Blue water sailing with sleep apnea?

[Paul L]

Originally Posted by john61ct

Can't imagine why not, small space? Off grid power?

Thousands in fact do, in tents and vans too.

Tents and vans aren't rolling and crashing around while on your 2 to 4 hour offwatch.

[Pelagic]

Originally Posted by Paul L

Tents and vans aren't rolling and crashing around while on your 2 to 4 hour offwatch.

Lol Paul. If things are crashing around, sleep apnea is the least of your worries [emoji4]

[roverhi]

I've been fitted with upper and lower retainers that force my lower jaw forward a fraction of an inch. It has cured my snoring and cut my Apnea episodes to an acceptable level. µy wife is very happy.

Used them on a recent 400 mile coastal passage with the last 200 miles in one stretch. Didn't have any problems with falling asleep involuntarily. Yes, got tired after the first 24 hours without sleep but managed to do fine with a couple of short naps in the cockpit after that.

Have had problems falling asleep flying and driving since my 20's that took a large amount of coffee to overcome. That's gone away since I started using the retainers.

[jmorrison146]

Caution! Do not take this condition lightly. I highly recommend seeking testing and a consult from a sleep medicine physician. We know of a man who ignored it and didn't wake up one morning - brain dead from lack of oxygen. In the past, when they said a person "died in their sleep" it could have well been sleep apnea.

I got by with a "mandibular positioning device" (custom-fitted mouthpiece) for years but, despite improved fitness and weight loss, the condition has worsened and I've graduated to a CPAP machine. Constant compliance/effectiveness monitoring and an annual consult are required to maintain my USCG license.

[Ivansgarage]

Originally Posted by Pelagic

My girlfriend had quietly been suffering my sleep apnea and associated snoring for years but lately it has gotten worse, with headaches in the morning

Even though my weight has come down after the Achilles tendon operation, the nasal passages seemed restricted.

So last month I went online and bought a bunch of devices to try out

This more expensive USB rechargeable unit worked really well, totally silent, but in our airconed cabin at night, it dried out my nasal passage and back of throat.

The super cheap antisnoring devices was all about finding the right fit.

I bought 3 types and i found this conical insertion works best to adjust comfortably.

I apparently no longer snore, (even after drinks)....no more apnea headaches in the morning... and my girl is much nicer to me in the morning.[emoji57]

The conical one is Cheap....give it a try

The powered one is also worth trying

Attachment 200105Attachment 200107

I use the nose inserts so my nasal passages stay open and use the two inch square surgical tape to keep my mouth shut, works great, the wife is very happy, have done this for years.... the tape still leaves a very small gap on the sides so if ya do need to cough.... telling ya it works ...

[senormechanico]

I can't help but wonder if sleep apnea is a cause of Alzheimer's symptoms.

Wife sometimes snores or hums in her sleep. Rarely, wakes up suddenly with a snort and didn't ever use to do that.

She is beginning to get ditzy about things...

[jmorrison146]

Good luck self-diagnosing and self-prescribing for a potentially life-threatening condition.

From the wife of the now brain dead man that ignored it:

You will, at first, wake up with headaches or awake suddenly gasping for breath - both are signs of the brain not getting enough oxygen. As it gets worse, you sleep right through making horrible honking and gasping noises and pissing yourself as your brain shuts down normal functions as it tries to get oxygen.

If you even suspect sleep apnea, get a sleep study and consultation with a sleep medicine physician. This condition is every bit as serious as heart palpitations or an irregular heartbeat. Would you self-diagnose and self-prescribe for those as well?

[captstu]

I sailed from Cape Town to Barbados with an inverter powered CPAP. Since converted to a direct 12 v unit - see really no difference in battery state in the morning, but I ran a small inverter rather than the 2.5kw built in.

Sleep deprivation is always an issue when single handing, but not so much with a good autopilot and capable crew.

See cpap.com for good deals and reasonable advice.

[MJH]

Originally Posted by Easc

Hi all,

I'm a life long sailor with sleep apnea and am thinking about starting extended sailing. I've done mostly coastal sailing and overnight trips, although I have done bare boat chartering in the BVIs, Maine and the West Coast.

I'm physically fit and capable of open water sailing, but unsure how the sleep apnea will affect my ability to handle the sleep deprivation that comes with off shore sailing. I also wonder how to power the CPAP machine during sleep.

Anyone else out there have the same issue or know of experiences with it?

Any feedback would be welcome, even if you think I'm out of my mind!

On my 2016 roundtrip to Hawaii from Washington State three of our four man crew (75%) had sleep apnea and used their CPAP machines. Contact your CPAP manufacturer and get the proper adapter to plug into your DC system. I put distilled water in mine but don't turn on the heater to save power...it all works fine for me. For a number of reasons, not just the CPAP use, I would recommend you do an electrical consumption plan to see what your daily power usage is and the net affect of powering the CPAP onboard.

~ ~ _/) ~ ~ MJH

[Gypsyjon]

I did the loop and anchored a lot. I use a Resmed machine with a small battery that will last 3 nights. It recharges through a cigarette lighter type plug on my boat.
Works great, easy, charges fast.

I did not use the humidifier or air heater, just the air pump, actually mine is a VPAP machine.

[Brendan]

I do a lot of sailing, most of it coastal, but I’ve also done a passage from the UK down to the Canaries with only one stop. Use a small portable CPAP machine running off a small portable battery which I recharge every 2-3 days using 12v. No humidifier, but that is not needed at sea as it is anyway sufficiently humid.
For serious long term blue water passages I’d have two CPAP machines on board, as a back up. If I don’t use my machine I get blinding, incapacitating headaches. Anyone who thinks they have this condition should really see a doctor, the increase of heart disease likelihood is much higher for untreated sleep apnea.

[Cheechako]

I don't think there is much risk of stopping breathing and dying on a sailboat as you wont be sleeping that deep or long!

[Pelagic]

Originally Posted by jmorrison146

Good luck self-diagnosing and self-prescribing for a potentially life-threatening condition.

From the wife of the now brain dead man that ignored it:

You will, at first, wake up with headaches or awake suddenly gasping for breath - both are signs of the brain not getting enough oxygen. As it gets worse, you sleep right through making horrible honking and gasping noises and pissing yourself as your brain shuts down normal functions as it tries to get oxygen.

If you even suspect sleep apnea, get a sleep study and consultation with a sleep medicine physician. This condition is every bit as serious as heart palpitations or an irregular heartbeat. Would you self-diagnose and self-prescribe for those as well?

Current US population is 326 million people:

10% have mild obstructive sleep apnea (AHI>5)

3.5% have moderate obstructive sleep apnea (AHI>15)

4% have severe obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (defined as frequent apnea/hypopnea and functional impairment)2

75-80% of cases remained unidentified.3**25% of individuals with moderate*obstructive sleep apnea have neither subjective nor objective sleepiness.*4

Sleep Apnea Statistics by Age

26% of adults aged 30-70 years have obstructive sleep apnea5
About 20% of children snore, but 1-4% of children aged between 2-8 suffer from obstructive sleep apnea6-7

Sleep Apnea by Gender

Sleep-disordered breathing affect* 23.4% of women and 49.7% of men*8
Male-to-female ratio of sleep apnea 2 to 3:1*9

Sleep Apnea by Age and Sex

Sleep apnea rate significantly increases as we age.*10

[doublewide]

Don't pay attention to anyone who says there is any problem or incompatibility between CPAP use and sailing. I'll bet you dollars to donuts that your CPAP machine is a 12V machine like mine. That "brick" in your CPAP power cord is a 120V to 12V transformer. You can buy a 12V power cord for your machine. Your new 12V power cord will have the correct adapter for your machine on one end, and a "cigarette lighter" plug on the other. No brick!

It would be silly to use an inverter to transform your battery power to 120V and then use your "brick" to bring it back to 12V, wouldn't it?

I have used my "shore-going" CPAP machine on our yacht every night aboard for the last 12 years, whether anchored, moored, or on a long offshore passage, and so can you. No worries. No inverter.

[Pelagic]

Originally Posted by jmorrison146

If you even suspect sleep apnea, get a sleep study and consultation with a sleep medicine physician. This condition is every bit as serious as heart palpitations or an irregular heartbeat. Would you self-diagnose and self-prescribe for those as well?

This is an interesting Thread as I never realized sleep apnea was so common or that there could be so many related causes/remedies.

My brother in law has a deviated septum, suffers from allergies and hay fever. He uses this teapot device nightly to flush his sinuses which cures the snoring.

Good advice to assess your individual issue..... Would that be via an 'Ear Nose and Throat specialist?