eyes, runny nose, etc...) so I haven't tried those. Maybe I should give that a try.

So...that's prob more than you wanted to know!!!! Terry

Well, the post nasal drip does sound like allergies. Isn't there some med out there you can take...i think i saw a commerical for it here. And it could be that you have/had a sinus infections that isn't completely gone. My dr. told me that it sometimes takes 2-3 trips with antibiotics to get it completely gone.

but you could try the good, old fashioned saline rinse. You can get a neti pot or you can do it in your hand. Just put warm salt water in your hand and hold one nostril closed and sniff through the other...then do the other side...it supposedly works for allergies too. You should rinse each several minutes a day. Might be worth the try for a decent night's sleep!

I got a cpap about 3 1/2 weeks ago.
I am starting to feel a lot better but I am still having allergy issues.

After my dbf moved in last year, I really pestered him to talk to the Dr. about his snoring (talk about sawing logs!). After an evaluation and a sleep study, they got him on a CPAP machine. Now, he sleeps better at night and feels better during the day (and so do I!).

It took a while to get used to. As first he could only tolarate it for an hour or two. And the pressure bothered his ears so he put in foam ear plugs and that helped. He had to train himself to keep his mough shut, although you can use a chin strap if you need to. Now he puts on the mask and sleeps fine all night with it.

Some CPAP machines heave a humidifier unit attached. They decide what you need based on the sleep study. The moist air might help your cough, too.

Hi all....tomorrow night I go in for my sleep study. We'll see what the dr says. Its sposed to take 2 wks for the complete results and referral. I'll keep you posted. Terry

Another case where consulting a doctor has aggravated the problem. The doctor has a drug that can help and rid you of apnea but he/she does not know it and this lack of knowledge on the wider utility of drugs is typical and general.

The drug in question is Hydergine. It is not toxic, nor is it a narcotic, nor is it addictive, nor contra-indicated. Your doctor will normally prescribe it for the elderly for the purposes of senility, but, it has a much broader use, one of which is controlling the symptoms of heavy snoring. I take 4.5mgs every night and have done so for years and it stops my snoring and awakening my wife. It opens my upper nostrils and allows me to breath easily while asleep. It also clears my brain of 'fog'. It can be purchased from pharmacies on the Internet. It is a benign substance that should not be on prescription.

Your coughing, if it is a viral problem, then try either one or a combination of the following OTC substances. Virgin coconut oil (it possesses lauric acid that helps to kill viruses). Actually, any coconut product will do. Virgin oregano oil (nature's antibiotic) and olive leaf extract, another antiviral antibacterial etc substance. Each of those acts synergistically with the others.

Thanks for all the info....I got the results of the study....I stop breathing 38x an hour!!!!!! No wonder my memory is so poor and I'm exhausted!

The coughing has lessened considerably....I do think it was a seasonal allergy...I need to stop sniffing the flowers when I'm gardening!

Thanks for the info re Hydergine, Duparc. I'll look it up on the net and perhaps I'll discuss it w/the sleep dr on Thurs. (yawn) Terry

My DH had sleep apnea and used a machine at night for about a year. After he lost about 30 lbs. on this WOE, he stopped using it. We both sleep very well at night. Good luck to you!

i have to go in and have the sleep study done. I know that i have have sleep apnea but i need to have the study done. i was wondering how much the sleep study cost and the machine if your found out to have this problem. sue

It depends on your insurance really. Mine paid for study and half of the machine. I have CPAP with humidity. Intial portion 1/2 from me was $225 then $45 a month insurance pays the rest. I SWEAR by my machine had it since April and feel like a new woman.

i still need to go have the study done but right now my daughter just had her tubes put in her ears and tonsils out and adenoids taken out for her sleep apena. she is only 4 yrs old. sue