Non-electric sleep apnea device recommendations?

Asked by YoBob (12846

) October 20th, 2010

Ok, so I am told that I snore loud enough to get fan mail from the seismic research facility at Los Alamos. I exercise regularly and am not horridly overweight (although I could stand to loose a few pounds) However, my blood pressure is creeping up and I can’t help but wonder if obstructive sleep apena is the culprit.

I plan on doing the whole sleep study thing, but am not to keen on being hooked up to some electronic pressure mask as the treatment, particularly since I enjoy the whole camping/hunting/outdoorsy thing and such a device would be inconvenient to say the least.

There are a number of mechanical devices I have seen advertised. As I understand it, they fall into two categories, devices that keep your tongue from sliding back and devices that move your lower jaw forward.

So… are such devices “snake oil” or do they actually work?

I’m interested in hearing the experiences and recommendations from anyone who has used such devices.

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3 Answers

I suggest you open your mind to taking the sleep test and trying out a C-Pak. I had the same problem and felt the same way… did the test twice…rather enjoyed the experience…got the machine—got relief. Takes a while to get used to but it’s worth every penny (most of which is paid by insurance).

Austinlad (16323

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My dentist says there is a device and it is not snake oil. It doesn’t work for everybody, but then, neither does CPAP. He said that people see the doctors first, and they want to sell their way, which requires you to go back over and over.

The other problem with the dental thingy is that it is not covered by dental insurance. So you have to pay out of pocket, which the sleep clinic way has no additional charges to you, except minor copays.

Anyway, you can research it online. You can talk to your dentist. By the time I talked to mine, I already had CPAP, which, it turns out, works wonders and is not all that big a deal at night, even if you toss and turn.

wundayatta (58741

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