Positional Therapy: This Is How I Sleep...

Depot · July 2005

<div class="IPBDescription">Do YOU sleep in the correct position?</div> So yeah, I had another sleep study done back on July 3rd and just got the results Friday. Long story short I have mild OSA (obstructive sleep apnea) and my oxygen level was low 11% of my sleep time. They recorded 50 scoreable events.

I've already had a LAUP (laser assisted uvulapalatoplasty) so I'm a poor candidate for a CPAP (constant pressure blah blah) machine, the one where you have to wear a mask in your sleep so your airways stay forced open. This means I need to drop 10% of my body weight (the easy part) and sleep using positional therapy.

Positional therapy requires me to put a tennis ball in a sock, and pin the top of the sock at the top back of the neck of a tight fitting t-shirt ot tank top. The bottom of the sock gets pinned where it falls, as long as it's centered over your spine. Supposedly whenever you roll over on your back, the tennis ball in the spine will cause you to roll over on your side (sleep apnea is always worse when you sleep on your back).

Tonight will be my first night sleeping with my tennis ball (I hope it's female) and tomorrow the med supply people drop off an oximiter for tomorrow nights sleep. They pick that up Tuesday and drop the data off at the doctors so he can see if my tennis ball helps me (an oximeter measures the oxygen level in your blood).

I hope I wake up in the morning satisfied. I know my tennis ball won't let me down. <img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/smile-fix.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile-fix.gif' /> What should I call her?

Omega_Death · July 2005

You should call her "My Back Hurts.". I can't sleep unless I'm on my back.

Depot · July 2005

Yeah I know man, I am dreading it for the same reasons. They claim it'll straighten your **** out in 6 weeks... dunno though.

BaconTheory · July 2005

Call it Yuna. Anyway yeah good luck with that man. I always talk in my sleep and move around a lot and even if i get like 9 hours i still feel tired. Dunno if that qualifies as a sleep disorder.

Manta · July 2005

Call it Ballina. My dad has the exact same thing, including the previous LAUP (or some variation). He uses the machine, but never had to get the tennis ball, as far as I know.

NeonSpyder · July 2005

my <i>grandfather</i> has the same thing.

Depot you bastard stop coming on here and reminding us of the dark horrible slow deteoriation which will befall all of us at your age.

YAR.

Seriously though i can't get to sleep unless i'm on my back either. good luck with that.

Depot · July 2005

</div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (BaconTheory @ Jul 24 2005, 10:33 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'>Call it Yuna. Anyway yeah good luck with that man. I always talk in my sleep and move around a lot and even if i get like 9 hours i still feel tired. Dunno if that qualifies as a sleep disorder.</td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'>
If you have insurance that covers it, get a sleep study done. In my entire life I can count on 1 hand the number of good night's sleep I've had. Like you said, you sleep 8 or 9 hours and you wake up tired.

</div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (Manta Jul 24 2005 @ 10:41 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'>
Call it Ballina. My dad has the exact same thing, including the previous LAUP (or some variation). He uses the machine, but never had to get the tennis ball, as far as I know. </td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'>
10 years ago following another sleep study they put me on a CPAP. Long story short I didn't tolerate it well and had to opt for the LAUP (they performed it in 3 segments. Ever smell burning flesh? It's gross).

Now that I've had an LAUP I am a poor candidate for a CPAP, which is a shame as they're greatly improved now. Hence the order to drop some weight, and sleep with Ballina. <img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/tounge.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tounge.gif' />

</div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (NeonSpyder Jul 24 2005 @ 11:05 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'>
my grandfather has the same thing.

Depot you bastard stop coming on here and reminding us of the dark horrible slow deteoriation which will befall all of us at your age.

YAR.

Seriously though i can't get to sleep unless i'm on my back either. good luck with that. </td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'>
Sorry to hear grandpa has it. But let me clarify, OSA can occur in children as well as those "chronologically challenged".

</div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> </td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'>OSA in children was recognized in the 1970s. OSA is a frequent, albeit underdiagnosed, condition in children, which may lead to substantial morbidity if left untreated</td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'>

Thansal · July 2005

*insert traditional Thansal being a bast'd to the elderly here*

haha! gramps can't sleep right, so he has to have a friken tenis ball strabed to his back <img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/biggrin-fix.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin-fix.gif' />

sucker.

[/bast'd]

yah, sucks.

It is interesting that babies are SUPOSED to sleep on their backs, and we are suposed to sleep on our side...
is sleeping on your chest ok? Cuz that is what I do <img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/biggrin-fix.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin-fix.gif' />

I am so glad I don't have any sleeping problems (and no one in my family does either, so if it is genetic wahoo for lower chances!)

Though this will probably be my first good night sleep in like a week for me (thank you very much mr throat infection).

ahh well, good luck mate.

oh, and name it Bob.

Alcapwn · July 2005

My dad went for one of those test (turns out he had it, and they gave him that machine) and he said he slept perfectly.

I was like, "WTH you can sleep with all of those wires on you? <img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/confused-fix.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='confused-fix.gif' /> "

[WHO]Them · July 2005

What the hell is this sleep crap I keep hearing about? People taking 4-5 hours out of their day to do this sleeping thing will not be tolerated!

DOOManiac · July 2005

Best of luck Depot. Hope everything turns out.

Geminosity · July 2005

good luck depot... posts like these bring out the hypocondriac in all of us methinks; now I'm wondering if I really sleep properly and stuff XD

AlienCow · July 2005

I sleep anywhere at anytime in whatever position I'm in at said time.

Call the tennis ball Denise. But whenever you say it, say it fast so its a bit like Tennis. Not that you'll be announcing to everyone that you are sleeping with a tennis ball called Denise, I spose.

Talesin · July 2005

...or Dennis, for simplicity.

AlienCow · July 2005

Its a she!

Depot · July 2005

</div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (Thansal @ Jul 24 2005, 11:39 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'>*insert traditional Thansal being a bast'd to the elderly here*

haha! gramps can't sleep right, so he has to have a friken tenis ball strabed to his back

sucker.

[/bast'd]

yah, sucks.

It is interesting that babies are SUPOSED to sleep on their backs, and we are suposed to sleep on our side...
is sleeping on your chest ok? Cuz that is what I do

I am so glad I don't have any sleeping problems (and no one in my family does either, so if it is genetic wahoo for lower chances!)

Though this will probably be my first good night sleep in like a week for me (thank you very much mr throat infection).

ahh well, good luck mate.

oh, and name it Bob.</td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'>
Normally I'd say I couldn't conceive sleeping on my chest ... or even sides ... but Ballina PWND me last night, and I did, and it sucked. Bad. I have 6 more weeks of this crap to get used to?

</div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (WaterBoy Posted on Jul 24 2005 @ 11:50 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'>
My dad went for one of those test (turns out he had it, and they gave him that machine) and he said he slept perfectly.

I was like, "WTH you can sleep with all of those wires on you? </td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'>
Glad your dad can tolerate teh CPAP - I understand they're much improved nowadays. Bad news is they have to be friggin cleaned (as in disinfected) daily.

Oh yeah, 20 electrodes are attached to you, most being attached to your head to measure brain waves (they found little activity there, <img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/tounge.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tounge.gif' /> ), including straps around your chest to measure breathing and an oximeter on your finger to measure oxygen level.

</div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (T h e m Posted on Jul 25 2005 @ 12:54 AM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'>
What the hell is this sleep crap I keep hearing about? People taking 4-5 hours out of their day to do this sleeping thing will not be tolerated! </td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'>
All I can say is, sleep is over-rated. Terribly. :> It's a big waste of time imho.

</div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (DOOManiac Posted on Jul 25 2005 @ 12:58 AM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'>
Best of luck Depot. Hope everything turns out. </td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'>
Thank ya! Or did you mean "turns over"? Cuz I did a LOT of that!

</div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (Geminosity Posted on Jul 25 2005 @ 06:28 AM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'>
good luck depot... posts like these bring out the hypocondriac in all of us methinks; now I'm wondering if I really sleep properly and stuff XD </td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'>
2 points: as this was my 4th sleep study in 10 years I shall appoint myself the NS Forum's Sleep Tech, so you got questions, we got answers. Since you mentioned "hypochodriac" let me add that sleeping pills and alcohol will negatively affect your sleep if you have OSA ...

</div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (AlienCow Posted on Jul 25 2005 @ 06:34 AM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'>
I sleep anywhere at anytime in whatever position I'm in at said time.</td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'>
To me that is, disgusting ... I cannot relate man.

... and I named my sleepmate "Ballina".

Breakthrough · July 2005

Ballina... All you have to add is an "er", and you get Ballerina!

I sleep in (insert position here).

Depot · July 2005

Ballerinas wouldn't be bad to sleep with - they have muscular legs are and uber-flexible. <img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/smile-fix.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile-fix.gif' /> Oh wait, that's balerina. Or is it? Hell, it's gunna be a long friggin day - I definitely feel a nap comin - *yawns*.

<span style='font-size:7pt;line-height:100%'>I feel like crapz0r.</span>

CplDavis · July 2005

lolz I sleep on my back, and sides, and stomach, and half hanging off my bed.

Never had any problems with it though. Guess Im just lucky,

good luck with your new tennis ball though. Maybe it will do the trick. <img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/biggrin-fix.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin-fix.gif' />

Steel_Troll · July 2005

Hey depot, sleep helptech guy...I have sleep problems!!Anybody drool when they sleep?? I do occasionaly, and its embarrasing imo... blech Know any cures *crosses fingers*

Good luck with the ball thing! Hope you get used to it!

Depot · July 2005

</div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (Steel Troll @ Jul 25 2005, 08:52 AM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'>Hey depot, sleep helptech guy...I have sleep problems!!Anybody drool when they sleep?? I do occasionaly, and its embarrasing imo... blech Know any cures *crosses fingers*

Good luck with the ball thing! Hope you get used to it!</td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'>
Several things can cause nighttime drooling. Some meds increase saliva production. Your sleep positioning may also be a factor. When you lie on your back, saliva pools in the back of the throat and often causes a swallowing reflex that prevents drooling. But when you lie on your side, saliva can pool in your cheek -- or flow onto your pillow.

You're also more likely to drool if you breathe through your mouth instead of your nose. That happens to people with colds, or those with a deviated septum who must keep their mouths open to get enough air.

</div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> </td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'>It's normal and common for many of us to drool on our pillows at night while we are sleeping. This should not be considered a problem and there is not much to do about it except perhaps to change positions and sleep on our backs so that the saliva can pool in the back of our throats where it can be swallowed, rather than in the front of our mouths where some of it may leak out.</td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'>
But in general, drooling is nothing to lose sleep over. <img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/wink-fix.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='wink-fix.gif' />

im_lost · July 2005

You could always try taping your mouth closed to prevent drooling, though that seems like a drastic measure to take.

Spacer · July 2005

I sleep on my back, tbh. I heard it was less healthy to sleep on your side, so i just got into the habit of sleeping on my back.

Depot · July 2005

</div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (Spacer @ Jul 25 2005, 10:49 AM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'> I sleep on my back, tbh. I heard it was less healthy to sleep on your side, so i just got into the habit of sleeping on my back.  </td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'> 
Well hell, damned if I do, damned if I don't! <img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/confused-fix.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='confused-fix.gif' />

Steel_Troll · July 2005

</div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (Depot @ Jul 25 2005, 08:19 AM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'>
But in general, drooling is nothing to lose sleep over. <img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/wink-fix.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='wink-fix.gif' />  </td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'> 
<3

Trevelyan · July 2005

I used to have troubles getting to sleep. Then I just stopped sleeping for days at a time. Only dropping to sleep (6-10 hours) when my brain and body were no longer agreeing with each other and i couldn't function. Soon I began appreciating every moment of sleep i got and now i sleep better then the sleep I got beforehand.

Necrotic · July 2005

My grandfather told me some (now realise) daft anecdotey type thing when I was a kid, that if you sleep on your back you get backache, sleeping on your front gives you stomachache and sleeping on your lefthand side gives you heartache (not realising the romantic inclinations of that saying at such a tender age I assumed he meant my heart would hurt) so I started sleeping on my left handside and never really got out of the habit. I tend to wake up in varying bizarre positions though. Never really had a problem with sleep though, the job's I've had force me to be awake either very early or very late and at my last job I was getting about 4 hours of sleep a night with no apparent side efects. *shrugs* maybe I'm just lucky.

</div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> </td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'>...or those with a deviated septum who must keep their mouths open to get enough air.</td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'>
Here I am unlucky <img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/sad-fix.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='sad-fix.gif' /> I have things called pollops which are overly large blood vessels in the top of my nose which prevent me from beathing through my nose properly, The amount of times I've woken up glued to my pillow with my own drool -_-

Steel_Troll · July 2005

Thats nothing, if you sleep in odd positions and leave drool stains further down on your matress it looks.... shady at best.

THAT IS NOT a Protein stain >_<!!!

Depot · July 2005

Night 2 sucked wind. I tried sleeping on my belly, which was comfortable for a while but then I had to roll over. I tossed from side to side until 4:30am, and finally said the hell with it and headed for the sofa, where I snoozed for 3 more hours.

The friggin sock came unpinned (TWO pins came undone!) so Ballina was floppin around like a dead fish back there, AND stabbing me in the back. Plus I had to wear an oximeter on my finger to measure my pulse and oxygen-in-blood level all night, so I had to wrestle with THAT too. <img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/mad-fix.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='mad-fix.gif' />

If me and Ballina are to co-exist for 1/3 of my day for the next 4 to 6 weeks she's going to need ot stay put! Today I will solicit a seamstress to SEW the damn sock on my tank top, and guarantee it won't move.

If you are fortunate enough to rest well and get a good night's sleep, ffs do <b>NOT</b> take it for granted. Ever. <img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/wink-fix.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='wink-fix.gif' />

Metalcat · July 2005

typical women...

Cronos · July 2005

I sleep on my stomach from anywhere ranging 4 to 12 hours of sleep at a time. 4 hours if I have work on the morrow (I wake at 4 AM to work at 5 AM... hoi...) and a fitful 10 - 12 hours on any other day (Morning? Whats that?).

I cant STAND sleeping on my back. I can never stop myself from thinking and staring at the ceiling as my thoughts tend to race...

I'm not sure if I have any kind of Sleep Apnoea or any other sleep related condition, my one problem is that I dont ever have any memorable dreams outside of flu dreams. Flu dreams rock by the way, if you've ever had one, you know why.

Anyway, good luck with getting a better nights sleep, I tend to be a bad drunk when I'm sober and sleep deprived =\

Positional Therapy: This Is How I Sleep...

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