sleep apnea

All I Want For Christmas Is A Good Nights Sleep

It’s exactly ten years to the day since I started this blog. Oh my god, that’s a fucking long time to feel like shit every minute of every day. I’m so angry about the whole thing, there aren’t even words to describe it.

Fortunately, there is some hope on the horizon for me, so I channel that anger into action that will hopefully restore my health. It’s also just over 12 months since I was diagnosed with severe obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), which I now suspect is the cause of my malaise. It turns out that getting a really good nights sleep is incredibly important for your long-term health. The symptoms of CFS and sleep apnea are both like an extreme version of what athletes experience when they overtrain, the common link being that the body isn’t getting sufficient chance to repair itself. (more…)

By Graham Stoney, ago

Sleep Apnea: Mandibular Advancement Device, Didgeridoo Practise, Vocal Training, Nose Cones and Throat & Neck Exercises

I’ve been using a combination of a Mandibular Advancement Device (MAD), Vocal Training and Didgeridoo practice to treat my severe sleep apnea for about 4 months now and I thought it was time for an update.

I wear the MAD all night every night, and most of the times that I have the occasional afternoon nap. During this time I have gradually adjusted it out by 6mm, when I hit the point where my temporomandibular joint (on which the lower jaw pivots) started to ache too much. I don’t find the MAD particularly uncomfortable to wear during the night.

It took about a week or so to adjust to sleeping with a chunk of plastic in my mouth but after that I didn’t really mind. I use the repositioner that came with my Somnomed device each morning to reposition my jaw. I notice some pain in my teeth eating crunchy foods particularly in the morning, but figure it will be worth it if it restores my health.

I’m definitely never getting laid again.

(more…)

By Graham Stoney, ago

Gum Disease (Oh, Gross!)

As I mentioned in my last post, the treatment I’ve chosen for my Sleep Apnea is a combination of didgeridoo playing, vocal training and a Mandibular Advancement Device (MAD). However the treatment plan has been delayed somewhat because the dentist I attended to get the MAD fitted identified that I had gum disease.

It’s not sensible to use an MAD if you have gum disease because it relies on a stable foundation of teeth in order to hold the bottom jaw forward. But besides that, gum disease alone turns out to be really bad for your health. I used to think that because I brush my teeth every day and don’t have any cavities at age 50, my dental maintenance approach of avoiding dentists altogether was working.

Turns out I was dead wrong, and without intervention my teeth were likely to start falling out early. (more…)

By Graham Stoney, ago

Update On Sleep Apnea

It’s about 3 months since I was diagnosed with severe obstructive sleep apnea, after spending a sleepless night in hospital wired up to a monitoring machine doing a sleep study. Since that time I’ve been trialing a Continuous Positive Air Pressure Machine, which is the front-line treatment for sleep apnea.

(more…)

By Graham Stoney, ago