Contributors to this thread:
If you use a cpap unit, how do you deal with it when camping. Setting up away from the trailhead, so space is a premium. I can go without mine, but it does help. Is a battery powered unit worth the trouble. How is battery life and recharging? I've got a few weeks to figure this out.
https://www.minicpap.com/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI78zqrr311QIVjIp-Ch1yLQ8hEAAYASAAEgL4APD_BwE Try this maybe. Battery operated. Get extra batteries to swap out and a solar charger. Not many other options. I don't have a battery run one myself.
I use a 12volt deep cycle marine type battery and rig up some wires with a cigarette lighter plug and use an ac/dc converter. All this can be purchased at a auto parts store. Mind you this is not for packing in anywhere.
+ 1 wish there was better compact options
There are oral appliances to treat sleep apnea. Prescription only, custom made by a dentist. No batteries or hoses!
My father in law runs his off a deep cycle 12 volt battery but wouldnt be to packable. His lasts most of a 9 day season.
when I was into power lifting I had "moderate to severe" apnea because of the extra muscle mass I was carrying. I did a test with a cpap and with an oral appliance. Both remedied my apnea. The oral appliance will take some getting use to but is MUCH more travel friendly. Basically like two football mouthpieces glued together.
My sleep doctor was not a fan of the mouthpiece before I tried it in the sleep study. But it was nearly as effective in the sleep study as the CPAP. I mean like insignificantly different.
I know I didn't answer your question, but perhaps worth considering.
Now at 30 lbs lighter I can simply stay on my side or my stomach and no apnea.
What about a solar power recharger?
I use batteries sold for use with CPAP machines and a foldable solar charger to recharge them. One of my batteries will run my Z1 for 1 1/2 - 2 nights and my bigger Battery will run it for 3 nights.
Get an opinion on a mandibular advancement device. It is not the gold standard (which is CPAP), but it's usually quite good, and perhaps you could use CPAP "most of the time" and the device while camping, or hunting.
Keep in mind, too, that there isn't much oxygen at most elk hunting altitudes, so treatment is even more important.
Pat, I have to use it every night. Some people don't. But I've woke up at night trying to catch my breath like your choking . I used mine on my last elk hunt but stayed at a campground and used Marine batteries. I had to shut the humidifier off but I got a lot of bloody noses .
What happens is you stop breathing. I was 5'11" and weighed 165 pounds when I first started having it. Constantly exhausted since I only slept for maybe a minute, then stopped breathing and wake up. Usually you snore too. After about 10 years of living like this my brain really took a hit. When i had so many physical issues and pains they put my through a ton of tests. I ended up at a physiatrists. It came to him asking how often do you dream. I told him I couldn't remember the last time I did. Went to a sleep center and they told me that I wasn't getting any rem sleep. Sleep deprivation can damage your brain and cause all kinds of physical pain. Went on a Cpap and the first night I was back to dream land. Sleep deprivation did cause severe depression but that's a whole other issue. The mouth piece did nothing for me. So packing in ended. Now I have the 12 volt adapter and it's a pain to have a 12 volt battery with.
I think I'm going to look into the mandibular device. I don't want to pack batteries and chargers into the mountains plus distilled water for a humidifier. If I don't use a humidifier, I wake up 3 or 4 times a night, so what's the point. I don't take it for overnights for work and some nights I just don't feel like dealing with the stupid thing. It will motivate me to lose the 30 pounds I need to. Thanks for all the input.
I was diagnosed with "moderate" sleep apnea about 8 years ago. Wife said I snored loudly and would stop breathing and then gasp our cough at times at night. I thought she was nuts. Then I got a sleep study. They said after about 20 min it was obvious I had it.
For some reason I don't perceive it while I am sleeping, and have little problem sleeping at night. In fact, usually I have trouble staying awake in the evening and frequently fall asleep watching tv. Also feel drowsy most of the day and sometimes when I drive(which scares me). What I notice the most though, is that when the apnea is bad, I am VERY moody, grouchy and concentration during the day goes out the window!
I started the C-pap and noticed a big difference after about a week. Definitely helps! I still have problems with the mask and often take it off during the night(usually after about 5 hrs). Doc says as long as I can use it for about 4 hrs a night, it's helping.
I got to the point last year that I just got sick of using it. Especially in the summer when it is hot and humid. Stopped using it for almost a year and at the urging of my wife and parents, went back to the Doc recently to try to get a better set-up(one that is more comfortable and easier to use).
I backpack and camp a lot and when I was using it, I could take off a week or a few days, but always went back to using it when I got back.
Never had "high" blood pressure, but did notice it would go up slightly when I was not using it. They say apnea is hard on the heart. And that even though you sleep, you never get into REM sleep. That is the good, deep sleep that is beneficial and causes you to dream.
Take it one step further and see an Otolaryngologists(ear, nose and throat specialist). I wore a CPAP for several years and toted it around on business trips and truck camping. Pain in the arse for sure! If you're older like I am, in 50s, doctors back then didn't take out your tonsils unless there was an issue. Well, I still had mine and the doc said they were causing a little blockage so had a tonsillectomy. Problem solved! CPAP sold on Craigslist a couple years ago and never looked back.
Could be a deviated septum as well that can be corrected with a relatively simple surgery(if not deviated too bad). If insurance will cover either procedure and doc recommends, I would go for it as your quality of life will be much, much better guaranteed.
Lastly, if you have been diagnosed with sleep apnea whether mild or severe, please don't shrug it off as it's a very serious condition that could have you hunting in the clouds if not careful!
If you have sleep apnea and begin using a CPAP, you will never want to be without it. I had some that had their own batteries but they generally would not last throughout a trip. If I had electricity at the camp all was fine. If a camp used generators, all was fine. Even if the camp turned off the generators at night, I could charge the battery during the day. I used truck batteries with an inverter. My Dr. told me that if you are a fat boy, over 40 years old and snore, you may well have sleep apnea. I got tired of lugging it to every hunting camp I went to and was not able to make some hunts due to extreme wilderness conditions. I lost 65 pounds and no sleep apnea. No more high blood pressure either. Sleep apnea is very serious. It is much more than just snoring. Your organs are deprived of oxygen causing damage to them and never get a restful night of sleep. Being overweight can cause a myriad of medical issues, sleep apnea one of them.
I went to a sleep apnea dentist and got fitted with a 3 oz dental device that did the trick. According to him, most sleep apnea people could get away with using this. This isn't one of those "over the counter" ones. This is custom formed to my mouth and teeth. Super comfortable. I'll stick with it as long as I can. Hauling a machine into the backcountry doesn't sound fun. 3 oz little unit, I can do any day! I went this route precisely because of elk hunting.
Try breath right strips, they worked for me.
My buddy uses an inverter at his truck and runs electric cord into tent
I need to have a sleep study done.
Michele says I quit breathing constantly while I am asleep.
Question does your primary doctor have to order a sleep study or do you just call them?
I have same issues as MNbowhunter I wake up literally gasping for air.
2 weeks ago it was so bad scared the shit out of me. I plugged a fan in and it hits me square in the face which has helped
Kellly,
You should see an ENT doctor. They will order the sleep study. Once that is done the doctor will make a recommendation for treatment.
Relative to the tonsillectomy comment above....
I had my tonsils taken out due to an infection of them. That fixed my snoring and apnea for about 6 months. Then it came back. Apparently this is not an uncommon response to a tonsillectomy's impact on apnea/snoring....
I've had it forever, and have been using a bi-pap for over twenty years. My Dad had it, but nobody knew what it was back then. When I started using the machine, I was the only person I knew who did. Now, lots of folks I know use one.
If you have sleep apnea, or suspect you do, don't hesitate in getting a sleep study and do whatever it takes to correct it. The only way I can sleep is with the machine or in a recliner. It takes a toll on your body, your heart, and your short term memory.
Besides that, you may kill yourself or someone else if you nod off while driving. Before I got on the machine, I ran half the people in E Texas off the road. Not that bad, but I did wake up in the ditch, over in the other lane, etc. too many times ! Had two or three really close calls and finally decided rather than crash, I would just pull over and nap. That was a band-aid, but the machine was the cure.
Good luck !
Kelly, my regular doctor ordered the test. I didn't ever sleep on my back but when they wire you up, you're forced to sleep on your back. You will stop breathing when they do that. I can sleep on my side and get by. My machine is set for 10, whatever that means, and I use the nose tubes, not the full mask. Talking to my dentist about the appliance and I'm determined to lose 35 pounds. Know that will help with the blood pressure and hopefully the apnea.
Russ I thought about doing that. I had a friend that had it done and for some reason he reacted horribly to it. He said it's like having permanent strep throat.
I don't use distilled water in mine. Yeah I get mineral build up but it's easily cleaned plus I get a new one every 6 months.
