I have sleep apnea, but none of the CPAP masks work for me.

[Metalhead]

So now I am finding myself falling asleep at my desk at work and my coworkers are very much noticing because I am snoring.

This is embarrassing.

I need to lose weight super fast to curb the sleep apnea and keep my job. Perhaps I should fast to lose weight.

 

[Neonatal RRT]

So now I am finding myself falling asleep at my desk at work and my coworkers are very much noticing because I am snoring.

This is embarrassing.

I need to lose weight super fast to curb the sleep apnea and keep my job. Perhaps I should fast to lose weight.

https://www.inspiresleep.com/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI0oys6Pi4_QIVX8iUCR3fBwX2EAAYASAAEgKjgvD_BwE
I hate anything in my mouth or on my face. I've tried it all, except this product.

Yes. Loosing weight, more specifically, mass around the neck and pharynx can help significantly. I finally got myself down to 200lbs, and now I can sleep with my wife again without snoring. I was as heavy as 265lbs when I was lifting heavy and competing, lost some weight, hung around 230lbs for a while, but it wasn't until recently that I pushed for the weight loss. At around 210-215, I stopped snoring and my wife and I could sleep in the same bed.

When human beings fall into REM (rapid eye movement) sleep phases, the innervation of some of the supporting muscles around the pharynx (back of the throat) and even the intercostal muscles (in between the ribs) will cease. This creates some issues with airways stability and lung volume stability. This happens even with my babies in the neonatal unit. One of my son's is tall and skinny, and even as a child he would snore from time to time.

Sleep apnea, is on the spectrum of this phenomenon. Intermittent obstructive episodes certainly disrupt sleep, but also can cause significant increases in blood pressure, and as you noted, you tend to be sleepy, tired, grumpy, and productivity suffers during the day. It really effects your life on many levels.

 

[Slime_Punk]

I'm doing intermittent fasting right now for all of the pain I have and I don't recommend that unless you really want to give your digestive system a rest. There are easier ways to lose weight!

Honestly, a lot of people can just cut out processed food and lose it without having to work out or go on any super specific diet. It's harder than it sounds (at first, and way easier later), but it's probably the most sensible way through.

Have you made sure that that's the reason for your apnea? IIRC there are other potential causes that you might want to rule out in the meantime

 

[Rodafina]

Perhaps I should fast to lose weight.

I don’t think that way is effective and could definitely lead to daytime drowsiness among other unpleasant things.

 

[Jeff T]

What kind of mask do you use?
One type covers the nasal area, another covers nose and mouth, and yet another cover the whole face. Probably others.
It took me a long time to get used to sleeping with the mask that I ended up with. Was more tired when using the mask than without. I was like you at work.
The whole face type did work best for me, so I used that. Now it's the nasal-oral mask.
I don't know if you travel much. If you do, Amazon has a fairly lightweight battery packs if no electricity available. The one I use lasts at least 3 nights before it needs recharging.
Good luck in resolving this!

 

[Nervous Rex]

Losing weight usually does help reduce sleep apnea. Sleep apnea can happen when you are lying on your back and your tongue falls back in your throat and closes your airway. Because the tongue can get fatter as you gain weight, sleep apnea is more common in those who are overweight.

Sleep apnea can be very difficult to live with because your brain has to wake up every time you stop breathing. It disrupts your sleep and you don't get as much rest as you need, even if you're "asleep" for the right number of hours.

I tried using a CPAP machine and just couldn't. It wouldn't seal right on my face. It was uncomfortable. And apparently, one of the times I stop breathing is right when I fall asleep. There were so many nights where I just fell asleep and was awakened by the sudden increase of air from the CPAP machine. When I used a CPAP, I felt like I was wrestling an octopus all night.

So, I switched to a mandibular device. The first one I got - about 8 years ago - cost me $4,000 and was custom-made to fit my jaw by a TMJ specialist. It worked great, but I just wore that thing out - the plastic lining the metal frame is worn down and cracked.

I'm not in a position to fork out another $4,000, so I tried a cheaper alternative that I found on Amazon. It works great! I sleep with this thing every night now:

Cheap-depot mandibular device

Some things to watch out for:

1) The mandibular device works by pulling your lower jaw forward, so that your tongue can't fall back far enough to close off your airway. It has different settings for how far it pulls your jaw forward. You want to start with the lowest setting and wait a few days before moving up to the next setting. Work your way up until the apnea stops.

2) Pulling your lower jaw forward all night creates a gap near your ears that fills with fluid, so when you wake up, your jaw is out of alignment. You have to work every morning to get it back into place. To get it back into shape, it's best to use a mouth-guard (like this cheap thingy) - just pop it in your mouth and bite down until your jaw is back in alignment. It takes about a minute or two and I do it while I am getting ready in the morning.

3) Clean it every day or it will get nasty fast.

 

[Metalhead]

Maybe I could use a liposuction machine to remove all the fat from my chin and my neck and that will keep my airway open at night. Or a razor blade and a vacuum cleaner? But I don't like pain, so I won't do that.

I suppose losing 70 more lbs will be what it will take to cure my apnea.

 

[Metalhead]

This used to not be an issue for me because I used to down a couple of cans of Monster in the morning before hitting the office. But I decided to give up the Monster to help decrease my resting heart rate, because that stuff was also terrible for my health.

 

[Neonatal RRT]

I don’t think that way is effective and could definitely lead to daytime drowsiness among other unpleasant things.

It's not what you do, but rather how you do. Intermittent fasting, something as simple as skipping breakfast, is a way to knock off a huge chunk of calories and improve insulin resistance, that is, only if during the rest of the day you aren't just making up for lost calories by eating more during the remaining hours of the day. You literally have to be missing those 500+ calories. So, it can and does work for many people, including myself, IF done correctly. The studies that have shown it NOT to, if you look at the actual methods, they didn't do it correctly, and either didn't loose the weight or the weight loss was very similar to caloric restriction. Here's the thing though, they compared weight loss, not body composition.

That said, one should be more concerned with body composition. Interestingly enough, when the body is in a fasting mode, you preserve muscle mass because of a rise in human growth hormone, with caloric restriction, this does not happen, and you tend to loose muscle mass. Furthermore, you can also tell by the physical presentation of someone who lost weight with caloric restriction vs fasting. The person who fasted, has tight skin and has preserved muscle mass vs. the caloric restriction who has a significant amount of loose skin, they still have a fair amount of fat on them comparatively, and will have lost their muscle mass. If you understand the phrase "This person is skinny-fat", in other words, their BMI looks good, but they still carry unhealthy fat. Pound per pound, the results are significantly different.

Actual fasting, 24-48-72hr regimens, the results are far more profound in terms of reversing insulin resistance, improving A1C, reversing diabetes, shrinking cancerous tumors, loss of pure fat, improvements in blood pressure, extends your life, cleans up the body of old, dysfunctional cell lines, improves cognitive abilities, significantly decreases inflammation, etc. IF done correctly, a simple water fast, albeit with electrolyte and multi-vitamin replacement will result in significant, healthy fat loss, and it is quick and relatively easy to do, provided you pay attention to yourself and allow for a transition to a 1-2 meal-a-day regimen every 2-3 days, then cycle back onto fasting. I also would recommend a probiotic. Most of the medical concerns with regards to prolonged fasting are around electrolyte and nutrient imbalances, which are easily compensated for.

Keep in mind, anthropologically and socioeconomically, it has only been within the past 150-200 years that even within so-called "developed" countries, the populous was even able to have more than 1 meal a day. It was the aristocracy that could afford to eat more than one meal a day. There are populations of people, right now, that still only eat one meal a day, and interestingly, they have less health issues and longer life spans. There are several scientific studies examining the effects on the body during the month of Ramadan, a 1 meal a day regimen, within the Muslim population.

 

[Aspychata]

I had to get my partner to drop serious weight to get him off insulin. I gave him as huge serving of broccoli or cauliflower so his belly would feel full, and just 4oz of a meat product, since he eats meat for dinner. He had 1/2 cup of oatmeal for breakfast, and pretty much ate tuna sandwich for lunch. He did get off insulin. He did get frustrated however l never ever criticized him, so don't accept anybody critiquing your journey to the new you. You will can and will do this at your own pace. Put some pants out you can't wear, and work to the point you can wear them. I find that a tight waist band is uncomfortable however l use that as the reason to not eat anymore for the day, then the waistband will get looser, because it reminds you of your goal every hour. Maybe a reward to sticking to your diet choices, and pick a cheat day to have a little indulgence.







































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































Tlad

 

[Metalhead]

I need to sleep now. I used to never fall asleep on my job because I always had a couple of cans of Monster before I started my shift, but I recently decided to give that up. I do not need all of that sugar.

 

[Aspychata]

I need to sleep now. I used to never fall asleep on my job because I always had a couple of cans of Monster before I started my shift, but I recently decided to give that up. I do not need all of that sugar.

I tried to delete the giant space in my post, but l have been running into software bugs recently.