Anyone know anything about sleep apnea?

[Hensley258]

I suspect I may have it. I wake up several times in the night because I feel like I can't breath. I will start gasping for breath. It's like I'm struggling to get air in my lungs at night, but my nose is not stuffed up. I don't snore and I am not overweight.

I can tell that I am waking because I can't breath and I am exhausted during the day. Is there any treatment for this and does HMO insurance even cover this illness?

[Sam Delfino]

Hi,
You can go to this site, which will give you some information on sleep apnea   http://top3dentists.com/pages/sleep_apnea  
Also, there is a way to figure out if you have apnea without having to go to a sleep center, by getting a machine called the WatchPad. You do this in your own home and it is comfortable. As for the Cpap machine or the Darth Vader Look, there are ways if you are not a severe case to get oral appliances from your dentist (who should be trained in sleep apnea and I would highly recommed them using laryngometer and pharyngometer). This makes life much easier. Beats wearing the mask, if you are a good candidate for it. At the link I gave you, you can find or request a dentist who is highly trained in sleep apnea.
Good luck

[jimgreg]

i got apnea  i dont snore either..it sounds like you need to have a sleep study done..i wear the full face mask everynight..its not helping me to good..been on it 1 yr tommrow...get checked...

[KatEyes]

Your description sounds so much like what I described before being diagnosed with sleep apnea. By the way, not everyone with apnea snores and/or is overweight. Sometimes it has to do with throat and/or jaw structure, not weight.

All HMO's are different. Check with your provider. I've had two different HMO's and they both covered diagnosis and treatment. Most would rather pay this as a preventative than pay for treating the myriad of other health issues that can arise from untreated apnea.